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Young women in a Rio favela hope to overcome slum violence to play in the Women's World Cup in 2027
Mauricio Savarese And Diarlei Rodrigues, Associated Press | Posted May 18 - 1:38 a.m. | Save Story
Young Brazilian female footballers are hopeful that their country playing host to the 2027 Women's World Cup will boost the sport in the South American nation. On Friday, FIFA members voted to make Brazil the first Latin American country to host the tournament. A 20-minute drive separates the Maracana Stadium from the Complexo do Alemao, one of Rio de Janeiro's most impoverished and violent favelas, or slums. One of its residents, 15-year-old Kaylane Alves dos Santos, hopes her powerful shots and impressive dribbles will allow her to cover that short distance in three years to play for Brazil's national team in the final of the 2027 tournament.
Ana Dias, Olivia Moultrie give Thorns sixth straight NWSL win
Susie Rantz, Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 11:03 p.m. | Save Story
Ana Dias and Olivia Moultrie scored in the second half as the Portland Thorns defeated the Houston Dash 2-0 on Friday night in the National Women's Soccer League. The Thorns have now won six straight games. Scarlett Camberos and Racheal Kundananji powered Bay FC's 2-1 comeback win against the San Diego Wave. The North Carolina Courage dominated in every offensive category but had to rely on a late Kaleigh Kurtz goal to defeat the Utah Royals 1-0. The Courage have now won five straight home games to start the season.
Elite scoring company: Ronaldo, Messi and soon to retire Indian legend Sunil Chhetri
John Duerden, Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 5:59 p.m. | Save Story
of those still playing, only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with 128 and 106 respectively, have scored more international goals than Chhetri. But the 39-year-old Indian star, who has 94 goals, said this week that after 150 games for India, June's World Cup qualifier against Kuwait in Kolkata will be his last before retiring. Chhetri said in a video posted on social media: "It was not that I was feeling tired . . . when the instinct came that this should be my last game, I thought about it a lot and eventually I came to this decision."
San Jose defender Bruno Wilson's fine and suspension rescinded
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 4:30 p.m. | Save Story
An independent panel has rescinded the one-game suspension and fine handed to San Jose Earthquakes defender Bruno Wilson for a red card issued during a match at the Portland Timbers. San Jose had appealed the red card. The Earthquakes were leading 2-0 when Wilson was sent off with a red card in the 72nd minute after a handball in the box. Portland's Evander converted on the penalty and the Timbers scored three more goals to win 4-2 with San Jose playing down a man.
NBC will have crews at Arsenal and Manchester City for the Premier League's Championship Sunday
Joe Reedy, Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 3:40 p.m. | Save Story
move up from second to first on Championship Sunday. Manchester City has a two-point lead going into the final match day. Arsenal needs a win over Everton and needs City to lose or draw against West Ham to win its first Premier League title in 20 years. If City wins, it becomes the first team to win four consecutive titles since the Premier League became England's top division in 1992.
Southampton to face Leeds in Championship final after beating West Brom
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 3:28 p.m. | Save Story
Southampton has set up a Championship playoff decider against Leeds United after beating West Brom 3-0. The teams will meet at Wembley on May 26 to see who joins Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the English Premier League next season. Watched by Prime Minister and Saints fan Rishi Sunak, the home side was on top for most of the match but had to wait until the second half to score. Will Smallbone broke the deadlock and Adam Armstrong got a late double to confirm the Saints' superiority. Cédric Kipré scored a late consolation for West Brom.
Fiorentina share spoils with Napoli in draw
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 3:16 p.m. | Save Story
Fiorentina and Napoli have drawn 2-2 in a Serie A game marked by two spectacular free kicks. Cristiano Braghi for Fiorentina in the first half and then Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for Napoli in the second period both curled impressive free kicks into the top corner of the net to light up the match. The result leaves last year's Italian champion Napoli languishing in ninth place, with Fiorentina one place above them. Napoli has one game to play and Fiorentina has two.
Juventus fires coach Massimiliano Allegri for his outburst toward the refs in the Italian Cup final
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 11:09 a.m. | Save Story
Juventus has fired coach Massimiliano Allegri for his ugly outburst toward the referees in the Italian Cup final. Allegri lost his cool in stoppage time when he grew angry at a decision, ripped off his jacket and earned a red card for sarcastically applauding the referee. Juventus beat Atalanta 1-0 for the title on Wednesday. Juventus says in a statement that Allegri's behavior "was not in line with Juventus' values." Allegri was suspended for two Cup matches and fined $5,000 euros by the Serie A league judge for his behavior. The league judge's report says Allegri "acted aggressively" and used insulting language and gestures toward the referees.
Porto fined $1.6M by UEFA and threatened with one-season European ban over unpaid debts
Graham Dunbar, Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 11:05 a.m. | Save Story
Two-time European champion Porto has been fined 1.5 million euros by UEFA and threatened with a one-year ban from European competitions because of unpaid debts this season. UEFA says its club finance monitoring panel put Porto on probation for two years. The ban will be imposed "if the club does not fulfill the solvency requirements" in the next two seasons. The threat has been inherited by new club president André Villas-Boas. Porto's one-time coach who went on to work at Chelsea and Tottenham won the club presidency last month.
