In the squeaky posterior time of this FA Cup fifth-round penalty shootout Victor Lindelöf and Joshua Zirkzee were the unfortunate ones who missed the kicks that ended Manchester United’s FA Cup defence and sent Fulham through. The final spot-kick score was 4-3 to the visitors who, marginally, deserved their passage, though this was a slog through 120 minutes of meagre fare that was no advertisement for the world’s oldest knockout competition. Continue reading...

David de Gea, Alexis Sanchez and Kaka were among the players who saw their prospective moves collapse in the dying embers of transfer deadline day

Sheffield United sign Southampton striker Ben Brereton Diaz on loan until the end of the season.

US beat Venezuela 3-1 in friendly at Fort LauderdaleSix Americans make debut before crowd of 18,008 Patrick Agyemang and Matko Miljevic scored in their international debuts, Jack McGlynn got his first national team goal and the United States beat Venezuela 3-1 on Saturday in a friendly between teams missing their regular starters. McGlynn and Agyemang scored about two minutes apart late in the first half and Miljevic, whose third-minute penalty kick was saved, struck in the 64th minute. Continue reading...

The United States’ remarkably durable veteran is making his case for Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad with 500 days to go before the big show kicks off on home soil On Saturday in Fort Lauderdale, Mauricio Pochettino leads the United States in his fifth match in charge of the aspirational co-hosts of the next World Cup. All of his star players are absent. But the mandate remains the same: prepare the program for a history-making run when the US launch their cause in Inglewood. Given the present timing – the US are set to host friendlies with Venezuela and Costa Rica outside of an official Fifa window – Pochettino’s third camp is a youth-driven affair, defined by hopeful talents with an outside chance of making the World Cup team. Potentially, a few could break in. A handful of positions in particular need are worth studying closely: center-back, goalkeeper, an understudy at full-back or two. In light of the team’s needs, not to mention the laudable staying power of one particular veteran, a pivotal figure to observe in this off-window affair is that of 37-year-old center-back: Tim Ream. Continue reading...

Manchester United make the trip to Arsenal on Sunday as two English giants revive their FA Cup rivalry - and Alexis Sanchez has already made it clear who he'll be supporting

A tale of three penalties and an outcome that, ultimately, was fair. Fulham were staring down the barrel of a rare defeat when Raúl Jiménez converted his second spot-kick of the afternoon at the start of added time and could feel they never quite did enough to defeat a well-drilled Ipswich. Kieran McKenna’s team had led twice, through Sammie Szmodics and a penalty of their own from Liam Delap; whether this was one that got away remains to be seen but they do not carry themselves as if destined for the drop. Any student of two compact, laudably coached teams might have expected a chess match at the outset, albeit one a Fulham side beaten just once in 11 games were favoured to shade. Marco Silva has made them purr, even allowing for a high draw count, and given them the kind of presence Ipswich would love to attain in time. Continue reading...

Controversially postponed Wafcon will finally take place and Brazil will hope to retain Copa América title New landmarks, historic wins and the USA gaining Olympic redemption – the last 12 months in the women’s game certainly delivered once again. And 2025 promises to be yet another memorable year as Switzerland host the European Championship, the Africa Cup of Nations finally gets under way and the start of a brand new league brings new hope for Canada. Continue reading...

Alexis Sanchez rejoined former club Udinese back in August but had to wait four months to make his second league debut for the Italian side, and it came during Sunday's 2-2 draw with Torino

Cannon fires Stoke past Sunderland for rare winBlackburn and Watford’s promotion bids dented at home Leeds will head into 2025 top of the Championship after a hard-fought 1-0 win at Derby. Sheffield United had briefly returned to the summit following their lunchtime kick-off against West Brom, which ended 1-1 at Bramall Lane. However, Leeds closed out the year in pole position in the race for automatic promotion after Brenden Aaronson’s solitary second-half strike secured them an eighth win in their last 10 matches. Continue reading...

Premier League updates from the 2.30pm GMT kick-offLive scoreboard | Tables | Fixtures | And email Scott Leicester make two changes after their 3-1 defeat at Liverpool. Jamie Vardy and Facundo Buonanotte are back; Patson Daka drops to the bench while Jordan Ayew is suspended. Manchester City make one change after their 1-1 draw with Everton. Kevin De Bruyne replaces Jérémy Doku, who is benched. Continue reading...

Streamer has exclusive rights for 2027 and 2031 editions Netflix: ‘It’s about celebrating the rise of women’s sport’ Netflix has secured its first major deal in the football market after signing an exclusive broadcast rights agreement to show the 2027 and 2031 editions of the Women’s World Cup live to audiences in the United States and Puerto Rico. The deal, that Fifa has described as a “landmark media rights deal in women’s football”, means the streaming platform acquire the rights to cover a football competition in full for the first time, and will include coverage in multiple languages. The 2027 tournament is being staged in Brazil from 24 June to 25 July 2027 and will involve 32 teams. The host of the 2031 competition is yet to be determined. “This is a landmark moment for sports media rights,” said Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino. “As a marquee brand and Fifa’s new long-term partner, Netflix has shown a very strong level of commitment to growing women’s football. This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the Fifa Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game.” The chief content officer at Netflix, Bela Bajaria, added: “I’ve seen the fandom for the Fifa Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and New Zealand last year. Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches, it’s also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport”. The US broadcasting giant Fox and the Spanish-language terrestrial channel Telemundo had the rights to broadcast the 2023 edition of the World Cup in the USA and Puerto Rico. As of November 2024, Netflix was reported to have 66.7m subscribers in the United States. Continue reading...

The longtime anchor of the USWNT backline won two World Cups and an Olympic gold in addition to three NWSL titles. But her trophy case is only the tip of her influence On Tuesday an American soccer icon who left an indelible mark on the USWNT’s back-to-back World Cup-winning era announced her retirement from the game. At 39, Becky Sauerbrunn leaves behind a 16-year professional legacy as an Olympic and (twice) World Cup champion, a NWSL lifer and undisputed leader for club and country, whether with a ball at her feet or a book in her hand. “It’s time,” she wrote, in a beautifully composed social media post that felt reflective of the voracious reader and effective communicator we knew her to always be. Continue reading...

Sauerbrunn to retire after 219 international appearancesDefender won two World Cups and Olympic gold medal Two-time World Cup winner and former US national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn has retired from professional soccer after a 16-year career, the 39-year-old defender said on Tuesday. The four-time NWSL defender of the year, Sauerbrunn hoisted the championship trophy in the top-flight American league three times and won Olympic gold with the United States in 2012. She missed the World Cup in 2023 due to injury. Continue reading...