Soccer

Could the United States men’s national team’s Nos. 1 and 2 goalkeepers be Premier League understudies by the 2022 World Cup? Zack Steffen is already backing up Ederson at Manchester CIty, and now New England Revolution star Matt Turner could be leaving Boston for London. U.S. soccer insider Taylor Twellman says that Arsenal has “put in a strong bid” for Turner, 27, whose star has risen in a dramatic way over the last two seasons in Major League Soccer. [ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] Turner has 13 caps and has 23 clean sheets in 106 senior appearances for the Revs. He was MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2021, also winning Golden Glove and Best XI status for the USMNT at the Gold Cup. Aaron Ramsdale is currently Arsenal’s No. 1 after taking the job from Bernd Leno, who is expected to skip town. Ramsdale has the third-best save percentage in the Premier League — Ederson is fifth, if you’re a USMNT fan wondering aloud — and is not even 24 years old. Should … [Read more...] about Arsenal transfer news: Gunners bidding for USMNT’s Matt Turner (reports)

Getty Images Barcelona dropped Ousmane Dembélé from Xavi's 22-man squad hours before their Copa del Rey round of 16 tie against Athletic Bilbao. Club director Mateu Alemany, in an interview with Barça TV, said the 24-year-old French winger "must leave immediately" in the January transfer window after his agents turned down several offers to renew his contract. "With Ousmane and his agents we started conversations around the month of July," Alemany said. "Over that time, almost seven months, we have talked, Barça made different offers, we tried to find a way for the player to continue with us and those offers have been continuously rejected by his agents. "It seems obvious to us that the does not want to continue at Barcelona and is not committed to Barça's future project. We told him and his agents that he must leave the club immediately because we want players committed to the project. "We expect a transfer before Jan. 31. From a sporting perspective, we don't want to have … [Read more...] about Ousmane Dembélé dropped by Barcelona’s Xavi, told to find a new club by the end of the January transfer window

Getty Images The group stage in the Africa Cup of Nations is officially set. The field has been trimmed from 24 teams to 16, and there were two surprising exits in the group stage. Reigning champion Algeria and Ghana were both eliminated before the knockout stage began, with both countries mustering just one point in three group stage games. Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt and Ivory Coast look like contenders heading into the round of 16, which begins Sunday. Below you will find the groups, the standings and the schedule. You can watch AFCON 2022 live on beIN Sports, which you can access via fuboTV (Try for free). Make sure you also check out our AFCON preview from Tosin Makinde , as well as 15 players to watch . Craving even more coverage of the world's game? Listen below and follow ¡Qué Golazo! A Daily CBS Soccer Podcast where we take you beyond the pitch and around the globe for commentary, previews, recaps and more. All times Eastern Round of 16 schedule … [Read more...] about AFCON 2022 schedule, scores, standings, live stream, results: Round of 16 set; Algeria, Ghana eliminated

Getty Images Watford hosts Norwich City on Friday with an important chance to create some distance in the English Premier League relegation race. Watford (4-2-13) is 17th in the table, just one point clear of Norwich (3-4-14), but it has played two fewer games. A victory for either team would provide critical points in the battle to remain above the bottom three. Norwich has won two of its last three matches in all competitions and comes off a 2-1 victory against Everton last Saturday. Watford snapped a seven-game losing streak in all competitions with a 1-1 draw with Newcastle last weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET in Watford, England. Caesars Sportsbook lists Watford as the +106 favorite (risk $100 to win $106) on the 90-minute money line in its latest Watford vs. Norwich City odds, with Norwich the +265 underdog. A draw is priced at +240 and the over-under for total goals scored is 2.5. Before making any Norwich City vs. Watford picks or English Premier League … [Read more...] about Watford vs. Norwich City prediction, odds: Expert reveals English Premier League picks, best bets for Jan. 21

Getty Images The Mexican Football Federation (FMF) will give fans five-year bans if they make anti-gay chants, FMF president Yon de Luisa announced Monday. Mexico supporters have frequently directed an anti-gay chant to opposing goalkeepers over the years, causing FIFA to issue the FMF fines and also ban stadiums from having fans in attendance. Estadio Azteca, which is slated to host Mexico's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Panama, was originally going to be closed to the public because of the anti-gay chant. But to see if the FMF's new measures can curtail the issue, de Luisa said the the Court of Arbitration for Sport is allowing the stadium to reopen with a limited capacity of 2,000. The FMF's new measures include the five-year bans, as well as online ticket registration, an increased focus on positive fan experiences and enhanced stadium security. "These measures are based on four pillars and will be applied rigorously in all home games organized … [Read more...] about Mexican Football Federation threatens fans with five-year bans for making anti-gay chants

