Men's National Teams

STOCKHOLM/PARIS — Allegations of rape against French footballer Kylian Mbappé are "totally false" and "a slanderous rumour", his representatives said, and his lawyer said he was beyond reproach, following media reports that Mbappé was the subject of an investigation over an incident in a Stockholm hotel on Oct. 10.

Mbappé rape rumors

Swedish prosecutors confirmed in a statement in response to the media coverage that a probe into an alleged rape at a hotel in central Stockholm had been opened, but they did not identify a suspect.

Christian Pulisic is one of five United States men’s national team players being sent back to their club ahead of Tuesday’s friendly. For fans asking why is Pulisic not playing vs Mexico, the USMNT star is going back to AC Milan to manage his workload.

The other four USMNT players heading back to their clubs have picked up minor injuries.

Weston McKennie, Ricardo Pepi, Zack Steffen and Marlon Fossey have all left the USMNT October camp.

Why is Pulisic not playing vs Mexico

The Mauricio Pochettino era is officially underway as the United States men’s national team defeated Panama 2-0 on Saturday in a friendly. We’re winning the damn World Cup.

Saturday’s victory at Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas, was the first win for the USMNT in four months as the team had a brutal skid and transition from the Gregg Berhalter era. Prior to the win vs. Panama, the U.S. had won just one of their previous seven games.

WARSAW — First-half goals from Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo helped group leaders Portugal to a comfortable 3-1 victory away to Poland in the Nations League on Saturday as they continued their perfect start to the competition with three wins.

Silva put Portugal in front after 26 minutes, netting from Bruno Fernandes' headed assist, before Ronaldo doubled their lead 11 minutes later with a low, first-time shot.

Cristiano Ronaldo goal vs Poland

SIUUUU

Venezuela pulled off a fantastic result in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with a 1-1 draw vs. Argentina on Thursday. During a pause in the game for an injury there was a small skirmish between Lionel Messi and Venezuela’s Yeferson Soteldo.

When we say “small skirmish” we’re not talking about the heights of the players as Soteldo stands at 5 feet 3 inches tall and Messi is 5 feet 7 inches.

LONDON — Greece beat England for the first time as striker Vangelis Pavlidis earned the visitors a richly-deserved 2-1 victory to put them in control of Nations League Group B2 at Wembley on Thursday.

While Pavlidis's winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time sparked wild celebrations among the Greek fans, England stand-in manager Lee Carsley got a sobering reality check.

Two victories since Gareth Southgate stood down had raised Carsley's stock as a likely full-time option, but after a ragged defeat at the hands of Greece, his hopes may have dwindled.

New United States men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino is overseeing his first training camp with the players as the squad prepares for two October friendlies. Veteran defender Tim Ream says that Pochettino’s sessions are another level of demanding.

Ream appeared on the ”Player / Manager” podcast and shared what the first few days have been like working under Pochettino.

Tim Ream Pochettino comments

“It’s INTENSE…the longest training session in my 14 years.”

BARCELONA — Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

"Please allow me to be a little emotional today," a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.

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”.

Gio Reyna is expected to miss another month and-a-half with a groin injury after suffering a setback, announced Borussia Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin.

The United States men’s national team midfielder initially suffered the injury during the USMNT’s September window and has been out for club and country since.

️ Nuri Şahin: