Top games to watch this week
Friday, July 15
Puebla vs León (Liga MX)
Austria vs Norway (UEFA Women's Euro)
N.Ireland vs England (UEFA Women's Euro)
Argentina vs Uruguay (Copa América Femenina)
Peru vs Venezuela (Copa América Femenina)
Benfica vs Nice (Friendly)
América vs Bayer Leverkusen (Women's Friendly)
Saturday, July 16
Denmark vs Spain (UEFA Women's Euro)
Finland vs Germany (UEFA Women's Euro)
Chile vs Bolivia (Copa América Femenina)
Ecuador vs Colombia (Copa América Femenina)
Atlas vs Cruz Azul (Liga MX)
Santos vs Guadalajara (Liga MX)
Köln vs Milan (Friendly)
Inter vs Monaco (Friendly)
Arsenal vs Everton (Friendly)
América vs Chelsea (Friendly)
Philadelphia Union vs New England (MLS)
Sunday, July 17
Switzerland vs Netherlands (UEFA Women's Euro)
Sweden vs Portugal (UEFA Women's Euro)
Tigres UANL vs Tijuana (Liga MX)
Vélez Sarsfield vs River Plate (Argentine Primera Division)
Nashville FC vs Los Angeles FC (MLS)
Real Salt Lake vs Sporting KC (MLS)
Monday, July 18
Italy vs Belgium (UEFA Women's Euro)
Iceland vs France (UEFA Women's Euro)
Pachuca vs Mazatlán (Liga MX)
Borussia Dortmund vs Valencia (Friendly)
Venezuela vs Brazil (Copa América Femenina)
Peru vs Uruguay (Copa América Femenina)
Costa Rica vs Jamaica (CONCACAF W Championship - Third place match)
USWNT vs Canada (CONCACAF W Championship Final)
Tuesday, July 19
Midtjylland vs AEK Larnaca (UEFA Champions League)
Argentinos Juniors vs Boca Juniors (Superliga Argentina)
Manchester United vs Crystal Palace (Friendly)
Salzburg vs Ajax (Friendly)
Inter Miami vs Barcelona (Friendly)
Wednesday, July 20
UEFA Women's Euro - Quarter Finals 1
Colombia vs Chile (Copa América Femenina)
Ecuador vs Paraguay (Copa América Femenina)
Maccabi Haifa vs Olympiakos (UEFA Champions League)
Dynamo Kyiv vs Fenerbahce (UEFA Champions League)
Internacional vs Sao Paulo (Brasileirao)}
Charlotte FC vs Chelsea (Friendly)
DC United vs Bayern (Friendly)
Orlando City vs Arsenal (Friendly)
Manchester City vs América (Friendly)
Thursday, July 21
UEFA Women's Euro - Quarter Finals 2
Querétaro vs Monterrey
Brazil vs Peru (Copa América Femenina)
Venezuela vs Argentina (Copa América Femenina)
Most-watched football games in the U.S. - July 4-10, 2022
The first week of July has come and gone, and the battle for the most-watched game in the United States continued with another "round" between Major League Soccer games and Liga MX matches. The weekend concluded with a win for the MLS, as one of the most interesting matches was seen by almost half a million Americans if you add up the English and Spanish broadcasts.
The game in question was none other than El Tráfico, an exciting clash between the LA Galaxy and Los Angeles FC, which saw the latter claiming a 3-2 victory at Banc of California Stadium. The second most-watched game of the week belonged to the Mexican top-flight, in a game where Monterrey also claimed a come-from-behind win against América.
The standout of the week came thanks to the UEFA Women's Euro, with the game between the Netherlands and Sweden earning the final spot in the podium. The fact that a women's football matchup earned such an honor is testament of the growth these games have experienced in the past year, and maybe it could lead to having an entire article of the most-watched games in women's football in the near future.
Let's have a closer look at those games that caught the most attention in the past seven days.
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What are this week's must-watch games?
