North American Soccer League's lawsuit against US Soccer Federation, MLS is dismissed

A federal court jury has sided with the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer in an antitrust lawsuit brought against the organizations by a now-defunct league that sued after it did not have its second-tier status renewed. Judge Hector Gonzalez in Brooklyn dismissed the case after the verdict was announced Monday. The lawsuit was brought in 2017 by the North American Soccer League, which disbanded months after the federation's decision not to renew the status. The league said in the lawsuit the federation and MLS conspired to maintain a monopoly on pro soccer in the U.S. and Canada. MLS said the allegations were meritless.

Alcaraz joins Everton on loan from Flamengo on European soccer's transfer deadline day

Carlos Alcaraz sealed a loan move to Everton from Flamengo on European soccer's transfer deadline day. The Argentina under-23 international's deal runs until the end of the season, with Everton having the option to make the move permanent in the summer. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder previously played in the Premier League for Southampton and had a loan spell at Juventus. In another late deal in the Premier League on Monday, Ben Chilwell joined Crystal Palace on loan from Chelsea. Midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka also left Chelsea on loan for Borussia Dortmund.

Tottenham finally signs admired French forward Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern

Highly rated French forward Mathys Tel has joined Tottenham on loan from Bayern Munich after falling out of favor at the German powerhouse. The 19-year-old Tel was the subject of reported interest from clubs including Manchester United, Marseille and Chelsea. He's joined Tottenham on Monday after initially seemingly turning down a proposed move to the London-based Premier League club. Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund previously says the club planned to keep the forward, whom he described as a "very important player." But Tel's lack of playing time this season left Freund with few arguments against letting the player show his worth somewhere else.

Man City signs midfielder Nico Gonzalez as cover for Rodri to take spending past $200M

Manchester City has taken its spending in the winter transfer window to more than $200 million by signing midfielder Nico Gonzalez from Porto to help cover for the absence of injured Rodri. It is City's fifth signing of the window and arguably its most important. The team's lack of energy and power in center midfield is a key factor behind its dreadful run of results since Rodri's season-ending knee injury in September. The 23-year-old Gonzalez came through the Barcelona academy and joined Porto in 2023. City has reportedly activated a 60 million euros ($61.8 million) release clause to sign Gonzalez. Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush and Christian McFarlane are the other winter signings.

Girona snaps four-game losing streak with win over Las Palmas in La Liga

Girona has snapped a four-game losing streak in La Liga with a deserved 2-1 win over lowly Las Palmas. Abel Ruiz scored and missed a penalty in the first half for Girona on Monday. Yáser Asprilla's 79th-minute goal made it 2-0. Fabio Silva scored a consolation goal three minutes later for the visitors. Las Palmas remain without a win since before Christmas and only two points above the relegation zone. Girona is seventh overall.

Juventus signs Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly on loan

Juventus has signed Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly on loan until the end of the season. There's a "high probability" the transfer will be made permanent. Juventus says it has paid Newcastle 3 million euros for the loan deal and will pay 14.5 million euros to make the move permanent if certain, easy, conditions are met. The 26-year-old Kelly is a central defender who can also be deployed as a left back and is known for his aerial prowess. Kelly joined Newcastle only in June after spending the previous five seasons at Bournemouth. Kelly is Juve's fourth signing of the winter transfer window.

Chelsea come from behind to beat West Ham in pulsating London derby

Chelsea has moved into fourth place in the Premier League after a hard-fought 2-1 win over West Ham. The Hammers took the lead through talismanic striker Jarrod Bowen but Chelsea hit back in the second half. A Pedro Neto strike was allowed to stand despite claims of a foul in the buildup. Then Aaron Wan-Bissaka was unlucky to see Cole Palmer's cross hit his leg and loop over his own goalkeeper. The result marks an unhappy return to Stamford Bridge for recently appointed West Ham coach Graham Potter. Potter was fired in April 2023 after less than seven months in charge of the Blues.

Lazio goes fourth in Serie A after win over Cagliari

Lazio has moved into fourth place in Sere A after a 2-1 win at Cagliari. Mattia Zaccagni picked up a goal and an assist for the Rome giant on Monday. Taty Castellanos got the winner after Cagliari's on-loan striker Roberto Piccoli levelled the scores. Cagliari remains fourth from bottom, one point above the relegation zone.

