Bruce Arena is taking over a San José Earthquakes team that was one of the worst in MLS history. Why is he taking on such a huge challenge at this point?
Ageless Salah remains driving force behind Liverpool quest for trophies
At 32 the striker is part of a new generation, powered by science and making a huge impact on the title race
It takes a team to win trophies but it is quite useful to have an individual enjoy the season of their life. Mohamed Salah is that for Liverpool. Highlighting his importance to his side’s success is not exactly controversial but any praise is merited after driving his team into pole position as the business end approaches.
Salah leads the Premier League scoring and creativity charts with 22 goals and 14 assists to put Liverpool clear at the top. On a difficult night at Goodison Park in midweek, he set up the opener before scoring in a game of few chances, the ninth time this season he has achieved such a feat. Sunday’s opponents Wolves will be well aware of his threat, although attempting to nullify him is more difficult.
Continue reading...European football: Bellingham says his red card was wrong after Madrid draw
- Carlo Ancelotti also unhappy after Osasuna claim point
- Napoli and Atalanta held, Milan win, PSG march on
Jude Bellingham said that he was wrongly sent off and Carlo Ancelotti was left fuming over several refereeing decisions after Real Madrid drew 1-1 at Osasuna, extending the visitors’ winless La Liga run to three games.
Bellingham said of the 39th-minute incident: “I do not want to go into the details of what was said, but I didn’t insult the referee and I hope they review the footage because it was a misunderstanding, but I am here to apologise to the team anyways.”
Continue reading...Omar Marmoush’s rapid Manchester City hat-trick demolishes Newcastle
Omar Marmoush arrived in the winter window as a 20-goal forward for Eintracht Frankfurt and against Newcastle emphatically showed why, via a scintillating 14-minute first-half hat-trick that tore the opposition apart. For the Egyptian and Manchester City, joy; for the visitors, despair, as they were sent home reeling, on the back of a 16th consecutive Premier League reverse here.
At the break, a home fan suggested it was “the best first 45 minutes I’ve seen all season”: he was not far wrong, because when City are performing like this you see how Pep Guardiola might revive his embattled champions.
Continue reading...Championship roundup: Hannibal Mejbri reports Osmajic incident at Preston
- Burnley’s Deepdale draw makes it 11 clean sheets in a row
- Pompey strike twice in second half to win 2-0 at Oxford
Scott Parker was left frustrated that Marcus Edwards did not get a late penalty in Burnley’s 0-0 draw with Preston in the Championship. Controversy struck in the 90th minute when the on-loan Sporting star went down under a sliding challenge from Lewis Gibson but referee Anthony Kitchen waved away the spot-kick appeals.
For the visitors it was an 11th clean sheet in a row in the Championship but a frustrated Parker said: “It’s a penalty for me and I don’t think I’m being biased in my understanding of it. Marcus Edwards has touched the ball first and then he’s touched it on to the player who’s slid on the ground on to that player. The referee said to me that the defender got the ball. He didn’t get the ball. If the defender’s running with the ball and I want to tackle him, I have to get contact with the ball first.”
This story will be updated after the 3pm kick-offs
Continue reading...Manchester City 4-0 Newcastle, Aston Villa 1-1 Ipswich, and more: football – as it happened
Ten-man Ipswich hold Villa, Marmoush scores three, while Arsenal, Brentford, Bournemouth and Fulham also win
Southampton: Ramsdale, Bree, Bednarek, Wood-Gordon, Walker-Peters, Smallbone, Aribo, Welington, Fernandes, Onuachu, Sulemana.
Subs: McCarthy, Manning, Sugawara, Archer, Taylor, Ugochukwu, Gronbaek, Dibling, Bella-Kotchap.
Continue reading...Leicester City 0-2 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened
Mikel Merino came off the bench to score two late goals and keep Arsenal’s title hopes alive
9 min Odegaard teases a chip over the defence towards Trossard, who flicks a volley that is saved to his right by Hermansen. He was offside so it wouldn’t have counted.
7 min Arsenal are settling into their passing rhythm. Still no openings to speak of, never mind chances.
Continue reading...Keown apologises to Van Nistelrooy for infamous Old Trafford ‘shenanigans’
- Former players recall incident from game in 2003
- Van Nistelrooy: ‘It was a good rivalry, wasn’t it?
