Champions League groups drawn for Premier League sides, USMNT stars

By Oct 1, 2020, 12:20 PM EDT
Champions League draw
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
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The UEFA Champions League draw was held Thursday, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Manchester United learning their foes for the group stage.

[ MORE: Champions League playoff round recaps ]

Manchester United found itself drawn into a brutal Group H led by Paris Saint-Germain and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have plenty to prove in matching wits and talents.

Juventus and Barcelona were drawn together, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will duel again under the eyes of new managers Andrea Pirlo and Ronald Koeman.

Real Madrid has a tricky Group C with Marseille, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Inter Milan.

Premier League teams

PL champions Liverpool dodged the Pot 2 challenge but will meet sides who want to entertain in a younger Ajax and Italian wizards Atalanta. Midtjylland completes the group.

Pep Guardiola’s quest to finally reach a UCL final with Man City was greeted by Porto out of Pot 1 as well as Olympiakos and Marseille.

Manchester United’s path has big roadblocks in Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzip, two top teams with top managers. It was a group of death before being completed by Demba Ba’s Istanbul Basaksehir.

Chelsea’s Frank Lampard will match wits Sevilla’s Julen Lopetegui and also square off with group stage debutants Krasnodar and French side Stade Rennes.

Americans Abroad

As for American connections, Christian Pulisic is with Chelsea and Zack Steffen at Man City but there are plenty more USMNT connections in play.

Red Bull Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch has his hands full with Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in addition to Lokomotiv Moscow.

Marsch’s former New York Red Bulls charge Tyler Adams is with RB Leipzig, who drew PSG, Manchester United, and Istanbul Basaksehir

Giovanni Reyna and Borussia Dortmund avoided a tough Pot 1 pull by getting Zenit Saint-Petersburg but took Lazio out of Pot 3. The final team in Group F is Club Brugge, currently the home of American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath.

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie sees his seeded team lead Group G against the newest member of Barcelona in fellow USMNT star Sergino Dest. Dynamo Kiev and Ferencvaros are also in the group.

NYCFC youngster Joe Scally will join Borussia Monchengladbach after the MLS season. The Foals will meet

Weston McKennie Juventus
TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 20: Weston Mckennie  (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Soccrates/Getty Images)

2020-21 UEFA Champions League group stage

Group A

Bayern Munich
Atletico Madrid
Red Bull Salzburg
Lokomotiv Moscow

Group B

Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk
Inter Milan
Borussia Monchengladbach

Group C

Porto
Manchester City
Olympiakos
Marseille

Group D

Liverpool
Ajax
Atalanta
Midtjylland

Group E

Sevilla
Chelsea
Krasnodar
Stade Rennes

Group F

Zenit Saint-Petersburg
Borussia Dortmund
Lazio
Club Brugge

Group G

Juventus
Barcelona
Dynamo Kiev
Ferencvaros

Group H

Paris Saint-Germain
Manchester United
RB Leipzig
Istanbul Basaksehir

Italy vs England: How to watch live, stream link, team news

By Mar 21, 2023, 7:48 PM EDT
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England will begin their EURO 2024 quest the same way they finished their heartbreaking EURO 2020 campaign: facing Italy, now two-time champions of Europe, on Thursday.

[ LIVE: EURO 2024 qualifying scores – Italy vs England ]

The two European giants faced off in the 2020 final (in the summer of 2021) at Wembley Stadium in London, and it was the Italians who triumphed in the penalty shootout after playing to a 1-1 draw after regular time and extra time.

Italy and England are joined in Group C by Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta. The sides that finish 1st and 2nd in the group will qualify for next summer’s tournament in Germany.

[ MORE: USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup ]

Here is everything you need for Italy vs England. 

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How to watch Italy vs England live, stream link and start time

Kick off: 3:45pm ET, Thursday (March 23)
Stadium: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Napoli
TV: FS1

Italy squad

Goalkeepers – Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Claudio Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Wladimiro Falcone (Lecce)

Defenders – Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Inter Milan), Francesco Acerbi (Inter Milan), Emerson Palmieri (West Ham), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Alessio Romagnoli (Lazio), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino)

Midfielders – Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain), Jorginho (Arsenal), Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Monza), Sandro Tonali (AC Milan), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo)

Forwards – Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Gianluca Scamacca (West Ham), Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds), Simone Pafundi (Udinese), Mateo Retegui (Tigre)

England squad

Goalkeepers – Jordan Pickford (Everton), Fraser Forster (Tottenham), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders – Kyle Walker (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Reece James (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)

Midfielders – Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Declan Rice (West Ham), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

Forwards – Harry Kane (Tottenham), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), James Maddison (Leicester), Ivan Toney (Brentford)

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Ivan Toney – Video of all his Premier League goals in 2022-23

By Mar 21, 2023, 4:11 PM EDT
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Ivan Toney has proven himself a bona fide Premier League striker, as he chases a 20-goal season and closes in on 30 scored across two top-flight campaigns, after just one (record-setting) season in the Championship.

