Business

Relegation is coming to the US, but don't expect to see Messi in the USL Championship next year

Major League Soccer is preparing to enter a new era following the arrival of the Greatest Of All Time, but the wall-to-wall coverage of Lionel Messi's movements in Miami has been momentarily broken by a seismic shift from America's second division, the USL.

Gerrard on why he signed a 2-year, $20 million contract in Saudi: "Got a real family feeling"

Steven Gerrard said a "family feeling" at Saudi Arabian Pro league club Al-Ettifaq was one of the things that persuaded him to accept a coaching job with the side.

The former England and Liverpool captain signed a two-year contract last week after previously saying he would not be taking up an offer to join the team.

The 43-year-old Gerrard had a change of heart and has become the latest big name to join the Saudi league.

Canada’s national teams could be unable to schedule future friendlies due to financial crisis

Canada Soccer is in a dire financial situation and eventually could be forced into bankruptcy, TSN reported Tuesday.

The women's national team is scheduled to compete in the World Cup next month, and the men are playing in the Gold Cup this week. Beyond that, the teams might not be able to play during international windows this fall, per the report.

Messi's move to MLS is a creative deal that follows in the footsteps of David Beckham

Few would doubt Lionel Messi’s impact on European football. The scorer of 474 goals during his long career at Barcelona, he has been named the best footballer in the world a record seven times.

Now we are about to see what impact Messi will have on football in America. For the Argentine, who has spent the last two seasons playing for Paris Saint-Germain, has decided not to accept offers to play in Saudi Arabia, and is joining Inter Miami in Florida instead.

Leaks of Arsenal's toxic-looking away kit receive some pretty toxic feedback

After a grueling, emotional season that ended with Arsenal succumbing to Manchester City's relentless pursuit, how do the Gunners pick themselves up, avoid doing what Liverpool did and hit the ground running when the 2023-24 Premier League campaign begins on Aug. 12?

Maybe, like after a bad breakup, it's best to destroy every visual reminder of the past while undergoing some drastic changes in personal appearance (new haircut, clothes, tattoos, etc.). I think that's the route Arsenal's taking based on the latest leaks of their new away kit.

San Diego officially awarded 30th team in MLS and will begin play in 2025

Major League Soccer (MLS) awarded its 30th team to San Diego on Thursday, with the club set to make their debut in 2025 under the ownership of entrepreneur and investor Mohamed Mansour.

San Diego, which was a well-publicised front-runner to be awarded the expansion franchise, follows several other recent additions to the top-flight North American league, including St Louis City SC, which debuted this year.

New USL Super League will rival NWSL and announces eight cities that will get teams in 2024

The National Women’s Soccer League could no longer be the sole top tier women’s league in the U.S. starting in August 2024. That’s because the new USL Super League announced on Tuesday its plans to become a Division 1 league on par with NWSL.

Eight cities will get teams for the inaugural season which spans from August 2024 through June 2025 (with a winter break in the middle). If all goes to plan, then five more cities will get teams for the following season.

Here are the cities receiving teams.

USL Super League teams

2024 Season:

San Diego group pays record MLS expansion fee of half a billion dollars

Major League Soccer received a record $500 million expansion fee to field an expansion team in San Diego for the 2025 season, according to multiple reports Tuesday.

Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour and the local Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation are the owners of the new San Diego franchise, which will be the league's third club in Southern California after the Los Angeles Galaxy and Los Angeles FC.

Pulisic's new signature PUMA boots pay homage to his own tattoos

After paying homage to the Stars and Stripes with his first signature PUMA collection last year, Christian Pulisic is back at it again with another "CP" pack themed around Captain America's second greatest love — his own tattoos.

The pièce de résistance of Pulisic's second PUMA collection is the latest signature version of the ULTRA ULTIMATE boots. 

FIFA threatens Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout after low-dollar bids from broadcasters

Europe's top soccer nations face a broadcast blackout for this year's Women's World Cup unless media can improve on their "disappointing" offers for the rights, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said.

Offers from "Big 5" European countries were not acceptable to football's world governing body and a "slap in the face" of the players and "all women worldwide", Infantino said.

The 'Big 5' nations are Britain, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

Pages