Lists

On the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard praised Inter Miami’s front office for aggressively building a winning roster. From smart, low-cost moves in South America to the unmatched appeal of playing alongside Lionel Messi, the former USMNT stars explained why Miami has become one of the league’s most attractive destinations.

Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre has unveiled his squad for January friendlies against Panama and Bolivia, with Richard Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez among the standout names. With no European-based players available outside the FIFA window, the call-up leans entirely on Liga MX talent as El Tri begin a key pre-World Cup evaluation phase.

Norwich City will be without Josh Sargent for their Championship clash against Wrexham after head coach Philippe Clement confirmed the striker was dropped for disciplinary reasons. The U.S. international’s situation has raised questions about his short-term future, even as the club insists he remains key in their relegation fight.

Gotham FC defender Lilly Reale has been named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year following a remarkable rookie season that quickly elevated her to the senior national team. Reale enjoyed an immediate impact in her first professional campaign, establishing herself as a reliable presence at left back while contributing on both sides of the ball.

Rose Lavelle has been voted the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, earning the honor for the first time in her decorated international career. The award caps a standout year in which the longtime U.S. Women’s National Team midfielder played a central role for both club and country. Lavelle overcame a delayed start to the season following ankle surgery.

Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace after agreeing a deal in principle worth £20m. If completed, Guehi would become the 25th defender recruited by City since Guardiola took charge in July 2016. Data shows the deal would push the club’s total spending on defenders during that period to £1.379bn, comfortably the highest among the traditional top-six sides. Over the same timeframe, Arsenal have signed 19 defenders, Chelsea 20, Tottenham 17, Manchester United 15 and Liverpool 10.

Manchester United's interim head coach Michael Carrick has slammed the door on a January exit for Harry Maguire, with reports stating that the Red Devils have rejected 'several approaches' for the England defender this month. AC Milan and multiple Premier League clubs are said to have shown an interest but United will reject all approaches for the 32-year-old this month, with his current contract expiring at the end of the season.

GOAL looks at the biggest storylines among Americans Abroad, including Pulisic looking to get back on track against Lecce.

Once tipped as one of the best goalkeepers in the country, the former Maritzburg United star has decided to quit the football scene. At 30, especially for a goalkeeper, that is seen as a relatively young age, but he has decided to call it quits. His retirement has come at a time when the debate on who should replace the current Bafana Bafana goalkeepers has been partly dominating headlines.

Didi Hamann has urged Manchester United to pursue Thomas Tuchel as their next manager, with the Old Trafford club set to decide on a long-term successor to Michael Carrick at the end of the season. England boss Tuchel will be busy leading the Three Lions into the World Cup over the summer, but Hamann believes United should make him their prime candidate despite links with PSG's Champions League-winning head coach Luis Enrique.

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe is reportedly insisting that he does not want to return to action until fully fit following a knee injury, meaning the France international could be absent for Los Blancos’ match at home to Levante in La Liga this Sunday. The 27-year-old returned early to make his first appearance of 2026 as a substitute as Real lost in the final of the Supercopa de Espana 3-2 to Barcelona, but does not want to 'take any risks' on his fitness moving forward.

The German playmaker has done his part for St. Louis, but hopes that a new head coach and solid preseason will help the MLS strugglers turn their fortunes around.

Masandawana have developed the habit of strengthening their squad by entering the South American market looking for the best talent. This mission to South America has seen them get, sometimes, good players, but at times, the signed stars flopped. The best talent from South America that has served Sundowns impeccably includes Lucas Ribeiro, but some have struggled and left without making indelible marks.

After months out of the dugout, the 50-year-old has landed a new job in Scandinavia. After a good stint with the Soweto giants, the Spaniard struggled with Al Ahly and was dismissed after a short period of time. Now, with a new club, the MTN8 winner must prove to the world that he is still a top coach by guiding the success-hungry team to more titles and that the Al Ahly period was just a temporary period of struggle in his career.

