Soccer

Marco Angulo -- an up-and-coming midfielder in the MLS -- has passed away from injuries he suffered in a car crash in his home country of Ecuador last month.

Angulo's club, FC Cincinnati, addressed the heartbreaking news on Tuesday ... saying, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Marco -- a husband and father, a brother and son, a friend and teammate."

"He was a joyful, kind young man who lit up every room he entered. Our entire club grieves this tragedy, and we are thinking of and praying for his family."

A freak accident claimed the life of a 39-year-old soccer player in Peru ... when the man was tragically struck by a bolt of lightning, killing him as he was walking off the pitch.

Several others, including two teenage boys, were also injured during the strike ... which was captured on video.

It all went down during Sunday's matchup between Juventud Bellavista and Familia Chocca at Coto Coto stadium in the Peruvian city of Huancayo.

Cristiano Ronaldo is on the hunt for one of his biggest fans ... hoping to save the day after the guy was seen crying at his team's game in Saudi Arabia earlier on Friday.

The man was captured on a bystander's camera while he was out Al Nassr's tilt against Al Kholood at King Abdullah Sport City Stadium ... and he seemed to be in tears over the fact that Ronaldo did not suit up for the contest.

In the clip, the guy -- wearing a yellow Ronaldo jersey -- looked like he was crying ... as he chanted the soccer superstar's name while he filmed the pitch below.

Liam Payne's beloved professional soccer club is addressing the singer's tragic death ... sharing a heartfelt message in his honor.

The former One Direction member was a passionate soccer fan, specifically of West Bromwich Albion F.C. of the EFL Championship ... and attended numerous matches over the years.

Shortly after the news broke of Payne's passing ... WBA released a statement on social media.

Soccer star George Baldock -- who played seven seasons with Sheffield United -- has died after his body was found in a pool on Wednesday. He was only 31.

Sheffield United confirmed the defender's death hours after Baldock was discovered at his Glyfada, Athens home.

Emergency responders reportedly used life-saving measures at the scene ... but they couldn't revive him. His cause of death is unknown at this time.

A cast of Donald Trump's head was recently used as an unconventional soccer ball ... all in the name of art.

Check it out ... what appears to be a rubber or latex object shaped like 45's dome was kicked around at an exhibit at Superchief Gallery in Los Angeles last weekend. As you can see, participants dribbled and booted the facsimile of the former president's noggin in an indoor game.

The controversial art installation comes from the activist art collective INDECLINE ... best known for creating the jaw-dropping naked Trump statue that "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans bought for a whopping $28K.

A huge blimp sent up by a major soccer team for a promo blitz turned into a real PR nightmare when it came crashing down in a residential area in São Paulo, Brazil ... injuring the pilot.

The airship was cruising from Carapicuíba when it crashed in the suburb of Osasco about 4 miles away around noon Wednesday ... video from bystanders showing the blimp getting shredded after snagging on rooftops.

Locals were sprinting for safety from the plummeting blimp ... making for quite a chaotic scene.

Washington Spirit midfielder Croix Bethune will not play again this season ... and it's all because she hurled out a ceremonial first pitch at a Nationals game last week.

The 23-year-old was tapped by the MLB org. to kick off its tilt with the Yankees on Aug. 28 following her gold medal success at the Paris Games ... and, initially, everything appeared to go off without a hitch.

The soccer star -- who was at the D.C. game with several other Olympians -- toed the rubber, threw the ball to a catcher ... and was all smiles throughout the process.

Alex Morgan just announced her last professional soccer game will be this weekend ... saying she's officially retiring from the sport as she prepares to give birth to her second child.

The 35-year-old U.S. Women's National Team superstar shared a heartfelt post on social media minutes ago ... where she revealed her plans to walk away from her career after the San Diego Wave hosted the North Carolina Courage on Sunday.

"I gave everything to this sport, and what I got in return was more than I could ever dream of," an emotional Morgan said on Instagram. "Success for me is defined by never giving up and giving your all, and I did just that. I'm giving my all every single day on the field, and I did that."

Cristiano Ronaldo has made a fortune with his feet, but his hands are clearly fully functional, too ... 'cause the football superstar couldn't keep 'em off his partner's cheeks during a romantic getaway over the weekend!!

The Al Nassr striker and Georgina Rodriguez were spotted enjoying some R&R in Saint-Tropez ... soaking up the sun aboard a fancy yacht in the French Riviera.

The stunning couple put their physiques on display ... with Georgina sporting a white two-piece, and CR7 rocking some short trunks.

Soccer player Juan Izquierdo -- a defender for the Nacional team -- has tragically passed away less than a week after he collapsed on the pitch during a game, his team confirmed.

Izquierdo was only 27.

The Uruguayan professional sports club announced the devastating news Tuesday evening ... Izquierdo died following his collapse during the August 22nd game.

A hard foul during a women's college soccer game led to punches being thrown ... and the wild fistfight was caught on video!

It happened Sunday at Rudd Field in Massachusetts during the Rutgers and UMass game -- just the third game of the new season.

Rutgers player Gia Girman committed a hard foul on a UMass player around the 55th minute ... before they both fell to the turf. While Girman was trying to get up, UMass' Ashley Lamond came over to retrieve the ball near her feet.

Cristiano Ronaldo may have broken the record for most subscribers in 90 minutes on YouTube ... but there's just no way in hell he's catching up to MrBeast's astronomical figures -- so says Jake Paul.

Many had wondered if the soccer superstar could reach 300 million like Beast, given his wild numbers in just a few days of launching his channel -- but Paul told TMZ Sports on Friday, he just doesn't see it happening.

Now, that's not any kind of shade from the boxer -- Paul actually praised Ronaldo for scoring the number -- but he just thinks MrBeast's digits are in a whole 'nother stratosphere.

Another Olympic medal disaster ... USWNT star Lynn Williams broke her gold medal while celebrating Team USA's win, and she's not happy!!!

Williams -- the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) all-time leading scorer -- held story time with her thousands of followers on TikTok, just weeks after USWNT won their fifth gold medal in Paris.

The 31-year-old broke down what happened.

U.S. soccer star Tierna Davidson is back home after helping the women's soccer team secure their fifth Olympic gold medal ... and she tells TMZ Sports the whole experience was unforgettable!!

We sat down with the 25-year-old NY/NJ Gotham FC center back as she was working an honorary shift at a Raising Canes in New York ... and she spoke at length about her time in the City of Lights.

For starters ... she spotted a ton of celebrities at her games -- she was even able to squeeze in a brief conversation with legendary women's basketball coach Dawn Staley!!!