The 40-year-old made his LAFC debut in September 2024, but left the MLS club less than a year later in June 2025.

Across 38 appearances in all competitions for LAFC, Giroud scored five goals and provided three assists.

He won the US Open Cup with the club in 2024, also finishing runner-up in the Leagues Cup in the same season.

Now playing for Lille in his native France, Giroud reflected on his decision to leave LAFC earlier than expected.

"On the football front, it wasn't really for me," Giroud told Ligue 1+.

24 Hours.  #LAFC | @MonsterEnergy https://t.co/1dURZ8r7Kk

— LAFC (@LAFC) October 10, 2026

"I missed this passion, this fervour, these boiling stadiums of Europe and the competition.

"For me, the United States is not a football country."

LAFC are sixth in the Western Conference this season, with Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga now leading the line.

The post ‘USA is not a football country’, says Giroud appeared first on SoccerNews.

Navarro has netted 15 goals in MLS this term, with five of those coming in as many games for St. Louis.

He joined the club in a $12m deal from the Colorado Rapids at the end of MLS' summer transfer window.

And Navarro has lofty ambitions as he aims to live up to a record-setting price tag.

"It means a lot to me, because I like to be among the greats. I work hard for that, you know?" Navarro told MLSsoccer.com.

"So I like having that price tag.

"I know it happened because I’m doing my job well, so I enjoy it. I know that I can improve more.

"For sure, it's an honour. I know what my responsibilities are, what my job is, what my game is. I think there’s pressure, but I'm used to playing with pressure. I played in Brazil."

Navarro has come into a team that are flying high, with St. Louis City on a 17-game unbeaten run.

St. Louis City are also riding high towards the top of the Western Conference. Next up is a clash with the LA Galaxy.

"It's been a very good experience for me," Navarro said.

"I enjoy the league, which is getting better and better, and all the big-name players who have come here, like [Lionel] Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Muller. So MLS is a very good league.

"The culture, the pitches, the competition, they're a little different. But I've been treated very well. I also like the city a lot. I like living here. I enjoy the life I live."

Gearing up for Galaxy @LAGalaxy 6pm CT @AppleTV @Y98 (ENG) 102.9 FM KXOK (ESP) @amfam https://t.co/9otInpydby https://t.co/qWcNl5RzEu

— St Louis CITY SC (@stlCITYsc) October 9, 2026

PLAYERS TO WATCH

St. Louis City SC – Rafael Navarro

Navarro is only the second player in MLS history to have scored at least 10 goals with one team and five with another in the same regular season, joining Mike Magee in his 2013 MVP season (15 with the Chicago Fire, six with the LA Galaxy).

LA Galaxy – Justin Haak

Haak scored his first goal of the season for the Galaxy in their win over the Rapids last time out.

The goal came from a header, and two of the Galaxy's last four goals have been headers after not having a header among any of their previous 23 regular-season goals prior to that.

MATCH PREDICTION: ST. LOUIS CITY WIN

St. Louis City have never lost to the Galaxy, winning three matches and drawing the other four.

They have scored multiple goals in each of the last six matches in the fixture and tallied three goals in each of the last three meetings.

The Galaxy defeated Colorado 3-2 before the international break, their second straight win by that scoreline after they also beat Minnesota United.

They had scored three goals just once in their first 26 regular-season matches of 2026 entering their current run.

St. Louis City, though, are on the third-longest single-season point streak in MLS history (after FC Dallas – 19 games in 2010, and the Columbus Crew – 18 games in 2004).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

St. Louis City – 58.4%

Draw – 21.6%

LA Galaxy – 20%

The post St. Louis City’s Navarro wants to be ‘among the greats’ appeared first on SoccerNews.

Bayern twice came from behind at WWK Arena to salvage a point as Ismael Saibari and Nathaniel Brown cancelled out goals from Robin Fellhauer and Rodrigo Ribeiro.

