USA

Chelsea notched up their first win under Thomas Tuchel on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Burnley thanks to goals by Spanish defenders César Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso who have both been given a chance to shine under the German coach.

Azpilicueta was entrusted with a place in Chelsea's starting lineup by Tuchel in his two games since replacing Frank Lampard and he scored with an angled shot in the 40th minute after sprinting 80 yards to seize on a lay-off by Callum Hudson-Odoi.

United States and Toronto FC star Jozy Altidore will be held out of the national team's friendly against Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday with a minor muscle strain and amid transfer rumors.

U.S. manager Gregg Berhalter on Saturday said Altidore sustained a "very, very minor strain" two weeks ago and added that "a number of clubs" are interested in Altidore.

The USWNT will go for its first trophy of 2021 at the SheBelieves Cup in February. They’ll be without star winger Tobin Heath.

Manchester United ruled Heath out for 10-12 weeks with an ankle injury, manager Casey Stoney said on Friday. In addition to being a big blow to United’s title challenge, Heath will also miss the SheBelieves Cup, which is back in the U.S. from Feb. 18-24. 

Social media provides a wondrous, seemingly endless stream content. It also can be a horrible, toxic place for public figures, especially women in sports. A recent study on NWSL fans shows that could be changing.

MLS said on Friday it remains "far apart" on the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and will terminate the existing pact and lock out players for the first time in league history if a new deal is not reached by midnight Thursday.

Major League Soccer, whose 2021 season is due to begin on April 3, extended by one week the deadline to complete negotiations with the players' union on a new deal and is committed to regular meetings over the coming days.

Japan is out. Argentina is in. It’s all absurd.

Less than a month before the 2021 SheBelieves Cup, the tournament has been forced into major changes. The 2011 World Cup champions pulled out of the tournament citing Covid-19 issues and were replaced by the 31st-ranked team in the world, one that struggles mightily for respect from its own federation.

Japan's three-times Grand Slam tennis champion Naomi Osaka has invested in National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team North Carolina Courage to become a team owner, the U.S. top-flight club said on Thursday.

"The women who have invested in me growing up made me who I am today, I don't know where I would be without them," Osaka, the world number three, wrote on Twitter. "Throughout my career I've always received so much love from my fellow female athletes so that's why I am proud to share that I am now an owner of the NC Courage."

After the myriad of alterations, postponements and cancellations that rocked the 2020 domestic calendar, we’re glad to see some normalcy return for both Major League Soccer and the National Women’s Soccer League in 2021 (although there’s little hope that stadiums will be at full capacity come April).