Soccer

7:40 PM ET Ninety-nine words to wipe out 21 years walking hand in hand… not to mention 810 professional games, 683 goals, 10 Liga titles, seven Copas del Rey, four Champions League crowns and three FIFA Club World Cups. Barcelona‘s terse statement on Thursday appears to leave no doubt, right down to the headline on

1:13 PM ET Negotiations to renew Lionel Messi‘s contract with Barcelona hit a stumbling block on Thursday, but the club are still hopeful of tying him down to a new deal, multiple sources told ESPN. Messi, 34, has been a free agent since his previous terms expired on June 30, but ESPN reported last month

6:50 AM ET The Tokyo 2020 women’s Olympic soccer gold medal match between Canada and Sweden has been moved from its 11 a.m. local time on Friday (10 p.m. ET, Thursday) start to 9 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET, Friday) after both teams expressed concern about playing in the Japanese heat. The host city

2:54 PM ET Caitlin Murray Why has the No. 1-ranked U.S. women’s national team struggled at the Tokyo Olympics so much? Not even the players and staff seem to know. “I don’t know,” Carli Lloyd said after the USWNT’s 1-0 upset loss to Canada in the semifinal. “I don’t know in this moment. It happens,

7:13 AM ET Manchester City are attempting to seal the £100m signing of Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish ahead of Saturday’s Community Shield clash against Leicester City at Wembley, sources have told ESPN. As reported by ESPN on June 7, City manager Pep Guardiola had identified Grealish as a key summer target on a par

5:30 AM ET The transfer window has been open since the start of July and ends on Aug. 31, with Europe’s top clubs already busy spending money to enhance their squads. Man United splashed over €120m on Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, Arsenal handed over £50m to sign Brighton defender Ben White, Liverpool picked up

11:26 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens It’s been another summer of drama at Barcelona. There’s still uncertainty over the coach’s future, their star player left (and still hasn’t technically returned), LaLiga further reduced their spending limit for the upcoming season and they’ve been unable to move on a handful of unwanted big-earning players inherited

5:00 AM ET The Gold Cup is complete, and after a topsy-turvy, 120-minute battle in Las Vegas on Sunday night, Gregg Berhalter’s U.S. team walked away deserving winners over rivals Mexico and made it two trophies out of two attempts over their neighbors this summer, having won the CONCACAF Nations League at the beginning of

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3:56 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Another week of Major League Soccer fun is in the books, which means it’s time to break

1:58 AM ET LAS VEGAS — Prior to the start of the Gold Cup, United States manager Gregg Berhalter made clear that his team’s goal was to win the tournament. It was the kind of statement that was easy to dismiss, a bit of coach-speak for a youthful group of players in which winning the

8:30 AM ET Caitlin Murray Coming into the Olympics semifinal against Canada, no one knew which U.S. women’s national team was going to show up. Was it going to be the one that showed exuberance and tenacity against Netherlands to win a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw? Or was it going to be the

11:33 PM ET Miles Robinson headed home an extra-time winner as the United States beat Mexico in the 2021 Gold Cup final on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. – Gold Cup fixtures, results, schedule and more Matt Turner made a stellar save just after 10 minutes — his 20th of the tournament

12:00 PM ET Caitlin Murray After the U.S. women’s national team eked past the Netherlands, the reigning champions of Europe, following a grueling 120-minute slug-fest and penalty shootout, it would be tempting to see Monday’s semifinal against Canada (4 a.m. ET) as a chance to take things easier. After getting clobbered by Sweden and landing

6:05 PM ET Luke Thrower Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe’s biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here. TOP STORY: Saul set to leave Atletico amid Prem interest Representatives

4:05 PM ET LAS VEGAS — United States men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter called out Mexico‘s players for overly physical play in the past, and asked that the referee be “fair” ahead of Sunday’s Gold Cup final between the two sides. Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Berhalter referenced previous matches against Mexico

12:48 PM ET LAS VEGAS — When the U.S. men’s national team and Mexico meet in Sunday’s 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, it will be the second time in 56 days that the longtime rivals have faced each other with a continental title on the line. And yet the two matches could not be more

6:36 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Trophies aren’t handed out in July, but Manchester United have at least used the summer to show they remain interested in winning some. Toward the end of his time as manager at Old Trafford, Jose Mourinho came to believe the club were happy simply to compete in the big competitions