ATLANTA — The clock is ticking down for Atlanta United. Its season of underachievement and disappointment may be reduced to one final match, Saturday against uber-team Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Saturday is Game 2 of the best-of-three series of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Atlanta United is down 1-0, and only a magnificent ...Read more

MIAMI — When Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates arrive at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Saturday for Game 2 in their first-round MLS playoff series, they should be prepared to find a fired-up crowd of 70,000 fans and a fearless, upset-minded opponent.

Atlanta United opened the stadium to full capacity for the game, anticipating ...Read more

MIAMI — Is Neymar headed to Inter Miami?

Once upon a time, that would have seemed ludicrous. Not anymore.

Whispers that the Brazilian soccer superstar might someday join former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba grew to louder rumblings in recent days after Neymar bought a $26 million waterfront ...Read more

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sometimes sports make evolutionary steps forward, and you might have watched one begin Friday night as Lionel Messi started his first MLS playoffs at Chase Stadium. Or maybe you simply watched the Messi-centric filter on TikTok.

However you prefer him, as international sports icon or dedicated social-media star, Messi ...Read more

MIAMI — It remains to be seen whether Lionel Messi will lift an MLS Cup trophy with his Inter Miami teammates or win league MVP, but one thing is certain: The Argentine legend will finish the 2024 season as the highest-paid player in MLS history, according to the latest league salary guide from the MLS Players Association, which was released ...Read more

MIAMI — The MLS playoff stage is set for Lionel Messi and his supporting Inter Miami cast, who are in the spotlight as they kick off the postseason as the top seed at home Friday night against Atlanta United.

Atlanta squeaked into the Eastern Conference wild-card game with the ninth and final slot and beat CF Montreal in a thrilling match ...Read more

MIAMI — Get ready to see, hear, and even smell Messi Mania as Argentine icon Lionel Messi and top-seeded Inter Miami kick off the MLS playoffs at home Friday night.

If you think Messi has been showing up in a lot of commercials and headlines all season, brace yourself. The Messi marketing push just went into overdrive with the launch of a ...Read more

SAN DIEGO — Back when the San Diego Wave were deep into a victory drought that would exceed four months, I wrote they’d eke out a playoff berth.

My prediction stands now as a shanked shot.

Saturday’s 4-1 road loss to the Kansas City Current dropped the Wave to 5-13-7 this season and ensured San Diego won’t be the subpar team that gets ...Read more

MIAMI — In a storybook ending to his already remarkable first full MLS season, Lionel Messi scored a hat trick over the span of 11 minutes after coming off the bench in the second half to lead Inter Miami to a 6-2 win over the New England Revolution in the regular season finale on Saturday.

He electrified the Chase Stadium home crowd with a ...Read more

Supporters’ Shield? Check.

Top seed and home field advantage for the MLS playoffs? Check. Check.

Heading into the regular-season finale against the New England Revolution Saturday, Inter Miami has already established itself as the team to beat in the MLS Cup race.

But there is one regular-season prize still up for grabs: the MLS points ...Read more

Like everyone else who watched Lionel Messi score a hat trick and deliver two assists for Argentina Tuesday night, his Inter Miami teammates were bewildered.

“Unreal,” defender Noah Allen said smiling Wednesday morning before training, when asked about Messi’s performance in the 6-0 Argentina victory over Bolivia. “He’s still got it, ...Read more

AUSTIN, Texas — If there was any doubt about whether the U.S. men's soccer team was under new management, it faded Saturday when fans arriving at Q2 Stadium for Mauricio Pochettino's first game as coach were handed a poster bearing his face, the same face that stared out from a red banner behind the south goal.

"It was a massive shock for me,...Read more

MIAMI — Inter Miami and Toronto FC were locked in a scoreless tie at the 86-minute mark last Saturday, both teams desperate to find the back of the net, when suddenly, during stoppage for a free kick, a young fan in a No. 10 Barcelona jersey jumped over a BMO Field barrier and sprinted onto the field in hopes of getting a selfie with Lionel ...Read more

AUSTIN, Texas — Before new coach Mauricio Pochettino had even left the locker room for one of his first training sessions with the men's national soccer team, many of his players were already bathed in sweat.

Under Pochettino, even stretching has taken on a new emphasis.

"Everything feels a little bit more intense," forward Ricardo Pepi said...Read more

George Baldock, a soccer player for Panathinaikos and the Greek national team, was found dead Wednesday at 31 years old.

Baldock was reportedly discovered unresponsive in the swimming pool at his home in the suburbs of Athens.

No other details regarding the circumstances or the cause of his death were made available, according to state news ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Nick Theslof's grandmother taught him to ice skate at about the time he was learning to walk, which really didn't prove to be much of a life skill since Theslof went on to play professional soccer, not hockey.

But there was another lesson Theslof learned from his grandmother simply by being near her. And it has proved infinitely...Read more

MIAMI — Major League Soccer announced Monday that it set a regular-season attendance record of more than 11 million fans with 16 matches yet to be played. It comes as no surprise that Inter Miami star Lionel Messi had a massive impact on ticket sales.

The overall average MLS attendance this season is up to 23,240, surpassing last year’s ...Read more