Soccer

3:37 AM ET The 2022-23 Premier League season is just 67 games old, yet already we’re seeing the effect of VAR decisions. Arsenal fans will once again be bemoaning the video referee, while some of the other biggest clubs will be glad it’s around. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) Last season,

3:45 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is one of the stars of the future. Alex Pantling/Getty Images Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is one of the names on everyone’s lips when considering who the best young player in world football is. (He came 4th on ESPN’s 39 U21 list from April.) 2

1:03 PM ET With two final friendlies before the World Cup starts in November, the United States men’s national team turned in a lesson in how to inspire pessimism. A disjointed 2-0 loss to Japan preceded a dull 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, leaving the team utterly momentumless 55 days before they kick off against

5:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent No one at Manchester City is panicking about Pep Guardiola’s future as manager of the Premier League champions — but there’s an acceptance that it won’t be long before the questions start again. Guardiola, 51, is out of contract in the summer and, without fresh terms being agreed, he could

Sep 27, 2022 The “butterfly effect” which Barcelona president Joan Laporta imagined when he mortgaged chunks of the club’s future so he could immediately invest a couple of hundred million euros in transfer fees and wages, was that of an isolated, unattractive footballing larva transforming into a beautiful, colourful, much-admired creature. However, the impact which

4:43 PM ET MURCIA, Spain — The United States men’s national team played its final warmup match for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and while the performance was an improvement over last Friday’s 2-0 defeat to Japan, a 0-0 draw against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday wasn’t exactly what the Americans were hoping for either.

9:04 AM ET Qatar has called up hundreds of civilians, including diplomats summoned back from overseas, for mandatory military service operating security checkpoints at World Cup stadiums, according to a source and documents seen by Reuters. The conscripts are training to manage stadium security queues, frisk fans and detect contraband like alcohol, drugs or weapons

4:43 PM ET England rallied from two goals down to take the lead momentarily before drawing 3-3 with Germany in a thrilling UEFA Nations League group stage finale at Wembley Stadium on Monday night. Second-half goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kai Havertz looked to have Germany on their way to victory, but Luke Shaw and

Sep 25, 2022 MURCIA, Spain — When the U.S. men’s national team takes the field against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, it will mark 43 days until manager Gregg Berhalter names his 26-player roster for the 2022 World Cup. For the likes of Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams — assuming they’re healthy — their

5:00 AM ET Gareth Southgate knows his job as England manager is on the line. Despite the apparent security of a contract that runs until the end of 2024 and a track record of reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinal and Euro 2020 final, a run of five games without a win and relegation from

12:25 PM ET Associated Press Right-back Reggie Cannon will miss the United States‘ last World Cup warm-up game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday because of a groin strain, becoming the latest addition to the team’s lengthy injury list. The U.S. Soccer Federation said Sunday that Cannon is expected to be sidelined for several weeks. –

4:45 PM ET Captain Virgil van Dijk netted a second-half winner as the Netherlands beat neighbours Belgium 1-0 on Sunday to clinch top spot in their Nations League group and a place in next year’s finals tournament. Van Dijk powered home a header from a corner in the 73rd minute at the Amsterdam Arena on

7:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Cristiano Ronaldo says he’s not going anywhere — not yet anyway. The 37-year-old Manchester United forward will be with Portugal in Qatar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November, but beyond that, he’s also got his sights set on the next European Championship, set to be held in Germany

6:00 AM ET Wael Jabir The 2022 FIFA World Cup is not only unique because it kicks off in the Northern Hemisphere winter for the first time in the competition’s 92 years of existence, but also because it will take place in an Arabic speaking country for the first time. So it’s a good time

10:18 AM ET DUSSELDORF, Germany — Giovanni Reyna comes into the room. He sits down. He leans back in his chair and, after maybe 30 seconds of small talk, he says, “Listen, I don’t want to look back in the past. At all.” He smiles. Reyna isn’t being unreasonable. He has had, by any measure,

5:00 AM ET Thirty years after its inaugural season, the Premier League can rightly celebrate its status as the world’s most popular football league. There’s not one factor behind it; there are many, and you might be familiar with them. In no particular order, you might cite the following: heritage (the game was invented here,

3:56 PM ET DUSSELDORF, Germany — United States men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter conceded that his side has “work to do” ahead of the World Cup following a 2-0 friendly defeat to Japan in which the Americans struggled against the Samurai Blue’s press. Japan applied pressure throughout the opening 45 minutes, limiting the U.S.

11:06 AM ET DUSSELDORF, Germany — With the World Cup less than two months away, the United States men’s national team was hoping to sharpen up its game against Japan, but if anything, it was the Samurai Blue who looked more ready for the showpiece tournament, riding goals either side of halftime from Daichi Kamada