Fellhauer scored after just 8.37 seconds as he dispossessed Neuer and dispatched into an unguarded net, recording the fastest goal in Bundesliga history.

Bayern have started the Bundesliga season with 11 points from their first five matches – the last time they had fewer points at this stage was in 2010-11 (eight).

Nevertheless, Bayern are unbeaten in their last 29 Bundesliga games (W21 D8) – they have only had a longer unbeaten run away from home once before, with 33 consecutive unbeaten matches between 2012 and 2014.

"It was a silly mistake by me," said Neuer, who, at 40 years and 197 days old, has overtaken Jens Lehmann to become the seventh-oldest player in Bundesliga history.

"I had to bring the ball onto my left foot because two players were closing me down from the right. I should simply have made a different decision.

Thank you for your support on the road  https://t.co/trY8gFetQP

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) October 10, 2026

"I first had to reflect, take a deep breath and, of course, I still hoped we could turn the game around.

"I think we had the chances to do so, but unfortunately, we failed to take them."

Bayern failed to move level on points with early Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund, who drew 2-2 with Werder Bremen on Friday.

Despite the costly mistake from Neuer, Vincent Kompany has backed his goalkeeper to bounce back quickly.

"Of course, we wished for a better start. I've played enough football to know that this happens, and you can't change it," said the Bayern boss.

"He [Neuer] knows how to deal with the situation, and we stand together as a team."

The post Neuer takes responsibility for ‘silly mistake’ in Bayern draw appeared first on SoccerNews.

Milan resume their Serie A campaign against Sassuolo on Sunday, having won three and drawn two of their first five games to start the Amorim era.

The Rossoneri's major acquisition in the summer transfer window was Ramos, who scored 45 goals in 131 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain and won 12 major trophies, including back-to-back Champions League crowns.

He only has one goal in five league outings for his new club, striking in a 2-0 win over Venezia in August, though he did find the net in three straight matches for Portugal during the international break, following Cristiano Ronaldo's abrupt exit from their camp.

But when asked if he had a plan to get more out of his new recruit on Saturday, Amorim said: "My job as a manager is getting the team to play better, it is not about putting one player in a position to score more goals individually.

"We need to create more chances for our strikers, all our strikers, to put the ball in the box more often. I have my own ideas, I know what we want to do."

 Amorim previews our return to action:  Squad update  Rossoneri in action  Working for the future https://t.co/fBkkkmDeFX

— AC Milan (@acmilan) October 10, 2026

Amorim is hoping to mastermind an immediate return to the Champions League for Milan, who missed out under Massimiliano Allegri on the final day of last season. 

But looking beyond that, his aim is to bring major silverware back to the red and black side of Milan – and to do so relatively quickly.

"The idea is always to win titles, I don't know how long it is going to take, but we are taking those steps to win," Amorim said.

"In this club you cannot think we are going to win in two or three years, we are a top club, we have to think we're going to win now.

"It is step by step to reach this goal, as there are a lot of good teams in the league. Serie A is becoming a little bit different, the new rules about not wasting time are getting more minutes and speed into the game. 

"People don't give Serie A the value it deserves. I am having fun preparing the games, I often have a lot of issues to deal with, as there are so many different styles."

Sassuolo could provide Amorim's men with a difficult test at Mapei Stadium, having taken seven points from their first five matches – including a dramatic 3-2 victory over Juventus last time out at home.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Sassuolo – Domenico Berardi 

Berardi has scored 12 goals in 20 Serie A matches against Milan. 

In the league's history, only Silvio Piola (22) and Enrico Chiesa (14) have scored more goals against the Rossoneri (Antonio Di Natale, Carlo Reguzzoni and Stefano Nyers also have 12).

AC Milan – Diego Moreira 

Moreira has scored three goals for Milan in Serie A, despite only totalling 127 minutes across three appearances. 

Only two players have netted four goals in their first four games for the Rossoneri in the competition in the 2000s – Mario Balotelli in 2013 and Krzysztof Piatek in 2019.

