4:10 PM ET Desperate times call for desperate measures, but even as many clubs in English football stare over the precipice at a financial catastrophe, the rescue plan fronted by Liverpool and Manchester United — with the working title “Project Big Picture” — sounds good, but looks to be nothing less than a big cheque
Soccer
11:48 AM ET To what degree was the 2020 summer transfer window impacted by COVID-19, the subsequent empty stadiums, rebates offered to TV companies, fleeing sponsors and the circa €4.5 billion loss across two seasons predicted by the European Club Association? It depends which numbers you choose to look at and how you read them.
4:18 AM ET Despite the financial downturn across the globe, clubs in Europe’s top five leagues still spent over €4.6 billion in the summer window — a drop of 43% when compared with 2019. And as the economic reality of COVID-19 hits hard in the next few months, free transfers will become even more important.
3:48 PM ET LONDON — England have prioritised defining a clear sense of identity ever since Gareth Southgate took charge in 2016. The 50-year-old’s attempt to deconstruct inhibitions created by past failures and reimagine England as a youthful side unencumbered by history improbably took them to the World Cup semifinals two years ago. Belgium’s visit
4:21 AM ET The messages are still coming through on his phone. Two full days after reaching two milestones in one game against Ukraine — his 100th cap for France, and his 41st and 42nd goals that took him above Michel Platini in the top scorers ranking for the French men’s national team — Olivier
5:02 AM ET Manchester United’s chaotic conclusion to the transfer window dominates this week’s ESPN’s Insider Notebook. PLUS: Mikel Arteta’s growing influence at Arsenal. Jump to: Dortmund baffled by United | Diallo’s journey to Old Trafford | Cavani snubbed Real Madrid and Juventus | Barca fuming with Dembele, Umtiti | Forlan helped United sign Pellestri
9:00 PM ET Associated Press Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email Major League Soccer has postponed three matches in the space of 24 hours due to the escalating number of positive coronavirus tests throughout the competition. MLS originally postponed the match between the Colorado Rapids and the LA Galaxy on Saturday after a Rapids player
12:40 PM ET The October international break is more congested than usual, as the soccer world adjusts to a compressed schedule by squeezing as many as three games into an eight-day sprint before players disperse and return to their clubs. There are travel concerns for all international teams as various players pull out of duty
5:30 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United‘s Marcus Rashford has been honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with an MBE for his work in helping children receive school meals during the coronavirus pandemic. MBE stands for Member of the Order of the British Empire and is an honour Britain gives its citizens for making a positive
12:22 PM ET The fact that Premier League clubs spent £1.2 billion on transfers this summer may advance the sense that English football is returning to normal, but the reality beneath the surface is very different. The headlines certainly point to a continuation of the madcap money-slinging that has made it the most exciting league
10:32 AM ET FIFA 21 makes a lot of notable gameplay gains that will keep you playing all season, and all year, long. Courtesy of EA Sports With winter fast approaching, there’s no shortage of soccer on TV these days, but Friday marks another notable event on the soccer calendar: the worldwide release of FIFA 21,
10:45 PM ET Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi‘s penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador at home. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) The Argentine FA piped fan noise around the empty Bombonera stadium and the chants of “Messi!
5:46 PM ET LONDON — Jack Grealish and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will soon be asking some awkward questions of Gareth Southgate if they continue performing like this. England were meandering through a pedestrian first half at Wembley as Wales grew in confidence and looked more purposeful in the opening 26 minutes before Grealish suddenly produce a
3:00 AM ET Aston Villa 7, Liverpool 2. Leicester City 5, Manchester City 2. Tottenham Hotspur 6, Manchester United 1. Hoffenheim 4, Bayern Munich 1. The early weeks of the 2020-21 European soccer season have produced more than their fair share of “Wait, WHAT?” results. With the transfer window closed and clubs on an international
3:07 AM ET It would have been strange indeed had the transfer window in Germany concluded just like any other. That football is not immune to the effects of a pandemic was illustrated by a greater emphasis than ever among Bundesliga clubs when it came to loan deals, many of them secured at the eleventh
4:34 PM ET Adriana Garcia Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni believes “it was positive” that Lionel Messi remained at Barcelona this summer instead of joining a new team. Messi had grown increasingly unhappy at how the club was being run and announced in August his wish to leave the outfit. The Argentina captain, was, however, forced
11:12 AM ET Football had a plan. Qualification for the 2022 World Cup would wrap up by March of that year, with the draw a month later and the tournament itself kicking off on Nov. 21, 2022, in Qatar. Then came the global pandemic and, with it, the scrambling, adjusting and, above all, negotiating between
4:00 AM ET Ian DarkeESPN.com writer Close Darke, who called games for the network during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, is ESPN lead soccer voice in the United States. He has covered the Barclays Premier League and the Champions League since 1982, and has one of the world’s most recognizable soccer voices.