MONTRÉAL, Canada — Back when he was Melbourne Victory coach, Tony Popovic once described the chance to play the role of villain and ruin an opponent’s fairytale as beautiful. If he still feels the same way as Socceroos boss, then Friday evening’s 1-0 win over Canada might have been one of the most magnificent victories that he’s been a part of. Canada’s meeting with Australia at Montréal’s Stade Saputo was…
France captain Kylian Mbappé will miss his team’s World Cup qualifier against Iceland on Monday because of a right ankle injury, France’s football federation (FFF) said Saturday. The Real Madrid star scored in France’s 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan on Friday but limped off the pitch in the 83rd minute. Just before the international break, he had hurt the same ankle while playing against Villarreal. France confirmed that their star forward…
Inter Miami defender Jordi Alba admits he changed his mind after signing a contract extension with the club through the 2027 Major League Soccer season, choosing instead to retire from football at the end of the current campaign. “It’s true that I renewed my contract in May, but the conversations were much earlier, and well, maybe it’s true that the time in May, now October, hasn’t been long, but it’s…
It is an irrefutable law of nature that for every achingly gorgeous football kit released around the world, an equal and opposite reaction is triggered in the form of a uniquely wild jersey design being produced to maintain the universal balance. With that in mind, having already rounded up a collection of the sharpest, most stylish shirts on offer this season, it’s only right that we now turn the spotlight…
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has called for football to support efforts towards peace in the Middle East ahead of two World Cup qualifiers for Israel over the next five days. The first phase of an Israel-Hamas peace plan for Gaza has been agreed, according to U.S. President Donald Trump, although it is yet to be officially ratified by the Israeli government. Infantino hopes that will cool tensions surrounding Israel’s matches…
Villarreal’s LaLiga game against Barcelona on Dec. 20 in Miami, and AC Milan’s Serie A clash with Como in Perth, Australia, in February will make history. For the first time, regular-season games will be played on foreign soil, and it marks the culmination of a long political and legal struggle. It’s a path that major U.S. sports have trod in the opposite direction for years now — the NFL, NBA…
LaLiga has confirmed its plan for Barcelona’s league fixture against Villarreal to be played on Dec. 20 in Miami after UEFA cleared the way for the match to be moved to the United States earlier this week. LaLiga president Javier Tebas told ESPN’s Fernando Palomo at the World Soccer Summit on Wednesday in Miami that the plans are “practically finalized” for Villarreal and Barcelona to face each other at Hard…
A friendly between Argentina and Puerto Rico, originally scheduled for next week in Chicago, has been relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, amid the immigration crackdown in the city, sources told ESPN Argentina’s Diego Monroig. The friendly match was supposed to be played on Oct. 13 at Soldier Field in Chicago but will be played at Chase Stadium on Oct. 14. ESPN confirmed earlier Wednesday that negotiations to host the game…
MELBOURNE, Australia — Across the past decade and a half, perhaps the best way to describe the Newcastle Jets is that they’ve existed. It’s not the most flattering of descriptions, an air of indifference almost worse than outright insulting them, and it’s one that the loyal supporters would also likely disagree with. But, aside from one momentous year in which they finished second and hosted a Grand Final that ended…
BOREHAMWOOD, England — OL Lyonnes forward Melchie Dumornay showed Arsenal exactly what happens when you orchestrate your own demise against a team that is hungry to prove that they’re still one of the best in Europe. The 22-year-old scored both goals in Lyonnes’ 2-1 win over Arsenal on Tuesday to open the UEFA Women’s Champions League. For Arsenal, defensive fragilities that have persisted since the start of the season forced…