Chelsea are set for a huge benefit from Marc Guehi's transfer to Manchester City. The Crystal Palace captain is on the verge of linking up with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad for the second half of the season and beyond, as the Cityzens look to close the gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners are six points clear of their nearest challengers, who are suffering a defensive injury crisis.

There has been a massive debate regarding the decision by the national team technical team to exclude Mshishi and Nyoso from the squad, which featured in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where South Africa crashed out in the Round of 16, falling 2-1 against the five-time champions Cameroon.

Transfer activity has picked up in the Premier Soccer League as well as overseas, with several moves already capturing the attention of South African football followers. Players have been switching clubs both locally and abroad and more transfers are expected to be finalised in the coming days as clubs continue to reshape their squads.

With the Africa Cup of Nations finals coming to an end on Sunday, Premier Soccer League fever pitch is set to hit high once the campaign resumes. As expected, eyes will be on the leading sides: Mamelodi Sundowns and Orlando Pirates. Masandawana will be keen to keep their dominance in the competition going, while Bucs are eager to break it.

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro can automatically trigger a one-year extension onto his contract at Old Trafford if he starts a certain number of games this season, it has been revealed. The 33-year-old would see his Red Devils contract extended until 2027 at his current salary, if he reaches the target. This could be a challenge due to United's lack of European football and poor form in the cup competitions, with just the Premier League left to play in.

The 25-year-old left-back is one of the quality players at the Glamour Boys who were brought on board by former coach Nasreddine Nabi to help in rebuilding the Soweto giants, who have not been delivering consistently, in recent years, as they should both domestically and on the continental scene.

Benjamin Cremaschi has been recognized as U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year. The award comes as a result of a standout 2025 that saw Cremaschi become just the second U.S. player to claim a Golden Boot as the leading scorer at a major youth tournament. The midfielder, who came from the Inter Miami academy, is currently on loan at Parma.

Michael Carrick said he is ready for the unrelenting scrutiny he is about to face as Manchester United coach, including from his former Red Devils' team-mates. Ruben Amorim was eventually weighed down by the volley of criticism from United legends such as Gary Neville but Carrick insisted he would pay little attention to comments from the high profile pundits in the media.

Former Manchester United midfielder Kleberson has told GOAL why current Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique would be the perfect candidate to fix an Old Trafford “rollercoaster”. The Red Devils are in the market for a new boss after sacking Ruben Amorim, and the Premier League giants are being urged to go all in for a Champions League-winning coach.

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

After weeks of intense speculation, Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen is on the verge of a January exit. The German goalkeeper has reportedly agreed to a loan move to Catalan neighbours Girona until the end of the season. In a desperate bid to secure regular football ahead of the World Cup, the 33-year-old has accepted a significant pay cut, sacrificing the bulk of his salary to facilitate a deal that ends his spell on the Camp Nou bench.

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to restart contract talks with Vinicius Junior following the departure of Xabi Alonso. Los Blancos have made another change in their dugout after generating plenty of unfortunate headlines across the 2025-26 campaign. Many of those have focused on Brazilian superstar Vini, with the South American shelving discussions regarding an extended stay at the Bernabeu.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has revealed he will leave the club at the end of the season, while captain Marc Guehi is on the verge of completing a £20 million move to Manchester City. Glasner and Guehi's respective contracts at Selhurst Park are up in the summer of 2026 and neither will put pen to paper on fresh terms.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has etched his name into Leeds United folklore by winning the Premier League Player of the Month award for December. The in-form striker becomes the first Whites player to claim the accolade since Rio Ferdinand in October 2001, ending a staggering 24-year wait for the Elland Road club. His remarkable six-game scoring streak saw him fend off competition to secure the prize.

The Soweto giants have been loaning a number of reserve team players to local clubs as well as teams outside South Africa to get valuable first-team experience. This has drawn attention from supporters, with some questioning the overall quality of talent coming through the ranks at Naturena.