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Joey LynchCloseJoey Lynch is a Melbourne-based sports journalist and AYA cancer advocate. Primarily working on football, he has covered the Socceroos, Matildas and A-Leagues for ESPN for over a decade.Dec 9, 2025, 08:02 PM ETAustralia’s game against the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup won’t be the biggest game that the Socceroos have ever played at the global footballing showpiece.In all honesty, between round-of-16 appearances against eventual champions Italy and Argentina, the drought-breaking win over Japan in 2006, the knockout-stage-securing win over Croatia in that same tournament, or group-stage games against defending champions such as France and Spain,…

The Washington Spirit are committed to keeping free agent forward Trinity Rodman on the team and are continuing to work with the NWSL and Rodman’s representation despite the turbulent turn the negotiations took last week, the team’s leadership said Tuesday.Haley Carter, the team’s new president of soccer operations, and general manager Nathan Minion said the negotiations with Rodman and the league continue and that there is no real deadline. Rather than being discouraged, both feel all the parties are working to come up with a solution.Editor’s Picks2 Related”I think the league is committed to working with us, and we’re committed…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:56 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.MILAN, Italy — Rarely has a throw-in been celebrated with so much fervor. When Alexis Mac Allister went to ground to see the ball out of play in the dying seconds of stoppage time at San Siro, the traveling Liverpool fans greeted the tackle with the same sense of elation that would normally be reserved for a goal.It was a moment that perfectly encapsulated the quiet, battling brilliance of the Reds’ UEFA Champions League 1-0 victory over Internazionale, with…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:23 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Liverpool coach Arne Slot questioned whether Mohamed Salah should be the one to initiate a conversation with him following his explosive interview at the weekend.Salah was omitted from Liverpool’s squad for their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League Tuesday after he claimed Liverpool had thrown him “under the bus” following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday. The forward also said his relationship with Slot had broken down, with the Liverpool boss admitting on…

Beth LindopDec 9, 2025, 07:23 PM ETCloseBased in Liverpool, Beth Lindop is ESPN’s Liverpool correspondent and also covers the WSL and UWCL.Liverpool coach Arne Slot questioned whether Mohamed Salah should be the one to initiate a conversation with him following his explosive interview at the weekend.Salah was omitted from Liverpool’s squad for their 1-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League Tuesday after he claimed Liverpool had thrown him “under the bus” following the Reds’ 3-3 draw with Leeds United on Saturday. The forward also said his relationship with Slot had broken down, with the Liverpool boss admitting on…

BARCELONA, Spain –Barcelona coach Hansi Flick downplayed Lamine Yamal’s reaction to being substituted late in the team’s 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Tuesday.Yamal was replaced by Roony Bardghji in the 89th minute of the league-phase game. He walked off with a serious expression and appeared to be complaining to himself. He also didn’t look happy after getting back to the bench.”We changed Lamine with a few minutes to go because he was booked and it was late,” Flick said. “If he was a bit annoyed, then I fully understand and I like it. I was…

Emily KeoghDec 9, 2025, 07:02 PM ETCloseBased in London, Emily Keogh is ESPN’s women’s soccer correspondent, specializing in the WSL and UWCLMADRID — Former winners VfL Wolfsburg had the perfect opportunity to break into the top four of the UEFA Women’s Champions League table and earn automatic qualification to the knockouts. Instead, they gifted that chance to nine-player Real Madrid, who claimed a 2-0 victory and have positioned themselves on the cusp of avoiding the knockouts.It was always going to be a tight contest, with both sides needing a win in the penultimate game of the league phase. Each had…

On the reasons for the team’s inconsistency this season…I think most of our performances, except for two or three, have been the same but not always we got what we deserved. So, against Leeds we conceded one chance, like we did today, but against Leeds we conceded three goals because the VAR intervened for a penalty and we conceded [from] a set-piece. Against Sunderland we didn’t even concede a chance until the 96th minute but before that we already conceded a goal by a deflection. If you simply look at the last four games, the players have fought so hard,…

Head coach Enzo Maresca said Chelsea “lost control” of their Champions League match against Atalanta in Bergamo before falling to a 2-1 defeat.The Blues led at halftime through João Pedro’s near-post finish but were stunned after the break as the Serie A side hit back.First, former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca was left unmarked to head the equaliser 10 minutes into the second half, then a fabulous late strike from Charles De Ketelaere, who smashed his finish beyond Robert Sánchez, won it.”After the goal we conceded we lost control,” said Maresca. “Second half, we had two good chances to score…

Japan’s new right-wing prime minister Sanae Takaichi is riding high in the polls, but Sohei Kamiya’s new nationalist party, Sanseito, which rose to prominance in the Upper House (House of Councillors) election last July, continues to advance in local elections and is making an increasing impact on the national political debate. Kamiya and Sanseito have upset Japanese politics with a fiery brand of conservatism that defends traditional Japanese values and puts the interests of ordinary citizens ahead of what they regard as excessive globalism. Leaping to prominence in the Upper House election last July with the slogan “Japanese First,” Sanseito…