Soccer

5:10 PM ET Roman Abramovich has taken what he describes as an “incredibly difficult” decision to sell Chelsea, but the uncertainty surrounding the club is far from over. The 55-year-old initially attempted to separate the Blues from any potential personal sanction from the UK government relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last Saturday, announcing the

8:31 PM ET Charlotte FC’s first-ever home game broke the MLS attendance record. Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports Charlotte FC has broken the MLS attendance record, after a crowd of 74,479 was announced at Bank of America Stadium for their first-ever home game against the visiting LA Galaxy on Saturday. That number beat the previous MLS record

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10:28 AM ET Caitlin Murray The U.S. women’s national team won its fifth SheBelieves Cup, the annual spring invitational hosted by U.S. Soccer. But the tournament wasn’t so much about lifting the trophy as it was about playing the kids. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski did exactly that, giving chances to players who haven’t yet earned

5:32 PM ET Roman Abramovich’s decision to sell Chelsea has led to more than 300 expressions of interest to Raine Group — the New York merchant bank hired by Abramovich to find a buyer — with sources telling ESPN that at least 10 are regarded as credible parties. Sources have told ESPN that RedBird Capital

10:01 AM ET A consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly is set to lodge a formal offer to buy Chelsea in the coming days, sources have told ESPN. Boehly is working with Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and at least one other businessman to submit an official proposal ahead of the March 15 deadline

12:36 PM ET Alex KirklandESPN FC Take a look at Real Madrid‘s season so far, and by almost any metric, it looks like a success. They’re top of LaLiga with 12 games left to play, six points clear of Sevilla and 15 ahead of the rivals they care about most, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. They

1:05 PM ET Chelsea will visit Championship side Middlesbrough in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, in a rematch of the 1997 final, while Manchester City will travel away to Southampton in the only confirmed all-Premier League tie. In the other ties, Crystal Palace will host the winners of Thursday’s fifth-round matchup between Everton and

9:28 AM ET Kaila Burns-Heffner It’s transfer deadline day in Europe, and atop the 12th floor of a skyrise in Charlotte, North Carolina, Zoran Krneta darts back and forth through Charlotte FC‘s offices. A bell rings, signifying another season ticket sold, a tally is added to the ticket sales leaderboard and staff members prepare gift

4:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen Though most elite clubs usually set out to find an up-and-coming head coach or manager whenever there’s a vacancy, the majority end up going for someone well into their 40s or 50s. 2 Related There are pros and cons to either approach. Whereas young promising coaches in their 30s often

5:48 PM ET LUTON, England — Appropriately enough, Chelsea‘s money made the difference in the end. Confirmation that Roman Abramovich will sell the Blues came around an hour before the start of a match in which Luton Town threatened to show them just how far they could fall without their owner’s financial clout. Twice the

7:15 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has emerged as a surprise short-term option as Manchester United explore contingency plans in their pursuit of a new manager, sources have told ESPN. Ancelotti has a close personal relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson, someone new United CEO Richard Arnold has sought advice from since

5:09 AM ET Chelsea is up for sale, sources have told ESPN, as the UK government comes under pressure to sanction owner Roman Abramovich. Alexander Hassenstein – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images Roman Abramovich is willing to listen to offers for Chelsea as pressure grows over his ownership amid Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, sources have told

6:20 AM ET Everton have received an apology from the Premier League’s head of referees, Mike Riley, after the failure to award an injury time penalty against Manchester City on Saturday, sources have confirmed to ESPN. Everton were trailing the league leaders 1-0 when Rodrigo handled the ball inside the area. Match referee Paul Tierney

12:56 PM ET On Monday, FIFA announced that it was indefinitely suspending Russian representative teams (men’s and women’s). (In a joint statement, UEFA announced they were removing club sides from all competitions.) This means Russia will almost certainly not be participating in the Qatar World Cup in November. The previous day, FIFA had condemned the

Feb 22, 2022 There were times on Sunday night when Barcelona‘s football in the 4-0 win against Athletic Club was rapturously good. You know the feeling: when something happens on the pitch that’s so outrageously joyous that the senses take over, completely, from the rational mind — when football transcends your daily woes and your

2:33 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Dan Hajducky Close ESPN Hajducky is a reporter/researcher for ESPN. He has an MFA in creative writing from Fairfield University and played on the men’s soccer teams at Fordham and Southern Connecticut State universities.

12:26 PM ET UEFA has removed Russia’s teams from this year’s European competitions meaning they will not compete at this summer’s European Women’s Football Championships, while Spartak Moscow have been kicked out of the Europa League. The teams have been removed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s women’s side were set to face