Emotional

PARIS — French soccer player Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut to 18 months from an initial four years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday.

"The suspension is now 18 months, starting Sept. 11, 2023," CAS director general Matthieu Reeb told Reuters.

Paul Pogba ban reduced

Paul Pogba: “Finally, the nightmare is over”.

“I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again”.

Canada's Christine Sinclair, the world's top international goal scorer among both women and men, said on Friday she will retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2024 NWSL season in November.

Sinclair, whose 190 international goals is the most among both men and women, retired from the Canadian team last December. She is currently in her 12th season with the NWSL's Portland Thorns, who wrap up their regular season on Nov. 1 and are currently sitting in a playoff spot.

Christine Sinclair retires

Alex Morgan will play her final soccer game on Sunday with San Diego Wave FC and won’t ever make a return to the field. In a Friday press conference, the United States women’s national team legend said she had no plans of perusing coaching.

“I don’t think coaching is in my future,” Morgan said. “I’ve found my calling in investing in women’s sports and doing as much as I can to give as big as a platform to women’s sports as possible.”

One of the greatest United States women’s national team players of all time is calling it a career. Alex Morgan will play her final game on Sunday as the star striker announced in a four-minute video on social media Thursday.

Morgan had two big announcements in her retirement video as she revealed she’s pregnant with a second a child.

“This is also not the retirement video I expected when I initially thought I was going to do this. Because Charlie’s going to be a big sister. I’m pregnant,” Morgan revealed.

Uruguay striker Luis Suarez announced his international retirement on Monday, ending a 17-year career with his national team as their top scorer with 69 goals.

The 37-year-old, who has 142 caps for his country, made his international debut in 2007 and was key in the squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup and won the Copa America a year later.

"Friday will be my last match with my country's national team," an emotional Suarez told a press conference.

Another moment showing why soccer is more than a game.

Swedish club Kalmar AIK were involved in one of the most beautiful sporting moments of the year, showing support to their cancer-battling captain in perhaps the most emotional way possible.

Kalmar AIK captain, Markus Heman, was diagnosed with a severe form of cancer prior to the start of the 2024-25 season, leaving him out of the squad as they prepare the new campaign — an obvious blow for the club and roster.

Thursday night was special for Angel City FC as they welcomed back United States women’s national team icon Christen Press for the first time in two years.

An ACL injury and four surgeries have kept Press off the field since the knee injury she sustained during a game in June 2022. 

Press’ cameo on Thursday was brief as she came on in the 88th minute, but it didn’t take anything away from the emotional and amazing return of a USWNT great.

Christen Press returns

Defending champions Canada reached the quarter-finals of the women's Olympic football tournament on Wednesday thanks to a 1-0 win over Colombia in Nice hours after they had an appeal against their six-point deduction dismissed.

Colombia also booked their spot in the knockouts on Wednesday, along with France, Germany, Japan and Brazil, but Australia missed out.

Wednesday's results set up some tantalizing last-eight ties with Canada taking on Germany, the U.S. playing Japan, Spain facing Colombia and France playing Brazil, with the quarter-finals being held on Saturday.

UPDATE: The USWNT's 2-1 victory vs. Australia means that Brazil advance and will play France in the quarterfinals.

A Marta red card vs Spain during Brazil’s group stage finale in the 2024 Olympics saw the women’s soccer icon exit the field in tears. Spain won the game 2-0.

The 38-year-old is playing in her SIXTH Olympics for Brazil, however it was hardly the fairy tale ending she hoped for. In stoppage time of the first half Marta had a dangerous challenge on Spain’s Olga Carmona.