FEATURES

Aaronson is producing the best stretch of his career at Leeds - and forcing a rethink of his USMNT role as the World Cup approaches.

With MLS preseason approaching, GOAL U.S. writers debate the league’s biggest offseason winners - and whether Josh Sargent should make the move to Toronto FC.

GOAL runs the rule over the British players earning a living away from their homeland, with plenty more stars deciding to leave their comfort zones in search of a better footballing life elsewhere. The Premier League is still obviously one of the world's most entertaining divisions and the Championship can prove fantastic for development, but there are more options out there.

On the weekend that the Bundesliga returned after its winter hiatus and two of Serie A's top three met in a crucial clash in the fight for the Scudetto, much of Europe was focused on cup competitions of varying degrees of importance. England and France played host to the latest rounds of their domestic tournaments while Spain and Turkey followed France's lead from earlier in the week in crowning their Super Cup champions.

Barcelona claimed a record-extending 16th Spanish Super Cup title by defeating Real Madrid 3-2 in the second Clasico of the season in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday. Raphinha scored twice and Robert Lewandowski also found the back of the net as Hansi Flick's side remained dominant over their bitter rivals by securing a fifth victory in their last six meetings with Xabi Alonso's side.

Real Madrid were outclassed by Barcelona in a baffling Spanish Super Cup final, looking a step behind their arch-rivals in a 3-2 loss that will surely increase the pressure on Xabi Alonso. There were mishaps from Rodrygo at the front and errors from Raul Asencio at the back as a glum Blancos side could neither cope defensively or get anything going in an attacking sense.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including concern over Pepi after an injury and Folarin Balogun getting on the scoresheet.

Danny Welbeck haunted Manchester United yet again as Brighton became only the third team in 43 years to knock the Red Devils out of the FA Cup in the third round. Welbeck played his part in the Seagulls taking the lead at Old Trafford and then doubled their advantage with a second-half piledriver.

Arsenal booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 win over Championship side Portsmouth on Sunday afternoon. Gabriel Martinelli bagged an all-important hat-trick, while Andre Dozzell scored an own goal, as the Gunners survived an early scare to maintain their push for a first piece of silverware since winning the same competition six years ago.

Sandy Baltimore scored the pick of the goals and grabbed a second from the penalty spot as Chelsea swept aside West Ham 5-0 on Sunday to keep up the pace on Manchester City at the top of the Women's Super League table. The Blues led after just 46 seconds at Kingsmeadow and did not look back as they launched wave after wave of attack on their visitors, with Lauren James and Alyssa Thompson also grabbing first-half goals in a rampant display.

Manchester City maintained their six-point lead atop the Women's Super League table thanks to a dominant 2-0 victory over Everton on Sunday. Kerolin opened the scoring as she finished a brilliant solo run with a deflected finish in the first half, while Vivienne Miedema ended the game as a contest with a smart touch and finish from Khadija Shaw's clipped through-ball.

Liam Rosenior's tenure as Chelsea boss got off to a brilliant start, as the Blues bested a spirited Charlton side 5-1 at They Valley. Jorrell Hato opened the scoring with a beautifully struck volley just before half time. Toisin Adarabioyo added a second, with Miles Leaburn offering a brief reply, before Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez rounded off the scoring for the Blues.

Manchester City opened up their FA Cup campaign with a barely believable 10-1 victory over Exeter City in the third round on Saturday. Antoine Semenyo scored and assisted on his debut for the Cityzens, while youngster Max Alleyne also netted his first goal for the club, as Pep Guardiola's side swept aside their League One opponents at the Etihad Stadium.

Goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce was the hero as 10-player Manchester United clung on to steal a 0-0 draw away at Arsenal in the first WSL game of the new year. The visitors were reduced to 10 midway through the second half when Jayde Riviere was sent off, but held firm to keep a clean sheet and ensure the Gunners do not pull further away from them at the top of the table.