US-owned Lyon avoids Europa League DQ by meeting UEFA finance targets

UEFA has let Lyon play on in the Europa League after the U.S.-owned French club met a deadline to show its finances were healthy enough to finish the season. UEFA says Lyon's financial statements in December "failed to comply with the core underlying principle of going concern." Lyon reported debts of more than $500 million last year. It's been threatened with relegation to the French second tier by the national soccer watchdog. The club owned by American businessman John Textor faced Europa League disqualification unless it met a Jan. 30 deadline set by UEFA. Lyon is in the round of 16.

Ronaldo scores twice in Al-Nassr win in AFC Champions League Elite

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored twice and Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr has defeated the United Arab Emirates' Al-Wasl 4-0 in the AFC Champions League Elite. The Portuguese star who turns 40 on Wednesday has notched his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season for the Riyadh club. They have already secured progression into the round of 16 before this penultimate game of the group stage. Saudi side Al-Ahli went to the top after winning at Qatar's Al-Sadd 3-1. Former Liverpool star Roberto Firmino scored for Al-Ahli with a spectacular bicycle kick. Qatar's Al-Rayyan has beaten defending champion Al-Ain 2-1. Iraq's Al-Shorta drew with Iran's Persepolis 1-1.

Real Madrid sends harsh letter to Spanish soccer bosses complaining of ref mistakes

Real Madrid has formally complained of refereeing mistakes to the Spanish soccer federation and the country's top sports authority. The letter was sent on Monday, two days after Madrid felt it was hurt by refereeing mistakes in a 1-0 loss at Espanyol in La Liga. The result allows Atletico Madrid to move within one point of leader Madrid ahead of the rivals' match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Saturday. Madrid says its board of directors agreed to send the "formal complaint ... in the wake of the poor refereeing performance at the RCDE Stadium" on Saturday.

Aston Villa signs Spain midfielder Marco Asensio on loan from PSG

Three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio has joined Aston Villa on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. The former Real Madrid midfielder has signed on Monday to the end of the season. He is the second major signing by Villa in the final days of the transfer window following the loan deal for Marcus Rashford from Manchester United. The 29-year-old Asensio has played 38 times for Spain and helped his country win the Nations League in 2023.

Chelsea forward Sam Kerr allegedly called police officer 'stupid and white' jury hears

Chelsea forward Sam Kerr allegedly called a police officer "stupid and white" a London jury has heard. Kerr is one of the best women's soccer players in the world. She is on trial charged with causing racially aggravated harassment to Metropolitan Police officer Stephen Lovell in south-west London in the early hours of Jan. 30, 2023. The Australian captain, who is also her country's all-time leading scorer, is alleged to have become "abusive and insulting" toward Lovell.

American midfielder Jack McGlynn's contract sold to Houston Dynamo from Philadelphia Union

The Philadelphia Union have sold the contract of 21-year-old midfielder Jack McGlynn to the Houston Dynamo for a minimum $2.1 million. Philadelphia said it may receive as much as an additional $1.3 million based on performance metrics and will retain a percentage of his future transfers. McGlynn made his Major League Soccer debut in 2021 and his U.S. national team debut in January 2024. He was part of last year's U.S. Olympic team. MLS began allowing cash-for-player trades last month.

Manuel Neuer becomes Bayern's deadline-day signing with a 1-year contract extension

Manuel Neuer is set to mark 15 years at Bayern Munich next year after agreeing to a one-year contract extension. The 38-year-old goalkeeper's contract had been due to expire at the end of this season. Neuer has been with Bayern since arriving from Schalke in 2011. He's won the Champions League twice and the German league 11 times. His age has sometimes brought extra scrutiny of any errors, such as his first career red card in December.

Wrexham announces plans for new stand to allow club to host international soccer matches

Wrexham has announced plans for a new 5,500-capacity Kop Stand at its Racecourse ground. It is a key stadium renovation project under celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The club says the stand will be compliant with UEFA requirements to enable Wrexham to host matches in the European Under-19 Championship in 2026 and other international fixtures in the future. The Racecourse is the world's oldest soccer stadium hosting international matches that is still in use. The once-imposing Kop has been unused since 2007 though a temporary stand for more than 2,000 seats was erected midway through last season.

