Money

When the Houston Dash won the 2020 Challenge Cup, it was a landmark moment for the National Women’s Soccer League. As the first professional team sport to return to play in the U.S. after Covid-19 shut the sports world down, the NWSL set the example for how leagues like MLS and the NBA could resume during a pandemic. For the players, however, there wasn’t much incentive to win beyond a bunch of Budweiser. 

The list of soccer free agents 2022 is full of players we've spent an ungodly amount of time speculating over the last few years — Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala, Ousmane Dembélé — so it's somewhat strange to see them all leaving their respective clubs on free transfers as out of contract footballers.  

Walker Zimmerman is getting paid. The USMNT center back signed a Designated Player deal with Nashville SC on Friday, making him one of the league’s highest-paid defenders. The new Walker Zimmerman contract will keep the 6-3 Georgia native in the Music City through the 2025 season making $10 million guaranteed over four years, according to the Athletic.

Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him at Anfield until 2026, the Premier League club said on Thursday.

Klopp, whose previous contract was due to expire in 2024, has helped Liverpool win the Champions League and Premier League titles since arriving on Merseyside in 2015.

We are delighted to announce Jürgen Klopp has signed a new contract to extend his commitment with the club!

Earlier this year, Juventus upset European giant Lyon in the Women’s Champions League quarterfinals, sending shockwaves through Europe. Though Lyon won the second leg and advanced on aggregate, it was a sign Italian women’s football was not to be trifled with. Not bad for a team playing in a league that until now hasn’t been fully professional.

The Colorado Rapids are set to acquire forward Gyasi Zardes from the Columbus Crew, multiple outlets reported Friday, with the deal awaiting MLS approval.

The Crew are expected to receive $300,000 in general allocation money in the deal, with the possibility that Zardes is available foe the Rapids in their home game Saturday against Charlotte FC. There could be more financial return in the deal if Zardes meets performance incentives.

JUST IN: The Colorado Rapids are set to announce a blockbuster move.

Former tennis world number one Serena Williams and seven-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton have joined Martin Broughton's bid to buy Premier League club Chelsea, a source close to the bid told Reuters on Thursday.

Former Liverpool chairman Broughton's consortium includes World Athletics President Sebastian Coe and wealthy investors from around the world, who the group says all want to maintain Chelsea's top status.

According to Polish outlet TVP Sport, Robert Lewandowski has informed Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn that he's uninterested in extending his stay in Germany and would instead prefer a summer transfer to Barcelona after agreeing to personal terms on a three-year contract at the Camp Nou.

BOGOTA/LAGOS — Colombian food vendor William Abella had been counting on the World Cup 2022 as an opportunity to offset his losses from long COVID-19 lockdowns.

When the national team plays, his small corner shop and snack bar in central Bogota usually turns into a sea of yellow as football fans wearing the squad's official shirt gather to drink and chat, lifting beer sales by up to 80%.

But like many small traders in footballing countries that unexpectedly failed to qualify, his hopes for bumper business from fans cheering on their side have been dashed.