Sports
S. Korea star Son makes instant impact in MLS debut with LAFC
South Korea star Son Heung-min made his Major League Soccer debut Saturday, coming off the bench to spark Los Angeles FC in a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Fire.
Son was brought down for a penalty in the 77th minute that Denis Bouanga converted to clinch a draw in the 81st minute – VAR confirming the spot-kick after the referee had allowed play to continue.
“It was a great pass. Obviously it was definitely contact and it was definitely a penalty, I have no doubt about it,” said Son, who was sent sprawling by Carlos Teran after racing on to a through ball with the goal in his sights.
“A bit disappointed not getting three points, but I think everybody put in a lot of effort. (I’m) happy I made my debut and I hope the goals come soon.”
The former Tottenham captain also had a string of shots on goal, including one blocked in second-half injury time.
Son signed with LAFC on Wednesday for a reported MLS record $26, after a decade with Premier League club Spurs, where he became a household name.
The South Korea captain had announced the previous Saturday in his homeland that he would be leaving the north London club and departed as Tottenham’s fifth-highest goalscorer of all time with 173 goals in 454 appearances.
Son will not get a chance to play in front of home fans in Los Angeles until Aug. 31, when Western Conference leaders San Diego will be the visitors.
But around the Fire’s SeatGeek Stadium, there were a lot of fans wearing his jerseys, waving South Korean flags and holding up signs welcoming Son to MLS.
Cheers greeted his entry in place of David Martinez in the 61st minute with the teams level at 1-1.
Jonathan Bamba put Chicago 2-1 ahead in the 70th minute and were pressing again when Brian Gutierrez’s shot bounced off the post and LAFC seized the rebound.
Nathan Ordaz played the ball forward for Son to race away. He had a first MLS goal in his sights when he was brought down.
The penalty allowed LAFC to level for a second time.
Carlos Teran had opened the scoring for the Fire in the 11th minute with a header from a corner.
Eight minutes later, Ryan Hollingshead nodded in to make it 1-1.
Son had said at his introductory press conference – attended by luminaries including Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass – that he felt fighting fit and wanted to get on the pitch “as soon as possible.”
He will have his next chance when LAFC, who moved up a spot to fifth in the Western Conference, visit the New England Revolution next Saturday.
“It was a decent 30 minutes in my legs, so, yeah, getting ready for next week,” Son said.
“So we’ll see how I progress with the training sessions and with the players and we’ll see (if) next week I can start the game and make a big impact.”
Liverpool have invested about 260 million pounds ($348.56 million) in new signings in a bid to turn last season’s Premier League title into the start of a new era of dominance in English football.
The post-Juergen Klopp era began with Dutchman Arne Slot’s side wrestling control from Manchester City and turning the title race into a procession as their rivals imploded.
Winning back-to-back titles for the first time since 1984 is likely to prove a rather more arduous challenge.
Premier League clubs have already splurged in excess of 2 billion pounds, with the likes of Arsenal, City and Chelsea all flexing their muscles with statement signings.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will surely improve drastically on woeful domestic campaigns last season, while the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United will again be making themselves heard at the top table.
While Liverpool won’t care, last season’s Premier League campaign was not a vintage edition, with the title sewn up early, the relegation victims all too predictable and the main interest being the jostle for European qualification.
Hopes are high that the new season will offer more intrigue.
It will be a somber occasion as Liverpool and Bournemouth kick off a 380-match Premier League slog on Friday with the Anfield faithful remembering Diogo Jota, the club’s Portugal forward who died alongside his brother in a car crash in July.
While Jota will forever have a place in the hearts of the Kop, new heroes are ready to emerge, none more so than German midfielder Florian Wirtz and French forward Hugo Ekitike.
Liverpool smashed their transfer record when they paid Bayer Leverkusen an initial 100 million pounds to sign the 22-year-old Germany international, who scored 57 goals and provided 65 assists in 197 appearances for the Bundesliga club.
Allied with the pace and power of 23-year-old Ekitike, signed from Eintracht Frankfurt for an initial 69 million pounds, Liverpool will have more cutting edge this season.
They have also upgraded in defence with highly-rated left back Milos Kerkez set to challenge Andy Robertson and Jeremie Frimpong to fill the hole left by the departure of Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid.