Arsenal failed to take advantage of a huge opportunity to open up a four-point cushion inside the Champions League places on Saturday, forced to settle for just a point in a 0-0 draw with Manchester United despite the Red Devils being reduced to 10 just past the hour. The Gunners created plenty of chances and really should've come away with the win but were let down by their finishing on a disappointing day out.

As London City Lionesses prepared for their first season in the Women's Super League, the excitement and anticipation was palpable. Fuelled by the finances of billionaire owner Michele Kang, the independent club from the capital made a serious splash in the summer transfer window, with a deadline-day, world-record deal for France midfielder Grace Geyoro acting as the exclamation point. But despite such heavy investment, with half a season gone, things haven't panned out exactly as Kang and her staff would've liked.

"I think he’s going to lift people off their seats," Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada said of Matheus Cunha during a summer interview with United We Stand and The Athletic. "He’s got a bit of a swagger about him that people are going to really like. Dare I say, [Eric] Cantona-esque." Talk about setting sky-high expectations!

It's never a good idea to pay much attention to football's annual awards ceremonies. These glorified popularity contests drag on for far too long and trying to wrap your head around the lack of logic involved in the voting process is an exercise in futility. However, it was impossible to ignore The Best FIFA Men's 11 for 2025 - because the omission of Raphinha made so little sense.

Mic'd Up: The former West Ham and Newcastle shot-stopper talked pressure of management ahead of an FA Cup slate, and why it was fair to let Wilfried Nancy go at Celtic

Liam Rosenior was always guaranteed a baptism of fire when he was named as Enzo Maresca's replacement at Chelsea given his complete lack of experience in the Premier League, let alone at one of the division's elite clubs. But even so, the task at hand is unenviable has he arrives to a brimming in-tray in his Cobham office. The Blues' season feels as though it is on a knife edge as the new head coach takes the reins.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including some marquee matchups in England's top cup competition

When Antoine Semenyo was asked to describe his style just after signing for Manchester City from Bournemouth, he used four adjectives. "Quick", "powerful" and "strong" are words you would use to describe most Premier League forwards but the last one summed up why City have paid £65 million ($87m) to bring him to the club in the middle of the season: "Clinical".

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes rolls with 'available' players for January camp, which includes Trinity Rodman, Ally Sentnor, and four uncapped rookies.

Arsenal have had their fair share of success stories over the years when it comes to the women's side of the academy. Leah Williamson, England's two-time European Championship-winning captain, and Lotte Wubben-Moy, also part of those triumphs with the Lionesses, are two of the most high-profiles examples of players who have progressed through the youth set-up and become key members of the first team - and they will not be the last.

The world watched on as Arsenal hosted Liverpool in a potential changing of the guard in English football on Thursday night. The Premier League leaders had the chance to stretch their lead atop the table to eight points, with the reigning champions down on their luck and jockeying for a Champions League position. But the game didn't live up to the hype.

Arsenal missed the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Liverpool on Thursday. Manchester City dropped points at home to Brighton 24 hours earlier and allowed the Gunners the opportunity to extend their advantage. Though the north Londoners are now six points ahead of their closest challengers, they were denied the win many had expected them to register against the defending champions.

Liverpool did a number on Arsenal but missed the injured Hugo Ekitike in attack in a 0-0 draw on Thursday. Arne Slot's side comfortably contained the Premier League leaders with an organised and disciplined performance but never looked like breaking the deadlock themselves, and while the Reds have long been out of the title race, this display will have encouraged many on Merseyside.

Real Madrid booked their place in the Supercopa de Espana final with a 2-1 victory over inter-city rivals Atletico Madrid in Jeddah on Thursday. Los Blancos opened their account through a vicious Federico Valverde free-kick after just 77 seconds, and Rodrygo doubled the lead with a well-taken finish in the 55th minute, before Alexander Sorloth pegged one back with a back-post header just moments later.

The USMNT Transfer Notebook tracks American player movements, with the latest developments for those in the U.S. national team pool.