Denmark vs Spain live this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+, TUDN, and fuboTV
UEFA Women's Euro action continues this weekend, with one of the most exciting games of the group stage set to take place this Saturday. This fixture will see Denmark take on Spain in Group B as both nations are fighting for their lives in order to make the knockout stage. The Scandinavian heavyweights, who finished as runners-up in 2017, are in third but sit behind second-placed Spain only due to an inferior goal difference. This means one thing: whoever triumphs in this Brentford Community Stadium showdown will join Germany in the quarterfinals. Don't miss this showdown.
Philadelphia Union vs New England live this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, PhiladelphiaUnion.com, WPHL-TV PHL17, WSBK myTV38, myRITV, SiriusXM FC, and 98.5 The Sports Hub
An interesting MLS showdown is upon us as Philadelphia Union prepare to lock horns with New England this weekend. The hosts, who currently sit top of the Eastern Conference, enter this showdown on the back of two crucial victories, beating Inter Miami 2-1 and thrashing DC United by a whopping seven goals without response. As for the visitors, they are winless in their last three outings and currently sit in ninth, meaning as things stands, Bruce Arena's men will miss out on the playoffs if they fail to turn things around. Make sure to catch this encounter live.
Velez Sarsfield vs River Plate live this Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on Paramount+, Fanatiz, fuboTV, TyC Sports Internacional USA, and AFA Play
Rounding off our list is an interesting Argentine Primera Division showdown as Velez Sarsfield and River Plate prepare to face off this Sunday. Despite their status in the game, neither of these two clubs have enjoyed their start to the second phase of the campaign. The hosts sit 25th in the table, having picked up only one win out of seven so far while failing to win all but one of their last five fixtures. Los Millonarios, on the other hand, are only three points better off in 16th spot and enter this fixtures with only one win from their last five games across all competitions.
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Women's football fans around the globe are set to enjoy an interesting weekend, mainly because of all the things that will be in play for some of the national teams that are involved in regional competitions as we speak.
The top competition to keep an eye on is the UEFA Women's Euro. The continental tournament has caught the eyes of the globe with some of the finest performances this year, and with teams such as hosts England making their mark in the competition.
Next up, the Copa América Femenina will continue with the rising talents in South American football trying to lead their national teams to glory against squads such as Brazil, one of the most consistent in the globe and the perennial winners of the competition organized by CONMEBOL.
USWNT fans will also be in for a treat, as the Gals try to earn one more spot in the Summer Olympics, this time for the 2024 edition. The decisive moments of the CONCACAF W Championship begin on Thursday, and fans will surely want to keep track of what happens to Vlatko Andonovski's team.
Without further ado, let's have a look at what the beautiful game will offer in terms of women's football matches.
2022 Women's Euro
We are closing in on the final group stage games, with hosts England and teams such as the Netherlands, Germany, and France having a major role in the competition. The rest of the weekend will feature the final games in the preliminary round, leading the way to the quarterfinals that will begin on Wednesday.
Before that, the must-watch games of the weekend will be those for Group C, with the Netherlands fighting Sweden for the top spot of their group. The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup runners-up will face Portugal, while the Swedish side battle Switzerland with nothing but a win in mind.
2022 CONCACAF W Championship
The CONCACAF Qualifiers enters its final stage, with the USWNT and Canada making it to the semi-finals as the immediate favorites to claim a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics, having booked their spot in the 2023 FIFA World Cup. With the semifinals taking place on July 14, the final matches are set to be held on Monday to wrap things up in the Mexican city of Monterrey.
2022 Copa América Femenina
We are getting closer to the end of the group stage, with Colombia and Brazil dominating the lot as expected. The games featuring Venezuela and Argentina in Group B will be crucial to their aspirations, especially for La Vinotinto, who claimed one of the biggest wins in history against Uruguay in their debut last week.
2022 NWSL season
The North American competition carries on with the San Diego Wave still holding on to the No. 1 spot of the tournament despite their 2-1 loss to Angel City FC last week. Luckily for the league leaders, the Chicago Red Stars had to come from behind with two late goals to claim a point against the North Carolina Courage, who are still in last place of the competition. Things are getting pretty interesting in the tournament as there are only three points between the third place and the sixth-ranked team.