“I think there’s always room for improvement in every department,” Slot said after Liverpool beat Athletic Bilbao 3-2 in a pre-season friendly. “We’ve added a few extra weapons.”
The Dutchman was also quick to point out that Liverpool’s rivals have not “stood still,” especially Arsenal and City.
Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal have been agonisingly close to a first Premier League title since 2004, twice pushing Manchester City hard and last season emerging as Liverpool’s sole rivals before falling away.
Fans have long lamented the lack of a genuine goal poacher, but their prayers may have been answered with the signing of Sweden’s Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting as part of a near 200 million pounds outlay in the close season.
The 27-year-old scored 54 goals in all competitions last season and should he come anywhere near the level of club record scorer Thierry Henry, whose number 14 shirt he will wear, the 63.5 million euros ($73.93 million) fee will seem a bargain.
Defensive midfielder Martin Zubimendi arrived from Real Sociedad, while Noni Madueke made the short trip across London from Chelsea to offer attacking support to Bukayo Saka.
While Arsenal, who visit Manchester United in their opener next Sunday, trailed by 10 points behind Liverpool last term, City were 13 points adrift as their stranglehold ended.
Pep Guardiola’s rebuilding job began last season and with talisman Kevin de Bruyne gone, that has accelerated with the signings of Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Wolverhampton Wanderers left back Rayan Ait-Nouri and winger Rayan Cherki.
City visit Wolves in the late game next Saturday.
Fresh from winning the Club World Cup, Chelsea will also be expected to mount a challenge with striker Joao Pedro their standout signing of another busy transfer window. The Blues start their season at home to Crystal Palace next Sunday.
Former Brentford manager Thomas Frank takes charge of a Spurs team that finished 17th but won the Europa League under Ange Postecoglou and are back in the Champions League without talisman Son Heung-min, who ended his 10-year stint this week.
Quite what the Dane will make of the jigsaw puzzle he has inherited from the sacked Postecoglou is anyone’s guess, but fans will expect to see a vast domestic improvement as they get underway at home to promoted Burnley next Saturday.
Likewise, at Manchester United, where Ruben Amorim begins his first full season in charge with the pain of their worst league campaign since 1974 still painfully fresh.
For Daniel Farke, Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris – managers of promoted trio Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland – the brief is simple – survival.
The omens are not good with the last six teams to gain promotion to the top flight going straight back down.
Leeds open their campaign at home to Everton two days after Sunderland welcome West Ham United next Saturday.
Liverpool’s Egyptian star forward Mohamed Salah on Saturday accused UEFA of omitting key details about the Israeli killing of Suleiman al-Obeid, the “Palestinian Pele,” in its tribute to the late footballer.
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) said that al-Obeid, 41, was killed by an Israeli strike targeting civilians waiting for humanitarian aid in the southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday.
In a brief post on the social media platform X, UEFA called the former national team member “a talent who gave hope to countless children, even in the darkest of times.”
Salah responded: “Can you tell us how he died, where, and why?”
UEFA was not immediately available to comment.
One of the Premier League’s biggest stars, the 33-year-old Egyptian Salah, has previously advocated for humanitarian aid to be allowed into Gaza in the nearly two-year war.
The PFA later posted a statement on its Facebook page attributed to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, calling al-Obeid “proof of the joy that can flourish in the hearts of people despite hardship.”
“He gave his talent and dedication to the children of Gaza and gave their dreams a hope to blossom despite the suffering,” the statement read.
“His death is a great loss to the world of football and to everyone who recognises the power of sport to unite people.”
The PFA said on Saturday that 325 players, coaches, administrators, referees and club board members in the Palestinian football community have died in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023.
The war was triggered by the Hamas incursion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, causing around 1,200 deaths and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel’s genocidal war, in comparison, has killed over 61,300 people, the local Health Ministry says. The war also leveled entire neighborhoods in Gaza, displaced most of the population of 2.3 million and pushed the enclave to the brink of famine, according to the United Nations.
The U.N. says more than 1,000 people have been killed near aid distribution sites and aid convoys in Gaza since the launch of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S. and Israel-backed aid distribution system, in late May.
