Analysis

It has been nearly seven months since Manchester United revealed their plans to build an ambitious new 100,000-seater stadium on the same site as Old Trafford with a glitzy video presented by world-famous architect Norman Foster. "Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium," said an excited Sir Jim Ratcliffe in March.

It was always going to be interesting to see which way Frank Lampard would turn when his ill-advised, ill-fated second spell in interim charge of Chelsea came to a sorry end in May 2023. With his managerial reputation in tatters following his January sacking by Everton, would he throw himself at the next Premier League vacancy that cropped up, or would he take stock and aim to come back stronger? Two years on, he will be overjoyed that he pipped for the latter.

GOAL US writers discuss USMNT expectations for October camp as Pochettino continues to refine his squad ahead of the World Cup

GOAL looks at what's required from Reyna, Musah, Josh Sargent, Joe Scally and Damion Downs to secure USMNT roles

There was an air of resignation in Ruben Amorim's voice when he addressed reports of Manchester United's potential plans to jet off to Saudi Arabia in the middle of the season to play friendly games. The Portuguese is a coach that talks of the importance of focus, on having lots of training sessions, of being fully committed to the cause of reviving the club's fortunes. And exhibition tours fly in the face of all that.

GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

Just over four months after Arsenal stunned Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final to win their second European crown, the most prestigious club competition in the women's game is back this week, with the Gunners partaking in perhaps the most eye-catching fixture of matchday one as they prepare for a clash with eight-time winners Lyon, in a rematch of last season's semi-final.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including several big goals and a bigger penalty miss

GOAL US writers break down the USMNT squad that will face Ecuador and Australia in a pair of October friendlies

The veteran announcer discusses UCL favorites, the revised format and how respect at youth levels shapes footballers

Pochettino's message to this squad was clear - every player must look in the mirror and ask 'What is expected of me?'

After Pulisic's standout showing against Napoli, GOAL looks at the USMNT star's top performances for club and country

Both U.S. Open Cup finalists are relatively recent MLS additions, and both have a chance to claim their first trophy

GOAL talks with trusted assistant Jesus Perez about a U.S. staff focused on reducing 'the gap between your best day and your worst day'

It was only a few months ago that Phil Foden was so worn out physically and mentally that he asked not to be selected by England. Now he is putting his hand up to play games that he wouldn’t normally be considered for. The fire within him that almost burned out is raging again and he has rekindled Manchester City’s fortunes, fuelling their impressive return to form from their worst start to a season in 20 years.

USMNT striker Damion Downs has yet to find his footing at Southampton, drawing criticism in the early weeks of his Championship debut.

Mic'd Up: Villa talks Barcelona, the Spanish national team and why Barcelona's Yamal will win a Ballon d'Or

In the end, Xabi Alonso had just one word for Real Madrid's 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid on Saturday: "bad". Well, duh!

To outsiders, the fact that Manchester United have not sacked Ruben Amorim yet is one of the great mysteries of our time. There have been several occasions when the Portuguese would have been given his marching orders at many other top clubs. Can you imagine Real Madrid sticking with a coach that had lost eight out of 12 league games between last December and February?

GOAL US unpacks the main weekend storylines from the Premier League, La Liga and other top competitions in The Euro XI

With the World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at how the U.S. squad might look in the upcoming October camp.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including Pulisic's continued dominance

Ruben Amorim claimed after Manchester United's defeat at Brentford that he is never worried about losing his job and that is just as well because, sooner or later, he is going to get his marching orders at Old Trafford. The results speak for themselves. His team have lost 17 of their 33 Premier League matches while winning just nine times. If you want to find a United coach with a worse win percentage in the league, you have to go back to before the Second World War.

In another world, James Trafford would be making an emotional and triumphant return on Saturday to Manchester City with Burnley as the Clarets' shot-stopping extraordinaire. But instead he will be watching his former side take on City from the bench, watching the recently crowned Yashin trophy winner Gianluigi Donnarumma keep goal instead.

Tottenham have made no secret of their desire to become a top-tier destination for the world's best young talent. "You can try to sell a vision to someone, but if there's tangible physical evidence of it… Anyone who has watched us since I've joined will have seen the aspirations we have to be the kind of team we want to be. That's not just me saying it, we're actually doing it," said former head coach Ange Postecoglou when he was calling the shots in N17.

Kylian Mbappe was hiding in the background while Xabi Alonso soliloquised. It was just after the opening game of the Champions League group phase. Mbappe had pieced together a remarkable Blancos rescue act, scoring twice to overturn a 1-0 deficit (and he might have had one or two more.) Alonso was singing his praises. He hailed Mbappe's "incredible impact", and promised that they were "just getting started.” And then, as he realised Mbappe was in the room - just out of the shot - he tailed off.

Once again, McKennie is off to a rollercoaster start to the club season, but could that shift perceptions in a World Cup cycle?

Last time Manchester City fans saw Grace Clinton in action, she was wearing the red of their biggest rivals and kickstarting a Manchester United comeback that allowed the Red Devils to secure Champions League football at their expense. They'll have had much more favourable feelings towards the England international last Friday, then, as she re-introduced herself to those who suffered in the away end at Old Trafford back in May by netting a goal for the other side of the city, one which put them 4-0 up at Tottenham.

With CONMEBOL lobbying for further expanded competition, GOAL US writers debate the viability of a 64-team tournament