Month: June 2023

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJun 2, 2023, 08:30 AM ET Manchester United are set to be without Antony for the FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday with the winger struggling to recover from an ankle injury, manager Erik ten Hag said. The Brazil forward was stretchered off during United’s 4-1 win over Chelsea on May

Jun 2, 2023, 07:35 AM ET Leeds United announced the departure of manager Sam Allardyce by mutual agreement on Friday after the club’s relegation from the Premier League. Allardyce, 68, was parachuted in to rescue the club in May with only four games remaining but Leeds finished second from bottom, five points adrift of the

Associated Press Jun 2, 2023, 07:10 AM ET Polish referee Szymon Marciniak has apologised for speaking at a business event tied to a far-right politician and will officiate next week’s Champions League final, UEFA said on Friday. Marciniak’s appointment for the game between Manchester City and Inter Milan on June 10 was at risk after

Jun 2, 2023, 06:09 AM ET Erling Haaland has said he will do “everything” to secure his “biggest dream” of winning the Treble in his first season at Manchester City. The striker enjoyed a record-breaking debut campaign in England to help Pep Guardiola’s side win the Premier League for a third season in a row.

Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJun 2, 2023, 05:00 AM ET History beckons between Manchester City and Manchester United. There are two “Doubles” on the line and even a “Treble” as the 189th Manchester derby plays out in the 142nd FA Cup final. Saturday’s clash at Wembley will either see Premier League champions City take

Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerJun 2, 2023, 05:00 AM ET New ground will be broken in the annals of English football on Saturday when Manchester United and Manchester City come face-to-face in the FA Cup final (10 a.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+) for the first time in the competition’s 151-year history. Editor’s Picks 2

Adriana Garcia Jun 2, 2023, 04:32 AM ET Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez has said Lionel Messi will decide next week where he will continue his career, adding that the Catalan club are still interested in signing the forward should he choose to return. Messi, 35, will play his last game for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday

Gabriele Marcotti, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJun 1, 2023, 01:47 PM ET On FA Cup final day — also a Manchester derby day — it’s impossible not to compare the blue half with the red half. Yin to yang. And sure, there are plenty of vantage points from which to do it. One club (Manchester City)

Sophie Lawson May 31, 2023, 12:35 PM ET In the second year since the Women’s Champions League reformat, with plenty of thrills and spills along the way, the field has been cut down to two for Saturday’s final in Eindhoven — and neither Barcelona nor Wolfsburg are strangers to the biggest stage in Europe. Finishing

Associated Press Jun 1, 2023, 05:58 PM ET An anti-racism group on Thursday called on the head referee of the Champions League final to distance himself from a far-right politician in Poland, and UEFA said it wanted “urgent clarification” ahead of the Champions League final. “A further announcement will be made [Friday], after reviewing all

Jun 1, 2023, 05:56 PM ET AS Roma fans have been condemned by the body responsible for match officials in England after videos showed them harassing Europa League final referee Anthony Taylor at Budapest Airport following their defeat to Sevilla on Wednesday. Videos posted on social media Thursday showed outraged Roma supporters directing insults and

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentJun 1, 2023, 10:29 AM ET Aitana Bonmati, centre, will play in her fourth Champions League final in five years after winning another Liga F title. Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images BARCELONA, Spain — Everything has happened so quickly for Aitana Bonmati that the Barcelona midfielder, voted the fifth best player in the

Associated Press Jun 1, 2023, 04:37 PM ET Anderson Duarte’s strike from the edge of the penalty area put Uruguay through to the Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 win against Gambia on Thursday. Uruguay plays the United States, which beat New Zealand 4-0 on Tuesday, in the last eight on Sunday at the

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentJun 1, 2023, 02:17 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. The NWSL’s 14th expansion team, one that will call the San Francisco Bay Area home and begin play in 2024, has been christened Bay FC, the organization announced on Thursday. The team,

Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FCJun 1, 2023, 01:37 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he will stay in Saudi Arabia with Al Nassr next season, but said that the Saudi Pro League (SPL) needs to improve to become one of the world’s top leagues. Ronaldo, 38, scored 14 goals in 16 games for Riyadh-based

Jun 1, 2023, 01:00 PM ET Ajax will not extend the stay of coach John Heitinga after a disappointing 2022-23 season in which they finished third and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2009, opting instead to hire a more experienced tactician. Former Dutch international Heitinga, 39, took charge

Jeff Carlisle, U.S. soccer correspondentJun 1, 2023, 12:32 PM ET Close Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Folarin Balogun headline the 24-player roster that will prepare for the final four of the Concacaf Nations League. The roster marks the first under interim manager B.J.