Soccer

3:21 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Man City’s attacking power is no surprise, but their brief collapse vs. Leicester showed the weaknesses that give the chasing pack hope. James Williamson – AMA/Getty Images MANCHESTER, England — For the first 25 minutes at the Etihad Stadium on Boxing Day, Manchester City showed why they’re favourites to win the

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6:37 AM ET Burnley‘s home match against Everton on Boxing Day has been postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak and injuries in the visitors’ squad, the Premier League has said. It becomes the third Boxing Day fixture to be postponed in the Premier League after Liverpool‘s match against Leeds United and the meeting between Wolves

9:05 AM ET Chris Kirchner has withdrawn his bid to buy Derby County. Nathan Stirk/Getty Images American businessman Chris Kirchner has withdrawn his offer to rescue Championship club Derby County. The team, which is managed by former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, have been docked a total of 21 points after the club entered

5:05 AM ET Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has labelled Thursday’s meeting between the Premier League and its managers a “waste of time” and criticised administrators for ignoring mounting concerns over the Christmas fixture schedule. All 20 head coaches held a virtual meeting to discuss player welfare and fixture congestion as English football battles on

4:27 PM ET Caitlin Murray Jaelene Daniels refused to wear a USWNT call-up over rainbow-themed gay pride jersey. Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The North Carolina Courage have apologized to fans upset by the recent signing of Jaelene Daniels, the player who made headlines for refusing a U.S. women’s national team call-up over rainbow-themed gay

8:21 AM ET Romaare in talks to sign Arsenal midfielder Ainsley Maitland-Niles on loan during the January transfer window, sources have told ESPN. It is understood the Italian club’s sporting director Tiago Pinto has made contact with Arsenal to explore the possibility of signing the midfielder, who is open to the move. Sources have told

9:29 AM ET Steven Gerrard is worried, and so are his players. The Aston Villa manager is taking almost hourly bulletins on how badly his squad has been affected by positive COVID-19 cases and whether he will have enough players — 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper — to meet the minimum requirement to fulfil

7:18 AM ET The emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has caused a host of postponements in the Premier League. Visionhaus/Getty Images Liverpool‘s clash against Leeds United at Anfield on Sunday has been postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak in the visitors’ squad, the clubs have announced. Another Premier League Boxing Day match between Watford

12:55 PM ET Possession is an extremely common topic in soccer discussion. It’s almost a written arrangement: The best (and richest) teams in Europe — think Manchester City, for one — will dominate the ball and take it back the moment they lose it, while the lesser (and/or less monied) teams will have to make

4:56 AM ET The transfer window opens on Jan. 1 in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 (find out about the rest of Europe here) and clubs have been planning their business amid the ongoing financial uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. ESPN writers have everything you need to know about the top teams’ hopes

5:21 PM ET Chelsea sneaked into the Carabao Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Community Stadium in their quarterfinal on Tuesday thanks to a late Pontus Jansson own goal and Jorginho penalty. Thomas Tuchel, whose side came into this match on the back of a run of just one win in

4:56 PM ET Liverpool beat Leicester City on 5-4 penalties to reach the Carabao Cup semifinals after a thrilling 3-3 draw in regular time. Diogo Jota fired the deciding kick in the ensuing shoot-out past Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel as the Reds moved on in the competition. – ESPN+ viewers’ guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA

9:00 AM ET Bruce Schoenfeld BARCELONA — There’s nothing nou about Camp Nou, Barcelona‘s iconic stadium. The red grandstand seats, meant to evoke the stripes on the Catalan flag, have faded to a flamingo pink. The concrete floors are mottled and scarred. It’s a fitting symbol for the vertiginous decline of a great football club.

5:30 PM ET Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has warned against starting “a hunt for non-vaccinated people” as English football battles to continue its schedule over Christmas with COVID-19 cases rising in the United Kingdom. The UK recorded 90,629 new cases on Tuesday, a day after the Premier League and English Football Leagues vowed to

8:08 AM ET Aramide Oladipo Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has said the decision to continue the Premier League festive schedule is “absurd” and warned the quality of games will decrease due to physical fatigue. During a meeting involving the Premier League, Football Association and representatives of the 20 clubs on Monday, it was agreed

3:07 PM ET Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez won’t be popular at Sevilla, and that has nothing to do with whether he inspires his squad of talented youngsters and downbeat senior pros to a slightly unlikely looking victory over Los Rojiblancos at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday (3 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+).

2:55 PM ET Ian DarkeESPN.com writer Close Darke, who called games for the network during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, is ESPN lead soccer voice in the United States. He has covered the Barclays Premier League and the Champions League since 1982, and has one of the world’s most recognizable soccer voices.