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Brazil is chosen to host soccer's 2027 Women's World Cup following a vote by FIFA's 211 members
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 12:04 a.m. | Save Story
Brazil will host the 2027 Women's World Cup after a vote of FIFA's 211 members chose the South American bid over a joint proposal from Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. The FIFA Congress on Friday selected from a reduced field of two candidates to host the 2027 tournament after a joint bid by the United States and Mexico was pulled late last month and South Africa withdrew its candidacy in November. It was the first time that all 211 of FIFA's members associations had the opportunity to weigh in on the host of the women's tournament. Previously, it was decided by the FIFA Council.
FIFA to seek legal advice on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer
The Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 11:43 p.m. | Save Story
FIFA will seek independent legal advice before holding an extraordinary council meeting by July 25 to make a decision on a Palestinian proposal to suspend Israel from international soccer because of the conflict with Hamas. FIFA president Gianni Infantino outlined the plan at the FIFA congress on Friday after representatives of the Palestinian and Israel football federations had a chance to speak in front of the 211 member associations. Infantino says "FIFA will mandate as of now, independent legal expertise to analyze the three requests" from the Palestinian FA "and ensure the statutes of FIFA are applied in the right way."
Team captain and two other players arrested over alleged soccer match-fixing in Australia
The Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 10:08 p.m. | Save Story
Australian professional soccer has been rocked by accusations that the captain of A-League club Macarthur FC paid two younger teammates up to 10,000 Australian dollars ($6,600) to deliberately receive yellow cards in a scheme set up by a South American gambling connection. Australian media reports that Macarthur team leader Ulises Davila and fellow players Kearyn Baccus and Clayton Lewis were arrested by police Friday over their alleged involvement in the match-fixing scheme. Authorities still want to interview a fourth player allegedly involved in the scheme and have threatened to extradite him if he does not return to Australia to face questioning.
San Diego FC partners with Club Tijuana for a series of matches
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 9:25 p.m. | Save Story
San Diego FC, an Major League Soccer expansion team set to start play in 2025, announced a five-year partnership with Liga MX's Club Tijuana for friendly matches each season. The games will be played at Snapdragon Stadium, and the teams aim to engage supporters of both teams on community service projects and cultural events. Club Tijuana played a friendly match against fellow Liga MX team Club America at Snapdragon last year in front of more 22,000.
Argentina and Messi will play 2 warm-up matches in the U.S. ahead of Copa America
The Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 7:10 p.m. | Save Story
Defending champion Argentina will prepare for the upcoming Copa America tournament by playing warm-up matches against Ecuador and Guatemala next month in the United States. Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates will face Ecuador at Soldier Field in Chicago on June 9, the Argentine Football Association said Thursday. Five days later, the reigning World Cup champions will play Guatemala at Commanders Field in Landover, Maryland. That will be Argentina's last warm-up game before it opens its Copa América campaign on June 20 against Canada in Atlanta.
Barcelona closer to securing second place in Spanish league after 2-0 win at last-place Almeria
Tales Azzoni, Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 4:10 p.m. | Save Story
Fermin López scored both goals as Barcelona defeated last-place Almeria 2-0 to move closer to securing second place in the Spanish league. López scored a goal in each half for Barcelona. The Catalan club opened a four-point gap to third-place Girona with two rounds to go. Second place guarantees a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Barcelona closes the league by hosting Rayo Vallecano and visiting Sevilla. Girona visits Valencia and hosts Granada. It was the third win in four matches for Barcelona. It is 14 points behind champion Real Madrid.
Leeds one win away from immediate return to Premier League after reaching Championship playoff final
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 3:08 p.m. | Save Story
Leeds is one win away from an immediate return to the Premier League. A 4-0 thrashing of Norwich secured Leeds a trip to Wembley Stadium for the second-tier Championship playoff final. The teams drew 0-0 in the first leg at Norwich on Sunday so Leeds advanced 4-0 on aggregate. Leeds is owned by the San Francisco-based 49ers Enterprises. American golfers Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth are minority investors. Leeds was relegated from the Premier League last season. The club was third in the Championship's regular season behind Leicester and Ipswich, who gained automatic promotion. Leeds will play either West Bromwich Albion or Southampton in the playoff final on May 26.
