While the MLS broadcasting deal with Apple TV could be good for the league's bottom line, it might be a bad move when it comes to tapping fan interest.
Premier League’s flying ball-carriers are breathing fresh life into elite game | Barney Ronay
Dribbling runners such as Tyler Dibling are exhilarating to watch, and a reminder that football always finds new forms
The Premier League has got more exciting. And it’s fine, really. For the more grudging among us it can be hard to accept this at face value, if only because the league is always telling you how exciting it already is, the regular in-house TV hosts styling the whole experience with the glazed and proselytising look of shopping channel presenters trying to sell you a hamper of executive cheese.
But sometimes the hamper of cheese is just good. The games are exciting right now. The median standard of teams is high. Financial power, improved scouting, the presence of clued-up global data nerds mean even the weaker teams are studded with mindbogglingly good footballing hyper-athletes. Ah yes, club that was quite recently in League One and represented on the pitch by men who look as if they’ve just been dishonourably discharged from the navy. You appear to have signed a 21-year-old Paraguayan genius made entirely from elastic and feathers.
Continue reading...Roberts on target but Middlesbrough deny Burnley Championship top spot
A fine strike from Connor Roberts was not enough to take Burnley to the top of the Championship as they were held to a draw by Middlesbrough.
The Welshman bent in a shot from 25 yards in the 37th minute, but Burnley needed that to cancel out Anfernee Dijksteel’s 13th-minute opener on a night when Turf Moor was battered by wind and rain.
Continue reading...Premier League team news: predicted lineups for the weekend action
Leaders Liverpool travel to Goodison Park bidding for a 100th victory in the Merseyside derby against Everton
Saturday 12.30pm TNT Sports 1 Venue Goodison Park
Continue reading...Lionel Messi voted MLS MVP despite missing half of 2024 season
Messi recorded 36 goal contributions in only 19 games for Inter Miami during the 2024 MLS season.
How Greg Vanney unlocked Galaxy greatness in one of the most stunning MLS turnarounds
Greg Vanney has harnessed the potential of his talented lineup through a calm coaching approach that has Galaxy one win away from a sixth MLS Cup title.
MLS Cup is a chance for LA Galaxy to become the league’s glamour club again
The club of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robbie Keane has been through a downturn. A sixth title would restore some shine
As Major League Soccer moved into a new age with Inter Miami’s signing of Lionel Messi last year, the LA Galaxy had seemingly been left behind as a relic of different era. The club of David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Robbie Keane failed to make the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons. Supporters protested against the Galaxy’s leadership and boycotted matches. MLS’s original glamour club had lost its shine.
Now, though, the Galaxy are just one game from a record sixth MLS Cup title with Greg Vanney’s team hosting the New York Red Bulls in Saturday’s championship decider. Ten years after they last lifted the trophy, the Galaxy have the opportunity to reassert their standing as the league’s marquee franchise while Messi and Co watch from home.
Continue reading...Toothless Tottenham laid low by Bournemouth’s teenage defender Huijsen
Teenage defender Dean Huijsen became Bournemouth’s youngest Premier League goalscorer by heading his side to victory over Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium.
Andoni Iraola’s Cherries had upset title hopefuls Arsenal and Manchester City in two of their previous three fixtures on home soil.
Continue reading...Alex Iwobi scores twice as Fulham march past Brighton
Alex Iwobi scored twice as Fulham marched into the top half of the Premier League with a win over Brighton at Craven Cottage.
The Cottagers were pegged back after Iwobi’s quickfire opener by Carlos Baleba’s fine strike early in the second half. But Matt O’Riley’s own goal gifted them the lead again and Iwobi hit his second to ensure Brighton have still never beaten Fulham in the Premier League.
Continue reading...Galaxy will lean on other stars, brace for the Red Bulls’ pressure in the MLS Cup final
The absence of injured Galaxy star Riqui Puig will alter the MLS Cup final, with the Red Bulls pushing to neutralize the rest of the Galaxy's attack.
Messi Fueled 13% MLS Sponsorship Rise in 2024, Report Says
The Lionel Messi tide continues to lift all boats in MLS when it comes to attracting new sponsorships. Ahead of Saturday’s MLS Cup, SponsorUnited released its latest report on MLS marketing partnerships, which found sponsorship dollars for the league and its clubs rose to $665 million in 2024, up 13% from a year ago and …
Chelsea sink Southampton as Stephens sent off for pulling Cucurella’s hair
Southampton’s captain, Jack Stephens, was sent off for pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair as the Premier League’s bottom club were thrashed 5-1 by high-flying Chelsea.
The defender Stephens was dismissed in the 39th minute having tugged the curls of Cucurella during an inexplicable moment of madness.
Continue reading...Arne Slot optimistic Mohamed Salah will extend contract at Liverpool
- Salah scores twice in 3-3 draw at Newcastle
- Slot: ‘We expect he can continue this for a long time’
Arne Slot hinted that Mohamed Salah and Liverpool could yet find a way to extend their relationship beyond the end of this season after the Egypt right winger scored twice, created another goal and hit the bar in the Premier League leaders’ 3-3 draw at Newcastle.
It took the league’s leading scorer’s tally to nine in the past seven games and, in the aftermath of an utterly brilliant, game-changing second-half performance, Liverpool’s manager was fulsome in his praise for Salah.
Continue reading...Aston Villa slot three past Brentford to record first win since October
Aston Villa scored three first-half goals as they recorded their first win since October with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Brentford at Villa Park.
Villa’s last win came against Fulham 46 days and eight games ago but they jumped back into the top half of the Premier League table with a scintillating first 45 minutes.
Continue reading...Manchester City back to winning ways as they cruise past Nottingham Forest
Manchester City snapped out of their downward spiral as they roared back into life with a convincing 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Goals from Bernardo Silva, a rejuvenated Kevin De Bruyne and Jérémy Doku saw the champions finally get back to winning ways after an alarming run of six defeats in seven games in all competitions.
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