Tottenham do battle with Chelsea on Saturday while Manchester City host high-flying Bournemouth on Sunday
Saturday 3pm Venue Amex Stadium
Continue reading...Clash of styles awaits as Frank and Maresca face off in growing rivalry
Pragmatism meets dogmatism when Spurs host Chelsea, with both head coaches still trying to win fans over
A few managers were in the running when Chelsea were looking for a replacement for Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024. It was an extensive process and involved the club talking to Thomas Frank before they settled on Enzo Maresca.
The feeling was that Maresca’s positional game and focus on possession made him most suited to Chelsea’s squad of technicians. Frank, who had performed brilliantly at Brentford, had to wait for his next opportunity. Overlooked by Manchester United after they fired Erik ten Hag, it arrived when Tottenham hired the Dane after sacking Ange Postecoglou last summer.
Continue reading...Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend
Arne Slot has no excuses, Fulham and Palace are stretched and should Arsenal be wary of Burnley’s full-backs?
Burnley’s Kyle Walker and Quilindschy Hartman, Q to his friends, have been one of the finest full-back pairings in the Premier League this season. They are defensively disciplined but also have the ability to push forward and cause problems. Everyone expected as much from Walker, who has been one of the best right-backs in world football over the past decade, but it could have been difficult for Hartman, coming from the Eredivisie, to settle into a newly promoted team and face some of the best wingers in the world. The Dutchman has stuck to his defensive tasks supremely well but the task of marshalling Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze will be a true test. Regular assists are also making Hartman a real asset to Burnley. Two crosses produced Zian Flemming’s goals against Wolves, making it four assists in nine Premier League appearances. Arsenal should be wary. Will Unwin
Continue reading...Sounders Tap Moelis to Sell First Major Stake Since 2009
The Seattle Sounders are seeking outside investors for the first time since the club joined MLS in 2009. The team has retained Moelis & Co. to explore a “strategic capital raise,” according to a statement shared with Sportico. More specifically, the Sounders are looking for a large minority partner that can lend capital and expertise …
Major League Soccer salary list 2025: Lionel Messi, Heung-min Son lead the way in wages
Which players are in the top 20 list in terms of MLS salaries for 2025?
Juve’s tetchy Tudor period ends but recent mistakes cannot be undone | Nicky Bandini
Club’s winless streak finally ended on Wednesday against Udinese but a significant task awaits the next manager
It was an oddly coy way to announce Serie A’s first sacking this season. “Igor Tudor is no longer the manager of Juventus,” read the Turin club’s social media post on Monday – as though this had happened by accident or mutual consent. The Bianconeri had not, in fact, lost him down the back of the sofa, but instead relieved him of his duties after an eight-game winless run.
That was their longest dry stretch since 2009. Claudio Ranieri got the boot back then, and it was no surprise to see Tudor meet the same fate now. Juventus had failed to score a goal in his final four matches, culminating in a 1-0 loss to Lazio on Sunday night. “I’m living in the present,” he insisted afterward. “I don’t give a stuff about the future.” Yet it came for him the next day all the same.
Continue reading...LAFC wins MLS playoffs opener against Austin
Nathan Ordaz scored an easy tap-in in the 79th minute to give LAFC a victory over Austin in the opener of their MLS playoff series.
MLS salaries: Son Heung-min deal pays $11m, second only to Lionel Messi
South Korean forward joined Los Angeles FC this summer
Thomas Müller earns $1.4m annually in Vancouver
Los Angeles FC forward Son Heung-min tops Major League Soccer’s summer signings with an annual salary of $10.4m and total compensation of $11.2m, becoming the second-highest-paid player behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi.
Son joined LAFC in August after more than a decade at Tottenham and scored nine goals in 10 regular season MLS matches.
Continue reading...Lionel Messi holds spot atop MLS salary list while Son Heung-Min, global stars reshape the top tier
Messi remains Major League Soccer’s highest-paid player, but he has new company in the eight-figure club.
