DENVER — It got Messi at the end. For a few minutes, Empower Field 2026 was Shea Stadium 1965, as youngsters blitzed through security to be near Lionel Messi the way your grandma once did to get a closer look at Paul McCartney.

A grade-schooler stormed the field just after Messi, the Argentinian midfielder with the magic left foot, had fled ...Read more

MIAMI — Inter Miami defender Ian Fray said he and his teammates were as surprised as anyone at the abrupt departure of coach Javier Mascherano this week, seven games into the season and just four months after they lifted the club’s first MLS Cup trophy.

Fray said he sensed no hints that Mascherano and his staff were on the verge of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Aaron Levinson wanted to go to a World Cup game this summer, but he didn't want to take out a second mortgage to pay for that. So after winning a chance to spend $560 for individual tickets in a FIFA lottery last fall, Levinson backed out.

Then he backed in again this spring.

"Maybe the sticker shock kind of started wearing off...Read more

MIAMI — In a shocking and abrupt move, Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down seven games into the season and four months after leading the team to its first MLS Cup title.

“I want to let everyone know that, for personal reasons, I have decided to end my tenure as head coach of Inter Miami CF,” ...Read more

MIAMI — U.S. Customs and Border Protection has published a travel guide for people planning a trip to the United States for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including matches in Miami, with official resources on travel documents, admission and other tools visitors may need before and during their trip.

On its World Cup travel page, CBP advises ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Former Galaxy forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernández, a three-time World Cup standout for Mexico, will return to the tournament this summer but in a new role as a studio analyst for Fox Sports. And he's approaching his broadcast debut the same way he approached his playing career, with excitement, not fear.

"It's the same as our...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As a child in Overland Park, Kan., Matt Besler’s remembers his fondest wish once was to play professional indoor soccer for the Kansas City Attack/Comets.

Or maybe it was to get to play high school basketball in a Thanksgiving tournament at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“That was where my world was,” he said in an interview ...Read more

DENVER — When 63,000 fans turned out for the home debut of Denver Summit FC at Empower Field a couple of weekends ago, Colorado soccer fans got to celebrate the arrival of the National Women’s Soccer League with an epic experience far beyond what we could have imagined a generation ago.

Like so many, I got to savor a historic day for women�...Read more

MIAMI — At long last, after a seemingly-endless hurdle-filled odyssey, Inter Miami owners David Beckham, Jorge and Jose Mas stood atop the dusty steps of Nu Stadium with a giant pair of scissors and cut a pink ribbon to officially open the team’s $350 million new home as a sea of pink fans cheered, waved giant flags and banged drums.

“...Read more

MIAMI — The United States soccer scene looked a lot different the last time the country hosted the World Cup in 1994.

For one, the MLS had yet to kick off. Inter Miami star Lionel Messi had not transitioned to Barcelona’s youth team. And Christian Pulisic, America’s brightest star on the pitch, wasn’t even born.

With the World Cup ...Read more

Two short months from now the best teams from the globe’s most popular sport will begin arriving in the United States for the men’s FIFA World Cup starting June 11 — the biggest event in the one true international game. Call it soccer or futbol. Call it unparalleled. A record 48 national teams will participate, and the world awaits these ...Read more

ATLANTA — After 24 games over Mauricio Pochettino’s 18-month tenure, the auditions are done.

The manager has seen everything he can from players in a U.S. jersey before he picks the World Cup roster in late May. Any other evidence he wants will have to come from those players’ work with their clubs.

Now the countdown is officially on to ...Read more

ATLANTA — If fans of the U.S. men’s soccer team wanted to see an A-level squad take on Portugal’s stars, they didn’t get it.

But if U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino wanted to see what would come of a slew of auditions for spots on his World Cup roster, he certainly got that.

Pochettino tested 20 players across four formations over the ...Read more

SEATTLE — So much for seeing one of the most storied soccer countries in the world playing in the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Seattle.

The Italian curse continued.

Bosnia and Herzegovina pulled a shocking upset, beating Italy on penalties on Tuesday to claim the final European qualifying spot for the World Cup and with it a spot in one of the ...Read more

SEATTLE — FIFA president Gianni Infantino insisted yet again on Tuesday that Iran will participate in the men’s World Cup this summer, including its scheduled match in Seattle.

Infantino spoke to French news agency AFP while attending a friendly between Iran and Costa Rica that was played in Turkey on Tuesday.

“Iran will be at the World ...Read more

DENVER — The Best Little Sports Town in America just added another banner to hang a Mile High.

As the Summit drew near, Denver drew a line in the sand. And dared the rest of the U.S.A. to cross it.

“I think it’s intoxicating, that environment you just feel,” Summit FC goalkeeper Abby Smith said after Denver’s home opener ended in a ...Read more

The biggest winners from this year’s World Cup are poised to be those able to rent out their properties, especially in the tri-state area.

Bobby Roufaeal, who manages more than a dozen short-term rentals in New Jersey, said a luxury rental in the state could bring in $240,000 between June 11 and July 19 when the tournament runs. He said he’...Read more