Soccer

9:30 AM ET It’s finally here! ESPN’s Battle of the Leagues, presented by EA Sports FIFA 22, began with eight teams, all-star selections representing some of the best leagues in the world, and we’re down to the final two. The French Ligue 1, defending champions from 2020 and wonderfully coached by Julien Laurens, take on

12:56 PM ET The 2021 Major League Soccer season began 209 days ago, and so much has changed since. The New England Revolution lifted their first MLS silverware with a record-setting points haul to secure the Supporters’ Shield. The Columbus Crew, last year’s MLS Cup champions, soldiered through a title hangover for much of the

5:00 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Eric Gomez The games between Mexico and the United States have emerged as some of the most heated on the soccer calendar. Who can forget Rafa Marquez’s harsh red on Cobi Jones at the

5:00 AM ET The two-week international break might mean a pause for clubs, but it’s all systems go around the globe with World Cup qualifying and every continent is approaching the end of the road to Qatar 2022. Only three teams — including hosts Qatar, who qualify automatically — have already punched their tickets to

9:00 AM ET The United States and Mexico face off in World Cup qualifying this Friday at Cincinnati’s TQL Stadium (stream LIVE on ESPN2, 9 p.m. ET). Stakes and emotions are always high when these sides clash, especially after two epic summer matches in tournament finals. Will the U.S. make it three in a row

12:21 PM ET Mark Ogden Julien Laurens It’s been a long time since we’ve seen so many high-profile moves in one month, but the 2021 summer transfer window saw the game’s two best players of the modern era, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, joining new clubs. Ronaldo made a sensational return to his former club,

9:55 AM ET We’ve reached the nail-biting conclusion of the group stage in ESPN’s Battle of the Leagues, presented by EA Sports FIFA 22, and after bidding farewell to the four eliminated teams after the group stage — LaLiga, Eredivisie, Major League Soccer and Liga MX — we are ready for the semifinals. Mark Ogden’s

1:27 PM ET Yunus Musah had only heard about it. The fire. The intensity. The bags of urine flying from the stands like gross, golden grenades. Tall tales, you know? Lore. Musah had heard stories, but it wasn’t until this summer that he finally saw a sliver of it with his own eyes. It wasn’t

10:01 AM ET It seems like we say this every weekend, but this weekend’s European soccer slate brought plenty of drama, joy, pain and talking points. Manchester United were woeful against City in the derby, Milan and Inter shared the points in their derby, and there were remarkable comebacks (and lessons) as Barcelona and Atletico

9:00 AM ET Forget the race for the Premier League title: the stakes are at their highest in the battle to finish fourth. Three huge clubs — Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur — appear locked in a race for the final spot in next season’s Champions League after all being plunged into crisis this

10:37 PM ET Major League Soccer loves to tout how chaotic Decision Day is. The reality is that sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t. But on Sunday, this was one instance where the chaos-meter redlined, and that was especially true in the Western Conference. For most of the day, it seemed like the LA

3:28 PM ET Jurgen Klopp has accused referee Craig Pawson of “making it easy for himself’ by “hiding” behind VAR as Liverpool were beaten 3-2 by West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday. Liverpool fell behind after just four minutes as goalkeeper Alisson diverted a Pablo Fornals corner into his own net under pressure

1:23 PM ET Barcelona kicked off the Xavi era by blowing a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 at Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday. The former Barca midfielder was announced as the club’s new manager early on Saturday, though he was not in dug-out at Balaidos to watch his new side earn a first league

11:00 AM ET Austin LindbergESPN FC Major League Soccer fans are in for a real treat. Decision Day is upon us, with Eastern Conference clubs kicking off Sunday at 3:30 PM ET and Western Conference sides taking the field at 6 PM ET (stream games LIVE on ESPN+), and there are still 12 teams vying

12:38 PM ET MANCHESTER — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is growing accustomed to being humiliated on the touchline at Old Trafford. Two weeks after being mocked by Liverpool fans during a 5-0 home defeat against Liverpool, the Manchester United manager was once again subjected to merciless ridicule by Manchester City supporters as his team slid to

10:27 AM ET Manchester United were easily beaten at Old Trafford in the local derby as Manchester City ran out 2-0 winners on Saturday. An Eric Bailly own goal and a close-range poke by Bernardo Silva in the first half were enough to seal the three points for the visitors and pile more pressure on

Nov 4, 2021 Jesse Marsch and RB Leipzig need a defining win this weekend in order to dispel any doubts about his fit for the job. Beating Dortmund, who are without Haaland, would certainly qualify. Jan Woitas/picture alliance via Getty Images ESPN’s lead German Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae tackles a variety of hot topics in his

7:07 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona have appointed Xavi Hernandez as their new coach following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman, Al Sadd announced on Friday. Xavi, 41, returns to the club after six years with Al Sadd, first as a player before taking over as manager in 2019. – Hunter: Koeman’s sacking inevitable,