This week, the Wave will want to go back to winning ways when they welcome Racing Louisville on Friday evening. Elsewhere, the Red Stars will make a trip to visit the Houston Dash, who are sixth with 15 points. To top it all the Portland Thorns will put an end to Saturday's activity with an interesting match against NY/NJ Gotham FC, the only team in the competition that has not drawn a single game this season.
For more details on games, standings, and news, visit our dedicated women's soccer page at LiveSoccerTV.com.
Biggest stories of the week
BIG MONEY: UCL television rights anticipated to top $2 billion in the USA
Save for the World Cup, the UEFA Champions League is arguably the biggest competition in world football. And unlike the World Cup, which takes place every four years, fans are treated to watching the world's top players in action every single year.
As such, with such a massive following due to the presence of world-famous players and thus, top sponsors, it is no surprise that acquiring the television rights is a costly proposition.
Although it is a European competition, the UEFA Champions League is hugely popular abroad, and that even includes in the United States, a country where historically football (or soccer) has previously struggled to gain attention due to the presence of America's "Big Four" sporting entities - namely the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and the NHL.
Studies have shown that the growth of interest in football in the United States is driven by younger consumers, especially given that that cohort has grown up in an era in which streaming content has become mainstream. With that in mind, quite a few United States broadcasters, such as ESPN, Paramount, and NBC have added football to their rosters in order to attract new subscribers, and now, with companies such as Apple and Amazon getting in on the action, football fans have even more options to choose from when it comes to streaming their favorite matches.
As per an article from Bloomberg, UEFA have been watching these developments closely and are considering striking while the proverbial iron is still hot when it comes to selling their TV rights in America. The article notes several drivers behind UEFA's decision. One is the fact that the United States will be hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup; while it will be a co-host alongside Canada and Mexico, the overwhelming majority of matches will be played in the United States which certainly will help increase the visibility of the sport among American fans.
Another factor is the massive fees several American corporations have paid to secure broadcast rights for both European and domestic football leagues. This includes the $2.5 billion-plus deal paid by NBC to renew their rights for the Premier League for the next six years that was struck back in November, plus Apple agreeing to pay about $250 million per annum for broadcast rights for Major League Soccer.
Meanwhile, UEFA have decided to extend the period in which an organization can hold broadcast rights for six years, which will start in 2024, along with increasing the number of teams participating from 32 to 36. Matches will also be taking place in January - which arguably could be a nod to the power of streaming services.
With all this in mind, UEFA is banking on offers starting upwards of $2 billion for a six-year deal when it starts seeking to attract bids from American companies looking to get broadcast rights for the tournament. As per the Bloomberg article, this could potentially be more than double what the organization is receiving under its current arrangements.
All in all, these certainly are some interesting and exciting times ahead for the growth of football in the United States.
TRANSFER TALK: Roma and Napoli allegedly doing battle to sign Juventus star
If reports are to be believed, another installment of Italy's Derby del Sole starring Roma and Napoli is underway, and the 2022/23 Serie A season has not started yet.
The two clubs are allegedly engaged in a tug-of-war of sorts over the signature of Paulo Dybala, who is available on a free transfer after the player and Juventus could not come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Initially, it appeared that the Bianconeri were set to offer the Argentinian international a deal worth approximately $10 million (€10 million) per season, only for that deal to be abruptly yanked and thus his contract was allowed to run down for him to leave Turin on a Bosman this summer.
Inter were one club linked with his signature, but that now will not be happening after the Nerazzurri decided to sign Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea, while Inter's cross town rivals AC Milan are apparently looking at other options to boost their squad ahead of the upcoming season.
That leaves Roma and Napoli. According to numerous reports from Italy, the Lupi are really keen on bringing Dybala to the Eternal City, and are prepared to offer him a salary of $6 million (€6 million) per season.
Up until recently, they seemed to be the only club willing to offer this, but now, Napoli apparently have thrown their hat into the ring.
The Partenopei will be seeing star man Kalidou Koulibaly depart for Chelsea, which will free up some wages in their personnel department, so they could turn their attention towards trying to lure Dybala to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for next season.
Will Dybala end up playing for the Giallorossi or the Partenopei next season and thus take on his former Juventus colleagues at some point?
Only time will tell, but it will truly be interesting to see if either of these two sides win their reported battle to sign him before the transfer season concludes.
