Month: September 2022

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

12:48 AM ET Associated Press Although the field is not quite set, tickets for the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand go on sale next month. Ticket package sales begin on Oct. 6 and run through Oct. 12 for sponsor Visa cardholders, then Oct. 13-21 for others. The draw is set

Sep 27, 2022 South America’s four World Cup-bound squads — Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador — all played friendlies on Monday as they prepare for Qatar. Brazil and Uruguay earned respective wins over teams that will also be at the World Cup (5-1 over Tunisia and 2-0 over Canada) while Ecuador played a scoreless draw

6:15 PM ET Injuries across Europe’s five major leagues rose by 20% last season and cost clubs over £500 million, a new study has found, raising concerns about player welfare amid fixture congestion. Insurance broker Howden’s European Football Injury Index for the 2021-22 season estimated that injury costs went up by 29% to £513.2 million

5:00 PM ET Dutch star Vivianne Miedema scored a crucial goal on her return to the Netherlands to give Arsenal a 1-0 victory over Ajax and 3-2 win on aggregate to progress to the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League on Wednesday. Miedema scored the only goal of Wednesday’s qualifying Round 2 second

4:16 PM ET Cesar Hernandez Mexico manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino hit back at criticism after his team failed to hold onto a 2-0 lead in a 3-2 friendly loss to Colombia on Tuesday, instead focusing on what he believes are structural issues in the country’s program. “[Soccer in] Mexico is peculiar,” Martino said, alluding to

10:48 AM ET The countdown is on to the start of the World Cup in Qatar, with the host nation kicking it all off on Nov. 20 when they take on Ecuador. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) All 32 finalists are making their closing plans for the tournament, hoping that star

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

11:53 AM ET Associated Press Denmark will wear team jerseys at the World Cup that protest the human rights record of host nation Qatar, with a black option, which was unveiled on Wednesday, to honour migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament. “The color of mourning,” kit manufacturer Hummel said in a

10:12 AM ET Ferrieri Caputi has officiated in Serie D, Serie C and Serie B. Giuseppe Cottini/Getty Images Maria Sole Ferrieri Caputi will become the first female official to take charge of a Serie A match when Sassuolo host Salernitana on Sunday, the Italian Referees’ Association (AIA) said on Wednesday. Ferrieri Caputi became the first woman

9:23 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona vice president Eduard Romeu has said Lionel Messi‘s return to the club as a player would be financially possible next summer. Messi, 35, is out of contract with Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the season and could potentially move back to Barca on a free transfer.

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

6:36 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has said Barcelona‘s asset sales in the summer to fund signings were “not fair” and suggested UEFA would investigate its legality. Barca sold stakes in their domestic television rights and Barca Studios, an in-house production company, for over €700 million to allow them

6:06 AM ET Adriana Garcia Spain‘s all-time women’s top scorer, Jenni Hermoso, has said the national team’s ongoing hostile situation is “one of the worst times in the history of Spanish women’s football.” The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced last week that 15 players in the women’s national team had threatened to quit, citing their

12:00 AM ET Luis Sinisterra scored twice and Wilmar Barrios added another as Colombia fought back from two goals down to beat Mexico 3-2 in a friendly at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on Tuesday. Mexico took the lead in the fifth minute when winger Alexis Vega scored a penalty after Luis Diaz brought

10:32 PM ET Associated Press Lionel Messi scored two goals from the bench as Argentina extended their unbeaten streak to 35 matches over three years by beating Jamaica 3-0 on Tuesday night in a penultimate World Cup warmup match in Harrison, New Jersey. Julian Alvarez put Argentina ahead in the 13th minute, while Messi came

4:00 AM ET 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

4:52 PM ET England and France could face a tricky route to the finals of Euro 2024 as they will be unseeded in the qualifying draw. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) The seeding pots are decided by the final rankings in the 2022 UEFA Nations League group stage, with both countries