FEATURES

Every month, GOAL brings you the top stories involving teenage wonderkids and the world's best young footballers. During September, there was plenty to be said about the likes of Barcelona's Lamine Yamal and Real Madrid's Franco Mastantuono, but there were also plenty of other headlines made by the planet's emerging stars in both the men's and women's games.

Welcome to Wrexham showed the pain and glory of British lower league football to the world but it would never have existed without Sunderland Till I Die. Rob McElhenney watched the documentary on the recommendation of his actor friend Humphrey Ker and was immediately hooked. After finishing the series he instantly decided he wanted to invest in a lower league club and soon his ambitious project with Ryan Reynolds was born.

Manchester United and Chelsea both continued their unbeaten starts to the Women's Super League season as a stunning Anna Sandberg strike earned the Red Devils a well-deserved 1-1 draw against the champions, who dropped points for the first time this season. Wieke Kaptein scored an early opener for the Blues and both sides could have gone on to clinch victory in an entertaining encounter between the two early pace-setters.

The German forward has found his goalscoring touch in MLS, as the Canadian champs are playing their best soccer at the right time

Winning trophies and top-scoring awards might be routine to Erling Haaland but this week the striker stands on the brink of what could be a once-in-lifetime opportunity: to qualify for the World Cup with Norway. Since Haaland was born in 2000, Norway have never competed on the world's biggest stage. Their six attempts fell flat, only reaching the play-offs on one occasion.

Manchester United came from behind to win in convincing fashion as Everton were put to the sword 4-1 in the first Women's Super League fixture to take place at Hill Dickinson Stadium, largely thanks to goals by Melvine Malard and substitute Jess Park. The Toffees had taken the lead in the first half through Honoka Hayashi, but Malard equalised before Hikaru Kitagawa put through her own net to turn the game around. It would then be Park who sealed the day with two strikes off the bench.

Canada and Colombia played to a scoreless draw at Sports Illustrated Stadium, but on a weeknight in New Jersey, the score wasn't the point

Established by FIFPRO in 2005, the World 11 is the only global football award decided exclusively by professional footballers

Tifos are woven into the fan experience for MLS, allowing authentic expression and breathing new life into old rivalries

Kellyn Acosta continues to deliver on his affinity for leading the way in the intersection of soccer and fashion

Swanson's 100th cap, Kelley O'Hara's retirement, and new faces show up on special night in Nashville

Orlando Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse saves the day, one perfect slicked-back bun at a time

USWNT rising star Alyssa Thompson on sister duos, goalscoring at all levels and her love of Beyonce

USWNT rising star Tara McKeown on her dominating play with the Washington Spirit - and yes, planning her wedding

Given she has been an unused substitute for 12 of England's 13 games in 2025, it wouldn't be a huge shock if Maya Le Tissier didn't feature for the Lionesses during their October international window - and yet, the Manchester United captain has come into camp as one of the most talked about names of the 24 Sarina Wiegman has selected for games against Brazil and Australia. Why? Because the England boss' perspective on the 23-year-old is very different to that of the majority.

Now that the dust has settled on Manchester United's first victory at Anfield in almost a decade, attention turns to what the Red Devils have found the hardest thing to do in the last two years: build some momentum. As satisfying as Sunday's 2-1 win on Merseyside was, it was far from the only time United have overcome low expectations and pulled off a big result against a top team in recent times.

Arne Slot's Liverpool tenure had been plain sailing until late September rolled around, with the Dutchman the picture of cool as he guided the Reds to the Premier League title in his first season at the helm, making the job look easy after stepping into the very large shoes vacated by Jurgen Klopp in 2024. The new campaign had started well enough, albeit while a number of late goals might have papered over the cracks, but things feel different now.

Who's hot, who's not? GOAL ranks all 14 teams across the National Women's Soccer League

Newcastle made it successive Champions League wins on Tuesday with what was ultimately a routine 3-0 win over Jose Mourinho's Benfica at St James' Park. Anthony Gordon scored in Europe for the fourth time this season, before Harvey Barnes came off the bench to wrap up maximum points with a brace for Eddie Howe's side. There was even a remarkable assist for Toon goalkeeper Nick Pope.

Erling Haaland scored for the 12th game running for club and country as Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday. Bernardo Silva also netted to rubber-stamp City's first away win in Europe's top competition for more than a year, taking Pep Guardiola's side on to seven points from their three games in the league phase.

Arsenal thumped Atletico Madrid 4-0 in a hugely impressive Champions League outing on Tuesday, as Gabriel Magalhaes scored and assisted while Viktor Gyokeres netted a confidence-boosting brace. Three of the Gunners' four goals came directly from set-pieces, as Mikel Arteta's side became the second English side to beat Atletico in Europe this season, after Liverpool.

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the Coventry City striker to talk about his journey to the national team and World Cup ambitions

Marcus Rashford scored twice and Fermin Lopez netted a brilliant hat-trick as Barcelona thumped Olympiacos 6-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday. Hansi Flick's side blitzed their opposition with four goals in 11 second-half minutes, as they took advantage of a remarkably harsh sending off that reduced the visitors to 10 men.

MLS playoffs should be dramatic, with superstars such as Messi, Son and Thomas Muller headlining, but other contenders to watch

The competitive fixture set for December is immensely controversial in Europe, but the view in the U.S. is one of inevitability

Argentina have shown at the Copa America that the post-Messi era might not be so scary

Six uncapped players were called up to the USWNT, including three who made their first senior national team roster

As displayed in a victory over Iceland, Hayes' current USWNT roster is shaping up to be packed with prolific strikers

From TikTok videos to a cafe on wheels, the NWSL explores creative ways to commune around coffee