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The U.S. men’s and women’s senior national teams will play 25 home friendly matches combined in 2025, and each game requires two simple ingredients: an opponent and a host venue. How are those opponents scheduled, and how do cities and stadiums ultimately host those games? As U.S. Soccer’s managing director of administration, and vice president of events, respectively, Tom King and John Terry (not that John Terry) are primarily responsible…

PARAMARIBO, Suriname — The referee had blown his whistle, but no one at the Franklin Essed Stadion left the stands. The drummers kept drumming, the horn players kept playing, and the Suriname men’s national team took a lap around the field. The hosts, known by fans as the Natio, appeared headed for their first defeat in World Cup qualifying, but a stunning stoppage-time goal by Virgil Misidjan earned a 1-1…

Former Manchester United youth prospect Demetri Mitchell has claimed he used AI platform ChatGPT when negotiating his move to League one side Leyton Orient, saying that the software has been his “best agent to date.” Mitchell began his career at Old Trafford, going on to make one league appearance for the club before spells at Hearts, Blackpool, Hibernian and Exeter City. This summer, the 28-year-old left Exeter to join Orient…

It was a second half that summed up Liverpool’s season. For a spell, it looked as if Gareth Taylor’s side was on course for the unlikeliest of Anfield victories against the manager’s former club, Manchester City. For an even longer period, it seemed like Liverpool’s defensive doggedness might earn them a precious point to kick-start their stuttering season. Ultimately, though, it was the same old story for the Reds, as…

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…