MATCH PREDICTION – AC MILAN WIN 

Sassuolo have avoided defeat in seven of their last nine Serie A matches against Milan (W4 D3), including their last three (W1 D2). 

It is their longest-ever run without defeat against the Rossoneri in the competition.

However, the Neroverdi have only won one of their last 10 Serie A fixtures against Milan to take place in the first half of the season (D3 L6): a 3-1 comeback victory in November 2021 with goals from Gianluca Scamacca and Berardi, and an own goal from Simon Kjaer.

But Milan are looking to go unbeaten in their first six Serie A matches of a season for the first time since 2022-23, and Opta's predictive model fancies their chances of doing so.

There could be plenty of entertainment in store, though, as Sassuolo – along with Monza – were one of two teams to both score and concede in each of their first five Serie A games this season.

The only previous instances of the Neroverdi finding the net in each of their first six top-flight matches of a season were in 2015-16, 2018-19 and 2020-21.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Sassuolo – 25.2%

AC Milan – 50%

Draw – 24.8%

The post Amorim not worried about Ramos’ Milan performances appeared first on SoccerNews.

United spent long periods under pressure in front of a disgruntled Old Trafford crowd on Saturday, with Spurs passing up multiple chances to go in front.

But when Bryan Mbeumo turned and slotted into the bottom-right corner with 73 minutes gone, and Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for a headbutt on Luke Shaw soon afterwards, the Red Devils' second Premier League win of the season appeared to be within reach.

However, in the second of eight minutes of second-half stoppage time, Dominic Solanke took advantage of Lisandro Martinez's poor marking to nod Sandro Tonali's cross home.

The result leaves United 12th in the Premier League table with just six points on the board after five matches, with boos greeting the full-time whistle.

United have now failed to win any of their last three Premier League games against the team starting the day bottom of the table, drawing 1-1 on all three occasions, against Wolves in December 2025, Fulham last month, and Spurs on Saturday.

Just as damningly, they are winless in their last three league games against teams who have received a red card, also losing to Manchester City last month and against Newcastle United in March.

"A really mixed game. We found it tough in the first half. It was a challenging opening period," Carrick told Sky Sports afterwards.

"It just wasn't quite there, with the little bits of play, and we kept getting caught on the ball. 

"We weren't finding the pass, we were a little bit late with the press, leaving spaces, there were a number of things. 

"We warmed to the game and were much better in the second half in so many different ways. We got ourselves in a really good position to show that bit of spirit and fight to put ourselves 1-0 up. 

"It's a game we then should kill off and we didn't find a way. We turned the ball over too easily at times and it leaves the game open. 

3 – Manchester United have failed to win any of their last three Premier League games against sides that have received a red card (D1 L2). Disadvantage? https://t.co/DuSpvymZfu

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 10, 2026

"It's obviously a bad goal and it sums things up. We're very disappointed to be in a position like that and not come away with the game."

Things do not get much better for Carrick's under-fire team, either, as they visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, before facing old rivals Leeds United – who have only lost once all season – in the Premier League next weekend. 

The post Carrick admits Man Utd regrets after 10-man Tottenham salvage a point appeared first on SoccerNews.

In an enthralling Premier League encounter, Yehor Yarmoliuk gave the visitors the lead in the 10th minute before Nicolas Jackson netted an equaliser 88 seconds later.

John McGinn scored Villa's second 13 minutes from time, as his effort took a massive deflection off Kristoffer Ajer, who redeemed himself moments later, slotting home from close range.

The result sees Brentford sit fourth in the Premier League table, and continuing their unbeaten run in the competition. 

The Bees are also undefeated in their last eight games in the Premier League, but have lost eight points from winning position in the process, with only Bournemouth (nine) having lost more.

However, it was mixed emotions for Andrews, whose side mustered an expected goals (xG) of 1.25 from 14 shots.