Martin Keown has apologised to Ruud van Nistelrooy for the notorious clash between the pair at Old Trafford in 2003 after they renewed acquaintances at Leicester on Saturday.
The TNT Sports pundit Keown was at the King Power Stadium to cover Leicester’s Premier League home fixture with Arsenal and caught up with Foxes boss Van Nistelrooy before kick-off.
Continue reading...New Derby manager John Eustace off to awful start with thrashing by QPR
John Eustace was given a painful demonstration of the size of the task he has to save Derby from relegation as his new side slumped to a 4-0 defeat at QPR. Ilias Chair scored twice, with Koki Saito and Ronnie Edwards also on target on a disastrous first day at the office for the new Rams manager.
Eustace raised eyebrows this week by leaving Blackburn, a side challenging for promotion to the Premier League, for one battling against the drop into League One. While Rovers are fifth, Derby’s humbling in west London meant they slipped into the bottom three on goal difference. Eustace certainly knew what was in store for his new side on Friday night, as his final league match with Rovers was a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road just 10 days earlier.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Arsenal go to Leicester in Saturday’s early kick-off aiming to close the gap on Liverpool who host Wolves on Sunday
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue King Power Stadium
Continue reading...Could a new rule finally give MLS much-needed transfer gossip?
Complex rules have stopped splashy moves between the league’s clubs. But the ‘cash-for-player’ mechanism could change all that
In any other Major League Soccer offseason, Jack McGlynn probably would have gone to Europe. Ready to take the next step in his career as one of the best young American midfielders in the league, he wouldn’t have had any other realistic option. This offseason, though, the landscape shifted; McGlynn ended up in Houston instead.
The Dynamo utilised a new mechanism introduced by the league last month to sign McGlynn for an initial $2.1m in what is now called a ‘cash-for-player’ trade. This same mechanism was used for FC Cincinnati’s $5m deal sending former MVP Luciano Acosta to FC Dallas, and also Sporting KC’s capture of striker Dejan Joveljić from the LA Galaxy for $4m. “Without the new mechanism it’s very, very, very unlikely that Dejan would have been with us,” said SKC sporting director Mike Burns.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Welington can beef up Saints, Ola Aina returns to SW6 and Raheem Sterling has the chance to roll back the years
It may have taken Brighton’s record signing a few months to settle in but the performance of Georginio Rutter in their thrilling FA Cup victory over Chelsea showed that the Frenchman was worth the £40m they paid Leeds in the summer. A brilliant header to equalise before setting up Kaoru Mitoma’s winner gave Fabian Hürzeler’s side the confidence boost they needed after their 7-0 mauling against Nottingham Forest, with Rutter justifying his manager’s decision to leave João Pedro on the bench. Rutter – who has seven goals in all competitions – did not start a Premier League game in January after struggling with a hamstring problem and Hürzeler has been mindful of protecting the 22-year-old, although he will be itching to face Enzo Maresca’s side for the second time in six days. “There were a lot of personal duels and he proved that he can win the majority of them, and that’s why I’m happy with him,” said Hürzeler. Ed Aarons
Southampton v Bournemouth, Saturday 3pm
Continue reading...MLS rival? New top-tier men’s soccer league coming to the United States
The United Soccer League intends to launch a new men's professional league in 2027-28 that will play at the same level as MLS.
Porto 1-1 Roma, AZ Alkmaar 4-1 Galatasaray, Twente 2-1 Bodø/Glimt: Europa League – as it happened
AZ Alkmaar stunned Gala, 10-man Roma held on in Portugal and 16-year-old Jorthy Mokio helped Ajax beat Union SG
Ajax lead in Belgium. A fine, end-to-end move was finished off beautifully by Christian Rasmussen, who clipped a first-time shot into the far corner from 19 yards.
It’s all going swimmingly for Jose Mourinho. Youssef En-Nesyri has put Fenerbahce 3-0 ahead with a mighty header from Sebastian Szymanski’s cross. He was about 15 yards out and powered it into the bottom corner at the near post.
Continue reading...How the next 18 months could reshape soccer in the U.S. forever
A convergence of marquee events, ambitious reforms and long-awaited decisions could transform soccer in the United States at every level over the next 18 months — if the sport's stakeholders can seize the moment.