NWSL

Orlando Pride and U.S. women’s bational team defender Ali Krieger has joined Major League Soccer club Orlando City SC's broadcast crew. Krieger is one of the most respected and humble defenders in the game and she will be showing what she is capable of off the field, as she has joined Evan Weston and Miguel Gallardo. Her soccer intelligence and love for the game will help provide analysis and sideline reporting for the remainder of Orlando’s 2020 MLS season.  

The National Women’s Soccer league isn’t done with the 2020 season just yet. Even after declaring a champion at the NWSL Challenge Cup in July, the league announced on Tuesday it would continue playing matches this season. Maybe having a team that had never made the playoffs declared champion didn’t sit well with the league.

More #NWSL action is on the horizon 

According to The Athletic, Sacramento, California, is gearing up to launch an NWSL expansion team.

Last fall, the city hinted at launching a team — and came so close to closing on the deal. But with the arrival of the horrid 2020 year, the league decided to hold off on any and all potential expansion teams and keep the league at nine teams.

The summer transfer window is open and will stay open for the next few months. Huge signings and huge sums of money have been spent on the men's side, and I’m sure most of us know the ins and outs of the men's transfer market.

Welcome to Wolves, Matija Sarkic!

The 23 year-old Montenegro international goalkeeper becomes our first addition of the summer.

— Wolves (@Wolves) July 27, 2020

Manchester City has signed United States' World Cup-winning midfielder Rose Lavelle from National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) side OL Reign, the English club said on Tuesday.

The midfielder joined OL Reign from Washington Spirit this week but had signed an agreement to join a club outside the NWSL.

Pure art!  @roselavelle

So the NWSL Challenge Cup ended almost a month ago. Fans are coming down from the thrill of the games and champions Houston Dash are now barely recovering from their Budweiser hangovers.

2020 as illustrated by @brivisalli: pic.twitter.com/jDtvt0KwAz

— Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) August 10, 2020

OL Reign has announced that it acquired the future playing rights of Washington Spirit midfielder and USWNT standout Rose Lavelle. In exchange, the Spirit will receive the Reign’s first round draft pick in the 2022 NWSL College Draft and $100,000 in allocation money. 

Manchester City has signed United States' World Cup-winning midfielder Sam Mewis from National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) side North Carolina Courage, the English club said on Monday.

The 27-year-old, who helped the U.S. national team capture the World Cup in France last year, is Women's Super League (WSL) side City's second signing of the transfer window following the arrival of Chloe Kelly from Everton.

Major League Soccer, following the lead of the NWSL, has had a mostly successful return from the novel coronavirus pandemic. Playing matches in a bubble in Orlando, Florida, MLS has helped show it is possible to resume sports, so long as a long list of necessary precautions are taken.

Perhaps then it’s no surprise the players association of MLS — and those from four other major sports leagues — has taken issue with a key aspect of Sen. Mitch McConnell’s latest stimulus legislation proposal. 

I know we are all lost without NWSL games, but women's football is slowly making its return. The NWSL Challenge Cup exceeded expectations by not only breaking records on viewership, but they were the first American professional sports league to make its return and also successfully remained safe from Covid-19. With more than 2,000 tests taken over the course of a month of games, practices and bubble living, not one player or staff member tested postiive.