"[I am] Torn to be honest. I liked a lot today – spirit, grit, determination. There was evidence of rustiness, which is understandable, but I don't like to use that as an excuse, but the boys have been away for three weeks so it's trying to find the balance," said Andrews.

"Then we had Kevin's [Shade] injury, Jannik [Schuster] wasn't right and came off at half time, so we got tested today.

“But we're also up against a team who I thought were just starting to click before the international break. 

“But the fact that we're disappointed coming away from home to a Champions League team who spend big money tells you a lot."

The unbeaten start continues https://t.co/1SqAYG9ABd

— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) October 10, 2026

Meanwhile, Unai Emery considered the result to be fair, even though Aston Villa have now failed to win any of their opening three home games in a league campaign for the first time since 2015-16, when they were without a win in their first nine league matches at Villa Park (D3 L6).

Reflecting on the game, Emery said, “To draw at home is not a good result. I think we played a match with a lot of things improved from our last home match against [Nottingham] Forest. We created chances but conceded more chances than I expected.

“Maybe the result is fair, but analysing how we are improving things, competing better, I can't tell nothing to the players about the match.

“We'll try to analyse again how we can improve even more. A better match than against Forest. Keep going forward. 

"We tried, we pushed, we had chances but so did they. At the end we could've won, but also we could've lost."

Emery will be hoping for different fortunes come Tuesday, as his side host Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

The post Andrews ‘torn’ as Brentford keep Premier League unbeaten run intact appeared first on SoccerNews.

After Ryan Sessegnon picked out the bottom-right corner with a long-range strike, Ipswich were heading for defeat at Portman Road.

However, the Tractor Boys, who registered an expected goals (xG) of 1.15, levelled the scoreline in the 88th minute thanks to Abdoul Ouattara’s curling left-footed effort.

And the action did not end there as captain Dara O'Shea netted a stoppage-time winner, heading in Jack Clarke’s free-kick at the near post.

The result means Ipswich have now won three of their first six Premier League games in a season for only the second time, while also winning six points from losing positions with no team having recovered more.

After seeing his side seal a late win against Fulham, O’Neil said, “We deserved the win today, to perform the way we did.

“We were the better side, we were in control. We conceded a goal from 30 yards, which was tough to take when you are the team that has the momentum.

"But we are a fit side, they can run [the group]. So, we were able to make five changes from the bench which had a positive impact.

"We get the win that we deserve, which is important. A lot of work went into it, the players were excellent, they deserve a lot of credit.”

On Ouattara’s performance, O’Neil added, “He’s a good player, Abdoul. Still has a lot to do. Still working hard. I’ve had him for a while now, obviously [at Strasbourg].

"He can play in a number of different positions, he has some stuff we still need to improve, but his left foot shooting from 30 yards does not seem to be one of them."

We fight to the end! https://t.co/CxsrqW57XA

— Ipswich Town (@IpswichTown) October 10, 2026

Meanwhile, Alvaro Arbeloa continues his search for a first Premier League win as Fulham boss.

In a contest which saw the Cottagers muster a superior xG of 1.81 from 13 attempts, Arbeloa’s side were made to pay for sitting too deep in the final few minutes of the game.

Fulham have now failed to win in their last six games in the Premier League, while also losing eight points from winning positions, with only Bournemouth (nine) having lost more.

More worryingly, Fulham sit 20th in the Premier League table, with pressure mounting on the former Real Madrid boss.

"It is painful to lose three points in the way that we did. It is something we need to accept and prepare the same for the next game," said Arbeloa. 

“We need to keep improving. We did many things well, we played well for 60–70 minutes, but in the end we conceded two late goals and lost the game.

“If you don't take your chances, your opponent will. We are creating so many chances during games, if we want to win games we need to start taking chances.”

The post ‘Ipswich deserved the win’ – O’Neil delighted with late victory against Fulham appeared first on SoccerNews.

The Bianconeri emerge from the international break seventh in the Italian top flight, with 10 points on the board after five matches.

