Soccer

The schedule for the 2025 MLS season has been released.

The league released the slate for its 30th season on Thursday. The 30 clubs will play 34 games each, with 17 home games and 17 away games. The league season will begin on Feb. 22, with the opening game being between Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami FC and NYCFC in Fort Lauderdale.

That game will begin at 2:30 p.m. ET and will be followed by 12 more games on that Saturday.

The 2025 season will feature a new team, San Diego FC, and will also see pauses for the Club World Cup and Gold Cup. It will also feature two 30th-anniversary special matchups as DC United will take on the San Jose Earthquakes in honor of the first-ever MLS Game on April 6 while DC United and the LA Galaxy will play on July 12 to honor the first MLS Championship Game.

The season opener will be the first time MLS fans can see Messi and Inter Miami since the team fell in the first round of the 2024 postseason. This came after the team went 22-4-8 and claimed the top overall record in MLS.

The Galaxy are the league's defending champs and will hope to earn a seventh overall championship.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) announced Monday it has terminated David Coote's status with the organization following an investigation into a video in which he disparaged Liverpool and then-manager Jürgen Klopp.

"David Coote's actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable," PGMOL said in a statement.

"Supporting David Coote continues to be important to us and we remain committed to his welfare."

In the offending video, which surfaced in November, Coote called Liverpool "s--t" and described Klopp as "f--king arrogant" and a "German c--t," per the Daily Mail's Lewis Steele and Kieran Gill.

ESPN's Dale Johnson noted that Coote's frustration appeared to stem in part from a 1-1 draw between Liverpool and Burnley in July 2020. He was the referee for the match, and Klopp voiced his displeasure with the officiating after the fixture concluded.

England's Football Association launched a separate inquiry into Coote after Stephen Moyes of the Sun reported he may have arranged to issue a yellow card in a Championship match in 2019.

Coote denied any wrongdoing.

"I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations," he said, per ESPN's Tom Hamilton. Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision making on the field. I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability."

Coote has the opportunity to appeal the decision PGMOL handed down Monday.

The 42-year-old officiated his first Premier League match during the 2017-18 season and was assigned to the division full time in May 2018.

The Los Angeles Galaxy are MLS champions once again.

The Galaxy claimed the MLS Cup for a league-record sixth time on Saturday with a 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls.

Saturday marked LA's first MLS championship since 2014.

The Red Bulls held possession for longer in the final but only managed three shots on net. LA was able to generate six shots on net and 12 attempts and only committed eight fouls.

All of the goals came in the first half, with the Galaxy getting started early.

Joseph Paintsil was able to score in the ninth minute after a strong set and then Dejan Joveljic doubled the lead just a few minutes later.

New York would get on the board via a Sean Nealis goal in the 28th minute but were unable to solve Galaxy goalkeeper John McCarthy during the rest of the match.

The Galaxy were already the franchise with the most MLS championships but this victory extends the lead further. The Red Bulls were vying for the first championship in franchise history.

The Galaxy's run comes after the team went 19-7-8 and finished second in the Western Conference. Los Angeles knocked out the Colorado Rapids in the opening round, Minnesota United FC in the semifinals and the Seattle Sounders in the Conference Final.

West Ham forward Michail Antonio is in stable condition after being involved in a traffic accident on Saturday.

The club said in a statement that Antonio is "conscious and communicating" with hospital staff after a road traffic accident in the Essex area.

Additional details about the accident are not known at this time.

The 34-year-old Antonio has played for West Ham since 2015. He is the club's all-time leading goalscorer in Premier League matches with 68 in 268 appearances.

Antonio has appeared in all 14 Premier League matches for the Hammers this season, scoring one goal and tallying one assist.

West Ham United is one of 10 clubs Antonio has played for since turning pro in 2008. His senior career began with Tooting & Mitcham United, but he left after just four matches to join Reading.

While playing primarily for Reading from 2008 to 2012, Antonio was also loaned out to various clubs during those four years. He had a two-year stint with Sheffield Wednesday from 2012 to 2014.

After a one-year run with Nottingham Forest, Antonio signed with West Ham United in September 2015. The club has finished in the top 10 in the Premier League five times since he joined.

In addition to his club career, Antonio has played for the Jamaican national team since 2021. He scored the country's first-ever goal in Copa América competition in a 3-1 loss to Ecuador on June 26.

Jerry Jones is apparently content owning only one team with a long-held reputation for failing to win titles.

Football London's Alasdair Gold reported Wednesday that "there's nothing" in the unfounded rumors the Dallas Cowboys owner is looking to purchase Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

This isn't the first time Jones has been linked with the possible acquisition of the London-based side. The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare and Jack Pitt-Brooke also reported in April that Tottenham's were exploring at least a partial sale as a way to general significant funds.

The Premier League is the richest soccer league in the world. Deloitte estimated that the revenue of all 20 clubs hit £6.1 billion for the 2022-23 season.

Tottenham in particular will hold a lot of appeal for somebody looking to enter the world of PL club ownership. Spurs ranked eighth in the Deloitte Money League with a total revenue of €631.5 million, which was up 21 percent from the previous year.

Even when the club isn't qualifying for the Champions League, being stationed in London with a relatively new stadium clearly has its advantages.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium might be of particular interest to an NFL owners such as Jones because it continues to be a staging ground for American football games as part of the NFL's International Series. The venue hosted games in back-to-back weeks in October.

Spurs supporters have long lamented the club's prudent transfer policy and would surely welcome a new ownership regime that promised to loosen the purse strings.

Given the Cowboys' fortunes over the three decades, they'll be thankful that Jones isn't answering the call.

Fifty-six people were killed as the result of a stampede at a soccer match in Nzerekore, Guinea, according to the Associated Press.

Reuters' Saliou Samb and Bate Felix cited an eyewitness who said the supporters in attendance initially took issue with a red card that was issued in the 82nd minute of the match.

"The stone throwing started and the police joined in, firing tear gas," Amara Conde said to the outlet. "In the rush and scramble that followed, I saw people fall to the ground, girls and children trampled underfoot. It was horrible."

Samb and Felix reported supporters "rushed to leave, leading to a dangerous scrum at the exits." One video showed them "scrambling over high walls to escape."

"Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official from the city's administration said many victims were minors caught in the turmoil after police started firing tear gas," Samb and Felix wrote. "The official described scenes of confusion and chaos with parents retrieving bodies before they were officially counted."

The Guinean government confirmed the early death toll and Communications Minister Fana Soumah said an investigation is underway, per the AP.