The Exploding Heads are back as player agents to field calls from the likes of Gareth Bale, Harry Maguire and Phil Jones on a lively transfer deadline day. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring you all the weirdest stories, quirkiest viral content and top trolling that the internet has to offer,
Leagues
Daniel Frahn had been fined by Chemnitzer FC earlier this year. German third division club Chemnitzer FC have terminated the contract of captain Daniel Frahn after accusing him of ”openly displaying his sympathy with the leading figures” of far-right groups associated with the club’s supporters scene. Frahn, 32, missed Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at Halle through injury
With PSG and Neymar still at odds, Alejandro Moreno says the Ligue 1 club needs to come down on the price to land the Brazilian. Julien Laurens dismisses the possibility of Neymar joining Real Madrid on loan, even if Florentino Perez wants the move to happen. With players like Paul Pogba and Neymar trying to
By Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal Kei Kamara made up for an early own goal by scoring a hat trick for Colorado in a wild nine-goal thriller. To watch MLS, sign up to ESPN+. MLS’s fifth-leading scorer all time makes an uncharacteristic mistake for Colorado to gift Montreal a goal. To watch MLS, sign up to ESPN+. Lassi
3:04 PM ET Dermot Corrigan Eden Hazard‘s first goal for Real Madrid was enough for a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s pre-season friendly at Red Bull Salzburg, but Zinedine Zidane’s side still look very much a work in progress with just over a week to go until the La Liga season begins. – Sources: Real eyes
Clemens Tonnies could face action from the German football league. Schalke chief Clemens Tonnies is to temporarily step down after being cleared of racism allegations by the German club’s honorary council. The 63-year-old, who remains under investigation by the German FA’s ethics committee, will leave his position at the Bundesliga club for three months.. The
With PSG and Neymar still at odds, Alejandro Moreno says the Ligue 1 club needs to come down on the price to land the Brazilian. With players like Paul Pogba and Neymar trying to force their way out of their clubs, Frank Leboeuf explains why this behavior is unfair to the teams. Frank Leboeuf explains
ESPN FC’s Stewart Robson explains why he believes Liverpool were the better side and were unlucky to walk away from the Community Shield empty handed. Liverpool forward Harry Wilson has joined Bournemouth on a season-long deal for a £2.5 million loan fee. The 22-year-old travelled to the south coast on Tuesday afternoon to undergo a
9:49 PM ET Atlanta United are heading to the finals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup after beating Orlando City 2-0 at Exploria Stadium on Tuesday night. The visitors took a 1-0 lead before half-time when Eric Remedi redirected a Julian Gressel cross past Adam Grinwis after a period of sustained Atlanta pressure on
Shaka Hislop feels Barcelona’s high asking price for Philippe Coutinho is scaring off potential buyers, given the Brazilian’s erratic from at the Nou Camp. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp tells ESPN FC’s Melissa Reddy that re-signing Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona would take “big, big money” and “it’s not our year for that.” Arsenal are not interested
It was a weekend of statements made across Major League Soccer, and the Power Rankings are taking note. We see you, Alejandro Bedoya and the Philadelphia Union, stomping DC United and digging in at the top of the East. We see you, LAFC, reminding everyone that “hottest” doesn’t mean “best” and that you can get
With the summer transfer window open across Europe, see which players have left which clubs and where they are headed with our transfer tracker. FC Exclusives The transfer window is open until Aug.8 for the Premier League and longer for the rest of Europe. See who has left which club, where they are headed and
Virgil van Dijk is not accustomed to being powerless on the pitch, but he had temporarily lost control. “It’s a feeling you can’t really describe,” the centre-back tells ESPN FC, revisiting the moment his legs gave way at the Wanda Metropolitano when Divock Origi‘s goal marked Liverpool as Champions League winners. He was half-turned away
10:25 PM ET Marco Fabian had two goals, Alejandro Bedoya, Kacper Przybylko and Fabrice-Jean Picault also scored goals as the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Union cruised to a 5-1 victory over 10-man D.C. United on Sunday night in Washington, D.C. The victory moved the Union (42 points), who have had at least a share of
ESPN FC’s Julien Laurens delves into a scenario where Neymar’s desired move to Barcelona doesn’t pan out and he’s forced to stay at PSG. Shaka Hislop feels Barcelona’s high asking price for Philippe Coutinho is scaring off potential buyers, given the Brazilian’s erratic from at the Nou Camp. Stewart Robson cites Barcelona’s defeats against Liverpool
Alejandro Moreno and Shaka Hislop explain why Bayern Munich’s lack of athleticism at the back will give them problems this season. The FC crew examine the public spat going on at Bayern Munich between Karl-Heinz Rumminegge and Niko Kovac surrounding Leroy Sane. Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has called on the club to make high-profile
ESPN FC’s Matteo Bonetti and Steve Nicol have a difference of opinion on whether or not Maurizio Sarri’s methodologies are innovative. Former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol takes a closer look at Matthijs de Ligt’s defensive acumen from his days at Ajax that could benefit him at Juventus. Gab Marcotti shares the latest on a potential
9:46 PM ET Jordan Harvey assisted on goals by Diego Rossi and Latif Blessing, as LAFC defeated New England 2-0 in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Saturday to end the Revolution’s 11-match unbeaten streak. Rossi made it 1-0 in the eighth minute, and Blessing doubled the lead in the 72nd for the top team in Major League
Paul Mariner says Harry Maguire will need to get better to prove he’s worth Manchester United making him the most expensive defender of all-time. With a move to Serie A looking imminent, Paolo Bandini and the ESPN FC panel wonder if Romelu Lukaku is deserving of the criticism he has received at Manchester United. Former
1:04 PM ET Chelsea fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against Borussia Monchengladbach thanks to goals from Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley. Gladbach stormed into a two-goal lead through goals from Alassane Plea on 13 minutes and Jonas Hofmann on 39 minutes. But Abraham gave Frank Lampard‘s side hope just