Messi's $20.4 million compensation with Miami exceeds all but 3 other MLS teams
Ronald Blum, Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 3:06 p.m. | Save Story
Lionel Messi's annualized pay from his Major League Soccer contract with Inter Miami is just over $20.4 million in his first full season, exceeding the payrolls of all but three other teams in the league. Messi joined Inter Miami last summer and has a base salary of $10.4 million and annualized pay of $20,446,667, according to the MLS Players Association. Miami leads the league with a record $41.7 million payroll, double all but Toronto at $31.4 million and Chicago at $25.1 million. St. Louis has the lowest payroll among the 29 teams at $12 million, just below Salt Lake and San Jose at $13.6 million each.
Squad sizes for Copa America teams expanded from 23 players to 26
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 3:05 p.m. | Save Story
Teams in this year's Copa America will be allowed to have an expanded squad of 26 players instead of the usual 23, South American soccer body CONMEBOL said Thursday. Several teams, including world champion Argentina, had already asked for the number of players to be expanded for the tournament, which starts on June 20 in the United States. The decision was announced by CONMEBOL during FIFA's congress in Bangkok, Thailand. The move aligns CONMEBOL with UEFA, which is also allowing a maximum of 26 players per team for this year's European Championship.
France coach Deschamps includes Kanté and Barcola in preliminary Euro 2024 squad
The Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 2:12 p.m. | Save Story
France coach Didier Deschamps included midfielder N'Golo Kanté in his preliminary list of players for the European Championship and gave a first call-up to Paris Saint-Germain forward Bradley Barcola. Kanté's return was not expected following the former Chelsea player's departure to the lucrative Saudi league last summer after he struggled with injuries. The 2018 World Cup winner has not played for France since June 2022. Deschamps said Kanté has rediscovered his form at Al-Ittihad. In contrast, Barcola's presence in the squad was widely expected following his excellent season with PSG.
More trouble in Belgium for Miami-based 777 Partners after court authorizes seizure of assets
The Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 1:19 p.m. | Save Story
A Belgian court has ruled that all assets in the country belonging to American investment group 777 Partners can be seized, in the latest legal setback for the embattled company that owns Standard Liège and several other soccer clubs. The decision by a court in Liege came after Standard's former owner Bruno Venanzi and shareholders of the company holding the club's stadium said 777 had defaulted on a payment. It comes after a period of legal and financial turmoil for the American investment company, which has also seen its airline in Australia grounded in recent weeks and faces a massive fraud lawsuit in New York.
A cricket World Cup is coming to NYC's suburbs, where the sport thrives among immigrant communities
Philip Marcelo, Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 12:18 p.m. | Save Story
As the U.S. prepares to host its first cricket World Cup next month, a temporary stadium is rising in the New York City suburbs. The sport has found fertile ground there among waves of Caribbean and South Asian immigration. The U.S. is co-hosting the T20 World Cup, with eight games at Eisenhower Park on Long Island. American cricket organizers hope the games will provide the same boost soccer enjoyed when the U.S. hosted its first FIFA World Cup in 1994. USA Cricket estimates there are more than 400 local leagues and more than 200,000 Americans playing the sport nationwide.
FIFA wants global standard for punishing racist abuse and urges players to use crossed hands sign
Graham Dunbar, Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 11:43 a.m. | Save Story
FIFA will urge all 211 national federations to make racist abuse a disciplinary offense. Soccer's world body also suggests "a global standard gesture for players to communicate racist incidents" to referees. It's hands crossed at the wrists and raised in the air. A five-pillar pledge on tackling racism will be put to FIFA member federations on Friday at their meeting in Bangkok. FIFA president Gianni Infantino promised months ago to make a worldwide proposal. He consulted Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, who is Black and has been repeatedly abused by fans in Spain.
