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Kylian Mbappe’s stunning solo goal helped France ease to a comfortable 3-0 victory and take another giant step towards qualifying for next years’ World Cup with victory over Azerbaijan in Paris. Adrien Rabiot and Florian Thauvin were also on target, but there were worrying scenes towards the end as talisman Mbappe signalled to come off with what looked like an ankle injury.

GOAL ranks the top soccer players from each of the country's four regions, including USMNT players both past and present

Brazil delivered the most convincing performance of Carlo Ancelotti's reign so far as they overcame some challenging conditions to thrash South Korea 5-0 in a friendly in sodden Seoul, with Real Madrid's Rodrygo starring on his return to the squad. After an underwhelming start to his tenure, the Italian tactician will be a much happier man as the Selecao's World Cup preparations begin in earnest.

There was no shortage of big names on show when Manchester City hosted Arsenal in a bumper Women’s Super League clash in early October. A quick look through the teams and most would’ve been drawn to the likes of Chloe Kelly, Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo, Vivianne Miedema and Mariona Caldentey, especially if they were picking out a potential match-winner. In the end, though, it was a rising teenage star who took up that role, one by the name of Iman Beney.

England showed little mercy as they tore Wales apart in a 3-0 friendly win at Wembley on Thursday. The Three Lions destroyed Craig Bellamy's side in a frantic opening 20 minutes which all but put an end to any hope of the visitors securing an unlikely upset between World Cup qualifiers, even despite the hosts leaving some key players on the bench and out of the squad completely.

Will he or won't he? Lionel Messi has a massive decision to make and, just eight months before the start of the 2026 World Cup, we still don't know whether he'll lead Argentina's title defence. "At my age, it's only logical to think I might not," the 38-year-old told TyC Sports just last month. But, let's face it, there's never really anything logical about Messi's career.

With the World Cup looming and some injuries impacting training, Mauricio Pochettino challenged to put puzzle together

Philadelphia weren't perfect, but they ground out enough wins to claim the Shield - and are set up well for playoff success

With a World Cup looming, Mauricio Pochettino and his squad still have questions - can they answer vs Ecuador?

England warmed up for next week's World Cup qualifier away at Latvia with a 3-0 thrashing of rivals Wales in a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Thursday night. Thomas Tuchel had the perfect response to any critics who have taken aim at his team's style of play or his squad selection, with the Three Lions quickly racing into an unassailable lead and flexing their strength at picking holes in deep blocks.

With two stars leaving and Messi presumably staying, Miami can build a younger team around their main man - even if it they lose chemistry

GOAL ranks the top three soccer players produced by every state in the West, including Donovan, Vargas and Kasey Keller

Perhaps now more than at any other point in the modern history of football, the subject of stadia is increasingly dominant. Manchester United are trying to completely rebuild Old Trafford to the cost of £2 billion ($2.7bn). Spurs are six years into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium experience and at last have a trophy to put in their new cabinet. Chelsea's dispute over land in west London continues to cast a shadow over the future and suitability of Stamford Bridge. Newcastle's Saudi owners are still deciding whether they should expand St James' Park or make use of the space on the adjacent land to start from scratch.

Gary Lineker never thought we'd see another player like Lionel Messi - until Lamine Yamal came along. "Just watching him, he makes it look so easy to beat a player. He goes past them almost as if they're invisible, like they're not there," the ex-England international enthused on the 'Stick to Football' podcast the morning after Barcelona's thrilling 3-3 draw with Inter on April 30.

Premier League fans, particularly those of a Tottenham Hotspur persuasion, were left disappointed this week when Harry Kane declared that he has no plans to come home as he is enjoying life with Bayern Munich so much. And why would he? He is primed to add another Bundesliga title to his maiden trophy won last year after firing Bayern to an explosive start to the season.

Sports science is a point of emphasis for MLS clubs, and it is helping teams overcome the rigors of a hectic season

It was by no means a classic but Manchester United will certainly never forget the events of Wednesday night, as the Red Devils beat Valerenga 1-0 to secure their first-ever win in the Women's Champions League proper. While their formal European journey might not have started with the sort of glamour fixture many would associate the competition with, it was one that felt important to emerge from with all three points given some of the challenges ahead and United did exactly that, thanks to a first-half penalty from captain Maya Le Tissier.

Chelsea made a surprisingly sloppy start to their Women's Champions League campaign on Wednesday night, dropping two points away to a Twente side that featured just one senior international in its starting line-up. The Blues are expected to be one of the main contenders for the trophy this season but they didn't look like it here, as Sonia Bompastor's much-changed team was made to work, and work hard, for a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands.

EXCLUSIVE: GOAL sat down with the USMNT midfielder to discuss fatherhood, World Cup ambitions and his incredible form for Lyon

GOAL ranks the top three soccer players produced by every state in the Midwest, including Beasley, Ream and Brian McBride

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.

And then there was one. According to RAC1, Barcelona have withdrawn their support for the European Super League (ESL), leaving Real Madrid as the only remaining member of the original 'Dirty Dozen' still supporting the controversial project.

The USMNT may struggle without Adams, but Pochettino has plenty of options to consider in a pair of winnable friendlies

Just six months after Arsenal stunned Lyon on their own patch in the Champions League semi-finals on their way to a second European triumph, the French giants got some revenge on Tuesday night as they spoiled the start of the Gunners' title defence with a 2-1 victory that, in truth, flattered the holders. Alessia Russo gave the hosts the lead with seven minutes on the clock but once Melchie Dumornay had quickly cancelled that out, it was all Lyon as two goals from the Haitian star secured all three points for the eight-time winners.

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

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

GOAL ranks the top three soccer players produced by every state in the South, including Dempsey, Richards and Graham Zusi