Analysis

One month into the MLS season, the early storylines are starting to take shape - from Inter Miami finding form again to growing concerns over James Rodriguez.

GOAL takes a look at which players could feature in March, and which will need to cross their fingers for one more chance at a World Cup spot

Arsenal came out of the 2025 summer transfer window as one of its perceived winners. They didn't go toe-to-toe with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool in terms of bringing in star talent, but they stacked their squad full of enough quality so they wouldn't be hit as hard if they suffered another injury crisis this season. Their 2024-25 campaign was derailed in large part due to a drop in talent beyond their strongest XI.

When Real Madrid were paired with Manchester City in the Champions League last-16, the groans could be heard all the way from Plaza Mayor to Piccadilly Gardens: 'Again?!' The complaints were entirely predictable and, at some level, understandable. By the end of the second leg next Tuesday, the two teams will have faced each other 11 times in the past five seasons, and on 17 occasions since 2012.

It's been a little over two years since Victor Osimhen revealed that he'd made up his mind on which club to join after Napoli. Just three days later, Partenopei president Aurelio De Laurentiis revealed that the striker would "go to Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain or some Premier League team". Osimhen instead ended up in Istanbul playing for Galatasaray, the biggest team in Turkey but not exactly the destination the Nigeria international had in mind when he announced his intention to leave Naples.

GOAL Exclusive: The American midfielder discusses adversity, gratitude, and why this year’s challenges have prepared him to fight for a World Cup spot.

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.

Tottenham are hurtling towards disaster. They could be relegated from the Premier League, and at this point of this season from hell, their best hope of staying up may simply be that football can change very quickly. There are still several key players to return from injury for the run-in, but that may prove too little, too late, particularly with the vibes in an almost irreversible tailspin.

Xavier Vilajoana made headlines during his failed bid to become Barcelona's new president by claiming to have already made "some contact" with Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane over a move to Camp Nou. In reality, though, the most interesting topic the industrial engineer raised while on the campaign trail centered around another Englishman in Marcus Rashford.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including important three points for Pulisic's AC Milan.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including a huge derby and a series of cup matches.

The Gazzetta dello Sport claimed earlier this week that Arsenal have expressed an interest in signing Inter prospect Francesco Pio Esposito. However, the Nerazzurri's CEO, Beppe Marotta, moved quickly to quell the transfer talk by insisting that there had not been any contact between the two clubs. "Arsenal did not ask for Pio," the Italian told Sport Mediaset before Inter's Coppa Italia semi-final first leg against Como on Tuesday. "But also Inter are not a selling club. We don't make player trading our main activity.

For a club the size of Tottenham, their academy hasn't produced too many successful graduates since the turn of the century. Of course, Harry Kane is the standout name and would be the shining example of any youth system, but beyond him, the pickings are slim. The full list of active alumni from the Spurs academy who went on to play for the first team is as follows: Kane, Harry Winks, Oliver Skipp, Kyle Walker-Peters, Andros Townsend, Troy Parrott, Nabil Bentaleb, Massimo Luongo, Maksim Paskotsi, Milos Veljkovic, Anthony Georgiou and Cameron Carter-Vickers.

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney bought Wrexham in 2020, the Welsh club were a long way from the Premier League. Back then, the Red Dragons were still in the National League, the top tier of non-league. But since returning to the EFL in 2023, Wrexham's rise has been literally unprecedented, becoming the first team in English football to achieve three successive promotions. Now, they're after a fourth.

Inter Miami spent big on German Berterame, yet his tactical fit in South Florida is puzzling as the MLS club try to push for four trophies

GOAL continues its Meet the USMNT series by examining the defender's path to becoming such a key player for club and country

The Women's Asian Cup began on March 1, kickstarting a month that was set to see two of the major tournaments in the women's game take place, with the Africa Cup of Nations to follow on March 17. Incredibly, the latter was postponed just 12 days before it was due to start, but the impact the Asian Cup will have on the continuing club competitions will still be fascinating, as teams across the women's game say goodbye to some of their best players for a few weeks.

Arsenal fans tuning into England's 6-1 win over Ukraine on Tuesday will have found a lot to like about the game. Leah Williamson was excellent in possession as she continues to build her way back to full fitness, Lotte Wubben-Moy looked great alongside her in the heart of defence and Alessia Russo was razor-sharp in front of goal, netting twice. But the performance of Georgia Stanway, on the brink of joining that trio in north London, was the cherry on the cake.

GOAL’s writers analyze Inter Miami's start, Josh Sargent's arrival, and those ongoing Antoine Griezmann rumors.

GOAL looks inside the numbers, tactics and trends for key U.S. internationals in Europe this season.

Pep Guardiola has claimed that he is not a "big, big fan" of the January transfer window, but Manchester City's recent winter business suggests otherwise. City have signed six players in the last two January windows, spending a total of £264 million ($353m) in the process. But whereas last year's purchases smacked of desperation, the recent acquisitions of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo are looking like masterstrokes.

From an aggressive roster reset to stadium upgrades, GOAL gets an inside look at how the Houston Dynamo are aiming to rebound from a tough 2025 and chase their World Cup moment.

Mic’d Up: Charlie Davies says the USMNT had to bet big on Mauricio Pochettino - and insists Christian Pulisic will be ready when it matters most.

GOAL takes a look at the wild storylines that could take centerstage this summer, headlined by predictions involving the sport's biggest stars

Viktor Gyokeres' first season at Arsenal has been mixed, to put it kindly. Indeed, he only scored seven goals in his first 22 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners, which represented a poor return on the club's £63.5 million ($85m) investment in his services. Some felt the Swede was an awkward fit for Mikel Arteta's side, while others went as far as to label Gyokeres one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

Last month, when Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was asked if there was concern that her contract situation could prove to be a distraction for England ahead of the 2027 Women's World Cup, she was pretty bullish in her answer. "There is no distraction whatsoever," she responded. "Everyone is really focused on this qualification. I haven't heard anyone in my team or staff that has been occupied with that."

Twenty minutes - that's all Jeremie Frimpong needed to show Liverpool what they'd been missing in Saturday's Premier League clash with West Ham. The Reds were already 4-2 up when the Dutchman replaced Joe Gomez at right-back, but the game wasn't over. On the contrary, Valentin Castellanos had just pulled a goal back for the relegation-threatened visitors, who were causing Liverpool's defence all sorts of problems.

The midfielder defied all odds to merely survive, and now he's looking to make the most of the opportunities coming his way.

When Roy Keane claimed in January that Michael Carrick should not get the Manchester United job permanently, even if he wins every game until the end of the season, it was easy to think that the hypothetical scenario he painted would never be tested. But the man who inherited the famous No.16 shirt from the polemical Irishman at Old Trafford is holding Keane to his word.