5:22 PM ET Sid LoweSpain writer Avila has had an extraordinary life and career. Courtesy of Pablo Garcia Chimy Avila is an open book and what a book. An extraordinary story inked on his skin: a tale of survival and miracle, of poverty, guns and crime, of football too, all of it told raw and unfiltered.

Thursday’s CONCACAF Champions League final is an all-Mexican affair after Philadelphia’s semifinal elimination. Mitchell Leff/Getty Images The Seattle Sounders were in their third season in Major League Soccer when they advanced out of the group stage in the 2011-12 CONCACAF Champions League (CCL) to set up a quarterfinal tie with Liga MX power Santos Laguna. It

The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn’t mean the rumours won’t keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation. TOP STORY: Chelsea eye move for PSG striker Icardi

Wrexham chairmen Ryan Reynolds (left) Rob McElhenney brought an unexpected bit of Hollywood to Maidenhead to watch their team for the first time. Gemma Thomas/Wrexham AFC Almost a full year after they first got the green light to complete their highly publicised (and highly surprising) takeover, Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were in the

The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn’t mean the rumours won’t keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation. TOP STORY: Pogba puts Man United contract talks on

Brian Rodriguez and Latif Blessing each scored first-half goals Tuesday as LAFC used a fast start to help their playoff chances with a 3-0 victory over the visiting Seattle Sounders. Cristian Arango added a second-half goal as LAFC (12-12-8, 44 points) moved into seventh place in the Western Conference to move into playoff position with

French striker Olivier Giroud‘s early strike earned AC Milan a narrow 1-0 win over Torino on Tuesday to send Stefano Pioli’s side top of the Serie A standings. In an otherwise uneventful first half, Giroud, starting in place of another veteran Milan forward — Zlatan Ibrahimovic — tapped home his fourth Serie A goal of

12:31 PM ET Alex Kirkland Rodrigo Faez Carlo Ancelotti has warned Eden Hazard he will have to fight to win a place in his Real Madrid team, and said “the problem he has right now is he has a coach who prefers another player.” Hazard, 30, was an unused substitute in Madrid’s 2-1 El Clasico

When the designated player rule (aka the “David Beckham Rule”) was introduced in 2007, it was designed to attract a superstar to MLS by offering lucrative salaries outside of teams’ modest budgets. And although some DPs have thrived in MLS — Beckham, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic — there have also been some forgettable stints (Denilson

Three of European football’s most historic clubs — LaLiga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Eredivisie giants Ajax — are contributing to the game’s future more than any others on the continent, according to a study by the CIES Football Observatory. For example, Ajax are so committed to maintaining their ethos of producing top-class young

8:51 AM ET Sam Marsden Moises Llorens Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has said he thought about confronting the people that attacked his car after Sunday’s defeat to Real Madrid but realised that was what they wanted. A large group of supporters surrounded Koeman as he attempted to leave Camp Nou, shouting insults at him and

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is being allowed to continue as Manchester United manager but has been told his job is still very much under threat, sources told ESPN, amid disagreements at board level over the potential hire of Antonio Conte. Solskjaer was involved in discussions with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and managing director Richard Arnold on

Only time will tell whether this 2-1 Clasico defeat to Real Madrid will prove to be a final referendum on Ronald Koeman’s right to continue his increasingly pale imitation of a Barcelona coach. But if those in power at the Camp Nou, where Barca suffered their fourth straight defeat to Madrid for the first time

11:51 AM ET Kyle Bonagura Close ESPN Staff Writer Covers the Pac-12. Joined ESPN in 2014. Attended Washington State University. Jeff Carlisle Close U.S. soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPN FC. With just a couple of weeks to go until Decision Day, Major League Soccer‘s stars and top

The summer transfer window was unlike any other; see all the major deals and check out how we graded the biggest signings. And just because the window is shut until January, that doesn’t mean the rumours won’t keep coming. Here is the latest gossip and speculation. TOP STORY: Bayern, Man City in for De Jong

A culture of mediocrity has set in at Manchester United, and it has nothing to do with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. In many ways, Solskjaer is merely a victim of the erosion of standards and expectancy caused by the club’s owners, the Glazer family, and their senior executives at Old Trafford. 2 Related Neither the

Barcelona have condemned the “violent and disdainful acts” faced by coach Ronald Koeman when he left the Camp Nou after a 2-1 El Clasico defeat to arch-rivals Real Madrid on Sunday. After the game, when Koeman tried to leave the stadium in his car, a number of people surrounded and slapped the vehicle as the

The soccer world was focused on a “Super Sunday” that saw Barcelona host Real Madrid (and lose) before Manchester United hosted Liverpool (and lost), with grudge matches between Inter Milan and Juventus as well as Marseille vs. Paris Saint-Germain. But the entire weekend delivered drama and talking points for Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Jose

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has become the top-scoring African player in Premier League history following his hat trick against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. The Egypt international came into the match on 103 — one behind former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba — but has now overtaken the Ivory Coast legend with a tally

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman said his side is not inferior to Real Madrid despite losing a fourth straight Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday. Goals from David Alaba and Lucas Vazquez earned the three points for Madrid in a 2-1 victory, with Sergio Aguero‘s first goal for Barca proving nothing more than a consolation. Koeman