And Spalletti was impressed with the response the Bianconeri showed after their unbeaten start was halted by Sassuolo, who inflicted a 3-2 defeat on his team on September 13.

In the week after that loss – which was the result of a 94th-minute strike by Vasilije Adzic – Juventus thumped NEC 5-0 in the Europa League, then beat Atalanta 2-0 in Serie A.

"We always want to improve and keep growing," Spalletti told reporters at Saturday's pre-match press conference.

"We always want to learn, because whoever stops learning often ends up repeating themselves, and those who go out and learn new things usually grow. 

"I don't see anything negative stopping us from reaching the level you mentioned. What did you call it, hunger? That's always important in football. 

"Your love for the game has to show on the pitch, by passing on to those around you a serious approach and a constant drive for high standards. That's something we're doing. 

"There's always time and room to grow a bit more. You think you've reached a certain level, and then the following year you say: 'How much more is there?'

"But our attitude is right. After the defeat at Sassuolo, we won two games that were far from straightforward. We're on the path we need to be on."

On Sunday at the Unipol Domus, Juve will be facing a team above them in the table, as Cagliari have made a wonderful start to the campaign under Fabio Pisacane.

They have won four of their opening five matches to occupy a place in the top four throughout the international break, with their only defeat coming by a 1-0 scoreline at home to Inter.

 "We need to be alert and intense" Luciano Spalletti previews Sunday's Serie A clash with Cagliari   https://t.co/fmwHqboFlu #CagliariJuve https://t.co/mJqh8r3jZF

— JuventusFC  (@juventusfcen) October 10, 2026

PLAYERS TO WATCH 

Cagliari – Daniel Maldini 

Maldini has scored in each of his last three Serie A appearances. 

The last Cagliari player to score in more consecutive games in the competition was Joao Pedro, who netted in five in a row between October and November 2020.

Juventus – Randal Kolo Muani 

Among forwards who have made five Serie A starts this season, Kolo Muani is one of just five players yet to score (alongside Paulo Dybala, El Bilal Toure, Armand Lauriente and Nicolo Cambiaghi).

Additionally, among players with at least 25 touches in the opposition box, only Assane Diao (10) has attempted fewer shots than Kolo Muani (11) – will he find his shooting boots this week?

MATCH PREDICTION – JUVENTUS WIN

Cagliari won their last Serie A match against Juventus, 1-0 on January 17, following a run of nine consecutive games without a win against the Bianconeri (D2 L7). 

The last time the Sardinians recorded two consecutive victories against the Bianconeri in the competition was in 2009, when Massimiliano Allegri was Cagliari's head coach.

Despite Juventus winning 47 Serie A matches against Cagliari (only Inter and AC Milan, both with 48, have beaten them more often), the Bianconeri have only won two of their last five league games against the Rossoblu (D2 L1).

Juventus have earned 10 points in Serie A so far this season (W3 D1 L1); only recording more wins in their opening six league games once in the previous six seasons: in 2023-24 (four).

Spalletti's side are favourites, but they may not have things all their own way, with Cagliari starting a Serie A season with four wins in their opening five games for just the second time in their history, previously doing so in 1969-70 – when they drew their sixth match.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Cagliari – 18.2%

Juventus – 57.5%

Draw – 24.3%

The post Spalletti says Juventus have learned plenty since Sassuolo defeat appeared first on SoccerNews.

De Zerbi watched on as Spurs played out a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday, despite going behind to Bryan Mbeumo's goal and seeing Rodrigo Bentancur sent off.

The visitors had dominated for much of the encounter without reward, and they were hit with a sucker punch in the 73rd minute when Mbeumo finished past Antonin Kinsky. 

It went from bad to worse for Spurs five minutes later when Bentancur was sent for an early bath, after he headbutted Luke Shaw following a coming together between the pair. 

However, in the second of eight additional minutes, Dominic Solanke got the better of Lisandro Martinez and glanced Sandro Tonali's teasing cross into the bottom-right corner. 