Saudi club linked with $299M move for Cristiano as Chelsea make transfer decision on Man Utd star
With Cristiano Ronaldo dominating the transfer rumors after asking to leave Manchester United, two eye-catching reports regarding the Portuguese icon have made it to the headlines recently.
The first is in relation to Chelsea, the only Premier League club who has substantially been linked with a move for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner. Given that the 37-year-old's desire to leave Old Trafford stems from the Red Devils' lack of UEFA Champions League football and inability to challenge for major silverware this upcoming season, a move to Stamford Bridge would seem like a viable option.
The Blues are in need of a reliable goalscorer after the disappointment from the likes of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku while Ronaldo can – more likely – achieve his aspirations with the Blues in 2022/23. However, are Tuchel's men keen on landing the Real Madrid icon?
While Todd Boehly in an admirer of Cristiano, this decision was always going to boil down to the German head coach as his say would be the final say. According to the Athletic, Tuchel has made the all-decisive decision and that is not to pursue the superstar attacker.
What does this mean for Cristiano's future? While the 37-year-old is keen on challenging for major silverwares, according to CNN Portugal, the all-time top scorer in men's international football has a mega-money offer from none other than Saudi Arabia.
The report claims that an unnamed club from the Middle East wish to bring him to the oil-rich nation and are willing to pay a whopping $299M to land Ronaldo. This lucrative two-year offer includes an astonishing $124M-per-year salary and a noteworthy $30M transfer fee that would be deposited to Manchester United's bank account, which is more than what they paid to Juventus to sign the player last summer.
Additionally, Ronaldo's representative Jorge Mendes will also get paid a handsome $24M if he facilitates this move to Saudi Arabia. While it's an offer most would find hard to turn down, given that Ronaldo's goal is to challenge for major silverware in his final few years at the top of the game, a move to the Middle East seems highly unlikely.
Darwin Nunez trolled on Liverpool debut after horrible miss in 4-0 loss to Man United
While a pre-season friendly isn't always the best way to make a final assessment regarding a player, several football fans have decided to do just that after watching Darwin Nunez's debut game for Liverpool.
The Uruguayan sensation donned the Reds jersey for the first time after coming on as a second-half substitute during their friendly clash with Manchester United in Bangkok. The former Benfica ace was introduced in and around the hour mark and was visibly adamant on making his mark.
Unfortunately for the 23-year-old, he failed to get on the scoresheet and even went viral after missing a clear-cut opportunity to score. This came in the final five minutes of the game, with the Merseyside giants chasing a consolatory goal or two after going 4-0 down against their bitter rivals.
In this opportunity, the ball fortunately fell to Nunez after Mohamed Salah's lovely curled shot ricocheted of the post. While it was not an open goal, Tom Heaton, who came on as a sub for David de Gea after Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper picked up a knock, was on the floor and unable to recover after leaping to stop Salah's attempt. Additionally, Bailly could not get across in time to block Darwin's shot.
Despite all of this, the $108.6M signing failed to find the back of the net, instead blasting his shot way over the crossbar. This sparked several trolls and memes on social media, with football fans on Twitter – as usual – flocking to the social media platform to poke fun at the Uruguayan over his horrible miss. Some even went as far as labeling him as the "Uruguayan Timo Werner"! It will be interesting to see how Nunez responds to that unflattering debut.
Dani Alves aims dig at Barcelona following exit from Blaugrana side
Dani Alves' exit from Barcelona was not as unexpected as some may think, but according to Dani Alves, the team could have been classier when they told him his services were no longer required by them.
Speaking in an interview with The Guardian, Alves revealed that Barcelona could have done a better job in letting him know he would not be part of the team for the upcoming season, mainly because his contributions to the team were key in an era where Los Culés won everything they could.
"I was not sad to leave them, I left them happy after returning to the club. I dreamed for five years to go back there. The only thing I did not like was the way things went when they told me they did not want me to return," Alves said.
The Brazilian ace went deeper into what went down during his final days with Los Culés, although he refused to blame Xavi Hernández or president Joan Laporta for his unceremonious exit from the Blaugrana side.