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot says he will be the Liverpool manager next season
Steve Douglas, Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 10:31 a.m. | Save Story
Feyenoord coach Arne Slot says he will be Liverpool's next manager. Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool had already reportedly agreed to pay Feyenoord about 11 million euros in compensation for the 45-year-old Slot. Slot says in quotes carried on Feyenoord's official website, "I can confirm that I will be the coach at Liverpool next season." Feyenoord says an official announcement from the two clubs will follow "in the short term." Slot's last game in charge of Feyenoord is on Sunday at home to Excelsior.
Is Man City likable? Guardiola laughs it off with 4th straight Premier League title in sight
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 10:29 a.m. | Save Story
in view of the Abu Dhabi-owned club maintaining its dominance while fighting more than 100 charges for financial misconduct. He says, "I don't know what the people think" but "every team would like to be in our position." If City fails to win, Arsenal can become champion by beating Everton at home.
Isco fractures fibula and is out of contention for Spain's European Championship squad
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 9:07 a.m. | Save Story
Real Betis says midfielder Isco Alarcón has fractured his left fibula. It means he is out of contention for a place in Spain's European Championship squad. Isco has 38 caps but hasn't played for his country since 2019. The 32-year-old former Real Madrid playmaker has revitalized his career this season with Betis and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised Isco recently. De la Fuente is set to announce his squad on May 27. Isco was injured during a 2-2 draw with Las Palmas in the Spanish league on Thursday.
Klopp takes a walk down memory lane as he prepares for emotional final match as Liverpool manager
Steve Douglas, Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 8:52 a.m. | Save Story
Jurgen Klopp is preparing for his final game as Liverpool manager after nine years in charge. He says it has been "the most intense week of my life" as he bids goodbye to players, club staff and fans. Klopp has forged such a connection with the port city that he has been compared to Bill Shankly, the club's most legendary manager. He led the team to seven major trophies including a sixth Champions League title and a first English league championship in 30 years. Klopp says, "I would not be happy if I'd have thought I could have done more. I couldn't. I couldn't have done more."
Marseille coach Gasset, 70, says he will retire at the end of the season
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 8:34 a.m. | Save Story
Marseille coach Jean-Louis Gasset says he will retire at the end of the season. The 70-year-old Frenchman replaced Gennaro Gattuso in February in the middle of a mediocre season for Marseille. He guided the team into the semifinals of the Europa Conference League but was unable to improve the club's poor record on the road this season. Eighth-place Marseille plays its final league game on Sunday at Le Havre. Although little known abroad, Gasset has huge experience in France after spells with various clubs including Montpellier, Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux.
Messi napkin that sealed Barcelona move sells for $965,000 at auction
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 7:19 a.m. | Save Story
British auction house Bonhams says the famous napkin that linked a young Lionel Messi to Barcelona has sold for $965,000. An agreement in principle to sign the-then 13-year-old Messi was written on the napkin almost 25 years ago at a Barcelona tennis club. A more formal and detailed contract with the club followed soon after. The online auction was on behalf of Horacio Gaggioli, an agent from Messi's home country of Argentina who was part of the deal. The contract language was intended to reassure the teenager's father Jorge Messi that the deal would go through.
Former Turkey coach Fatih Terim leaves Greek club Panathinaikos after three-game losing streak
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 6:47 a.m. | Save Story
Former Turkey coach Fatih Terim has left Greek club Panathinaikos with one game still to go this season. Former assistant manager Christos Kontis has been put in charge in a caretaker role. The 70-year-old Terim said he was ending his five-month stint with the club after a meeting with the owners. Under Terim, Panathinaikos remained in contention for the title before slipping to fourth place after three successive defeats. It lost 4-1 to PAOK in Thessaloniki Wednesday.
Germany defender Benjamin Henrichs signs contract extension at Leipzig through 2028
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 6:08 a.m. | Save Story
Defender Benjamin Henrichs has signed a contract extension through 2028 with Leipzig. It comes one day after he was named in Germany's preliminary squad for the European Championship next month. Henrichs' contract at Leipzig was due to run out in 2025 and he has now agreed a three-year extension. He said he'd considered leaving for a new challenge but was persuaded to stay. Leipzig is already assured of finishing the Bundesliga season in fourth spot ahead of its last game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.
Coach Thomas Tuchel says he's still leaving after talks on extending Bayern Munich stay fell through
The Associated Press | Updated May 17 - 5:30 a.m. | Save Story
Thomas Tuchel says he is still leaving Bayern Munich after talks on extending his stay at the club fell through. Bayern said in February that Tuchel would leave at the end of the season but the coach says he held talks with the club on a "180-degree turn" that would have seen him stay after all. Bayern is without a trophy this season for the first time since 2012 after losing the Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen. Tuchel's team was praised for reaching the Champions League semifinals before a narrow loss to Real Madrid.
Robin van Persie hired as coach of Dutch club Heerenveen
The Associated Press | Posted May 17 - 4:43 a.m. | Save Story
Former Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has landed his first head coaching job. He has been hired by Dutch top-flight club Heerenveen. The 40-year-old Van Persie is the Netherlands men's team all-time top scorer. He will take over this summer on a two-year contract. Van Persie ended his playing career in 2019 with Feyenoord. He took on several coaching roles at Feyenoord, the most recent of which was leading a youth team. Heerenveen plans to hold a press conference with Van Persie on Tuesday.
