Football

11:13 AM ET Inter Miami CF striker Gonzalo Higuain needed a fresh start. The 32-year-old Argentine wanted to take control of the next step in his career and rekindle his love for the game after almost 14 years playing at the highest level in Europe. Landing at Real Madrid from River Plate aged 19, winning

2:36 PM ET Teams that suffer from an outbreak of the coronavirus during the MLS Cup playoffs will likely be forced to forfeit their match, and thus exit the postseason, sources have told ESPN. – Carlisle: Can MLS complete playoffs outside bubble?– MLS Cup playoffs: Who’s in, fixtures and more– MLS on ESPN+: Stream LIVE

11:00 AM ET After a nine-month gap between games due to COVID-19, the United States men’s national team finally returned to the pitch this past week with a pair of friendlies in Europe against Wales and Panama. The games, a 0-0 draw with Wales and a 6-2 win over Panama, showcased the growing talent standard

12:45 PM ET Every day at 6 a.m., Minnesota United manager Adrian Heath wakes up, and the first thing he does is look at his phone. Did the latest COVID-19 tests for players and staff come in? Did anyone test positive? With four positive tests in his team since the start of October, his tension

6:28 PM ET Germany FA chief Oliver Bierhoff compared the way his country lost 6-0 to Spain in the Nations League to the 7-1 drubbing Die Mannschaft laid on Brazil at the 2014 World Cup. Germany’s only five-goal loss in a competitive game had been West Germany’s 8-3 defeat to Hungary at the 1954 World

5:01 AM ET When Spain welcome Germany at an empty Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville on Tuesday in their final Nations League match, it offers the chance to see where they are in their evolution. When Spain won back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup in their dominant spell from 2008 to 2012, they

7:28 PM ET The worth of a forward is often in the eye of the beholder. A 30-yard-blast counts as much as a two-yard tap-in, even though the former is often what gets the hearts of fans beating faster. There is value in both kinds of goals — not to mention link play and pressing

France duty gives Paul Pogba a break, Liverpool’s list of absentees grows, Spain captain Sergio Ramos won’t be rattled, Italy and Belgium are on an upward curve at the right time, Leroy Sane shows he can among world’s best, and Norway have gotten creative in a bid to overcome their COVID-19 woes. It’s Monday, and

6:35 PM ET Moving to a three-man defence at the 2018 World Cup was widely acclaimed as a masterstroke by Gareth Southgate. The jury is still out, however, on whether returning to a similar shape will prove equally effective when it matters most. As a disciple of former Three Lions boss Terry Venables, Southgate is

10:34 PM ET England midfielder Jordan Henderson was withdrawn at half-time against Belgium due to tightness in his leg, manager Gareth Southgate said, casting doubt on his availability for injury-hit Liverpool this weekend. Harry Winks replaced Henderson in the second half of England’s 2-0 loss in their Nations League group stage match on Sunday which

4:39 AM ET When Gustavo Hamer’s 30-yard header looped over Ben Foster‘s head, the Watford goalkeeper’s first thought was “Oh s—, s—, here we go…” Then came the self-loathing, analysis, acceptance and refocus. “Even as I’m diving for it, I can still remember thinking ‘I should be saving this’ and I just didn’t, for whatever

7:50 AM ET FOR AMERICAN SOCCER FANS, Oct. 10, 2017, still lives in infamy. In front of roughly 1,500 spectators at a slapdash pitch in Trinidad, the U.S. men’s national team failed to qualify for a World Cup for the first time since 1986. The Americans had advanced from the group in three of the

4:55 PM ET France handed defending Nations League champions Portugal a rare defeat on Saturday, winning 1-0 in Lisbon with N’Golo Kante‘s second-half strike to reach the competition’s final four at the expense of the holders. – Stream LIVE games and replays on ESPN+ (U.S. only) Kante scored only his second France goal in the

2:47 PM ET Sergio Ramos has become the most capped European footballer ever, making his 177th appearance for Spain in their UEFA Nations League match with Switzerland on Saturday. The Real Madrid defender — who captains both club and country — has now played one game more than the previous record holder, former Italy goalkeeper

9:00 AM ET Austin LindbergESPN FC On Thursday, the United States men’s national team played its first match since February and gave fans a solid look at the Yanks’ future. Head coach Gregg Berhalter gave debuts to six players — including a pair of 17-year-olds, Yunus Musah and Giovanni Reyna (who turned 18 on Friday)

2:52 PM ET Didier Deschamps’ weekends have become really tricky in 2020. The France head coach wants to watch as many of his players featuring for their clubs every Saturday or Sunday, but the problem is that there are too many contenders now to make the squad that he and his assistants are struggling to

3:45 PM ET MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said that the league is aiming to start the 2021 season in early March. A report from the Sports Business Journal previously stated that the league was considering an April start date due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, because of the crowded

4:36 AM ET Liverpool’s troubles at the hands of VAR headlines this week’s ESPN’s Insider Notebook. PLUS: Lionel Messi is set for a huge Barcelona payday. Jump to: Messi’s bonus after trying to leave Barca | Man United track rising star defender | Spurs, Eriksen cool on reunion | FA staff reeling from Clarke chaos