3:07 PM ET Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has said the mid-season World Cup in Qatar is to blame for the number of injuries to players in recent weeks. Azpilicueta’s Chelsea teammate Reece James is expected to miss England‘s World Cup campaign with a knee injury sustained earlier this month, while Manchester United‘s Raphael Varane is
Football
7:25 PM ET Belgium skipper Eden Hazard said his country need to win the World Cup in Qatar to justify the “golden generation” tag they have carried for the past 10 years as they look to deliver the country’s first major trophy. The 31-year-old Real Madrid forward has captained Belgium since 2015 and will participate
2:25 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Unai Emery has become the new Aston Villa manager to replace Steven Gerrard, it was announced on Monday. Sources told ESPN that talks between Villa and the former Villarreal manager Emery began on Sunday, sources told ESPN, with the Premier League club looking for a replacement for Gerrard
4:34 PM ET PORTLAND, Ore. — In the third minute of second-half stoppage time, with the score tied 1-1 in the National Women’s Soccer League semifinal between the Portland Thorns and the San Diego Wave, Thorns defender Meghan Klingenberg prepared to take a corner kick, and the entire north end of Providence Park roared as
3:25 PM ET Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola joked he wanted striker Erling Haaland to lay off the food and drink during the mid-season break for the World Cup and come back fit to spearhead the club’s hunt for trophies in the second half of the season. Norway’s Haaland, who has scored 22 goals in
7:00 AM ET Newcastle United‘s excellent run of form continued this weekend with a 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur that saw Eddie Howe’s side stretch their Premier League unbeaten streak to seven games and go climbing into the top four. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.) The decisive goal came via Miguel
8:16 AM ET Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. has said fans found guilty of racist abuse should be banned for life from attending games. The Brazil international was a victim of abuse in September when Atletico Madrid fans were filmed directing racist chants at him outside their Wanda Metropolitano Stadium ahead of the Madrid derby.
9:28 AM ET Associated Press Ukraine’s top football club, Shakhtar Donetsk, on Monday urged FIFA to remove Iran from the World Cup because of the country’s alleged military support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Shakhtar chief executive Sergei Palkin accused Iran of “direct participation in terrorist attacks on Ukrainians,” suggesting his own country’s team
9:37 AM ET Michael Carrick has been named the new Middlesbrough manager. Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images Manchester United legend Michael Carrick has been appointed the new manager of Middlesbrough, the English Championship club announced. It is the first permanent job in Carrick’s managerial career after working as a coach at Old Trafford under Ole
5:30 AM ET Steven Gerrard lasted just 11 months as Aston Villa manager. Jesse Marsch might pass through Leeds United after an even shorter tenure with the club’s fans turning on the former RB Leipzig coach in recent games, despite him being in charge for a mere eight months. – Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga,