World Football

Argentina superstar Lionel Messi isn't fixated on participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but he didn't entirely rule out a potential appearance.

"When I get to do what I love I am happy," Messi said on Thursday, per ESPN's Lizzy Becherano. "I value that more than reaching the 2026 tournament. I haven't set a goal to reach the World Cup, but more so to live day-to-day and be well."

Argentina is attempting to become the first country to win consecutive World Cups since Brazil in 1962 after Messi previously led the team to a victory in 2022.

The 37-year-old played a key role in the triumph over France in the final, winning 4-2 on penalties following a 3-3 draw. Messi scored twice and converted his penalty kick to help Argentina secure the hard-fought victory.

Prior to the tournament in Qatar, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner said that it would "surely" be his last World Cup.

Messi suited up for Argentina in the 2024 Copa América, helping his country wrap up a successful title defense and win a record-breaking 16th Copa title.

He's recently been participating in South American World Cup qualifiers, recording a hat-trick during a 6-0 victory over Bolivia on Tuesday. He also finished with two assists.

While the legendary footballer appears to be leaving the door open for a potential return, he acknowledged that "I know these can be my last games" after defeating Bolivia and discussed staying in the present (via Becherano).

"In the moment, we will see," Messi said. "I don't like to accelerate time or look ahead. I try to enjoy every day. I hope I can keep playing at this level to feel good and be happy."

As Messi continues to participate in World Cup qualifiers and is also active with MLS club Inter Miami, he's still undecided on a potential return to the World Cup in 2026.

The United States Women's National Soccer Team announced its roster Thursday for three upcoming friendlies in the month of October.

Several players who helped the USWNT go undefeated and win a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris over the summer are part of the October roster, including Mallory Swanson, Sophia Smith, Lynn Williams, Rose Lavelle, Lindsey Horan, Naomi Girma and Alyssa Naeher.

However, there are also a couple of notable absences in the form of forward Trinity Rodman and Crystal Dunn.

Per U.S. Soccer's official website, Rodman's absence from the squad is due to a back injury, which she is rehabilitating while with her NWSL club in the Washington Spirit.

Rodman, who is the daughter of Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, tied for second on the team with three goals at the 2024 Olympics, including scoring the lone goal in extra time in a 1-0 win over Japan in the quarterfinals.

The only other three members from the Olympic team not named to October's training camp roster are Tierna Davidson, Croix Bethune and Dunn. Davidson and Bethune are both injured, while Dunn, who has 155 career appearances for the USWNT, had a prior personal commitment.

USWNT head coach Emma Hayes put the training camp roster together on the heels of her first major title for the United States.

Hayes officially took over as the USWNT head coach in May, and despite having only about two months to prepare for the Olympics, she led the Americans to their first Olympic gold medal in women's soccer since 2012.

Although Hayes won't have the services of arguably her best player in Rodman, she can lean on Swanson and Smith, who scored four and three goals, respectively, at the Summer Games.

The USWNT has not played since beating Brazil 1-0 in the Olympic gold medal match in August, but the hiatus will come to an end with three exhibition matches between Oct. 24 and Oct. 30.

Team USA will face Iceland both in Austin, Texas, on Oct. 24 and in Nashville, Tennessee, on Oct. 27, followed by a meeting with Argentina in Louisville, Kentucky, on Oct. 30.

Mauricio Pochettino's 2-0 debut win as USMNT manager over Panama on Saturday inspired confidence that the Americans were already forging a better path after the lackluster end to the Gregg Berhalter era.

Tuesday's match against Mexico, at least for 45 minutes, was quite the different tale. The USMNT looked overmatched, trailing 1-0 at halftime after Raúl Jiménez's fantastic free kick.

The Americans didn't manage a single shot in the first half, while Mexico had 12 (three on goal). The Mexicans held 58.9 percent of possession and had five corners, compared to just two for the United States.

Yes, the Americans were without key players in Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi. And yes, the game was being played in Mexico. But that didn't make the first 45 minutes any easier for supporters and pundits alike to stomach:

Halftime didn't provide much respite, as Mexico quickly took a 2-0 lead after a counter and USMNT turnover in the box, with César Huerta burying a shot in the bottom corner.

The Americans have generally gotten the better of Mexico in this rivalry of late. But after about 50 minutes, Mexico appeared to be on a different planet than their northern neighbors and rivals, much to the chagrin of the optimistic U.S. fanbase following Poch's appointment.

Thomas Tuchel has agreed to replace Gareth Southgate as manager of the English men's national football team.

England confirmed the hire on Wednesday after it was previously reported the two sides had come to terms on Tuesday by The Times.

Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports previously reported England was in contract talks with Tuchel and he could "quickly be confirmed" as the new manager.

Tuchel, who is a 51-year-old veteran manager from Germany, has extensive managerial experience at some of the top clubs in the world, including Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

Harry Kane, who played under Tuchel at Bayern Munich, spoke about the reports on Tuesday:

Per Dorsett, Jürgen Klopp, Graham Potter and Eddie Howe had previously been considered strong candidates for England's managerial opening as well, plus the FA reportedly reached out to Pep Guardiola shortly after Southgate's resignation in July.

Despite that, there has been no real movement on those fronts, and FA technical director John McDermott was reportedly locked in on Tuchel due to his desire to hire a manager with a track record of winning major trophies.

Tuchel undoubtedly fits the bill, as he won two Ligue 1 titles at PSG, one UEFA Champions League title at Chelsea and one Bundesliga title at Bayern Munich.

