Month: July 2024

Kei Kamara and Denis Bouanga scored four minutes apart late in the first half to lead LAFC past the LA Galaxy 2-1 on Thursday night in front of 70,076 at the Rose Bowl in a matchup of the top two teams in the Western Conference. It was the second-largest crowd in MLS this season, surpassed

Luis Miguel Echegaray, ESPNJul 5, 2024, 12:04 AM ET Open Extended Reactions HOUSTON, Texas — On America’s Independence Day, Lionel Messi and Argentina wanted to set off the fireworks for their fans with a quarterfinal win but once again, just like the 2022 World Cup final, it was their goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who took the

Argentina beat Ecuador 4-2 on penalties to move into the semi-finals of the Copa América on Thursday after goalkeeper Emi Martinez made two saves for the reigning champions in the shootout following a 1-1 draw in regulation time. Lionel Messi allayed concerns about a hamstring injury to start the game and in the 35th minute

ESPN News Services Jul 4, 2024, 07:53 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Lionel Messi was named in the starting lineup for Argentina‘s Copa América quarterfinal against Ecuador at NRG Stadium in Houston on Thursday after missing their final group game with a right leg injury. Messi sustained the injury in their Group A win over

ESPN News Services Jul 4, 2024, 07:20 PM ET Open Extended Reactions Canada coach Jesse Marsch has spoken of his disappointment in the United States‘ poor performance at the Copa América as his side prepares to take on Venezuela in the quarterfinals at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday. The 50-year-old American coach

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJul 4, 2024, 03:23 PM ET Open Extended Reactions HAMBURG, Germany — Portugal‘s Euro 2024 quarterfinal against France is not just about Cristiano Ronaldo versus Kylian Mbappé, according to Bernardo Silva. The match at Volksparkstadion on Friday will see Ronaldo and Mbappé go head-to-head as captains of their respective national teams. It’s been

Sam Marsden, Barcelona correspondentJul 4, 2024, 02:03 PM ET Open Extended Reactions STUTTGART, Germany — Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said his focus is “not so much on Yamal but Jamal” ahead of Friday’s Euro 2024 quarterfinal against Spain, which pits two of the tournament’s young stars against each other. Germany forward Jamal Musiala, 21, has

Open Extended Reactions Arsenal have completed the permanent signing of David Raya from Brentford, the club confirmed on Wednesday. Sources told ESPN that Arsenal paid an initial £3 million ($3.8m) to take Raya on loan last season and have now triggered an option worth £27m ($34.3m) to sign him on a long-term contract. The 28-year-old

Jul 4, 2024, 10:02 AM ET Open Extended Reactions German champions Bayer Leverkusen will kick off their Bundesliga title defence and continue their unbeaten domestic streak away at local rivals Borussia Monchengladbach on Aug. 23, the league confirmed on Thursday as the fixture list was announced. As usual in Germany, the champions play the first

Jul 4, 2024, 10:39 AM ET Open Extended Reactions John Stones speaking at a news conference on Thursday. Richard Pelham/Getty Images John Stones believes Jude Bellingham’s match-saving equaliser against Slovakia can be a “turning point” for England‘s Euro 2024 campaign. Gareth Southgate’s side were seconds away from going out at the round-of-16 stage against Slovakia before

Rob Dawson, CorrespondentJul 4, 2024, 09:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions HAMBURG, Germany — Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappé met for the first time 12 years ago; Ronaldo the Real Madrid galáctico and Mbappé the unknown kid from Paris on a scouting trip. There’s a picture from the day in December 2012, taken at Madrid’s

Jul 4, 2024, 08:00 AM ET Open Extended Reactions From left to right, Emmanuel Ochoa, Ricardo Pepi and Fidel Barajas are three of the countless Mexican Americans navigating the life and career of a dual-national soccer player. Illustration by ESPN Ricardo Pepi, proudly boasting the red, white and blue as he represented the U.S. men’s national

Open Extended Reactions Mikel Arteta has dropped the strongest hint yet that he will sign a new contract at Arsenal by insisting he doesn’t “predict any issues happening” when talks take place. The 42-year-old’s existing deal expires in the summer of 2025 and it was initially expected that negotiations would be held at the end

Jul 4, 2024, 03:31 AM ET Open Extended Reactions Phil Foden has said England‘s players must shoulder the blame for their shaky performances at Euro 2024, adding that he “feels sorry” for manager Gareth Southgate. Southgate has been subject to heavy criticism from fans and media over his team selection and tactics throughout the tournament