Spurs have now failed to win each of their opening six games of a league season for just the fourth time in their history, after 2008-09, 1955-56 and 1912-13, but De Zerbi said there were plenty of positives for his team to take from their performance. 

"I think we played very well against a great team. We had many chances to score in the first half. Three or four," De Zerbi told Sky Sports.

"The second half, it is normal to suffer against this quality. I am very happy because I have seen the right spirit and character.

"We suffered in the game but in every situation of the game. I like the situation we were in with the red card. We need this situation. We have not accepted the defeat.

"We have to react in all the ways we can. It is a bad way, it is not the right way. I kissed Bentancur in the dressing room. Football is character.

"We win the game if we play as a team. We didn't win this game playing as a team. Every game like today, we will win many games."

Fighting 'til the end https://t.co/a6HGOeLZhM

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 10, 2026

The quality of Spurs' chances were backed up by the metrics, with De Zerbi's side finishing with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.56 from their 12 shots, compared to United's 0.77 from the same number of attempts. 

And it looked as though they would come away with nothing until Solanke, who was captaining Spurs for the first time, popped up with a confidence-boosting leveller. 

Solanke has netted four Premier League goals against the Red Devils, his joint-most against an opponent (also four vs Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest).

Meanwhile, the City Ground (four) is the only away venue he has scored more often at than Old Trafford (three) in the competition, and De Zerbi is hoping this latest goal will be the foundation Solanke needs to build on for the rest of the season. 

"He is a good player for Tottenham," De Zerbi said of Solanke. "There are not too many strikers better than Solanke.

"Today he was captain because he deserved it, especially at that moment because he suffered because Tottenham didn't score or win any games.

"He is a great guy, a great player and we are behind him. We have to believe in ourselves and this football way.

"If we believe, improve and play as a team, we will score many goals and win many games. If we don't play as a team, it is impossible."

The post De Zerbi sees ‘right spirit and character’ in Tottenham’s draw at Man Utd appeared first on SoccerNews.

Having brushed aside Arsenal before the international break, Brighton took the lead in the 53rd minute when Maxim De Cuyper was on hand to finish past Robin Roefs.

But just four minutes after going in front, the Seagulls were reduced to 10 men when Struijk was penalised for a last-man foul on Wilson Isidor, following a VAR review.

With over half-an-hour to play with a player down, Brighton showed a steely determination to shut out Sunderland before substitute Jaouen Hadjam scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time to seal all three points.

Brighton have now won their last three games in the Premier League, while also keeping a clean sheet in four of their six games.

Hurzeler's side remain third in the league table, two points behind leaders Manchester City, who play on Sunday.

On his team's performance, Hurzeler said, "It was a different performance [to the win over Arsenal] because we had difficult circumstances and faced different adversities.

"It was key for us today to have a really good defensive mindset. I feel it was a deserved win and I have to praise my players.

"They really stuck together, faced adversity no matter how hard it was. They did the basics really well and that is so crucial in a game like this, especially when you are one man down."

Another successful Albion away day! https://t.co/xVAJtqAMpu

— Brighton & Hove Albion (@BHAFC) October 10, 2026

For Sunderland, they have now suffered their fourth defeat of the league campaign.

In this fixture, the Black Cats mustered an expected goals (xG) of 0.64 from 12 attempts, and will surely feel they should have done better after Brighton were reduced to 10 men.

The result means Sunderland have now lost back-to-back Premier League home games without scoring for the first time since April/May 2017, with this the first time they have lost two of their opening three home matches of a league season since 2017-18 (also L2).

On his side’s defeat, Regis Le Bris said, "It was a disappointing result, to be fair. Think we had several chances in the game. The first half was balanced. It was intense, really tight. We created a few chances, but we lacked quality in the final third."

"We missed composure. Our ideas were good. Our energy, we tried until the end. But we lacked composure at the end."

The post Hurzeler thrilled by Brighton’s response to Struijk red card appeared first on SoccerNews.