Football

4:00 AM ET Tor-Kristian Karlsen The men’s soccer tournament at the Olympic Games gets underway on Wednesday in Japan and there are plenty of top young players on show until the gold medal match on Aug. 7. Traditionally, the men’s Olympic tournament only allows countries to use players under the age of 23, with the

5:00 AM ET Kathleen McNamee While the men’s football competition at the Olympics is often an opportunity to get a sneak peek of some up-and-coming talent, the women’s competition is stacked with both new and recognisable names. With no age limits in the women’s comp and with squads being expanded this year thanks to COVID-19

10:40 AM ET What a dramatic weekend in Major League Soccer. Gabriel Heinze? No longer the manager of Atlanta United. The Seattle Sounders‘ league-record 13-game unbeaten run? Snapped. Two of the league’s Canadian clubs returned home to play in front of fans for the first time in more than a year, with CF Montreal welcoming

4:00 AM ET It’s one of the byproducts of the COVID-induced cash crunch in football, and it has created an unprecedented situation across Europe. At no point in recent history have so many key players at big clubs found themselves in the final year of their contract, as is the case heading into the 2021-22

10:41 PM ET Positives were hard to find in the United States men’s national team’s 1-0 Gold Cup victory over Canada on Sunday. The win in the group stage finale meant the U.S. secured the top spot in Group B with a perfect 3-0-0 record. Practically speaking, and depending on results later on Sunday, it

10:51 AM ET Adriana Garcia An Instagram photo of Lionel Messi holding the Copa America trophy following Argentina‘s win over Brazil has become the most liked sports photo on the social media platform, surpassing a record 20 million likes. Messi celebrated winning his first major title with Argentina as the Albiceleste lifted the Copa America

9:15 AM ET Patience is an attribute that can both help and hinder a player. Careers are short, so there is value in constantly pushing for more minutes and more responsibility. Standing still can waylay a career. But there are moments when it helps to bide one’s time, lay a foundation of work and shore

3:30 AM ET Soccer never stops. Now that Euro 2020 and the Copa America are in the books, the soccer world has flipped right back to its second-favorite topic beyond the game itself: transfers. It’s going to be a dizzying few weeks of rumours and potential moves, with big names such as Kylian Mbappe, Erling

6:07 PM ET United States coach Gregg Berhalter said that when it comes to protesting the human rights record of 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, he prefers participating and “bringing awareness to the situation” as opposed to a boycott. Back in March, the men’s national teams of the Netherlands, Norway and Germany all wore shirts

10:00 AM ET When Gianluigi Buffon made his professional debut for Parma in November 1995, most of his new teammates weren’t even born. If I’d wanted to check that fact on the internet back then, I couldn’t Google it: I’d need to use a search engine like WebCrawler (it’s still around, in case you want

3:30 AM ET Sid LoweSpain writer And, so, at last it is over. And what a way to end. On Sunday night, Italy and England met at Wembley in the final of Euro 2020. (Italy won on penalties, but you knew that already.) On Saturday, Argentina beat Brazil at the Maracana in the final of

11:00 AM ET Rob DawsonCorrespondent Withington, MANCHESTER — It was around 3 a.m. on Monday when Greater Manchester Police received the first report that the mural of Marcus Rashford in the south of the city had been vandelised. A few hours earlier, 200 miles away at Wembley Stadium, Rashford, along with England teammates Jadon Sancho

5:30 AM ET For the United States men’s national team, Thursday’s CONCACAF Gold Cup group-stage match against Martinique wasn’t really about the result. The 6-1 win matters, of course, but the real value for head coach Gregg Berhalter was in seeing some young faces up close in a competitive environment. The upcoming three-match World Cup

4:00 AM ET Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is plotting a tactical overhaul at Manchester United — ESPN’s Insider Notebook has the latest. PLUS: The moment PSG’s Messi dream faded. Jump to: PSG thought Messi was keen | Barcelona have a Coutinho conundrum | More VAR headaches in Premier League | PSG teenager looks to make history

12:27 PM ET United States international midfielder Tanner Tessmann has joined Serie A side Venezia FC from Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas, the clubs announced on Thursday. Tessmann, 19, was just in his second season with FCD’s first team, after having come up through Dallas’ academy since 2016. He’s made a total of 28 league

10:30 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle for Lionel Messi to sign a new five-year contract, sources confirmed to ESPN on Wednesday, but that doesn’t mean the club’s problems are solved. They still have a gross debt of €1.2 billion and if La Liga started tomorrow, the 34-year-old

6:27 PM ET Adam Brown Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe’s biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here. TOP STORY: Chelsea plot move for Haaland Chelsea‘s pursuit of Borussia

12:45 PM ET Outside Red Bull Arena, the clinks of Coronas, a blaring Bad Bunny track and the anxious frenzy of juggling circles score the dusk. Inside, a sprite with copper-tinged hair skates around his contemporaries in hot pink cleats: Sporting Kansas City midfielder, Gianluca Busio, still weeks shy of his 19th birthday. Sporting KC