The championship won by the United States women’s soccer team in the World Cup this month has made the sport a hot topic. To that end, there is already a big list of apps to help people learn more about soccer and to follow news about the game on their phones.

Before I delve into the apps, a quick note on terminology: I’m British, and to me the sport is football, as it is known everywhere outside the United States. So it’s only under duress from my editor that I’m using the word “soccer” to describe the game.

With that out of the way, check out the Forza Football app to keep abreast of dozens of teams in the United States and in overseas leagues. (See what I did there? I called it football again.) The app connects you to a database for more than 400 different leagues and cups around the world, and you can view notes on coming games, see live updates about matches and get detailed analyses of games that have recently ended.

All of that information can be sliced and diced: You can choose to see only material relevant to your favorite teams, leagues or other options you add to your short list, or you can choose to get all the information the app has about games being played on a particular date. The app can show which player was assigned to which position on the field and offers analyses of possessions, player statistics and so on. There’s a social element: People can weigh in on questions like “Who will win the big match tomorrow?” The app will also push live news to your device.

Forza Football is simply designed and easy to navigate.. It is supported by advertising and is free to download on iOS and Android (where it is, confusingly, called Forza Soccer), though in-app purchases to customize its look and feel cost $1 or so.

Goal.com has a good alternative to Forza Football. In addition to delivering scores within seconds of the ball sneaking into a goal, the app has news on transfer rumors and commentaries on games in progress. There’s also league information and video content, and you can modify the app to easily monitor news about your favorite club.

Two words of caution: The app may not have the global coverage of Forza Football. Also, although the app for both iOS and Android devices, some users complain the most recent update is buggy.

If you want to see footage from matches on your device, as well as learn the gossip and news of the sport, the ESPN FC app is very good. The app shows video highlights from games in the Barclays Premier League, along with other major leagues worldwide. As with other apps, you can also tailor the FC app to show news about your favorite teams, including up-to-date scores.

The design is a little formal, and depending on where you are when you access it, some content is limited because of video licensing rules. On iOS, some users complain, the app has annoying pop-up ads. The app is free on iOS and Android.

If it’s just soccer in the United States that you are interested in, Major League Soccer has an official app, free on iOS and Android. While I include it here for its live streams of hundreds of out-of-market games and its real-time updates on scores and major news, it has a few significant failings.

First of all, many games are blacked out because of licensing restrictions with major TV carriers, so you might not get to see the team you really want to watch. Second, many reviewers complain about annoying ads. And the app’s news section did not cover the amazing success of the United States women’s team, which appears to be an odd omission.

For the more authentic fan experience of listening to the score on the radio, TuneIn Radio has you covered. This Internet radio streaming app is widely liked, and among its long list of radio stations streamed globally are soccer-related radio shows from big names like the BBC and more. The app is free on iOS and Android.

Finally, there are ways to play the game through apps on your phone. Dream League Soccer, free on iOS and Android, is my favorite because it mixes classic soccer manager strategy with 3-D action. It’s easy to learn though hard to master, which makes it lots of fun.

So let’s tally it all up now. References to football in this article: seven. References to soccer: 10. Editors rule, but only by a bit.

Quick Call

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