Analysis

Preseason friendlies are well and truly underway, and certainly, at face value, the contest between Manchester United and Liverpool stuck out among the best of the summer.

The two Premier League sides traveled to the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, where United and Liverpool debuted their new home and away jerseys, respectively. While it may seem like just another pointless preseason game, the importance of getting off to a strong start and establishing a clear style of play cannot be understated, especially for Manchester United.

After the first match day of the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championships, each team has now had its chance to prove its worth. Going into the tournament, as many as seven teams were considered genuine championship contenders. Some have hit the ground running while others have stumbled. With two games left before the knockout rounds, we have chosen the best teams so far.

MLS Next Pro — a new third-tier league launched in 2022 that features mostly MLS reserve teams — is looking to change the game, literally. MLS Next Pro is in the middle of its first season and will be testing out two new rules effective immediately. One of the two new MLS Next Pro rules would be a game changer if it spread to the rest of the sport.

New MLS Next Pro Rules

The two new rules are called the Off-field Treatment Rule and the Red Card Suspension Rule. Let’s look at how they work.

Alex Morgan scored her first two international goals of the year and the U.S. women's national team took the first step toward World Cup and Olympic qualifying with a 3-0 win against Haiti in San Nicolás, Mexico, on Monday.

Morgan scored in the 16th and 23rd minutes and Midge Purce added a goal in the 84th minute as the Americans improved to 8-0-0 vs. Haiti.

USWNT vs. Haiti Extended Highlights (07/04/2022) 

Exactly halfway through the season, LAFC is far and away the best team in the league. And LAFC is only going to get better with Giorgio Chiellini and Gareth Bale set to join the club soon. During Wednesday night’s romp over FC Dallas, fans were treated to their first glimpses of Chiellini at LAFC, and coach Steve Cherundolo gushed over the Italian’s desire to improve the team. 

The USWNT huffed and puffed its way to a 2-0 victory over Colombia on Tuesday night in Sandy, Utah. It was hardly the first time the Americans struggled to put away lower competition, and with World Cup and Olympic qualifying less than a week away, you have to wonder if it’s time to start worrying about the USWNT’s rebuild. 

Last season, Venezia showed the world just how difficult it is to stay up in the first division after being promoted. Many teams work for years to reach the first division only to bounce right back down the following season. After a long season in Serie B, let's meet the three newest members of Serie A and learn how they got here.

On the surface, France’s promotions and relegations from this season may appear straightforward. The bottom three in Ligue 1 went down, and the top three in Ligue 2 went up. However, what hides behind the results is a promotion playoff structure that combines elements from the Bundesliga and Serie A to create a fascinating multi-stage playoff. Ligue 1 welcomes three new challengers, so let’s take a look at the stories of how they got to this point and how they hope to continue their rebounds.