Soccer (FIFA)

Soccer (FIFA)

"The Club World Cup helped me personally get to know the guys better. It would have been different with a normal summer pre-season. We were together in one place for a longer period of time - that helped me get to know everyone better. I feel very, very comfortable and have settled in really well," Tah said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

Great effort from all my teammates yesterday, they were all incredible, he said. I wanted to be available to help them even though I wasn't feeling well, especially as we had only 11 players available unbelievable but true and disgraceful.

The contracts were not only negotiated, but already signed. Now, from our point of view, it is incomprehensible to postpone a failed medical check and thus activate a clause in the contract because Moussa is healthy and fit for play. We see no reason in the findings to consider the medical check as failed. We will vehemently contradict this representation, also to protect Moussa.

Minnesota United is in discussions with star Colombia forward James Rodríguez over a deal to sign the high-profile free agent, a source confirmed to ESPN. Rodríguez teased a move to an unspecified destination on Tuesday, posting a photo of himself sitting on a plane with the words, "Here we go." Minnesota's pursuit of Rodríguez was first reported by The Athletic. Rodríguez, 34, has been out of contract since December when his deal with Liga MX side León expired.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The Earthquakes loaned Chicho Arango, last winter's prize trade acquisition and this offseason's re-signee, to Colombia's Atletico Nacional before Monday's transfer deadline. Arango, a forward who scored 13 goals for the Quakes last season, is a native of Medellin, where Nacional is based. The loan includes a purchase option on Arango's new contract, which runs through December 2027, with club options for two seasons after.

Given the level of chaotic mediocrity Real Madrid showed on Sunday, squeaking past nine-man Rayo Vallecano 2-1 in LaLiga, there was a nice comic touch from coach Álvaro Arbeloa in reminding his critical postmatch audience: "Look, I'm not Gandalf the Wizard!" Maybe Arbeloa reached for the "Lord of the Rings" reference because he knows that in the next couple of weeks, he's about to put his squad under the control of a man many have felt to be as merciless as any dark J.R.R. Tolkien character.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket lottery results came last week. If you got tickets, congratulations! You're set for Silicon Valley World Cup football. If your name was not included with the fortunate winners, SoccerNews.com is here to guide you through the entire process of acquiring tickets through alternative routes. This GUIDE has all the info in one place, detailing how and where to get World Cup tickets for every USA host city.

Saint-Maximin said last week his family was targeted and that protecting his children was his priority. The problem is not the colour of skin, it's the colour of thoughts. I am being attacked, that's not a problem. I have grown up, I have learned to fight against attacks. But there is one thing I will never tolerate, and that is attacks on my children, Saint-Maximin wrote on his social media last week.

Image source, Getty Images West Ham have sold defender Anouk Denton for a club record fee of 200,000 to American side Bay FC. The 22-year-old has been a key player for the Hammers since signing permanently from Arsenal in 2023, making 67 appearances. Denton became the first West Ham player to represent the Lionesses since 1996 when she made her England debut against Ghana in December.

Starting with the hosts, blown away at the hands of leading title contenders Arsenal last weekend as they eventually slumped to a 4-0 drumming at Elland Road, Leeds will be desperately searching for an immediate response here. Opening Friday's showdown in Yorkshire holding a six-point buffer over the drop zone, Daniel Farke's men will be more than aware that they face a season-defining battle.

Following words with decisive action is often a lot harder, however, in such a short and pressurised period of time, as witnessed by the fact that four clubs either sacked or lost their managers, which does not exactly speak of good planning. Finding realistic needle-moving signings is especially hard when clubs do not want to sell at this stage of a campaign, while you are eternally at the mercy of those with bigger teeth and sharper claws further up the food chain.