Soccer

2:27 PM ET Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Austin Lindberg For the second week in a row, Toronto FC is on top of MLS Power Rankings, thanks to a pair of clean sheets and a pair of wins from second- and third-choice

4:18 AM ET Despite the financial downturn across the globe, clubs in Europe’s top five leagues still spent over €4.6 billion in the summer window — a drop of 43% when compared with 2019. And as the economic reality of COVID-19 hits hard in the next few months, free transfers will become even more important.

11:22 PM ET Patrick Mullins‘ first goal of the season gave Toronto FC a 1-0 road victory over FC Cincinnati on Sunday. Toronto clinched a playoff spot with the victory and extended its lead atop the MLS standings. Toronto FC is on a five-game winning streak and is 6-0-1 over their last seven games. FC

3:48 PM ET LONDON — England have prioritised defining a clear sense of identity ever since Gareth Southgate took charge in 2016. The 50-year-old’s attempt to deconstruct inhibitions created by past failures and reimagine England as a youthful side unencumbered by history improbably took them to the World Cup semifinals two years ago. Belgium’s visit

4:21 AM ET The messages are still coming through on his phone. Two full days after reaching two milestones in one game against Ukraine — his 100th cap for France, and his 41st and 42nd goals that took him above Michel Platini in the top scorers ranking for the French men’s national team — Olivier

9:00 PM ET Associated Press Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email Major League Soccer has postponed three matches in the space of 24 hours due to the escalating number of positive coronavirus tests throughout the competition. MLS originally postponed the match between the Colorado Rapids and the LA Galaxy on Saturday after a Rapids player

10:34 AM ET Manchester United‘s new signing Edinson Cavani has said it was a conversation with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that convinced him to join the club. United made a deadline day swoop for the striker who joined the club on a two-year deal after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in March. –

12:40 PM ET The October international break is more congested than usual, as the soccer world adjusts to a compressed schedule by squeezing as many as three games into an eight-day sprint before players disperse and return to their clubs. There are travel concerns for all international teams as various players pull out of duty

12:22 PM ET The fact that Premier League clubs spent £1.2 billion on transfers this summer may advance the sense that English football is returning to normal, but the reality beneath the surface is very different. The headlines certainly point to a continuation of the madcap money-slinging that has made it the most exciting league

10:32 AM ET FIFA 21 makes a lot of notable gameplay gains that will keep you playing all season, and all year, long. Courtesy of EA Sports With winter fast approaching, there’s no shortage of soccer on TV these days, but Friday marks another notable event on the soccer calendar: the worldwide release of FIFA 21,

5:02 AM ET Manchester United’s chaotic conclusion to the transfer window dominates this week’s ESPN’s Insider Notebook. PLUS: Mikel Arteta’s growing influence at Arsenal. Jump to: Dortmund baffled by United | Diallo’s journey to Old Trafford | Cavani snubbed Real Madrid and Juventus | Barca fuming with Dembele, Umtiti | Forlan helped United sign Pellestri

10:45 PM ET Argentina got their World Cup qualifying campaign off to the perfect start on Thursday when Lionel Messi‘s penalty gave them a 1-0 win over Ecuador at home. – Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only) The Argentine FA piped fan noise around the empty Bombonera stadium and the chants of “Messi!

5:46 PM ET LONDON — Jack Grealish and Dominic Calvert-Lewin will soon be asking some awkward questions of Gareth Southgate if they continue performing like this. England were meandering through a pedestrian first half at Wembley as Wales grew in confidence and looked more purposeful in the opening 26 minutes before Grealish suddenly produce a

3:00 AM ET Aston Villa 7, Liverpool 2. Leicester City 5, Manchester City 2. Tottenham Hotspur 6, Manchester United 1. Hoffenheim 4, Bayern Munich 1. The early weeks of the 2020-21 European soccer season have produced more than their fair share of “Wait, WHAT?” results. With the transfer window closed and clubs on an international

1:52 PM ET All 10 countries in South America go into the qualification process for the 2022 World Cup with hopes of making it all the way through. The marathon format, with everyone playing everyone else home and away, was introduced in 1996, and it has allowed the weak to grow stronger. No one, at

11:12 AM ET Football had a plan. Qualification for the 2022 World Cup would wrap up by March of that year, with the draw a month later and the tournament itself kicking off on Nov. 21, 2022, in Qatar. Then came the global pandemic and, with it, the scrambling, adjusting and, above all, negotiating between

9:50 AM ET Manchester United failed to sign any of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority targets during the summer transfer window, sources have told ESPN. United completed their transfer business on deadline day on Monday by sealing deals for Edinson Cavani, Alex Telles, Amad Traore and Facundo Pellistri, having secured the £40 million signing of

Oct 5, 2020 Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. Austin Lindberg The reign of the youth-oriented Philadelphia Union atop the MLS Power Rankings lasted just one week, with a veteran-laden Toronto FC taking the reins at the top of the league — a