Toney bagged a sensational 31 goals in 45 second-division games as Brentford won Premier League promotion in 2020-21, but there were (reasonable) questions about those goals translating to the best league in the world.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

He finished 11th in the PL with 12 goals last season, and now Toney is up to 16 goals through the Bees’ first 27 games this season — 3rd-most currently, behind only Erling Haaland’s 28 goals (WATCH HERE) and Harry Kane’s 21 (WATCH HERE).

Below you will find every Ivan Toney goal video from the 2022-23 Premier League season so far.

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Follow @AndyEdMLS

New deadline looms for Manchester United bids

By Mar 21, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT
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A new deadline is looming for potential new owners of Manchester United, as our partners in the UK at Sky Sports say the deadline for second offers is Wednesday, March 22.

They add that up to eight bids are expected, while INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has told The Wall Street Journal he won’t pay a ‘stupid price’ for the Red Devils.

The Glazer family continue to explore either the full or partial sale of the Premier League giants.

It has been widely reported by ESPN and Sky Sports that two bids, one from Ratcliffe and another led by Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, are the frontrunners as the Glazers look at all of their available options.

[ MORE: How to watch Premier League in USA ] 

Over the last few months the American family have been seeking potential investors in Manchester United and they have not been short of suitors.

Presentations have been taking place between potential new owners and investors and the Man United hierarchy over the last few weeks.

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The latest updates

Two bids have now taken center stage as they arrived before the first, well-documented, deadline.

One is from INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who failed to buy Chelsea last year but was always said to prefer a bid for his boyhood club Manchester United.

“How do you decide the price of a painting? How do you decide the price of a house? It’s not related to how much it cost to build or how much it cost to paint. What you don’t want to do is pay stupid prices for things because then you regret it subsequently,” Ratcliffe told The Wall Street Journal.

Another bid is led by Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is seeking full control of the club and is the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank as his father was the former prime minister of Qatar.

The Glazer family bought United in 2005 for $1.4 billion and it is believed they are now asking over $7.3 billion for a full sale of the club.

Statement from INEOS

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS confirmed they have ‘submitted a bid for majority ownership of Manchester United’ and went into more detail on their plans.

“We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community. We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again.

“We also recognise that football governance in this country is at a crossroads. We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership. We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the northwest of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League.”

Statement from Qatari bid

The Qatari bid, led by Sheikh Jassim, promised that their offer is ‘completely debt free’ and they want United to become ‘the greatest football club in the world’ during their stewardship of the club.

“The bid will be completely debt free via Sheikh Jassim’s Nine Two Foundation, which will look to invest in the football teams, the training center, the stadium and wider infrastructure, the fan experience and the communities the club supports.

“The vision of the bid is for Manchester United Football Club to be renowned for footballing excellence, and regarded as the greatest football club in the world.”

USMNT roster for Nations League features Gio Reyna, no Tyler Adams

By Mar 21, 2023, 11:27 AM EDT
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The USMNT will be without captain Tyler Adams when they play a pair of CONCACAF Nations League games later this month, but they will have 13 members of the 2022 World Cup squad, including Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna, as confirmed by U.S. Soccer on Wednesday.

The Yanks will also not have Timothy Weah, who suffered a scary concussion for Lille versus Toulouse on Sunday. He’s been replaced by AZ Alkmaar’s Djordje Mihailovic.

[ MORE: USMNT to face rivals Mexico in April friendly ]

Adams will miss the games against Gernada (March 24) and El Salvador (March 27) after suffering a hamstring injury during a recent training session with Leeds United.

Reyna’s place within the team and program had come into question in the weeks and months since the World Cup, with events and an investigation transpiring involving former/a candidate to remain USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter and Gio’s parents, Claudio and Danielle. Interim head coach Anthony Hudson explained Reyna’s inclusion as a decision to “move forward.”

[ MORE: USMNT upcoming schedule – Nations League, friendlies, Gold Cup ]

“It became a bit more complex in the months since the World Cup, but as far as we’re concerned Gio is a part of our program,” Hudson said. “He’s a good guy and a top talent, and he is evaluated like any other player. We made the roster decisions based on what gives the team the best opportunity to win these games, and we brought him in because we think he can help us do that.”

Full USMNT roster for 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League

Goalkeepers (3): Ethan Horvath (Luton Town), Zack Steffen (Middlesbrough), Matt Turner (Arsenal)

Defenders (8): Sergiño Dest (AC Milan/), Mark McKenzie (Genk), Tim Ream (Fulham/), Bryan Reynolds (Westerlo), Antonee Robinson (Fulham), Miles Robinson (Atlanta United), Joe Scally (Borussia Monchengladbach/), Auston Trusty (Birmingham City)

Midfielders (7): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United), Johnny Cardoso (Internacional), Luca de la Torre (Celta Vigo), Weston McKennie (Leeds United), Yunus Musah (Valencia), Alan Sonora (Juárez), Djordje Mihailovic (AZ Alkmaar)

Forwards (6): Taylor Booth (Utrecht), Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion), Ricardo Pepi (Groningen), Christian Pulisic (Chelsea), Gio Reyna (Borussia Dortmund), Alejandro Zendejas (Club America)

EDIT: Tim Weah (Lille) was originally called up, but exited due to a head injury.

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