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Why Spain's new coach chose Alvarez over Messi and left out 16 World Cup stars
Former U21 boss Luis de la Fuente was given the Spain senior job and picked Julian Alvarez as FIFA's The Best player of 2022. Can he be trusted?


TOP HEADLINES

UNITED STATES MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
Who should coach the USMNT next? And does it even matter?
A superstar coach probably isn't realistic for the U.S. men's national team in 2023, but there's plenty of evidence as to why the identity of the next coach might not make much difference.
How the USMNT can join FIFA's elite tier: lessons from Belgium, Chile and others who've done it
What can the United States men's national team learn from history when it comes to maximizing the achievements of a golden generation?

WILL BALOGUN PLAY FOR THE USMNT?
U.S. had talks with Balogun over switch - Hudson
Folarin Balogun is in Florida amid a serious push from U.S. Soccer for him to switch his international allegiance from England, sources told ESPN.
Gomez: USMNT have the upper hand in Balogun pursuit

GLOBAL SOCCER SCORES
FRIDAY'S MATCHES

MANAGERIAL VACANCY
Vinicius Jr. 'believes' Ancelotti wants to manage Brazil

NWSL'S NEXT STAR
Ready or not, prodigy Alyssa Thompson cast as soccer's next superstar
Alyssa Thompson is the new face of the NWSL's most compelling franchise and a future USWNT star. But is it too much too soon?

THE TOE POKE
Which strikers are out-Haalanding Haaland this season?
Erling Haaland is scoring for fun, but he's not the man with the best goal-per-game rate in Europe's top leagues this season -- or even in England.

MESSI MILESTONE TRACKER
Lionel Messi reaches 800 career goals, plus ALL his records
Messi's career might have peaked at the World Cup, but he still has plenty of milestones to reach. Here we track his progress and list his records.
England, Kane move past World Cup woe with convincing win over Italy
England got their first-ever competitive win against Italy in Italy, and it was the perfect way to put their World Cup exit behind them.
Top Headlines
- Sources: Bayern sack Nagelsmann, to hire Tuchel
- Messi scores 800th goal in win over Panama
- Leeds close Elland Road stadium due to threat
- Record-setter Ronaldo nets two in Portugal rout
- Monumental rocks as Argentina revel in WC win
- Cocca gets win in 1st match as Mexico coach
- Kane breaks Rooney's England scoring record
- Premier League player faces new rape allegations
- Mbappe: Griezmann reaction 'understandable'
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Until this season, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was off the radar, toiling in Russia's domestic league. Now at Napoli, he's a superstar. How did everyone 'miss' him? How did he get to the top? And what, if anything, can we learn from his story?
David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images What will Barcelona vs. Real Madrid look like five years from now? El Clasico could be totally different
Five years is a long time in soccer. The next five, for Barcelona and Real Madrid, could feel like forever. What might El Clasico look like in 2028?
BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images Who is the best men's player in world soccer right now? We crunched the numbers
It's hard to determine the "best" men's player at any given time in soccer because it's still the ultimate team game. But let's try to do it anyway, as there are several players who could make a reasonable claim.
Trending Now
Philadelphia Union MLS kit rankings: Which club's jerseys are this season's best?
All but one of MLS's 29 clubs set to compete in the league's 28th year have unleashed new kits. ESPN has taken a look and ranked each one.