FEATURES

Mic'd Up: The Apple TV analyst breaks down Inter Miami’s MLS Cup win, explains why Messi still decides everything, backs MLS’s move to a fall-spring calendar, and tips LA Galaxy to rebound in 2026.

Pulisic is flying, Pepi keeps scoring, and Balogun is rolling again - while one USMNT midfielder may need a January reset. GOAL dives into Americans Abroad in this week’s Rondo.

In a bombshell seven-and-a-half-minute interview after Liverpool's 3-3 draw with Leeds United last weekend, Mohamed Salah accused the club of throwing him "under the bus" and claimed he no longer has any relationship with head coach Arne Slot. The 'Egyptian King', who has scored 250 goals for Liverpool over the last eight years and was the driving force behind the 2024-25 Premier League title success under Slot, didn't see a single minute of action at Elland Road after being named on the bench for the third game in a row, and decided to go public with his grievances.

Everything was looking rosy for Xabi Alonso after a thumping 4-0 home win over Valencia on November 1, which was Real Madrid's 13th victory out of 14 games across all competitions in the first few months of the season. Los Blancos were top of La Liga by five points ahead of Clasico rivals Barcelona, who they beat 2-1 at the Bernabeu seven days earlier, and they'd racked up nine points out of a possible nine in the Champions League, with Juventus among their victims.

After three months and six matchdays featuring a whopping 108 games, this season's Champions League is finally getting interesting, as we now have a much better idea of which sides are on course to qualify directly for the last 16, who is likely to end up in the play-off round, and whether any top team is running the risk of falling at the first hurdle.

There was good enough reason for everyone at Chelsea to feel positive about their prospects this season as November rolled into December. Enzo Maresca had just led his young side to a seismic 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, while they held Premier League leaders Arsenal to a credible 1-1 draw days later despite playing much of the match with one fewer player after Moises Caicedo's red card.

Newcastle squandered a wonderful opportunity to all-but seal their place in the Champions League knockout rounds after a late equaliser from Bayer Leverkusen meant the points were shared in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the BayArena. Anthony Gordon levelled the match from the penalty spot for Eddie Howe's side and substitute Lewis Miley headed them in front, but a late strike from Alejandro Grimaldo landed a point for the hosts.

Real Madrid turned in a solid performance but made some key defensive mistakes to suffer a 2-1 home loss to Manchester City in a Champions League result that will put further pressure on Xabi Alonso. Los Blancos took the lead through Rodrygo, but threw it away and were unable to mount a second-half comeback to suffer defeat for the the second game in a row.

Erling Haaland scored for the first time at the Bernabeu as Manchester City earned a priceless and fully deserved 2-1 win at Real Madrid in the Champions League. Pep Guardiola's side went behind to a brilliant strike from Rodrygo, but reacted perfectly, levelling through a Nico O'Reilly tap-in before Haaland earned a penalty and showed nerves of steel to calmly slot it home.

It's fair to say that not even Arsenal fans were convinced by the club's decision to pay Chelsea £50 million for Noni Madueke during the summer transfer window - but it's starting to look like a masterstroke, with the winger having produced another stellar performance on the game's grandest stage in Wednesday's Champions League win over Club Brugge.

Phallon Tullis-Joyce's surprising error proved costly for Manchester United on Wednesday as their hopes of qualifying automatically for the Champions League quarter-finals were dealt a real blow in a 3-0 loss to Lyon. The United States goalkeeper failed to make what looked set to be a comfortable save from Tabitha Chawinga's header with just 12 minutes on the clock and the Red Devils couldn't get back on level terms, with Lyon dominating the game and wrapping things up late on when Melchie Dumornay's stunning brace sealed all three points.

Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 6-0 win over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday. An own goal set the Blues on their way to victory before Johanna Rytting Kaneryd teed up Wieke Kaptein and added a goal of her own to put the hosts in control at the break. Substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano extended Chelsea's lead in the second half before Lucy Bronze wrapped up the win in some style late on.

GOAL sat down with the American defender to discuss the gut punches, the photos that mean everything to him, and what it means to enjoy life even when it isn’t perfect.

Messi has lifted the trophy, but the real work starts now. Miami have decisions to make, Philadelphia's prodigy Cavan Sullivan is waiting for his chance, and every contender is hunting the right signing before February.

As a Real Madrid stalwart who was fiercely loyal to Jose Mourinho, Xabi Alonso did not seem like an obvious signing for Pep Guardiola, and yet the pair got on famously during their two years together at Bayern Munich. Alonso’s experience helped Guardiola win two Bundesliga titles while the veteran player sought to tap into the Catalan’s knowledge as he prepared for his own career on the touchline.

