Football

4:27 PM ET Kylian Mbappe doesn’t give many interviews, but when he does, he’s very often honest. So when he was asked by French newspaper L’Equipe to describe the mood right now within the French national team camp, his answer was telling. “The dynamic is less positive.” Frankly, he could easily have said “negative,” but

8:55 PM ET The NWSL Players Association issued a set of demands surrounding the league’s investigation into sexual misconduct by teams and coaches, and also had its players engage in a show of solidarity during Wednesday’s scheduled games. Teams stopped play in the sixth minute in recognition of the six years it took for the

12:19 PM ET North Carolina Courage owner Steve Malik on Wednesday said the National Women’s Soccer League club knew of the 2015 investigation into coach Paul Riley but said they were ‘assured’ he was in good standing. The league was rocked last week by sexual harassment and misconduct allegations involving Riley, a situation that prompted

8:07 AM ET Ricardo Pepi, 18, chose to represent the U.S. over Mexico in August. He became an instant USMNT hero weeks later when he scored one goal and set up two more to help his team to a 4-1 win over Honduras. Brent Humphreys for ESPN IN THE TUNNEL of Toyota Stadium, Ricardo Pepi poses

8:16 AM ET USWNT and Orlando Pride striker Alex Morgan on Tuesday called for the National Women’s Soccer League to end the systemic failure that led to a decade of alleged sexual harassment of players by league coaches. The North Carolina Courage last week fired coach Paul Riley amid allegations spanning over a decade of

4:00 AM ET The shocking recent setbacks suffered by Barcelona and Real Madrid, domestically and in Europe, aren’t caused by problems that will be instantly solved by the sackings of Ronald Koeman or Carlo Ancelotti. Barcelona, of the two, are more undermined by their coach. They remain a high-tone squad, capable of competing for trophies

9:57 AM ET Caitlin Murray Since the inception of the National Women’s Soccer League, its club owners, executives and coaches have loved to call the NWSL the best women’s soccer league in the world — and for the on-field product alone, they may have been right. But when it comes to just about everything else

11:26 AM ET Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. It wasn’t that long ago that the Portland Timbers were on the outside looking in at the

11:55 AM ET What a weekend! It feels like we say this every weekend, but it was especially true here. Liverpool and Manchester City put on a show, Atletico Madrid (in particular Luis Suarez) made a statement vs. Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo made a scene after Manchester United‘s frustrating home draw vs. Everton. Elsewhere, Bayern

8:30 AM ET The 2021-22 Premier League season is now in full flow and, after seven matchdays, looks like it could be one of the most exciting title races in years. Just two points separate leaders Chelsea and sixth-placed Brighton, with the top four positions already occupied by this season’s Champions League participants Chelsea, Liverpool,

5:42 PM ET It was a weekend on which several big clubs were upset, from Real Madrid and Barcelona in Spain to Paris Saint-Germain in France and Manchester United in England. Meanwhile, Juventus‘ Manuel Locatelli had two reasons to celebrate and Mohamed Salah was superb for Liverpool. Here are Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and James

3:20 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — There are more backslaps and hugs between players than flying pizzas and tunnel bust-ups when Liverpool take on Manchester City, but while this fixture lacks the animosity and belligerence of old Manchester United–Arsenal clashes, the sheer quality displayed during Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Anfield showed that the rivalry is

6:28 AM ET Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp likened refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine to drink-driving, saying such people endanger others. Klopp said he took the vaccine to protect not just himself but “all the people around me.” The 54-year-old also said that “99%” of his Liverpool players are vaccinated and that he did not

4:54 PM ET Luis Suarez heaped more misery on his former club Barcelona as he helped Atletico Madrid claim a 2-0 victory over the Catalans on Saturday. The striker contributed a goal and an assist to mount pressure on Barca coach Ronald Koeman heading into the international break. – Insider Notebook: Barca sign taekwondo champ–

10:45 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer defended his decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday. Ronaldo has scored five goals since returning to Old Trafford, but was left on the bench against Rafael Benitez’s side along with Paul Pogba and Jadon Sancho. –

11:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent MANCHESTER, England — Nothing is coming easily for Manchester United at the moment, and it’s making life hard for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Three days after the dramatic late Champions League win against Villarreal, there was another frantic finish at Old Trafford. This time, though, there were no Cristiano Ronaldo heroics

7:46 PM ET NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird and general counsel Lisa Levine have been removed from their roles, sources confirmed to ESPN. The Athletic was the first to report the news. No replacement for either role has been announced. The decision was made by the league’s Board of Directors and comes in the wake of

9:36 AM ET Sid LoweSpain writer “Today, everyone knows what the problem is,” said Ronald Koeman, which was asking for it, really. The “insert your own joke here” thing was just too easy, the response far too obvious. Yes, Ronald: it’s you. Barcelona had been beaten again, this time by Benfica in Lisbon, leaving them