"This club has sinned in recent years because they don't care about those who made history with them. As a fan, I'd love to see Barcelona doing things differently. I am not speaking out just because of what happened to me because my situation was different. Even so, I will be forever grateful with Xavi and with the president for letting me return," Alves added.
Alves, who is on the verge of a Liga MX move, is set to determine where he will play for the next year since his mind is set on being chosen by Tite to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. With that in mind, the full-back has been linked with Spanish clubs such as Valladolid and Brazilian clubs such as Atlético Paranaense, but it seems that Pumas UNAM currently have the upper hand in the race to sign the defender.
"I like a challenge and I can adapt to any situation. I am currently studying each scenario regarding the places where I could go that have a good competitivity level. You have to work alongside people who share the same goals you have and who want to fight for titles and win I like to win. I want to play somewhere I can keep winning. I am not ruling out anything right now, but if I returned to Brazil, I would surely return only to Atlético Paranaense," Alves said.
The 39-year-old defender is reportedly in advanced talks to join the Liga MX team, which have already sent Alves a proposal to hire him for the next 12 months.
Pogba shares unflattering views about spell at Man United during first presser with Juventus
It is fair to say that Paul Pogba's multi-million move back to Manchester United was quite disappointing, especially since the footballer failed to have a major impact in the team's performances during his time at Old Trafford. Now, after sealing a free move back to Juventus, the French midfielder did not hold back when discussing his time with the Red Devils.
Speaking in his first press conference after his return to the bianconeri, Pogba blamed a number of factors that were key to his poor form at Old Trafford, hinting that the team's uncertainty when it came to sticking to a manager was key for his subpar performances with the English side.
"Well you know, when you play in a team and the coach changes every year it is quite difficult to adapt. It's difficult to cope with that and I had some injuries, these probably influenced my mentality and the fact I couldn't play and have the same rhythm as before when I played 90 minutes every game," Pogba said.
Then, the footballer admitted that playing under a coach that knows him like the palm of his hand will benefit his game, adding that now that he is back with the Italian side, fans will be able to see a new version of the player that led the bianconeri to the UEFA Champions League final in 2015.
"There were different factors; coach, teams, the position on the pitch, all these contributed to block me a little bit in my performance. But now I've left it's another Paul, another Pogba. I truly hope I won't get injured again, I feel good, I'll play in my position and hopefully do better than in the last few years,"Pogba added.
Before the press conference concluded, Pogba tried to soften his stance by stating he does not believe going back to Old Trafford was a mistake, even if he failed to have a similar impact as the one he had while playing for Juventus.
"I'm very happy with the years I spent in Manchester. I grew a lot, I became a man there, I learned a lot. It was not a mistake, I was very happy there," Pogba stated.
The French midfielder won eight titles in his first spell with the bianconeri, and now, after two straight years without winning the Scudetto, Pogba will be key to Massimiliano Allegri's plans to recover the Serie A crown.
Report: Barcelona finally reach agreement on Raphinha's fee with Leeds
Barcelona have reached a total agreement to sign Raphinha from Leeds United, a report from Spain has confirmed. The Catalans are said to have had an offer of €58 million plus €7 million in variables being accepted by the Premier League side, hijacking the player's purported move to Chelsea in the process.
It has been known for over six months that Barcelona and Raphinha had a verbal agreement for the Brazilian to join the club this summer. However, the move was heavily reliant on Leeds' status in the Premier League as they were battling relegation at the time. In hindsight, the transfer was complicated by the Peacocks surviving relegation, a development which prevented Raphinha from leaving for cheap.
The recent weeks have presented twists and turns in the transfer saga with both Arsenal and Chelsea having become frontrunners in the pursuit of the player's signature. Eventually, there was general acceptance that the 25-year-old attacker could be on his way to Stamford Bridge after the Blues had a $70M bid accepted for him while Arsenal fell short of Leeds valuation. Nevertheless, the negotiations stalled with the player suggesting to his camp that he favored a move to Barca above any other destination.
After weeks of prolonged discussions, there has finally been a breakthrough. The Spanish giants have since confirmed the deal, with the Brazilian posing for pictures at the Camp Nou after sealing his dream move.