It has been decades since England's last major title, as they won their only World Cup back in 1966 and have never won the UEFA European Championship.

During Southgate's time at the Three Lions helm from 2016 to 2024, England came close to breaking through on multiple occasions.

They finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup and reached the World Cup quarterfinals in 2022, plus they finished as the runner-up at both Euro 2020 and 2024.

Their Euro 2024 loss was especially heartbreaking since they scored an equalizer in the 73rd minute only to lose on an 86th-minute goal by Spain.

Should England ultimately appoint Tuchel, he would become only the third foreign manager in the history of the English national team, joining Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

The FA has reportedly stepped up its efforts to find Southgate's successor recently, especially in the wake of a 2-1 loss to Greece in the UEFA Nations League last week under interim manager Lee Carsley.

Legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly set to step down from his ambassador role with the club at the end of the 2024-25 English Premier League season amid cost-cutting measures.

According to ESPN's Rob Dawson, Manchester United have been looking for ways to cut costs ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe purchased a minority stake in the club in February. Dawson reported in July that Manchester United had deemed a quarter of their workforce redundant, putting them in position to save £45 million ($58.8 million) by paring down their staff.

Ferguson, who was Manchester United's manager from 1986 to 2013, has been a club ambassador since his retirement, reportedly earning a yearly salary of £2 million in the position.

Despite the reported decision to eliminate Ferguson's role at United, a source told Dawson that the iconic manager "will always be welcome at Old Trafford."

The source also called the move "amicable" and "suiting both parties."

Ferguson, 82, enjoyed a successful playing career from 1957 to 1974, playing for six different clubs and scoring 171 career goals.

He broke into managing following his retirement in 1974 and spent time at East Stirlingshire, St Mirren and Aberdeen before a brief stint as head coach of the Scottish national team from 1985 to 1986.

Ferguson finally got his big break at Manchester United in 1986 and went on to carve out one of the best continuous managerial runs in major European football history.

From 1993 until his retirement in 2013, Ferguson led the Red Devils to 13 EPL titles, plus he won five FA Cup titles, four Football League Cup titles and 10 FA Community Shield titles.

Most impressively, Ferguson helped United win the UEFA Champions League in both 1999 and 2008, along with runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2011.

For his efforts, Ferguson was named Premier League Manager of the Season 11 times, as well as UEFA Manager of the Year once, plus the League Managers Association's Manager of the Decade for the 1990s.

Speaking to Ferguson's importance and impact is the fact that United have now gone more than a decade since last winning an EPL title in his final season as manager. They also haven't reached a Champions League final since 2011.

There is seemingly no end in sight to Manchester United's status as an also-ran club in the EPL either, as they are off to a rough start this season with two wins, two draws and three losses, placing them 14th on the table.

Current manager Erik ten Hag has been at the helm since 2022, but he will continue to be on the hot seat if things aren't turned around quickly due in part to the high standard Ferguson set during his historic run as United's manager.

Mauricio Pochettino's first road game in charge of the United States men's national team is a rare clash in Mexico with El Tri.

The USMNT and Mexico typically do battle on North American soil, but Tuesday's friendly will be played in Guadalajara.

The Pochettino era began with a 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday. Winning in Mexico comes with a set of new challenges because the USMNT had five players depart camp this weekend.

Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Ricardo Pepi were part of the quintet that left to go back to their respective clubs.

Pochettino will have to call on other attacking stars to create chances and try to pull off the win without Pulisic, the team's best attacker, in the squad.

USMNT vs. Mexico Info

Date: Tuesday, October 15

Start Time: 10:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Max

The USMNT released Pulisic back to AC Milan for load-management purposes ahead of Tuesday's trip to Mexico.

The move is in the best interest of the player since there are not many breaks in the calendar once the European club soccer season starts up in August.

Pochettino will take a smaller roster to Mexico, but the available squad can still pick up a result against the program's top international rival.

Tuesday's match could be a chance for strikers such as Haji Wright and Brandon Vazquez to prove their worth to the USMNT.

Josh Sargent started up top on Saturday and Ricardo Pepi came off the bench to score the second goal for the U.S.

Vazquez's experience against Liga MX defenders could be a X-factor for the American attack. He has three goals in six games this season for Monterrey.

If rotation happens across the squad, Malik Tillman could get an opportunity in the attack. He came on as a substitute in Saturday's win over Panama.

Three members of the back line and midfielder Aidan Morris went the full 90 minutes on Saturday, so they may be switched out by Pochettino.

If he starts again, the key man to watch is Yunus Musah, who scored and looked strong in midfield against Panama.

The 21-year-old will have a vital part to play for the USMNT over the next 18 months, and with only six midfielders on the roster at the moment, he could be handed a second straight start to provide stability in the middle of the park.

The Mexico squad is headlined by goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and midfielder Andres Guardado, but there are plenty of new faces looking to make an impact as well.

Alexis Vega and Ozziel Herrera scored in Saturday's 2-2 friendly with Spanish club side Valencia.

Vega and Herrera are two of 14 players in the El Tri squad with less than 40 international appearances.

The USMNT Is in a far better state at the moment under Pochettino, but Tuesday's game is a chance for Mexico to prove it can still be competitive despite its moment of weakness.

Mexico crashed out of the Copa America in the group stage and only has one win in the three games since the summer tournament.

A result in Guadalajara is possible for the USMNT, but it will be harder to create chances without Pulisic and that could lead to a slower-paced contest in the final third.

Prediction: Mexico 1, United States 1