Why the NWSL's new CBA is a historic moment in American sports, plus the Bundesliga season begins

Happy Friday! The weekend is here and so are a new batch of matches but before the Games begin, there's much to cover. I'm Pardeep Cattry with your end-of-week check-in.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, Aug. 23
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Championship: Sheffield Wednesday vs. Leeds United, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🇺🇸 NWSL: Houston Dash vs. Orlando Pride, 8 p.m. ➡️ Amazon Prime Video

Saturday, Aug. 24
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Brighton vs. Manchester United, 7:30 p.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇮🇹 Serie A: Parma vs. AC Milan, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇪🇸 La Liga: Barcelona vs. Athletic Club, 1 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 NWSL: NJ/NY Gotham vs. Portland Thorns, 2:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇺🇸 NWSL: San Diego Wave vs. Angel City, 4:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+

Sunday, Aug. 25
🇪🇸 La Liga: Real Madrid vs. Real Valladolid, 11 a.m ➡️ ESPN+
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Liverpool vs. Brentford, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ Peacock
🇺🇸 NWSL: Washington Spirit vs. Kansas City Current, 12:30 p.m. ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

✍️ NWSL signs landscape-shifting CBA

The NWSL and the NWSL Players Association agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday, further loosening players' freedom of movement two years after introducing free agency to the league. In addition to further increases to the salary cap, the NWSL has now done away with restricted free agency and is now the first major American sports league to abolish the college draft, effective immediately.

The new CBA is a big win for the players, who can now strike contracts in similar fashion as their colleagues in Europe. As NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke described it on Attacking Third, the increased leverage for players is not just advantageous for the on-field competitors -- it creates a healthier dynamic between the players and the clubs they represent.

• Burke: "The flip side of this conversation around free agency is also loyalty. … I think there's something powerful in a player and a team mutually agreeing to enter into a relationship together and continuing every single day to earn the right to be in that relationship and to make the decision to renew that relationship. I think we're going to see longer lasting relationships between teams and players when there's freedom of choice involved and players are choosing to make a commitment to a team."

The impact of the NWSL's new CBA, though, could be felt across the entire American sports landscape. Though the NWSL has not yet specified its plans to replace the college draft, the league's choice to abolish a nearly century-old staple of American sports and potentially allow young athletes to enter professional sports as free agents presents new questions. How will this impact women's college soccer, the NWSL's longtime pipeline for young players? How will the prospect of free agency impact college sports as a whole, especially in the era of name, image and likeness deals? How much do professional sports leagues actually value the concept of parity, the reason the NFL introduced the college draft to American sports in 1936?

In a lot of ways, the NWSL's new CBA feels more like a foundational document than the finished product for a league -- and perhaps an American sports landscape -- that is rapidly evolving.

Sponsored by Paramount+

🔗  Midfield Link Play

🇩🇪 Title race in focus as Bundesliga returns

The last of Europe's top five leagues kicks off on Friday in Germany, where Bayer Leverkusen begin their Bundesliga title defense with a clash at Borussia Monchengladbach. Leverkusen are just a few months removed from a historic season by becoming the first Bundesliga team to go undefeated over the course of a whole season and winning their first league title. They also brought an end to Bayern Munich's 11 year title-winning streak in the process, livening up a Bundesliga title race that had become somewhat stale in recent years.

And yet, the question heading into the 2024-25 campaign is a familiar one: Is it a foregone conclusion that Bayern will be the champions by season's end?

It is an intriguing question this season considering the context. Leverkusen are continuing with the squad that led them to a double-winning season, while Bayern are mixing in some new players with a new and unproven manager in Vincent Kompany. Yet, there's a feeling that the upcoming season might regress to the mean -- Bayern still boast the most stacked roster in Germany, while Leverkusen's near-perfect season feels like a one-off. Charlie Davies also argues that Leverkusen's choice to run it back might cost them after both Bayern and Borussia Dortmund upgraded over the season.

• Davies: "I would say against the field, it's going to be really difficult to repeat and I don't think they win the Bundesliga. Dortmund got a lot stronger. Obviously, Bayern Munich have this motivation to reclaim the Bundesliga title. I think Stuttgart is going to drop off and RB Leipzig will probably drop off, so I think it's going to be between Dortmund and Bayern Munich along with Leverkusen."

The disruptive nature of last season's Bundesliga results, though, create a surprising set of dynamics this time around. Leverkusen are almost playing with house money, expectations surprisingly low for a reigning champion, even if expectations are still fairly high for them. The onus, though, is on Bayern to prove the hypothesis of their inevitable success, especially after last season's shock third place finish.

🔗  Top Stories

🇺🇸 Pochettino to USMNT: As U.S. Soccer works to iron out the final details before hiring Mauricio Pochettino, it's worth asking: Why is he leaving the top levels of European soccer to coach the USMNT?

🇩🇪 Neuer's international retirement: World Cup winner Manuel Neuer announced his international retirement after a 15 year career for Germany.

😲 Dybala stays: Paulo Dybala will stay put at Roma, leaving a deal from Saudi Arabia worth a reported Є70 million on the table.

🤝 Transfer window latest: Arsenal agreed to sign Euro champion Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad, while Weston McKennie is set to stay at Juventus after a transfer seemed all but certain.

🇮🇹 Parma-Milan on CBS: Ahead of Saturday's broadcast of Parma's clash with AC Milan on CBS, Milan's Yunus Musah checked into Morning Footy to talk about the game and Mauricio Pochettino. Plus, here's the story on Parma's ambitious plan to return to Italy's top flight.

❓ Penalty shootout confusion: Players from Venezuelan club Caracas intentionally missed their penalties during a shootout against Deportivo Tachira, which ended with inconsequential spotkicks designed to satisfy a sponsor.

📲 WinnerTshipa interview: Viral TikTok sensation WinnerTshipa sits down with Morning Footy to talk about how he covers the transfer market and how he settled on his catchphrase "There We Land."

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Bundesliga: 2024-25 champion
  💰 THE PICK: Bayer Leverkusen to win the Bundesliga (+280) -- Bayer Leverkusen may be the reigning champions, but they rank behind oddsmakers' favorites Bayern Munich to win the title again this season. While Bayern figure things out under new manager Vincent Kompany, though, Leverkusen might be able to not just keep pace, but successfully defend their title. The odds might not be in their favor but it's too early to count out Xabi Alonso's side, especially considering the continuity they will have from last season.
• Premier League: Brighton and Hove Albion vs. Manchester United, Saturday, 7:30 a.m.

💰 THE PICK: Joao Pedro to score (+185) -- Brighton and Hove Albion and Manchester United have roughly even odds in this one, which makes the opening match of the Premier League weekend a very intriguing one. Brighton are coming off an impressive win and look like they can follow that up with a statement-making showing over an imperfect United. Expect Joao Pedro to play a big part, especially after scoring in last week's 3-0 win over Everton.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.   

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network's flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you'll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday): The leading women's soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women's game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don't miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can't-miss goals from the day's action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer comPetitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.