Nashville SC fires coach Gary Smith after 3-4-5 start in seventh season
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 10:21 a.m. | Save Story
Nashville SC has fired Gary Smith, the only head coach in franchise history. The club described the move only as Smith's "departure," along with assistant coach Steve Guppy. He is the first MLS coach to be fired this season. Former Nashville player and current player development coach Rumba Munthali will serve as interim head coach starting with Saturday's game against Atlanta United. Nashville improved to 3-4-5 this season with Wednesday night's 2-0 win over Toronto FC, when Smith was booed during pre-game introductions. Smith's seven-season tenure included six consecutive playoff appearances in the USL Championship and Major League Soccer, and the Leagues Cup Final in 2023.
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri suspended 2 matches for his behavior toward refs in Cup final
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 9:51 a.m. | Save Story
Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri has been suspended for two matches and fined 5,000 euros ($5,400) by the Serie A league judge for his behavior during the Italian Cup final. Allegri lost his cool in stoppage time when he grew angry at a decision, ripped off his jacket and earned a red card for sarcastically applauding the referee. Juventus beat Atalanta 1-0 for the title Wednesday in what may have been Allegri's last big match with the club. The league judge's report said Allegri "acted aggressively" and used insulting language and gestures toward the referees.
Hummels, Goretzka excluded from Germany's Euro 2024 squad
CiarÁn Fahey, Associated Press | Updated May 16 - 9:44 a.m. | Save Story
Reaching the Champions League final wasn't enough for Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels. A strong finish to the season wasn't enough for Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka. Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann is keeping faith in the players who earned confidence-boosting friendly wins over France and the Netherlands for his European Championship squad, leaving at least two former Germany internationals "totally disappointed" to miss their home tournament. Germany hosts Euro 2024 from June 14. Nagelsmann initiated a shakeup in March and is trusting it. Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel is the only new name among the 27 called out on Thursday. Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck is back for the first time since last September.
Injured Ederson to miss Man City's last Premier League game and FA Cup final
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 7:22 a.m. | Save Story
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes will miss the team's last English Premier League game as well as the FA Cup final because of a broken right eye socket. City says Ederson underwent scans after sustaining the injury during a collision with Cristian Romero in the 2-0 win over Tottenham on Tuesday. City says "the injury will prevent Ederson from playing any further part in the remaining games of the 2023-24 season." City plays West Ham at home in the league on Sunday and needs a win to guarantee a record fourth straight top-flight title. City then takes on Manchester United on May 25. Ederson was selected last week in Brazil's squad for the Copa America.
Belgian soccer pauses ticket sales for Israel game amid security fears
The Associated Press | Posted May 16 - 5:35 a.m. | Save Story
Ticket sales for a Belgium-Israel match in Brussels in the UEFA Nations League have been paused because of security concerns. The game is scheduled in September at King Baudouin Stadium. The Belgian Football Union has made the decision. CEO Piet Vandendriessche says, "Safety comes first, always." Ticket sales for other Belgium home matches against France in October and Italy in November are going ahead as planned. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators have repeatedly taken to the streets of Brussels since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. Last year, a Belgium-Sweden game was suspended at halftime following a gunman fatally shooting two Swedes in Brussels before kickoff.
Timbers rally to beat San Jose 4-2 and snap winless streak
The Associated Press | Updated May 15 - 11:19 p.m. | Save Story
Jonathan Rodriguez scored a pair of goals and the Portland Timbers snapped a nine-game winless streak with a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. The Timbers also got goals from Felipe Mora and Evander to snap a three-game losing streak and move out of last place in the Western Conference. The Earthquakes have never won at Providence Park. San Jose got goals from Amahl Pellegrino and Hernan Lopez.
