Champions League

The 2019 Champions League groups were drawn on Thursday in Monaco, with three USMNT players being drawn together in Group H. 

Group H includes Chelsea, Ajax, Valencia and Lille, with three of those clubs including young Americans who will play a big role in trying to get the USMNT back to the World Cup. Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Sergiño Dest (Ajax) and Timothy Weah (Lille) will all go up against compatriots when the 2019 Champions League group-stage matches begin on Sept. 17. 

After coming within a whisker of reaching the 2019 Champions League final, Ajax needed some brilliance on Wednesday just to reach the 2019-20 Champions League group stage.

That brilliance was supplied by 18-year-old American defender Sergiño Dest, who earlier in the day was called up for the senior USMNT for the first time.

What’s the difference between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? It’s the time-honored question that’ll be debated long after both you and I are altered into cosmic dust, although I’ve personally maintained that the difference between the two is the empanadas they’d serve at a social gathering.

The best Champions League goal of the 2018-19 season has been revealed, and there can be few complaints.

Lionel Messi’s otherworldly free kick against Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals was announced as the UCL Goal of the Season by UEFA on Friday. 

...and here it is 

It took a few attempts to find the right price, but Manchester United finally accepted a $85 million bid for Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, per the Guardian.

United was trying to work up the price to $97 million but feels it received enough (with the previous bid being $77.7 million) with additional add-ons to be disclosed later.

Barcelona activated Atlético Madrid’s release clause for Antoine Griezmann worth $135 million (€120 million) and signed him to a five-year contract with a release clause of $900 million, announcing the signing on Friday. The Griezmann transfer fee is the fourth-highest of all time behind only Neymar, Kylian Mbappé and João Felix, but Atlético thinks it should be higher.

It’s with great sadness that our summer of soccer 2019 draws to a close. The USWNT lifted the World Cup, Brazil triumphed on home soil at the Copa América, Mexico reclaimed the Gold Cup and we’re into the final week of the Africa Cup of Nations. Unless you’re eagerly anticipating the ICC, our glorious summer is at an end.

After weeks of rumors and other manager candidates dropping like flies, Chelsea finally announced club legend Frank Lampard as the next Blues boss.

Lampard inked a three-year deal with his former club and is ecstatic to return to Stamford Bridge.