Swansea’s Ethan Galbraith resumes battle with Manchester City: ‘It feels like they never miss a pass’
The midfielder reflects on lessons learned before the reunion with the club he ran close in the FA Cup with Leyton Orient
Ethan Galbraith cannot help but smile. He is recounting the final seconds of Swansea’s epic comeback win against Nottingham Forest in the last round of the Carabao Cup, an episode that culminated in him briefly donning a supporter’s spectacles, having retrieved them from the wreckage of a pitch-side pile-on. As the game ticked into the 97th minute, Galbraith cracked the upright with a billowing strike from 25 yards and Cameron Burgess promptly leathered in the rebound before hurtling off towards the East Stand to celebrate, fans mobbing the players.
It capped an extraordinary turnaround given Swansea trailed 2-0 midway through the second half. Amid the delirium, there was some collateral damage. “There was a supporter sort of calling out and myself and Keysy [Josh Key] were thinking: ‘What’s he on about here?’” says Galbraith. “Then we saw the glasses. It was a bit of banter putting them on. We are on the pitch as footballers but we’re humans, too, so to have a bit of craic with the fans is always good.”
Continue reading...Lionel Messi just had the best season in MLS history. But does anyone care? – video
The Argentinian has been as excellent as ever in his later years, winning the Golden Boot and tying for most assists despite missing a quarter of the season, as well as setting new records for non-penalty goals and goal contributions. However, Messi's presence and performance has yet to push MLS into the US mainstream.
Continue reading...Lionel Messi says MLS must loosen spending rules in order to thrive
Inter Miami star delivered remarks in an NBC interview
Messi reiterated his desire to play in the 2026 World Cup
Lionel Messi said that MLS must loosen its spending restrictions in order to become a top league in the world of soccer and said that he is hopeful that he will be physically able to contribute to Argentina at next summer’s World Cup.
In a rare interview with an American outlet, Messi sat down with NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In the interview, Messi was asked if he felt that soccer could become as popular in the US as American sports like football, baseball, and basketball. Messi said he thinks the sport could get there, but that teams need to have more freedom first.
Continue reading...MLS playoffs: FC Cincinnati takes Game 1 of ‘Hell is Real’, Minnesota tops Seattle on PKs
Cincinnati and Minnesota go up 1-0 in best-of-three series
Columbus and Seattle to host Game 2s
Kévin Denkey’s goal in the 78th minute was enough for hosts FC Cincinnati to claim a 1-0 victory over the Columbus Crew in the opener of their Eastern Conference opening-round series on Monday.
Match 2 is Sunday in Columbus. A deciding match, if needed, will be on 8 November in Cincinnati.
Continue reading...With Arsenal clear and rivals stumbling, is the Premier League title race over?
Mikel Arteta’s side have experience of being top of the table but have been unable to finish the job in previous seasons
All the signs point to it finally being Arsenal’s season. But given that they have spent almost 800 days top of the table since last being champions in 2004, nothing will be taken for granted at this stage. After an outlay of more than £250m in the summer, Mikel Arteta has a formidable squad that has been able to cope with injuries to important players such as Kai Havertz and Martin Ødegaard – a problem that derailed them in three successive runner-up finishes.
Continue reading...Sheffield Wednesday face further points deductions but ‘four or five’ bidders emerge
Owls could face two more deductions over rule breaches
‘Four or five interested parties look like the real deal’
Sheffield Wednesday could face two further points deductions this season for breaching English Football League regulations but the administrators of the Championship crisis club are optimistic there are “four or five” credible bidders. Wednesday are bottom on -6 points after the chair, Dejphon Chansiri, placed the club into administration last Friday, triggering an automatic 12-point penalty.
Wednesday have failed to pay wages on time for five of the past seven months. An independent commission hearing will determine the sanction for the non-payment of March’s and May’s player wages. Wednesday are expected to be charged with further breaches this season, thought to relate to the non-payment of wages in June, July and September, for which they could also be docked points. If Wednesday are deducted further points, it is expected the penalties would apply this season.
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