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On May 22, 2020, NWSL side OL Reign announced the signing of Japanese standout Yuka Momiki. The 24-year-old was born in New York City but grew up playing in Japan with Nippon TV Beleza’s youth side before reaching the senior team.

 “Yuka is a young, dynamic player with tremendous potential that we believe will play an important role in our club this season and far into the future,” said OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore in a team press release. 

The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) will return to action in late June with a 25-game tournament in Utah that will be played in empty stadiums due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The NWSL, which delayed the start of its season because of the coronavirus, said it has worked with team doctors and public health officials to develop testing protocols to ensure a safe environment for its nine teams during the month-long tournament. 

USMNT player Timmy Chandler helped Eintracht Frankfurt secure a 3-3 draw against Freiburg with an 82nd-minute goal on Tuesday. 

Frankfurt had gone down 3-1 before Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada struck in the 79th minute to bring Die Adler back within one. Soon after, Chandler popped up at the back post to steer home a long cross from Filip Kostic. 

The hosts for the 2020 ESPYs have been announced. This year, the ESPYs will shift its focus from outstanding athletic achievement to highlighting the impact athletes have made outside of sports. This shift in showing the world that there's more to athletes than just their performances on the field or court aligns with the current global situation we are in. While sports took a halt, many athletes did not.

Seattle Storm point guard Sue Bird, USWNT standout Megan Rapinoe and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson will be the voice of this years ESPYs.

Former Netherlands and Manchester United defender Jaap Stam has been named head coach of FC Cincinnati, the Major League Soccer club said on Thursday.

Stam replaced fellow Dutchman Ron Jans, who resigned as head coach in February following allegations he used a racial slur in front of players.

"For myself, to get the opportunity to work in America and to work in MLS for a club like FC Cincinnati, it's a dream," Stam said in a news release.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been widely praised for his handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic in his state, which has been hit harder than anywhere else in the country. While many leaders have done their best to ignore or even flout the experts, Cuomo has embraced science and proven to be an excellent communicator during this crisis. 

But the governor may have lost a lot of that good will with one poorly conceived graphic.

During his daily media briefing on Tuesday, Cuomo spoke about how eager he is to have professional sports resume play as soon as possible. 

In the midst of completing a four-month ban from football for breaching betting rules, Daniel Sturridge is now being linked with Inter Miami and DC United in MLS.

The 30-year-old English striker is “serving” his ban until June 17, but the world works in mysterious ways and Sturridge will end up not missing much football during his time away. After his contract was terminated with Trabzonspor back in March, he became a free agent.

Hope Solo has never been shy about her love for her dobermans; she’s a proud owner of five of the majestic dogs. Sadly, tragedy struck one of her doggos this week when someone committed the “heinous act” of shooting her beloved Conan on Wednesday.

Solo announced the news on Instagram and Twitter on Thursday afternoon, saying Conan was in critical condition. She also thanked the Wilkes Veterinary Hospital in North Carolina and its staff for their aid. 

Sergiño Dest, like most footballers around the world, hasn’t played a competitive match since March. At 19, Dest was enjoying a breakout season at Ajax before soccer shut down across Europe. At a time when the USMNT fullback was showing his immense potential, the campaign came to an abrupt end as the Dutch league canceled the season without a champion, despite Ajax sitting top of the table.

Fortunately for Dest, his season didn’t end without some hardware. 

The U.S. Soccer Federation shuttered its Development Academy in April, citing financial fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic as the excuse. This week, Major League Soccer has stepped in to fill the void left by the USSF by joining forces with US Youth Soccer.

MLS and US Youth Soccer announced a groundbreaking new partnership on Friday, one the two organizations hope will transform soccer in America for the better, for both boys and girls.