FEATURES

From stadium anthems to sweltering afternoons in packed arenas, the summer of 1994 marked the moment football - or soccer - truly crashed the American party. It was the World Cup that changed everything: where global passion met U.S. showtime, and two sporting cultures began to merge.

While still coming to terms with Liverpool's inability to defend a 2-1 lead with less than three minutes of stoppage time to go at Fulham on Sunday, Virgil van Dijk insisted that there was no reason for the Reds to approach their midweek clash with Arsenal with any sort of trepidation. "First of all, we will recover from this and, from Tuesday on, we will definitely look at the strength that they have," the Dutchman said of the Premier League leaders.

Last summer, everyone was convinced that Rodrygo simply had to leave Real Madrid. There was no way of spinning it; the brilliant Brazilian had been frozen out both by Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso, and there was no future for him at the Bernabeu.

The change in coach did nothing to change the fortunes of Manchester United as the Red Devils were held to a 2-2 draw at battling Burnley on Wednesday in their first game since sacking Ruben Amorim. Benjamin Sesko scored twice in quick succession to give United the lead in the second half after falling behind to an Ayden Heaven own goal on a cold night at Turf Moor. But in the end they had to make do with a third draw in a row against teams fighting against relegation as Jaidon Anthony struck back for the Clarets.

Erling Haaland could not seize several opportunities to move Manchester City to within three points of Premier League leaders Arsenal ahead as, despite scoring from the penalty spot to put his side ahead at the Etihad, Brighton fought back to claim a 1-1 draw on Wednesday, extending City's frustrating run of draws to three games in the top-flight.

Ten-man Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Fulham in a fiery west London derby at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. A first-half red card for Marc Cucurella meant the Blues faced an uphill battle and ultimately succumbed to defeat in front of new head coach Liam Rosenior, who watched the game from the stands.

Barcelona dominated against Athletic Club on Wednesday as the La Liga leaders eased to a 5-0 win over the Basque side to book their spot in the Supercopa de Espana final. Barca boss Hansi Flick opted to start teenage star Lamine Yamal on the bench in Jeddah, but it didn't hinder the Blaugrana, who were ruthless in their semi-final showdown.

Bryant Lazaro’s playing dream ended at 19. His education in soccer didn’t. Mentored by Bielsa, the American-born coach is now rising at Portugal’s Estoril.

GOAL begins its Meet the USMNT series by examining the rise, pressure, and expectations surrounding Christian Pulisic as the U.S. prepare for a home World Cup.

GOAL takes a look at the U.S. team and where everything stands heading into a monumental 2026 World Cup.

GOAL's writers analyze three big decisions in football, as Enzo Maresca, Ruben Amorim, and Wilfried Nancy all parted ways with major clubs in the last week.

In the end, Ruben Amorim could not handle being told what to do by other people. Despite being the first man in Manchester United's history to be appointed under the title of 'head coach' rather than 'manager', he decided that he wanted the latter role. What he ultimately meant is that he wanted control, and he certainly did not want others meddling in his business.

With the 2026 World Cup just months away, GOAL looks at the state of Canada's goalkeeper position.

Robin Roefs' story reads like a fairy tale. The 22-year-old goalkeeper is only in his second season as a first-choice shot-stopper, and yet he is already considered one of the better No.1s in the Premier League. A place in the Netherlands' starting line-up at the World Cup is now not out of the question for the latest of GOAL's Hidden Gems.

This is Legacy, GOAL’s feature and podcast series following the road to the 2026 World Cup. Every week, we dive into the stories and legacies that shaped football’s greatest nations. This time we turn to Brazil, who are facing an identity crisis as they look to avoid the longest gap between global titles in the country's history. From the magic of 2002 to the heartbreaks that followed, it’s the story of a footballing superpower still searching for itself - and for its next star to lift the weight of a nation.

Ruben Amorim may have delivered dismal results on the pitch for Manchester United, but he remained a fascinating coach to watch due to his tendency for drama whenever he was near a microphone. The Portuguese charmed journalists in his unveiling in November 2024 and from then on his press conferences became appointment viewing as you never knew what he might say.

In an interview with The Business podcast released on October 9, Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe vowed that Ruben Amorim would get "three years to demonstrate he is a great coach", while stressing the need for patience in the club's "long-term plan". Yet here we are, barely three months later, and Amorim has been unceremoniously kicked out of Old Trafford, with United having communicated their belief that "it is the right time to make a change" in order to "give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish".

There's a nostalgic feel to Chelsea's sudden firing of a manager and the mad scramble to bring in a successor midway through a season. The difference on this occasion is they are not a team stacked with world-class players in pursuit of the Premier League title, rather a middling assembly of young starlets with little hope of immediate success.

GOAL predicts how the the top USWNT players will do abroad in 2026, from Girma, Thompson and Macario at Chelsea to Heaps and Yohannes at Lyon, Tullis-Joyce at United and Fox at Arsenal.

Ruben Amorim has become the sixth Manchester United manager to be sacked in less than 13 years, with the Portuguese's hugely disappointing tenure coming to an end on Monday in acrimonious circumstances. Amorim lasted less than 14 months in charge at Old Trafford, making his stint the second-shortest of all the coaches to step into the Old Trafford dugout on a permanent basis.

The defender continues to blossom in one of the world's toughest leagues, and his breakout is coming just months before what could be a life-changing tournament

Manchester United have finally put Ruben Amorim out of his misery. On Monday morning, the 20-time champions of England announced that the Portuguese had "departed his role as head coach" and that the decision had been "reluctantly" made to "give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish". Of course, the table doesn't make for particularly poor reading for United.

The jig is up for Ruben Amorim. After 14 unforgettable months as head coach, he has been sacked by Manchester United. He broke many records for the wrong reasons, lost a European final to Tottenham and was dumped out of the Carabao Cup by fourth-tier side Grimsby Town. Yet it is only now that those upstairs at Old Trafford have decided to pull the trigger.

It was a mic drop moment that came out of the blue and yet seemed to have been brewing for a long time. Ruben Amorim was getting through a potentially difficult press conference after drawing at Leeds with little fuss, giving the assembled journalists little to feed on. But then came the bombshell moment which has led to him ultimately being sacked just 14 months after taking over at Old Trafford.

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.

The Bundesliga may still be on a winter break, but there was plenty of other action across Europe as 2026 got off to a cracking start for some of the continent's elite teams. In England, Arsenal took another big step towards a first Premier League title since 2004 by moving six points clear thanks to a 3-2 win at Bournemouth, while reigning champions Barcelona continue to lead the way in Spain after beating city rivals Espanyol thanks to late goals from Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski.

It has not been a happy New Year for Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side ended 2025 on Arsenal's coat tails at the top of the Premier League, but 2026 got off to a frustrating start as they drew at Sunderland to slip four points behind the Gunners. And after a brilliant performance against Chelsea ended with another frustrating draw on Sunday, City are now six points off the pace and two centre-backs down.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including McKennie continuing his dominant form.

Manchester City produced an exceptional performance against Chelsea put paid a heavy price for not putting the game out of sight as they had to make do with a 1-1 draw which sees Arsenal move further into the distance in the Premier League title race.