ST. LOUIS — No question the United States men's national team needs freshening up. All national teams do, every four years as the World Cup cycle turns. Don't forget what Bruce Arena famously told us back in 2002: World Cup soccer is a young mans' game. So the here and now of early qualifying looks […]

David De Gea is "really happy" at Manchester United and has thanked manager Louis van Gaal and the fans for helping him settle back in after the dramatic collapse of his move to Real Madrid. The 25-year-old Spain goalkeeper was left out of United's team by Van Gaal at the start of the season ahead […]

Real Madrid could be open to bringing Jose Mourinho back to the Bernabeu should the Portuguese coach leave Chelsea, according to former president of the Spanish club Ramon Calderon. Mourinho remains determined to turn the fortunes of the Barclays Premier League champions around, but has seen his position come under scrutiny following a poor run […]

Liverpool midfielder James Milner is hoping to shake off his hamstring injury in time to face his former employers Manchester City next weekend. The 29-year-old was forced off in the Europa League win over Rubin Kazan last week and missed the Reds' clash with Crystal Palace three days later before withdrawing from the England squad […]

Thus far, 2015 has been a disastrous year for the US men’s national team. The failure to win the Gold Cup led to a failure to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup, losing to hated rival Mexico in the process. But with a new phase in the 2018 World Cup cycle beginning, there is a chance for […]

Juan Mata believes Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney deserves respect rather than the scrutiny and scorn of late. The 30-year-old has enjoyed a record-breaking start to the season, but becoming England's all-time top scorer has not failed to take attention away from a clutch of underwhelming displays. SEE MORE: Memphis needs United's patience, not supporters' ridicule. […]

Mark Hughes is hoping Jack Butland's England recognition can pave the way for Ryan Shawcross to join him in the national set-up. Stoke boss Hughes has consistently pushed Shawcross' international cause, but so far Roy Hodgson has overlooked the Potters defender. Shawcross has made only one appearance for England, which came three years ago when he […]

Everton's best starting XI of all time allows us to choose from a number of names. This is our XI of the Merseyside club's best players. Everton's best starting XI of all time (GK) Neville Southall Undisputedly, the finest man to ever don the goalkeeper’s jersey for Everton, Neville Southall’s career with the club spanned […]

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has withdrawn from the Belgium squad for their friendlies against Italy and Spain. The 29-year-old, who was not involved in full training with his country on Tuesday or Wednesday, was the subject of a club-versus-country row during the previous international break when he played in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Israel […]

The life of a soccer manager is precarious at the best of times, but taking on the senior role at a Major League Soccer expansion club is clearly a triumph of hope over the experience of others. The dismissal last week of Jason Kreis by New York City FC only adds to the already dismal […]

As their fans never fail to remind us, Liverpool are the most successful club in English soccer, if you add up league and European titles (the European caveat would be completely unnecessary if not for a certain Scot and American capitalism, but that’s another story). So it stands to reason that the club can put […]

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists manager Jose Mourinho has the full backing of his players despite the Blues' dismal start to their Barclays Premier League title defense. Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Stoke was Chelsea's seventh league loss and saw the London club head into the international break 16th in the standings, with just 11 points […]

Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony has been ruled out of Ivory Coast's World Cup qualifying doubleheader against Liberia. Bony limped off in City's 0-0 Barclays Premier League draw at Aston Villa on Sunday because of a hamstring injury, with Blues boss Manuel Pellegrini saying afterwards he did not think the 26-year-old would be able to […]

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has chosen to endure the pain of a shoulder injury — with the assistance of cortisone injections into the damaged area — in an effort to enhance his side's title charge both domestically and in Europe. The 29-year-old's shoulder problem dates back to Sept. 15, when the defender suffered the injury during a Champions […]

The public’s awareness of soccer’s concussion crisis has improved dramatically over the past year. With episodes such as Christoph Kramer’s during the World Cup final, Hugo Lloris against Everton two seasons ago and many others, the tide has turned in concussion awareness – an important and necessary step. Now, with the settlement of a lawsuit […]