Quotes

The ability to choose is often taken for granted in soccer. With the increased prominence of dual nationals in recent years, fans are becoming used to seeing players pick which nationality they want to represent, like Yunus Musah and Folarin Balogun. What’s less common, however, is a player who, before turning 19, not only qualifies for four national teams but has already represented three of them.

All El Tráficos count the same, right? Well, maybe that wasn't the case Tuesday night with LAFC and the LA Galaxy meeting in the U.S. Open Cup at only the Round of 16 stage and with LAFC entirely focused on next week's Concacaf Champions League final against León.

This meeting was basically the El Clásico equivalent of Barcelona playing Real Madrid in a preseason friendly at Hard Rock Stadium.

But don't tell Riqui Puig that.

NEW YORK — New York/New Jersey stepped up their bid to host the final of the 2026 World Cup by promising a spectacle on par with "eight Super Bowls" at a launch event on Thursday for the tournament which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino gave no indication as to which of the host cities across the three countries would stage the finale when the venues were announced last year.

MADRID - Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti believes that gaining a mental advantage over Manchester City will be as important as the result when the two teams meet at Santiago Bernabéu in their Champions League semifinal first leg on Tuesday.

Ancelotti said that beating Osasuna 2-1 to clinch the Copa del Rey title on Saturday had given his side a much needed confidence boost after a run of poor results as they prepare to host Pep Guardiola's team who are in superb form.

A resurgence in form is unlikely to help Liverpool qualify for next season's Champions League as fourth-placed Manchester United are unlikely to slip up on the home stretch, manager Jürgen Klopp said on Friday.

Liverpool are on a five-match winning streak that lifted them up to fifth in the Premier League, four points behind United who have a game in hand, but Klopp does not expect their rivals to drop points.

AC Milan forward Olivier Giroud said that USMNT star Christian Pulisic was a “happy boy” at Chelsea when they played together, compared the American to Eden Hazard and claimed he’d be welcomed in Milan.

Giroud made a guest appearance on the CBS Sports GOLAZO! Network on Thursday and shared his experiences of playing with Pulisic. The 36-year-old Frenchman and Pulisic played together for two seasons at Chelsea in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns, winning the UEFA Champions League in the process.

Here’s what Giroud had to say about Captain America.

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.

Imagine if the UEFA Champions League final wasn’t played in Europe but instead in the United States of America. While the idea sounds far-fetched, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said on Tuesday that a plan to host UCL games in the U.S. has been discussed before.

Ceferin really peaked fans’ interest when he hinted that the final could be played in the states.