UEFA Women's Euros: All the records set as England hit Norway for eight
England advanced to the last eight of Euro 2022 with a game to spare after defeating Norway on Monday night. The Lionesses delivered an exhilarating performance to run away with an emphatic 8-0 victory in their second Group A game of this year's tournament.
It was a completely dominant performance from start to finish inside the AMEX Stadium as the host nation sought to build on their nervy opening day win over Austria. Georgia Stanway fired the Lionesses ahead with a spot-kick in the 12th minute, and Lauren Hemp extended the lead three minutes later, following a VAR review. It became a one-way street from that point onwards, with Sarina Wiegman's ladies scoring four goals in 12 minutes to set a new tournament record ahead of the half-time break. The goals included a pair of goals from Ellen White and Beth Mead, respectively.
The second half could not produce the same excitement as the first but still saw England grabbing two more goals to take the score line to 8-0. Alessia Russo came off the bench to find the back of the net in the 66th minute before Beth Mead got her hat-trick in the 80th minute.
The statement performance inspired the Lionesses' to the quarterfinal of the competition as they prepare to take on Northern Ireland in their final game of the group stage. Regardless of the outcome of Friday's encounter in Southampton, they are still expected to emerge as winners of Group A.
Here are a few records set following Monday night's onslaught of Norway:
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In one half, England have equaled the most goals ever scored by a team in a full game in UEFA Women's Euros history (Germany 6-2 v England in 2009 and England 6-0 v Scotland in 2017).
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England are the first team in Women's European Championship history to score six goals before half-time. The record score line of five only lasted 24 hours and was registered by France in their 5-1 win over Italy.
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For the first time in history, the England Women's National Team are unbeaten in their last 16 games across all competitions.
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Sarina Wiegman is the first coach beat Norway on two occasions by seven or more goals in just two years.
Other key headlines from the world of football
PSG ready to offer Lionel Messi one-year contract extension
The Argentine ace signed a two-year deal with Les Parisiens last summer, and after one year together, the club believes that Messi's potential will explode during his second season. Hence, the wise thing to do would be to see him extending his deal for one more year.
The player's first year with Les Parisiens was not as impressive as fans could have expected, with the footballer scoring eleven goals in 34 games across all competitions. Nevertheless, the end of the season was enough to give fans a glimpse of Messi's abilities, and with the team's success in keeping Mbappé around, the main goal will be to maintain "La Pulga" on their roster beyond the end of the season.
The report by Marca suggests that Messi's inner circle has shown their delight for this offer, but they are yet to respond to the approach. Apparently, Messi's entourage and the player himself want to see how things go for the player in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and if everything goes according to plan, the Argentine footballer could commit his future to the French side for one more year.
PSG rule out chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have rejected the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo, multiple sources have confirmed. This came after the Manchester United forward reportedly 'offered himself' to the French club as he attempts to find a way out of Old Trafford.
Ronaldo requested to leave Manchester United earlier this month, citing the club's failure to qualify for the Champions League and hesitation in the transfer market as primary factors for his wish to depart. Since the news of his possible departure broke, a number of teams, notably Chelsea and Bayern Munich, have been linked with a move for the Portuguese superstar.
The player' agent, Jorge Mendes, has been pushing hard to secure a transfer away from Old Trafford, even going to the extent of even meeting with new Blues owner Todd Boehly to discuss a potential switch. However, nothing substantial has emerged for the attacker who had his summer vacation extended by the Manchester United.
Arsenal eyeing move for $80M Ligue 1 talent but interest sparks confusion from fans
Mikel Arteta's side are set to pursue a highly-rated Ligue 1 talent. That player is none other than Lyon sensation Lucas Paqueta, who if signed, would become the fourth Brazilian at the Emirates Stadium.
According to Goal, the Premier League heavyweight are keen on brining the Selecao ace to the English capital and while no formal offer has been made for the Parc Olympique Lyonnais midfielder, Edu has informed the player's camp that they will launch a raid for Paqueta.
However, there is one huge stumbling block: Jean-Michel Aulas and his huge asking price. According to the report, the Lyon president wants a whopping 80 million euros, which today translates to $80M, for the 24-year-old.
