Soccer

Saudi-backed Newcastle United hosts Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday in a match that is laced with intrigue.

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Veteran coach Louis van Gaal is coming out of soccer retirement to help get Dutch power Ajax back on track after its worst start to a season in decades.

Neymar scored his first goal in his fifth appearance for Al-Hilal on Tuesday as the Saudi Arabian club beat Nassaji Mazandaran 3-0 in Tehran on a calmer day in the Asian Champions League.

John Herdman will take in his first Toronto FC game as head coach when the cellar-dwelling MLS club visits Charlotte FC on Wednesday. The former Canada coach will be an observer with interim coach Terry Dunfield running the show from the sideline.

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The governing body for England's referees will introduce changes to VAR following the errors that led to Luiz Diaz's disallowed goal for Liverpool against Tottenham last weekend.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — It has taken João Félix several years and a couple of false starts, but the creative forward who left Portugal to aim for greater heights in Spain has finally found a team where he can flourish.

MONTREAL — Currently mired in a six-game winless streak, CF Montreal will need to revert to its dominant home form Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo to improve its playoff chances.

TORONTO — John Herdman added to his staff at Toronto FC on Tuesday, bringing César Meylan on board as the MLS club's director of performance.

GENEVA (AP) — FIFA moved to block potential witness tampering by Luis Rubiales when its disciplinary committee suspended the now-ousted Spanish soccer president, the sport’s governing body said in a written verdict explaining the decision.

LEVERKUSEN, Germany (AP) — Dutch right back Jeremie Frimpong has signed a new contract at Bayer Leverkusen taking him through the end of the 2027-28 season.