Viewership of MLS games on ESPN during the 2016 regular season increased by 25% compared to 2015, according to research conducted by Sports TV Ratings and World Soccer Talk. ESPN averaged 307,845 viewers per game (combining ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes) compared to 244,970 in 2015. MLS definitely benefitted from ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – Portland Timbers captain Liam Ridgewell has been arrested for drink-driving after rushing to the aid of goalkeeper Jake Gleeson following a late-night car crash, reports said Tuesday. Former Birmingham and West Bromwich Albion defender Ridgewell failed a roadside sobriety test after driving to pick up Gleeson from the scene of a […]

FOX Sports' coverage of MLS during the 2016 regular season saw a 37% increase compared to viewing figures for the top-flight American soccer league last year. In total for 2016, FOX Sports averaged 270,258 viewers per game when combining numbers for FOX, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes. That compares to the viewing average of […]

London (AFP) – Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly expects to return within two months after injuring his knee during his side's 4-0 Premier League defeat at Chelsea, he said on Tuesday. "I wanted to thank you for all the messages of support that I received since the injury!" the Ivory Coast defender wrote on his […]

London (AFP) – Alex Ferguson believes Scotland must beat England at Wembley if they are to revive their hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup — and the former Manchester United manager believes they can do exactly that. Scotland's two most recent qualifiers saw them manage just one point in games against Lithuania and […]

For the 2016 regular season, Major League Soccer averaged 276,689 viewers per game based on ratings research gathered by Sports TV Ratings and World Soccer Talk. In total, the viewing averages across FOX Sports, ESPN and Univision saw dramatic increases in viewing numbers during the 2016 regular season: • ESPN's viewing audience for MLS games increased […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Pep Guardiola has reassured Sergio Aguero that he has a future at Manchester City. Aguero has been through a tricky October, with his early-season run of goalscoring form grinding to a halt and his place in City’s starting line-up called into question. Guardiola dropped the forward to the bench for […]

London (AFP) – Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says he deserves the same respect he gives others and described himself as "a passionate man", after he appeared to upset Jose Mourinho with his touchline antics. The Italian urged Chelsea fans to ramp up the volume following the fourth goal in the 4-0 win over former Blues […]

Madrid (AFP) – Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has dismissed concerns surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo's supposed troubles in front of goal that have led to boos from the club's notoriously demanding fans. The Portugal superstar has scored four times in nine appearances for the Spanish league leaders since returning from the knee injury that forced him […]

In the United States, beIN SPORTS has acquired the rights to show the Dutch Cup, also known as the KNVB Cup. The KNVB Cup is a cup competition based on the format of England's FA Cup. The competition was founded in 1898, and consists of all teams from the top three tiers of Dutch league […]

Los Angeles (AFP) – The Major League Soccer careers of Didier Drogba and Steven Gerrard could end without either man kicking another ball as their teams head into nerve-wracking sudden-death playoff games starting Wednesday. Two of the biggest names of the English Premier League's golden era, Liverpool icon Gerrard joined Los Angeles Galaxy in 2015 […]

Glasgow (AFP) – Rangers manager Mark Warburton has cautioned his club not to spend rashly in a bid to bridge the gap with rivals Celtic. The 54-year-old Englishman's warning came on the back of Rangers' second Old Firm defeat of the season as they lost 1-0 to Celtic in a League Cup semi-final on Sunday. […]

London (AFP) – Premier League club Watford are under investigation for allegedly submitting forged HSBC bank letters to support Gino Pozzo taking control of the club, British media reported on Monday. The English Football League has launched a probe into documentation submitted to the sport authority by Watford in July 2014, The Telegraph newspaper said. […]

Manchester (United Kingdom) (AFP) – Manchester United's players must behave like men in the wake of their humiliating 4-0 Premier League hammering by Chelsea, manager Jose Mourinho said on Monday. The Portuguese coach — who sat helplessly as he endured his worst defeat in the Premier League against the club who sacked him last term […]

Madrid (AFP) – Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann was named La Liga player of the season for 2015/16 on Monday, ahead of the likes of star duo Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Atletico's Diego Simeone also took the coach of the season award while Barcelona's Uruguay striker Luis Suarez was named the top non-EU player. […]