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Michael Carrick used to look up to Roy Keane. When he was a youth teamer at West Ham, Carrick would analyse the way the Manchester United captain walked out of the dressing room at Upton Park. The first time he faced Keane on the pitch, Carrick watched him ‘clatter’ his team-mate Joe Cole. And yet he was never intimidated by him. And maybe that is why Keane is waging a war of words with United's interim boss.

GOAL breaks down the key takeaways from Pochettino as the U.S. ramp up their World Cup build-up.

With the World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at how the U.S. squad might look in the summer.

Emma Hayes’ January camp offered clarity. With the SheBelieves Cup approaching, GOAL breaks down whose stock rose - and who slipped - as the USWNT’s core comes into focus.

Rothenberg, who oversaw the planning of the 1994 World Cup, knew nothing about soccer growing up. Yet now, he is a true legend of the American game.

So there we have it! After a mammoth 144 games that included plenty of goals and drama, the curtain has been drawn on the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. Arsenal finished top of the table with a perfect record, while Manchester City secured automatic qualification to the round of 16 by the skin of their teeth. But three historic European giants have been eliminated already, in the form of Napoli, Marseille and Ajax.

The Champions League league phase drew to a predictably chaotic conclusion on Wednesday, with all of the matchday eight fixtures kicking-off at the same time. The net result was numerous positional changes over the course of 90-plus minutes of madness, though the highlight was undoubtedly Anatoliy Trubin scoring a last-second header to keep Benfica in the competition.

Barcelona booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 4-1 over Copenhagen on Wednesday. While Hansi Flick's side would eventually run out comfortable winners thanks to second-half goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford, they suffered through a frustrating opening 45 minutes after they went behind to a fourth0minute goal from teenager Viktor Dadason.

GOAL takes a look at how American soccer's stars fared on a chaotic final day of the group stage

An improbable Anatoliy Trubin header in second-half stoppage time capped off a remarkable 4-2 win for Benfica over a listless Real Madrid on Wednesday. Los Blancos had no answers for the Portuguese side and were thoroughly beaten on the road, meaning Alvaro Arbeloa's side will now face a play-off to secure a place in the Champions League last-16.

Joe Willock's powerful header on the stroke of half-time cancelled out Vitinha's opener as nothing could separate Newcastle and Paris-Saint Germain in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday. The result suited neither side as the Premier League outfit and their French counterparts dropped out of the top eight and into the play-off round in the Champions League.

Erling Haaland remembered what it was like to score a non-penalty as Manchester City overcame Galatasaray 2-0 to make it into the last 16 of the Champions League, albeit only by a hair's breath. Haaland missed a clear chance but soon made amends by netting with an ice-cool dink in the first half, scoring for the first time in 10 matches from open play.

Kai Havertz marked his first start in almost a year with a goal and an assist as Arsenal made it eight wins from eight in the Champions League with a 3-2 success over Kairat Almaty to seal their spot as league phase winners. Havertz, whose last start came 357 days ago, showed the Gunners exactly what they had been missing when he set up Viktor Gyokeres for an early opener before adding a second himself with a fine run and finish after Jorginho had equalised for the visitors from the penalty spot.

Joao Pedro scored two stunning goals as Chelsea beat Napoli 3-2 to seal their progress into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday. The striker netted one brilliant long-range strike, as well as a cool finish while one-on-one, to add to Enzo Fernandez's early penalty as the Blues won a topsy-turvy encounter against former boss Antonio Conte.

Liverpool may be struggling in the Premier League but they're a very different side in the Champions League, as they underlined on Wednesday by storming straight into the last 16 of the competition by hammering Qarabag 6-0 at Anfield. With the Reds' defensive injury crisis having worsened in Saturday's shocking defeat at Bournemouth, the last thing head coach Arne Slot needed was Jeremie Frimpong hobbling off with what looked like his third hamstring injury of the season after just two minutes of play on Merseyside.

Tottenham put their Premier League struggles to one side again as they beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 on Wednesday, booking their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League. Spurs are in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle domestically but have secured an automatic place in the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition.

Arsenal thumped African Champions League holders AS FAR Rabat 6-0 in the semi-final of the inaugural Women's Champions Cup on Wednesday after a dominant performance that was capped by two goals from England striker Alessia Russo. The Gunners will now head into Sunday's final, at the Emirates Stadium, against Brazilian side Corinthians.

Paul Pogba could line up against his former club Juventus on Wednesday night for the first time since parting ways with the Italian giants under the cloud of a doping ban in 2024. If he's fit, that is, with his highly-anticipated comeback at Monaco - after more than two years out of competitive action - being hampered by niggling injuries. As his former employers come to town, Pogba finds himself at another crossroads.

Juventus supporters inevitably revelled in getting one over on former boss Antonio Conte on Sunday night, as the Bianconeri swept Napoli aside in Turin. "Antonio Conte, jump with us!" the home fans began chanting in the dying minutes of their team's 3-0 win over the reigning Serie A champions. Unsurprisingly, Conte was in no mood to join in, as his injury-ravaged side suffered a devastating defeat that saw the Partenopei fall to fourth in the table.

Trinity Rodman danced, Emma Hayes smiled, and a young USWNT rolled to a 5-0 win over Chile, fueled by debut goals and growing momentum.

The U.S. Women's National team defeated Chile 5-0 in Santa Barbara, Calif. just two days after the USWNT faced Paraguay.

With Moise Bombito and Derek Cornelius anchoring the backline, Jesse Marsch has a duo of top talents - as long as they can find fitness ahead of the tournament.

GOAL writers debate the state of the USWNT after an impressive 6-0 rout of Paraguay - with plenty more challenges to come for Emma Hayes and Co.

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

Pep Guardiola has a long history of memorable press conference outbursts but the Manchester City coach remains very hard to predict. After a defeat or disappointing draw, the Catalan often deflates the situation by keeping his cool in front of the media. And yet he has a habit of unleashing fury after a routine win - which is precisely what happened after City's victory over Wolves on Saturday.

This is Legacy, GOAL’s podcast following the road to the 2026 World Cup. Every week, we dive into the stories and legacies that shaped football’s greatest nations. Today we look at how one of the game’s most iconic players lost the love of his people, became the most hated man in the land and then won back their hearts in a way only he could. This is the story of David Beckham's rise and fall after England’s dramatic elimination from the 1998 FIFA World Cup...

Asked what was going through his head when he picked the ball up before snatching victory for Manchester United at Arsenal, Matheus Cunha didn't beat around the bush: "I think 'I need to score'." Cunha had received the ball with his back to goal, more than 30 yards out and against the best defence and goalkeeper in the Premier League. But he had only one thing on his mind.

GOAL breaks down five key storylines to watch as Emma Hayes’ squad closes January camp, with debuts, leadership roles, and roster spots still up for grabs.

Premier League interest is flattering, but history, health, and World Cup stakes suggest Pepi is better off staying at PSV - at least for now.