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Hey, I'm Chris Horvidell and this is Yesterday in Sports. The show that gets you caught up on the biggest things that happened yesterday, why they mattered, and what you need to know before pretending you watched every second of it. Here we go. Welcome to Yesterday in Sports, I'm Chris Horvidell. Thursday brought us a remarkable confrontation over who should control the commercial future of the World Cup. Another dominant Minnesota performance in the WNBA, and a $132 million agreement that ended Chris Alave's contract dispute. We've also got two meaningful baseball trades, Chelsea adding yet another starting defender and a surprise opening round leader in Detroit. We'll begin with international soccer, where FIFA's proposed private investment plan now faces coordinated opposition from Europe, Asia, and North America. FIFA wants to establish FIFA Forward Enterprise, a commercial subsidiary valued at approximately $20 billion. The new company would handle the commercial and operational delivery of the World Cup, Club World Cup, and FIFA's other competitions. FIFA would permanently retain control, but the proposal allows outside investors to purchase a minority stake up to 20%. FIFA believes that could raise approximately $4.2 billion in immediate capital and help create a $10 billion developmental package for its 211 member associations. The political response has been severe, UEFA and all 55 European national associations voted 55 to nothing to boycott FIFA competitions as long as the proposal moves forward. UEFA argues that the World Cup is a sporting institution created by players, federations, and supporters, not an investment product for which private shareholders should expect a return. CONCACAF, which governs North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, separately rejected the proposal. The Asian Football Confederation also declared its opposition and said the plan shouldn't proceed without support from all six regional confederations. There's an important distinction here. This was not a final, binding vote from FIFA's entire membership. Europe approved a conditional boycott, while CONCACAF and Asia rejected the proposal through their own confederation processes. FIFA says it will continue consulting the 211 national associations and won't establish this subsidiary without a majority support. Member federations have until September 19th to respond. That plan is under serious pressure, but it hasn't been formally defeated. Why does this matter? Because even a minority investor expects influence, accountability, and financial returns. Opponents believe that could gradually move decisions involving tournament formats, schedules, and media rights, as well as host markets, away from national federations and towards commercial priorities. FIFA's position is that it would always retain control. The confederation's response is that some ownership rights should never be transferred in the first place. In the WNBA, Minnesota extended its winning streak to nine with a 104-72 victory over Toronto. Nafisa Collier, Olivia Miles, and Courtney Williams each scored 16 points for the Lynx who improved to a league best 24-16. Lucky Rebel had Minnesota minus 750 as the favorite and favored by 12.5 points before the game. The Lynx won by 32, holding Toronto to 14 points in both the second and third quarters. Minnesota's balance is becoming its defining advantage. Six players scored at least 9 points Thursday and the Lynx generated 27 assists while committing only 8 turnovers. Lucky Rebel now has Minnesota plus 110 to win the championship. That's a very short futures number, but the Lynx have the league's best record and have matched the longest winning streak by a WNBA team this season. Chicago overcame a 14-point deficit to beat Connecticut 94-88. Camila Cardoso scored 18 of her 26 points in the fourth quarter. The teams combined for 182 points after Lucky Rebel posted the pregame total at 176. Chicago entered as a minus 205 favorite but needed that late rally to win. Las Vegas beat New York 104-99 behind 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists from Asia Wilson. Jackie Young added 29 points and 9 assists. Lucky Rebel lists Las Vegas at plus 400 to win the WNBA title, second only to Minnesota. Wilson's also minus 375 for the regular season MVP and another 30-point double-double will only strengthen an already substantial statistical argument. A WNBA transaction remains in the developmental stage, but it's worth talking about. The New York Post reported that Toronto has emerged as a leading trade possibility for Connecticut forward Benisa Morrow. Morrow is averaging 11.1 points and 9 rebounds. New York previously showed interest, but those discussions have reportedly cooled. No trade has been completed and Connecticut could still keep her beyond Sunday's deadline. In Major League Baseball, Minnesota went from being no hit through 6 innings to beating Kansas City 4-3 on Cody Clemons' walk-off Grand Slam. Royal starter Noah Cameron threw 8 scoreless innings and allowed only 1 hit. Kansas City then carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the 9th before two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for Clemons. Lucky Rebel had Minnesota at minus 134 and Kansas City plus 112 before the game. The twins won, but they were only one strike away from losing before Clemons hit a 407-foot home run. The Cubs beat St. Louis 4-2 in 10 innings, the White Sox edged the Yankees 2-1 in 11, and Cincinnati walked off Pittsburgh 3-2. Atlanta beat Washington 5-4, Tampa Bay defeated Texas 3-2, and the Mets beat Miami 4-2. The Dodgers handled Seattle 6-2, Boston beat the A's 5-4, and San Francisco defeated San Diego 4-1 behind 7 strong innings from Robby Ray. The twins also added to their bullpen by acquiring left-handed reliever AJ Minter from the Mets for infield prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbiani. Minter is 32 and has a 2.12 ERA over 34 innings this season. He gives Minnesota another experienced late-inning option and is signed through next season. The Mets received two younger players for a reliever while beginning what could become a larger deadline sell-off. Amick has 23 home runs in AA while the 19-year-old Agbiani has produced a 4-12 own-base percentage in limited single-A action. Baltimore acquired 31-year-old catcher Jake Rogers from Detroit for minor leaker Zane Barnhart. Rogers is batting only 161, but Baltimore needed an experienced defensive catcher with Adley Rushman and Samuel Basio both injured. Barnhart has a 4.05 ERA AA. In the NFL, New Orleans agreed to a four-year extension with Chris Alave worth up to $132 million including $90 million guaranteed. Alave is 26, produced career highs of 100 catches, 1,163 yards, and 9 touchdowns last season. The $33 million average ties him for 6th among NFL receivers. The Saints are accepting some medical risk after Alave's previous concussions and last season's blood clot issue, but the contract also secures their clear number one receiver through 2030 and ends his limited participation approach in training camp. Lucky Rebels still has New Orleans at plus 9,000 to win Super Bowl 61. One extension doesn't transform that outlook, but it provides long-term stability for an offense trying to develop around Alave and rookie receiver Jordan Tyson. In England, Chelsea signed French CB Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for a reported $51 million. The 26-year-old signed a six-year contract through 2032 after making 55 appearances last season and helping Palace win the UEFA Conference League. Lacroix is quick enough to defend large spaces and experienced in a back three, making him a logical fit for Xabi Alonso's system. Chelsea gets a likely starter while Palace turns an $18 million signing into a substantial profit after only two seasons. Finally, Peter Malnati opened the Rocket Classic with a 961 and leads by two strokes. Ricky Fowler and Ryan Gerrard both shot 63. Heading into the day, Lucky Rebel had Malnati at plus 2,500, Fowler at plus 650, Gerrard at plus 700 to win the tournament. And in Washington, Alex Dumouneur beat 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt 6-2, 6-3. And Alejandro Tobilo defeated Terence Otman 6-3, 7-6. After a long day involving extra innings, contract negotiations, and a dispute over the future of the World Cup, dinner can be one decision that doesn't require a long discussion. That's what makes Factor so great. Factor delivers fresh, chef-prepared, and dietician-approved meals that are ready to heat and eat in about two minutes. They have high-protein, calorie-smart, keto, and vegan plus veggie options that make it easier to finish the day with a great, simple meal. Check out factor75.com for more information. Quick editorial note, I'll be away this weekend and while I'm going to try and get episodes out, it's entirely possible we won't be back until Monday. For that, I apologize. I'm Chris Horwidel and that's it for today's show about what happened yesterday. We'll see you soon.