Pogba among stars not in Juve ICC squad 6:13 AM GMT MELBOURNE -- Manchester United target Paul Pogba is among 13 players left out of Juventus' squad for their trip to Australia for the International Champions Cup. France midfielder Pogba and Italy skipper Gianluigi Buffon have been given an extended break by the Serie A champions after representing their nations at Euro 2016. It means Argentina … [Read more...]

Lampard strikes as New York City FC top Montreal in MLS Montreal (AFP) – Thomas McNamara set up first-half goals by David Villa and Jack Harrison, and Frank Lampard delivered the killing blow in New York City FC’s 3-1 Major League Soccer victory over the Montreal Impact. Spain’s Villa on Sunday opened the scoring with his MLS-leading 12th goal in the 35th minute. Right before the first half, in … [Read more...]

Demba Ba’s Shanghai derby leg-break ‘could end career’ Shanghai (AFP) – Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba suffered a horror broken leg in the Shanghai derby at the weekend, with his coach warning the injury could end the 31-year-old’s playing career. The Senegalese former Premier League marksman, who now plays for Shanghai Shenhua, tangled with Shanghai SIPG captain Sun Xiang as they both raced … [Read more...]

Promotion relegation debate and International Champions Cup preview: WST Podcast Welcome to the latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast, the longest running soccer podcast on the planet (since 2006). In this episode, host Nipun Chopra and Kartik Krishnaiyer preview select International Champions Cup matches as well as getting into a debate about the viability of promotion/relegation in … [Read more...]

Matip injury 'only a minor problem' - Klopp 5:59 PM GMT Jurgen Klopp is hopeful that the injury that forced new arrival Joel Matip to limp out of Sunday's 2-0 win versus Wigan is not serious. Matip, 24, is one of four players Jurgen Klopp has brought into the Liverpool team, after the defensive midfielder arrived from Schalke on a free transfer at the beginning of July. "I hope it's … [Read more...]

Liverpool win, 16-year-old Woodburn scores 5:00 PM GMT Liverpool made it three preseason victories on the bounce with a convincing 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic on Sunday afternoon. It was a day for positives as goals from Danny Ings and 16-year-old Ben Woodburn saw Jurgen Klopp's side run out deserved winners at the DW Stadium -- with Woodburn continuing to startle at such a young age and Philippe … [Read more...]

Messi has helped Neymar - Ronaldinho 3:36 PM GMT Brazil legend Ronaldinho has praised Lionel Messi's role in the development of Neymar at Barcelona. Ronaldinho was a senior figure in the Barca team when Messi broke through during the 2004-05 campaign and guided him as he made his first steps in the team. Messi, 29, has provided a similar service to Neymar, who is five years his junior, and … [Read more...]

5 Reasons Colorado Rapids are MLS Supporters’ Shield contenders In six of the last nine Major League Soccer seasons, Colorado Rapids have failed to reach the playoffs. Since winning the MLS Cup in 2010 against FC Dallas, the Rapids have made the playoffs twice, and in each of those five seasons, finished fifth or lower in the MLS’s Western Conference. The 2016 season has been surprisingly … [Read more...]

Pros and cons of PlayStation Vue for soccer fans I took the opportunity to test drive PlayStation Vue recently, to see how it works and whether soccer fans may find it useful to watch the Beautiful Game. Here are the pros and cons: CONS 1. PlayStation Vue is more expensive than Sling TV. The cheapest plan PlayStation Vue has is $29.99/month compared to Sling Orange for $20/month or Sling Blue … [Read more...]

Chelsea can reach Messi levels - Conte 8:40 AM GMT Liam Twomey New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte believes that the club's players can improve a lot and eventually reach the level of the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League table after a terrible defence of their title and the Italian coach has insisted he will do his best to improve the likes of … [Read more...]