Getty Images A spot in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals is up for grabs on Thursday as Athletic Bilbao host Barcelona in the round of 16. Both teams are just back from their participation in the Spanish Super Cup, where Athletic lost in the final to Real Madrid after beating Atletico Madrid. Barca failed to advance from the semifinals of the competition, losing to Real Madrid in El Clasico, 3-2. The winner here will join Mallorca, Cadiz, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia,  Real Betis, Real Soceidad and either Real Madrid or Elche in the last eight. Here's are storylines, how you can watch the match and more: How to watch and odds Date : Thursday, Jan. 20 Time : 3:30 p.m. ET Location : San Mames -- Basque Country, Spain Live stream: ESPN+ Storylines Athletic: The backline is a bit depleted behind their normal starters Inigo Martinez and Yeray Alvarez, with Asier Villalibre and Unai Nunez still injured. Both starting centerbacks are also a card away from suspension. … [Read more...] about Athletic Club vs. Barcelona: Copa del Rey live stream, TV channel, how to watch online, news, odds

Getty Images The term "loan army" will be a thing of the past under the new loan regulations that are being introduced by FIFA . The new regulations will go into effect on July 1 in an effort to develop young players and prevent hoarding, usually by larger clubs around the world. A few things will be done to reach this goal as the terms of loans will now need to be clearly defined via written agreement that includes the duration and financial conditions. This will likely stop scenarios like the dispute between Leeds United and RB Leipzig over Jean-Kevin Augustin. In this case, Leeds United were under an obligation to purchase Augustin upon gaining promotion to the Premier League but due to the season ending late because of COVID, Leeds didn't pay to make the transfer permanent as the signing was supposed to be completed by June 30 of the season. The saga is now in the hands of FIFA and lawyers due to RB Leipzig demanding compensation, but it could've been avoided with a … [Read more...] about FIFA introduces new loan regulations meant to prevent clubs from hoarding talent

Getty Images Arsenal are targeting U.S. international goalkeeper Matt Turner as a new backup. In a move that could spell a January exit for Bernd Leno, current backup for Aaron Ramsdale, the Gunners have identified Turner as the man to succeed the German, who was left out of the matchday squad for the EFL Cup semifinal second leg against Liverpool on Thursday with a back injury. News of Arsenal's interest in Turner was first revealed by ESPN's Taylor Twellman. The 27-year-old has been stellar in MLS play since taking over the starting role for the New England Revolution in 2018.  He has risen into a time-share with Zack Steffen for the United States men's national team goalkeeping job and also helped the Revolution break the MLS points record this past season. While there are concerns over Turner's ability to play with his feet, his shot-stopping quality can't be denied when needed in a pinch as a backup. From a national team perspective, having your top two keepers as … [Read more...] about Arsenal targeting USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner as backup amid doubts over Bernd Leno’s future

Former UConn basketball coach Kevin Ollie won his arbitration case Thursday against the university and will be owed more than $11 million. Ollie, 49, spent six seasons as UConn's coach before he was dismissed in March 2018 amid an initiation of "disciplinary measures" by the school as it sought to terminate him for cause and avoid paying his buyout. UConn "violated the collective bargaining agreement when it terminated Kevin Ollie without just cause," arbitrator Mark Irvings ruled, according to the Hartford Courant . UConn was ordered to pay Ollie "$11,157,032.95 within the next 10 business days." At issue were allegations that Ollie committed multiple NCAA recruiting infractions. But he struck back , claiming the university did not allow him to formally challenge its decision, which was in violation of his constitutional rights. Ultimately, the Huskies received two years of probation from the NCAA for the violations committed under Ollie's watch as the legal battle … [Read more...] about Former Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie wins arbitration case, UConn ordered to pay $11 million

GENEVA (AP) FIFA is finally ready to enforce limits on the number of players clubs can send and take on loan internationally, two years after new rules were delayed by the pandemic. The plans FIFA outlined on Thursday aim to stop wealthy clubs stockpiling players they have signed, encourage developing their young talent, and promote competitive balance in soccer. However, curbs that should take effect in July have limited scope – players aged 21 and under are exempt from FIFA’s rules – and need further cooperation from national soccer federations to pass their own measures. Eight-player limit Clubs will be limited to a maximum of eight players loaned in and eight players loaned out at any one time in the 2022-23 season. The quotas will be cut to seven in the season after and six from the season starting after July 1, 2024. Clubs will also be restricted to the number of deals they can do with a favored trading partner in another country: Three players in and three players … [Read more...] about FIFA set to enforce limits on player loan transfer system