Spanish club Villarreal signed midfielder Thomas Partey on Thursday, just two days after he was granted bail on rape charges in England.
The 32-year-old Ghana international, a free agent since his Arsenal contract expired in June, agreed to join Villarreal for the 2025-26 season.
In announcing the deal, the club highlighted Partey’s on-field qualities before addressing his legal situation.
“The player firmly maintains his innocence and denies all charges against him,” Villarreal said in a statement. “The club respects the fundamental principle of the presumption of innocence and will await the outcome of the judicial process, which will be responsible for clarifying the facts. Due to the law in England in relation to ongoing proceedings, the club is unable to comment further.”
Partey appeared Tuesday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, where he was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault. The alleged offenses, involving three women, date to 2021 and 2022.
Villarreal added that it “wishes to clearly reiterate its strong commitment to respect and diversity and firmly condemns any act of violence in all its forms, including gender-based violence, discrimination, racism, xenophobia or any behavior that undermines the dignity of individuals.”
The midfielder was expected to join the team at its training ground Friday, Villarreal said, which did not specify if the contract extends beyond one season.
Arsenal hosted Villarreal in a preseason friendly Wednesday at Emirates Stadium. Partey joined Arsenal nearly five years ago from Atlético Madrid.
Partey’s lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, previously said he “denies all the charges against him.”
Police said the investigation was opened in February 2022 when it first received a report of rape. Partey was charged July 4, days after his Arsenal contract expired.
He is due to appear at the Old Bailey on Sept. 2.
A paperwork dispute over Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s injury has cracked open a leadership void at Barcelona, with the German goalkeeper temporarily stripped of his captaincy in a rare public clash between player and club.
The defending La Liga champions announced Thursday that 26-year-old Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo will take over the armband “until the matter is definitively resolved,” ending – for now – Ter Stegen’s role as first-team captain, a position he has held since the summer of 2023.
“Following the disciplinary proceedings opened against player Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and until this matter is definitively resolved, the club, by mutual agreement with the sporting direction and the coaching staff, has decided to temporarily withdraw his role as first-team captain,” Barcelona said in a statement.
At the heart of the standoff is Barcelona’s need to submit an official medical report to La Liga confirming Ter Stegen’s expected recovery period following lower back surgery performed last week.
Under the league’s financial fair play rules, a club can temporarily exclude a percentage of a long-term injured player’s wages from the salary cap if they are ruled out for at least four months – space that could be used to register new signings or renew key contracts.
Ter Stegen, 33, reportedly told club doctors before the operation that he expected to return in about three months – a timeframe too short for maximum salary-cap relief.
Barcelona’s official statement on the surgery avoided any mention of a target date, saying only that his return “will depend on rehabilitation progress.”
Club officials sought his signature to finalize the report for submission to La Liga, but Ter Stegen refused, according to sources familiar with the matter, concerned that a longer official timeline could create a misleading impression about his fitness and jeopardize his role later in the season.
Financial stakes
The disagreement comes at a sensitive moment for Barcelona, whose finances remain under the microscope.
Saddled with heavy debt and bound by La Liga’s strict spending controls, the Catalan giants have little room to maneuver.
Ter Stegen is one of the highest earners in the squad, and freeing even part of his salary could prove decisive in the final weeks of the transfer window.
The urgency is underscored by the arrival of 23-year-old Joan Garcia from city rivals Espanyol in June, joining backup keeper Inaki Pena and veteran Wojciech Szczesny.
While Flick has goalkeeping depth, none possess Ter Stegen’s blend of reflexes, passing range and authority – both on the pitch and in the dressing room.
History of setbacks
Injuries have become an unwelcome theme in Ter Stegen’s career.
He missed nearly the entire 2024-25 campaign after rupturing a tendon in his knee and underwent a separate back operation in 2023 that sidelined him for two months.
This latest procedure adds to growing questions over his long-term durability, despite a decade of service since arriving from Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2014.
Leadership shift
The decision to hand the armband to Araujo – reached in agreement with manager Hansi Flick and the club’s sporting department – reflects the seriousness of the rift.
Known for his physical dominance, uncompromising defending and vocal presence, the Uruguayan has been groomed for a leadership role and will now guide Barcelona into their La Liga opener later this month.
