Soccer

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar are just some of the names who come up in the debate over the best soccer players in the 21st century. Then there are upcoming stars such as Kylian Mbappé and players of a different era such as Ronaldinho. Where do they stand? The conversation can be

Sam Borden, ESPN Senior WriterJul 23, 2024, 12:08 PM ET Close Sam Borden is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Open Extended Reactions MARSEILLE, France — Two days before taking charge of her first major-tournament match as coach of the United States women’s national team, Emma Hayes said the age-old presumption of American dominance in this

Sam Borden, ESPN Senior WriterJul 23, 2024, 09:52 AM ET Close Sam Borden is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Open Extended Reactions The USWNT will play in their first major tournament after hiring a new coach, while the men’s side returns to the Olympics after a 16-year wait. (Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images) The

Joseph Lowery Jul 22, 2024, 09:34 AM ET Open Extended Reactions It’s Monday, and another week of MLS action is in the books, which means it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings. Our Power Rankings are derived from a combination of key season statistics (points per game, goal differential, expected goal differential), recent performance, the Opta

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJul 22, 2024, 05:22 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Real Madrid With Kylian Mbappé joining Jude Bellingham and women’s team star Carla Camacho on modeling duty for the occasion, Real Madrid have unfurled their new away kit for the 2024-25 season, while also casually flexing their new-look, extravagantly furnished squad. Resplendent

Jeff Kassouf Jul 22, 2024, 08:00 AM ET Trinity Rodman, left, and Emily Fox have a discussion during the USWNT’s 1-0 win over Mexico in a pre-Olympics friendly earlier this month. Stephen Nadler/ISI Photos/Getty Images for USSF At each opportunity to repeat the old company line that the standard for the U.S. women’s national team is

Wrexham began their preseason tour of North America’s west coast with a credible 1-1 draw against Premier League Bournemouth in Santa Barbara, California, on Saturday. In front of a sell-out crowd at Harder Stadium on the campus of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Wrexham took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Bournemouth defender James

Jul 21, 2024, 07:26 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said they are on the front foot in the transfer market thanks to the club’s leadership making quick and decisive moves to secure new players following the signings of Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee. Since British billionaire and INEOS chairman

Jul 19, 2024, 02:13 PM ET Open Extended Reactions On July 7, 2024, Brazil played Uruguay in the Copa América quarterfinals. Brazil’s 17-year-old centre-forward Endrick was playing in the biggest game of his career to date, two weeks before he would officially sign for Real Madrid. Endrick was wearing the Brazil No. 9 shirt once

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Defender Jordi Alba scored two minutes after Chicago pulled even in the second half to rally Inter Miami to a 2-1 victory over the Fire on Saturday night. Rookie Matías Rojas scored for a fourth time this season to give Inter Miami (16-4-5) a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute. Robert Taylor

Jul 20, 2024, 04:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has backed Jadon Sancho to “click” after his return to the club following a public fallout between the pair last season. Sancho made his first appearance for Man United since last August in a preseason friendly against Rangers on Saturday.

Adriana Garcia Jul 19, 2024, 06:25 AM ET Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has said Argentina teammate Enzo Fernández is facing undeserved backlash for the video that shows the Chelsea midfielder singing a discriminatory chant. Fernández apologised this week after he posted a video on Instagram following his team’s 1-0 win over Colombia in the

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentJul 19, 2024, 10:58 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Open Extended Reactions AFC Bournemouth and United States men’s national team midfielder Tyler Adams is looking at yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing back surgery, according to the Cherries

Open Extended Reactions Manchester United‘s £52.1 million signing of 18-year-old defender Leny Yoro is the game-changer in minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s attempt to reset the club’s recruitment policy and make decisiveness, rather than desperation, the new guiding principle at Old Trafford. For the first time in longer than anyone cares to remember — potentially

Jul 19, 2024, 07:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions The United States women’s national soccer team is in action at the 2024 Olympic soccer tournament in Paris, the team’s first competitive games with Emma Hayes at the helm as head coach. She takes over following USWNT’s worst finish in World Cup history last year, when

Jul 18, 2024, 07:45 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Multiple lawsuits have been filed by fans against South American soccer’s governing body CONMEBOL and the operators of Hard Rock Stadium in the wake of the chaos surrounding Sunday’s Copa América final. The complainants claim that they purchased tickets for the final but that crowd-control issues

Jon Molyneux-Carter, Senior EditorJul 18, 2024, 05:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Euro 2024 is over, but the tournament’s true impact is just beginning to be felt as players who impressed in Germany this summer will be high on the shortlists of interested clubs looking to make a transfer. While transfer fees are almost always

Jul 18, 2024, 07:17 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Messi won the Copa América twice and the World Cup consecutively in 2021, 2022 and 2024. Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images Newly crowned European champions Spain have risen five places to third in the latest FIFA rankings published on Thursday after a 2-1 victory over England in