Julian Nagelsmann is the youngest head coach to take a team to the Champions League quarterfinals but any suggestion he or his RB Leipzig players will be out of their depth against Atletico Madrid should be quickly dismissed.
The 33-year-old will take the German upstarts into new territory on Thursday and admits a meeting with Atletico counterpart Diego Simeone will be a tough proposition.
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic, widely considered the United States' top soccer export, is expected to miss six weeks with a right hamstring injury that could extend until the start of the next Premier League season.
The Hershey, Penn., native, who will turn 22 next month, came away with his injury during Chelsea's 2-1 FA Cup final loss to Arsenal. Pulisic scored his team's lone goal in the first half.
Ajax will have to change their playing style after the sale of Hakim Ziyech to Chelsea and the possibility of up to six others leaving before the new season in the Netherlands starts, coach Erik ten Hag said as they began pre-season training.
Ziyech was one of the key figures when Ajax reached the Champions League semifinal last season and also dominated in the Dutch league, but success for the club has meant their players have been in high demand.
“It’s the ones with the strongest mentality who make it.”
This was the quote that kept Alphonso Davies in the game. The Canadian star began gaining traction when he became the second-youngest player to play in MLS at the age of 15. Then, when he was 18, Davies completed a record-breaking transfer to Bayern Munich.
But his life hasn't always been studded in glory. Davies opened up about this in an article called "Moving Past The Doubt." In it, we see where the phenom started.
The fastest LaLiga debut goal for Real Madrid since Ronaldo (and a brilliant one at that). A hat-trick on his second Champions League appearance. That ridiculous outside-of-the-foot volley against Club Brugge.
In Neymar ($255 million) and Kylian Mbappé ($150 million) Paris Saint-Germain boasts the two most expensive footballers ever. By the time Neymar arrived in the summer of 2017 the club had already established itself as the best in France by winning four of the last five Ligue 1 titles and back-to-back Coupe de Frances.
What Neymar and Mbappé were lavishly acquired for was to take the next step in Europe, where PSG had suffered four straight quarterfinal defeats before La Remontada — that infamous Round of 16 loss to a Neymar-inspired Barcelona.
17-year-old English phenom Jude Bellingham has officially transferred from Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund as of Monday.
The young midfielder has been making waves for himself in the Championship and proving to be a bundle of potential. His style of play is quick and creative, and Bellingham is known for his ability to get out of tight situations in a pinch and his ability to see the field.
Frankie Amaya scored his first career goal in the 76th minute, and FC Cincinnati took advantage of short-handed Atlanta United to pull off a stunning 1-0 victory Thursday in the MLS is Back Tournament near Orlando.
The win was the first of the season for Cincinnati (1-0-3, 3 points), and an even bigger upset within Group E at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Cincinnati lost its opener 4-0 to rival Columbus, but prevailed thanks to an undisciplined Atlanta side that finished the match with nine men.
When compiling a list of the best American soccer players right now, it’s paramount to consider the sporting impact of COVID-19. For example, Megan Rapinoe received the 2019 Ballon d’Or as the best female footballer on the planet, but she’s played a total of 366 minutes in 2020 and probably won't add to that.
With this list, we’ll celebrate the players that obviously stayed physically and mentally strong throughout quarantine before channeling that professionalism into a strong return to the pitch — whether that’s in the Bundesliga, Premier League or NWSL Challenge Cup.
Borussia Dortmund’s 2019/20 season is over. Erling Haaland, the 19-year-old phenom who scored 16 goals in his first 18 BVB appearances, is free to do whatever he damn well pleases as a teenager that makes around $170,000 per week. That’s my take as an old poor boy.
But his dad — as all dads are wont to do — sees it differently.