Millie Bright had one of the best seasons of her career in 2024-25. Sporting the captain's armband, the Chelsea star guided the club to an incredible domestic treble in which they didn't lose a single game in the Women's Super League, FA Cup or League Cup, lifting all three trophies and breaking plenty of records along the way. In the last few weeks, though, as the Blues have endured a surprising run of just one win in five games, the former Lionesses defender has found herself on the outside looking in.

From Colombia to the USMNT, GOAL ranks the teams most likely to make a dark horse run at the 2026 World Cup - and possibly even go all the way

It just had to be Dominik Szoboszlai! With Mohamed Salah sitting at home after his remarkable Elland Road outburst, Liverpool's true talisman right now slotted home an 88th-minute penalty to earn a 1-0 victory over Inter on Tuesday that greatly eases the pressure on manager Arne Slot.

Chelsea's automatic Champions League last-16 qualification hopes were dealt a blow after a 2-1 defeat at Atalanta on Tuesday. Joao Pedro gave the Blues a first-half lead, but a weak second-half display, which was summed up by Wesley Fofana's costly cameo, proved their undoing as goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Charles De Ketelaere extended the Chelsea's run without a win to four games in all competitions.

Jules Kounde was the unlikely hero for Barcelona on Tuesday in the Champions League. Eintracht Frankfurt silenced the Camp Nou by taking a shock lead in the first half through Ansgar Knauff. but were pegged back after the break. Marcus Rashford was the catalyst for the hosts, coming off the bench and teeing up Kounde to level matters minutes after the break, and the French full-back then sealed the 2-1 win with his second of the game from a Lamine Yamal cross.

Tottenham kept their Champions League campaign on track with a resounding 3-0 win over Czech side Slavia Prague. Spurs deservedly took the lead through a David Zima own goal in the 26th minute in a frenetic first half that saw the visitors deploy a risky man-to-man setup in defence. The hosts made their dominance tell in the second half, as Xavi Simons and Mohamed Kudus both scored from the penalty spot.

Beth Mead's early strike secured a vital Champions League victory for Arsenal on Tuesday, as the reigning European champions saw off Twente in a narrow but comfortable 1-0 win. It's a scoreline that doesn't reflect the dominance the Gunners enjoyed as they crept up the league-phase standings, moving to within one point of automatic qualification for the knockout rounds with one game left to play, while securing at least a play-off berth.

Miami got the trophy. But Thomas Muller's Vancouver might have gotten something even more valuable: proof that they’re good enough to win it next year.

The Argentine deserved his second straight MVP award, but might face more competition for the honor next year - and Miami, too, could feel the heat

In 1969, at the age of 23, George Best wanted to focus solely on the essentials. Just football, just his job. So he turned his back on his two other great passions, alcohol and women. His sobering conclusion: "It was the worst 20 minutes of my life." A Manchester United legend, that quote sums up Bet's rebellious attitude towards football, and life in general.

Things haven't been easy for Manchester United as of late. The Red Devils went into Sunday's clash with West Ham having lost three of their last four games in all competitions, a run that has seen them fall well behind the pace in the Women's Super League title race and weakened their incredibly strong position in the Champions League, ahead of two very tough final games in the league phase, starting with the hosting of eight-time winners Lyon on Wednesday. The return of Phallon Tullis-Joyce, then, could not have been better timed.

Fifteen years ago, Manchester City were so enamoured with the all-conquering Barcelona that they sought to replicate the same structure. They began by hiring chief executive Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, before eventually landing Pep Guardiola to manage the team. All that was missing was Lionel Messi - though they nearly signed the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner at the very start of the Abu Dhabi-led project by mistake!

Neymar's second spell at Santos has, for the most part, been a disappointment. The injury problems that have plagued the Brazilian's career followed him back home, and as a result, he has been unable to build up any proper rhythm. He only featured in 20 of Santos' 38 Serie A games in the 2025 season, scoring eight goals, and is still waiting for a recall to the Brazil national team squad after a two-year absence.

It's not every day that this version of Arsenal lose. In fact, Saturday's late 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa was just their second defeat of the 2025-26 season, following on from August's 1-0 loss at Liverpool, a result which hasn't aged well at all in glorious hindsight. There's still, however, a feeling that the Gunners are under increasing pressure to deliver this season more than any before under Mikel Arteta.