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Ahead of what is poised to be a significant World Cup year season, GOAL offers the definitive ranking of every MLS club in league history

GOAL breaks down what teams could look like if MLS followed the NBA's lead with its All-Star game.

Robinho Jr only turned 18 in December, but he has already broken into the senior team at Santos, where he is now rubbing shoulders with Brazil's all-time record goal-scorer, Neymar. The teenager is already attracting transfer interest from a host of top European clubs, partly because of his ability, but also due to the footballing legacy of his father.

Only four teams in Women's Super League history have ever endured a longer wait for a first win of the season than Liverpool did this term. Winless through 12 matches, only Yeovil Town, Doncaster Rovers Belles, Everton and Reading had ever experienced more barren streaks in the competition than the Reds, whose status as the former two-time WSL champions made their case stand apart as the most shocking and surprising of the five.

By his own admission, Cole Palmer still isn't fully fit as he grapples with a niggling groin issue that has plagued him all season long. The scary thing is, we're starting to see the Chelsea talisman at something close to his best despite his ongoing injury troubles, and the timing of his recent uptick in form could be perfect as he eyes a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the 2026 World Cup.

The official confirmation of Roberto De Zerbi's Marseille departure arrived at 2:35 on Tuesday morning. In that sense - and that sense alone - the timing of the news was odd. But there was nothing else remotely surprising about De Zerbi's exit. It had been coming for some time, and Sunday's humiliating 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes was obviously the final nail in De Zerbi's coffin.

Arsenal missed out on the chance to restore their six-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after being held to a 1-1 draw at Brentford on Thursday. Mikel Arteta's side, who were way off their best throughout a frustrating evening in west London, looked to have found a way to win when Noni Madueke headed home superbly just after the hour mark. But Keane Lewis-Potter produced his own exceptional header 19 minutes from time to earn the hosts a point they thoroughly deserved and put a dent in the Gunners' title hopes

Barcelona were thumped 4-0 by Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Thursday, as Diego Simeone's side ran riot against a truly dismal Blaugrana side. Hansi Flick's high line was exposed routinely and ruthlessly throughout a night that the Metropolitano faithful could barely believe.

Manchester United took one huge step towards a first-ever Women's Champions League quarter-final on Thursday, with goals from Elisabeth Terland, Melvine Malard and Julia Zigiotti Olme delivering a 3-0 win over Atletico Madrid in Spain. In their first foray in the competition proper, the Red Devils are all-but-in the last eight now, and set to meet Bayern Munich in the next round.

EXCLUSIVE: Tillman speaks with GOAL about his growth, new pressure at Leverkusen, and his USMNT World Cup ambitions.

After a quiet MLS season and a winter of roster churn in Philadelphia, the pathway may finally be opening for teenage prodigy Cavan Sullivan.

So there we have it! The Sean Dyche era at Nottingham Forest is officially over - after just 114 days and a measly 18 Premier League games, with a 0-0 draw at home to rock-bottom Wolves proving the final straw. Dyche leaves the City Ground with the team sitting 17th in the table, just three points above the drop zone with 12 matches of the 2025-26 campaign remaining.

Managers often say that the one positive thing about modern football's relentless schedule is you never have too long to stew on a disappointing result. The opposite, however, is now true for Michael Carrick, who has all the time in the world to dissect Manchester United's 1-1 draw at West Ham before his side are in action again.

The Metropolitano pitch has become a major talking point ahead of Atletico Madrid's Copa del Rey semi-final first leg against Barcelona. "Honestly, it's not in good condition," Koke admitted after Sunday's home defeat to Real Betis. "We slip, the turf comes up. Clearly, we have to play better, so it's not an excuse, but we're expected to perform at a high level and we need a pitch of that same quality to be able to do so."

