Soccer

6:00 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent COLOGNE, Germany — The Europa League started as a sideshow for Manchester United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it is now centre stage. It took a nervous, edgy 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen in Cologne on Monday night — earned thanks to Bruno Fernandes‘ penalty in extra time — but

10:55 AM ET Saturday’s announcement that Juventus were hiring Andrea Pirlo as first-team manager made shockwaves, but it’s not the first time they’ve picked a former club legend with no experience as a number one. Ciro Ferrara was appointed with two games left in Juve’s 2008-09 campaign, and he stuck around the following season. Barcelona

4:47 AM ET Manchester United target Jadon Sancho has joined Borussia Dortmund for their preseason camp in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. The Bundesliga club have said in the past that if the 20-year-old is part of the squad on Aug. 10 he would remain a BVB player for the 2020-2021 season, and sporting director Michael Zorc

3:02 PM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent COLOGNE, Germany — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has got some things wrong during his 20 months as manager of Manchester United, but not often in front of the television cameras. His predecessors in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era — David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho — all, at one

5:01 PM ET Lionel Messi led the way as Barcelona reached another quarterfinal. Enric Fontcuberta/EPA Barcelona moved to the Champions League quarterfinals 4-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 second-leg victory over Napoli at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Clement Lenglet, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez all scored in the first half to give the hosts a

5:24 PM ET Lionel Messi inspired Barcelona to a 3-1 win against Napoli on Saturday to set up a Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich in Lisbon next week. Messi scored a stunning individual goal, had another effort ruled out for handball and won a penalty, which was converted by Luis Suarez, as Barca booked

10:31 AM ET In the end, the MLS is Back Tournament bubble worked. Unfortunately for MLS, as teams return to their home markets, they can’t take the bubble with them. After an initial spate of positive tests for COVID-19 resulted in the withdrawal of FC Dallas and Nashville SC from the tournament, MLS went the

12:15 PM ET MLS revealed its plans for resuming its regular season in home markets, with the first game set to take place on Aug. 12, the day after the final of the MLS is Back Tournament. The league also announced its playoff format, with 18 teams qualifying for the postseason, culminating in the MLS

6:25 PM ET Alex Kirkland Raphael Varane has taken responsibility for Real Madrid‘s Champions League exit after two mistakes from the defender saw them beaten 2-1 by Manchester City on Friday. World Cup winner Varane, 27, was caught out twice by Gabriel Jesus in the round of 16 second leg in Manchester — once in

5:54 PM ET MANCHESTER, England — For a club that has endured some agonising luck in the Champions League over the years, Manchester City will feel that they hit the jackpot on the night that Pep Guardiola’s team qualified for the quarterfinals by sending Real Madrid crashing out of the competition with a 2-1 victory.

4:00 AM ET The Champions League rolls back into action this weekend after a five-month hiatus with the remaining round-of-16 matches. But it’s not just the conclusion of this season’s tournament — the quest to crown the European champions for 2020-21 also begins on Saturday. The Toe Poke Daily is here every day to bring

6:00 AM ET There are not too many occasions when Pep Guardiola looks across at his opponent in the technical area and casts an envious glance, but when Manchester City face Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round-of-16 tie on Friday, he might just do that with Zinedine Zidane. Here you

8:00 AM ET Manchester United have finally said farewell to Alexis Sanchez, bringing an end to a truly regrettable period in the club’s recent history. It was confirmed on Thursday that Sanchez had completed his permanent move to Inter Milan on a free transfer, an underwhelming final act in one of the worst-ever signings at

4:32 PM ET Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi has been a battle for the ages. It’s European vs. South American; Argentinian against Portuguese; a 6-foot-2 athlete blessed with Terminator-like remorselessness and ruthless technique pitted against a 5-foot-7, instinctive genius of juvenile physique; power, precision and pride vs. impish eruptions of intuitive invention. If you’ve been

3:22 AM ET The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer window very different from usual. After months without football, Europe’s top leagues have now announced the dates for the start of their summer windows, while a coordinated Oct. 5 end is expected. 2 Related The start of the Champions League mini-tournament in mid-August throws another

11:11 AM ET Austin LindbergESPN FC Just three matches remain in the MLS is Back Tournament, with the Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Orlando City SC and Minnesota United FC all advancing to the semifinals to be played out on Wednesday and Thursday. – Play Soccer Playoff Pick ‘Em through the MLS knockout rounds– Stream MLS

9:46 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen Editor’s note: Tor-Kristian Karlsen is a Norwegian football scout and executive and is the former chief executive and sporting director at AS Monaco. He will write regularly for ESPN on the business of soccer and the process of scouting. In his latest column, he looks at some of the game’s

5:30 AM ET Premier League clubs often face a dilemma over whether to prioritise European competition or domestic pursuits, but it’s never quite like the choice facing them now. Recent confirmation that the next English top-flight season will start on Sept. 12 has prompted a scramble to start planning for a campaign that is already