Spanish outlets report that Ter Stegen held a brief meeting with senior officials earlier this week in an attempt to find common ground.
The club has confirmed disciplinary proceedings are ongoing, with no sign yet of a breakthrough.
Barcelona returned from a preseason tour of Asia on Tuesday, where Flick fine-tuned his squad for a title defense that begins in weeks.
For now, the captaincy change is a temporary measure – but if the deadlock persists, the fallout could stretch beyond the treatment room and into the club’s long-term planning.
19-year-old heptathlete Sofia Yakushina has found herself at the heart of an international tug-of-war.
Yakushina, once seen as a prodigy of Russian athletics, now stands poised to wear Türkiye’s national colors and Moscow isn’t happy about it.
After winning silver at the 2024 Russian Athletics Championships, Yakushina accepted Turkish citizenship through the Ministry of Youth and Sports’ devşirme (naturalization) program, an initiative aimed at strengthening Türkiye’s global sporting presence by recruiting top foreign talent.
Her move has sparked a heated backlash from Russia, now dubbed the “Sofia Crisis.”
Allegiance switch
Born in 2005, Yakushina quickly rose through the ranks as one of Russia’s most promising names in the heptathlon, a brutal seven-event test of speed, strength and stamina.
But just as Russian athletes remain sidelined from major global competitions due to sanctions, Yakushina made a bold pivot.
Her naturalization aligns with Türkiye’s strategy of investing in international-caliber athletes ahead of major events like the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The devşirme program – which has already yielded results in long-distance running and weightlifting – has added another high-potential name to its roster.
For Yakushina, the move means stability, elite facilities, and a chance to compete on the world stage. For Türkiye, it’s another calculated step in building a podium-ready squad.
“We built her career”
The response from Russia was swift and bitter.
Officials there claim Türkiye “stole” a product of Russian investment. “Her career was made in Russia, not Türkiye,” a senior Russian athletics figure told local press. “Türkiye should pay compensation for her training and development.”
Behind the frustration is a deeper insecurity. Since 2022, Russian athletes have faced widespread bans due to the Ukraine conflict.
Many of the country’s brightest talents are unable to compete internationally and losing them to other nations feels like salt in the wound.
Yakushina’s switch, to them, is not just about a young woman’s future – it’s about national pride.
Legal and diplomatic fog
Russia is reportedly weighing legal options, including whether Türkiye violated any international sporting protocols.
Under World Athletics regulations, athlete transfers require not just citizenship, but also approval from both the former and new federations.
Objections – like the one Russia is likely to file – can delay the process for up to three years.
Some precedents exist for financial settlements when athletes change national allegiance, but they are few, and rarely straightforward.
Meanwhile, diplomatic watchers warn the dispute could strain Türkiye-Russia relations, already delicately balanced between cooperation and competition across various sectors.
Ethics of naturalization
Türkiye is not alone in this game. Countries like Qatar, Bahrain and Azerbaijan have long used naturalization to gain sporting edge.
But critics argue the practice raises ethical questions about loyalty, identity, and the commodification of athletes.
Yet for nations like Türkiye, especially with Olympic ambitions in sight, the policy is clear: talent knows no borders.
Yakushina’s case highlights the fine line between smart recruitment and international controversy – a line that Türkiye must now walk carefully.
Right now, the case remains in legal limbo as Russia has not yet filed a formal complaint, but talks of compensation and appeals are reportedly underway.
Yakushina, meanwhile, is preparing to train with Turkish coaches and could soon compete under the crescent and star.
Galatasaray will begin their Süper Lig title defense Friday night in Gaziantep, kicking off the 2025–26 season in a fixture that heavily tilts in favor of the Istanbul giants – both on paper and in memory.
The season curtain-raiser pits the reigning champions against Gaziantep at Kalyon Stadium, where history suggests the visitors will hold the upper hand.
The two teams have clashed 12 times in the league, and Galatasaray have won 10 of those meetings – including one by default.
Gaziantep secured only one victory, while a single match ended in a draw.
In terms of goals, the Lions have roared with authority, netting 27 times and conceding just 11.
Even when on the road, Galatasaray have shown little vulnerability.
In six previous visits to Gaziantep in league play, they’ve walked away with five victories – again, one awarded by forfeit and suffered just one loss.