Arsenal are heavy favourites to go on and win this season's Premier League. They've put themselves in a commanding position with around a third of the campaign remaining and ought to see out the job from here on in. It's been a real team effort with everyone in Mikel Arteta's squad pulling their weight, but there will always be clamour to crown one player above all others. Why can't that be Martin Zubimendi?

Liverpool closed the gap on those above them in the Premier League's top-five race as Virgil van Dijk's header secured a 1-0 win over Sunderland on Wednesday. Arne Slot's side became the first visiting team to win at the Stadium of Light this season while taking advantage of both Chelsea and Manchester United dropping points 24 hours earlier.

Erling Haaland scored his first open-play goal in nearly two months as Manchester City fired another warning to Arsenal in the Premier League title race with a 3-0 win over Fulham. Pep Guardiola's side made sure they built on the momentum of their stunning late comeback win at Liverpool on Sunday and were utterly ruthless, striking three times before half-time.

Arsenal have one foot in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals after beating OH Leuven 4-0 in Belgium on Wednesday. Two from Frida Maanum and goals for both Olivia Smith and Alessia Russo got the job done, moving the reigning European champions one big step closer towards a meeting with London rivals Chelsea in the last eight.

GOAL takes a look at which MLS teams did the best, and worst, with their kits this season

Many of the MLS kits for 2026 are bold, but how effective the designs are has divided opinion among the GOAL writers

Thomas Frank is gone! The morning after a terrible night before, Tottenham Hotspur announced that the Dane had been relieved of his duties as head coach - to nobody's great surprise. Tuesday evening's 2-1 loss at home to fellow underperformers Newcastle extended Tottenham's winless run in the Premier League to eight games - a rotten run of results that has seen them plummet to 16th in the standings.

Tottenham Hotspur sit 16th in the Premier League table. They are only five points clear of the relegation zone. Zero wins from nine domestic games in 2026. Their next match is against north-London neighbours Arsenal, the Premier League champions-elect whom Spurs have beaten just once in their last 10 meetings. And yet, until Wednesday morning, there seemed to be very little alarm around the club that this is a season that could very well end in disaster.

On Sunday at Anfield, Liverpool lost to Manchester City for the second time this season. Arne Slot insisted after the 2-1 defeat that "the improvement" in his side since their demoralising 3-0 drubbing at the Etihad in November was "visible for everyone to see" and there were certainly some positive signs in the second half - but they still suffered a now almost-customary collapse in the closing stages.

There is no shortage of ways to describe Bernardo Silva. A daring dribbler; a sleek passer; a relentless presser; the engine of Manchester City’s field, as well as its brain. But Erling Haaland managed to sum up the City captain's attitude in brilliantly simple terms after master-minding their stunning comeback win against Liverpool: 'Let’s have it!'

Manchester United simply had to act in the January transfer window. The Red Devils had enjoyed a wonderful start to the 2025-26 season, most notably qualifying for the Women's Champions League proper for the first time and then going one further by putting themselves in this month's knockout rounds. But if they wanted to be competitive against Europe's best, and at the sharp end of domestic competitions, they needed more in the squad - and that's the approach United took.

Michael Carrick's perfect start as Manchester United boss skidded to a halt with a 1-1 draw at West Ham but a 96th minute equaliser from Benjamin Sesko ensured his unbeaten run continued. United met their match against Carrick's boyhood club as Nuno Espirito Santo produced a tactical plan which stifled the visitors and Tomas Soucek gave the Hammers the lead in the second half.

Chelsea failed to win a Premier League match under Liam Rosenior for the first time as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Leeds United on Tuesday. The Blues were comfortably the better team for much of the contest and even led by two goals in the second half, but a series of defensive errors saw them throw away a victory which would have massively boosted their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

The young defender is staying grounded as he approaches what is certainly the biggest moment of his young career

MLS returns with a packed schedule and familiar chaos. From stars like Messi, Rodriguez, and Son Heung-Min to the teams you can avoid, here’s who’s actually worth your weekend watch.