When 11 vs. 11 turns to 11 vs. 12: Dutch soccer team plays with extra man, controversy erupts

Heerenveen coach Robin van Persie was left furious this weekend after his side was held to a 2-2 draw by a rival that played with 12 men. Soccer _ when it's played normally _ pits two teams of 11 players taking on each other. The mix-up happened with two minutes left and Heerenveen leading Fortuna Sittard 2-1. Following a double substitution, Jasper Dahlhaus remained on the pitch for a moment, creating the illegal extra-player situation. Dahlhaus eventually left the field of play before Fortuna was awarded a corner, with defender Rodrigo Guth heading home an equalizer for a 2-2 draw.

João Félix, Santiago Giménez among new Milan signings on busy transfer deadline day

AC Milan brought in João Félix, Santiago Giménez, Riccardo Sottil and Warren Bondo, while letting former captain Davide Calabria leave along with Noah Okafor and Ismaël Bennacer in a busy final day of the transfer window. It was a extensive overhaul of the Milan squad by new coach Sérgio Conceição, who also signed defender Kyle Walker from Manchester City last month. All but Giménez and Bondo have arrived on loan. Milan paid Feyenoord a reported 30 million euros ($31 million) plus bonuses for Giménez, who could face his old club next week.

Brighton signs one striker and loans out another after its worst ever Premier League defeat

Brighton has signed one striker and loaned out another on the final day of the transfer window on the back of its heaviest ever Premier League defeat. Stefanos Tzimas, a Greece under-21 international, joined from FC Nuremburg on a deal until 2030. Tzimas will remain at the second-tier German team until the end of the season. Hours later, Brighton sent Ireland international Evan Ferguson on loan to fellow Premier League team West Ham for the rest of the season. It will see Ferguson link up again with Graham Potter, the West Ham manager who used to be in charge of Brighton.

Dortmund's new coach Niko Kovač faces formidable challenge. New signings should help

Borussia Dortmund has a new coach and hopes that a flurry of new signings will help turnaround an underwhelming season so far. Niko Kovač started work as coach on Sunday. Kovač takes over from unbeaten interim coach Mike Tullberg, who stepped up from the club's under-19s for three games after Nuri Sahin was fired. Dortmund is meanwhile working on transfers. The club says Swedish defender Daniel Svensson has joined on loan from FC Nordsjælland. Chelsea winger Carney Chukwuemeka, Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki, and Ajax goalkeeper Diant Ramaj are all reported targets on the last day of the winter transfer window. Kovač will have little time to work with any new arrivals before a crunch Bundesliga clash with Stuttgart on Saturday.

'I felt disrespected' Hermoso says after World Cup kiss from former Spain soccer boss

Spain forward Jenni Hermoso has testified at Luis Rubiales' trial in Madrid that she did not consent to being kissed by the country's former top soccer official after winning the 2023 Women's World Cup. Rubiales is accused of sexual assault and of trying to coerce Hermoso to publicly support him after the incident in Sydney. The 47-year-old has denied the charges but was forced to resign and banned by FIFA for three years. The trial in Madrid's High Court is expected to last at least 10 days. Court officials say Rubiales could face a fine or a prison sentence of one to four years if found guilty.

Spain striker Alvaro Morata joins Galatasaray from AC Milan on loan

Spain striker Alvaro Morata has joined Galatasaray from AC Milan on loan with an option to make the deal permanent, both teams said. The agreement was announced late Sunday. Galatasaray said it will pay six million euros ($6.1 million) to Milan to keep Morata on loan until Jan. 20, 2026. The Turkish side added that the transfer can be made permanent for a fee of eight million euros. Morata will be paid six million euros per season if the purchase option is exercised.

Transfer deadline day: Man City, PSG and Aston Villa go big in the winter window

The midseason transfer window has closed with Manchester City and Aston Villa making big moves before the deadline. Four-time defending Premier League champion City secured a late deal for Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez for a reported $61.8 million. Three-time Champions League winner Marco Asensio joined Villa on loan until the end of the season. Uncertainty over Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel was finally ended when he completed a loan move to Tottenham with the option of a permanent deal in the summer. Paris Saint-Germain was one of the most active clubs during the window  by signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli and releasing several players.