During those games, the visitors scored 12 goals and allowed only four. That advantage will weigh heavily over a Gaziantep side desperate to avoid a familiar fate.
While opening-week matches can be unpredictable, Galatasaray tend to thrive under the spotlight.
Over the course of 67 previous Süper Lig seasons, they have played 67 first-week matches and emerged victorious in 46 of them.
Twelve ended in defeat, while nine were draws. Their away record in season openers is also formidable, with 15 wins in 28 such matches, alongside seven losses and six draws.
This isn’t the first time Galatasaray will kick off a season in Gaziantep.
In the 2001-02 campaign, they drew 1-1 with the now-defunct Gaziantepspor, and in 2009-10 they edged the same opponent 3-2.
The only other time they opened the season against Gaziantep was in the 2020-21 season, when they secured a 3-1 victory in Istanbul.
Their offensive efficiency in first-week matches is also notable.
Galatasaray have failed to score in only 10 of their opening-week fixtures since the league began in 1959.
At home, that silence has been even rarer – they’ve been kept off the scoresheet only three times, against Kasımpaşa in 1963-64, Denizlispor in 1984-85 and Trabzonspor in 1986-87.
They’ve kicked off seasons in emphatic style before.
The team’s biggest opening-week wins came by 4-0 margins over Feriköy in 1964-65, Karagümrük in 1983–84, and Rizespor in 2007-08.
Their most significant opening-week losses came in a 3-1 defeat to Göztepe in 1979-80 and two 2-0 losses, first to İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyespor in 2011-12 and again to Denizlispor in 2019-20.
New era looms
As Galatasaray prepares for another season atop Turkish football, the Süper Lig itself enters a new era.
For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the league reverts to an 18-team format.
The previous five seasons featured expanded lineups: 21 teams in 2020-21, 20 in 2021-22 and 2023-24 and 19 in both 2022-23 and 2024-25.
This season, 18 clubs from 11 provinces will battle across a 283-day stretch for domestic supremacy.
Seven of those teams come from Istanbul: Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, Beşiktaş, Başakşehir, Kasımpaşa, Karagümrük, and newly promoted Eyüpspor.
The rest of the lineup includes Gaziantep, Antalyaspor, Alanyaspor, Konyaspor, Gençlerbirliği, Trabzonspor, Kayserispor, Göztepe, Kocaelispor, Samsunspor, and Rizespor.
The format shift comes with increased stakes.
At the end of the season, the teams finishing in 16th, 17th, and 18th place will be relegated to the TFF First League, raising the pressure on clubs fighting for survival from day one.
High-profile matches are scattered throughout the schedule, but the first marquee clash arrives in Week 5 when Fenerbahçe hosts Trabzonspor.
Istanbul’s first major derby – Galatasaray vs. Beşiktaş – takes place in Week 8. Week 11 will feature two massive matchups: Beşiktaş against Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray facing Trabzonspor. Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray will clash again in Week 14, while Beşiktaş meets Trabzonspor in Week 16, in what promises to be a derby-laden campaign.
Several administrative and regulatory changes also shape the new season.
Clubs may now name up to 12 foreign players in their matchday squad with no restrictions.
Beyond that, two additional foreign players born on or after Jan. 1, 2002, may also be included, offering youth development incentives.
Each team is allowed to register a maximum of 28 players for its senior squad.
The summer transfer window, which opened on June 30, will close on Sept. 12.
The winter window will open on Jan. 5, 2026 and shut on Feb. 10, giving teams limited but critical time to reshape their rosters during the campaign.
The season officially kicks off on Aug. 8 with the Gaziantep-Galatasaray clash.
The rest of the weekend slate includes Samsunspor hosting Gençlerbirliği and Antalyaspor facing Kasımpaşa.
Fenerbahçe’s opener against Alanyaspor, as well as the Kayserispor–Beşiktaş and Karagümrük–Başakşehir matches, have been postponed.
The first round will wrap up on Monday, Aug. 11, when Trabzonspor hosts newly promoted Kocaelispor.
The first half of the season will conclude on Dec. 22, followed by a brief winter break. Action resumes on Jan. 16 and will continue uninterrupted until the season wraps up on May 17, 2026.
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