Short takes
• Kudos to Fox and ESPN for coming together to broadcast two nights of Liga MX games, in the hopes of driving donations to relief efforts for victims of the Mexican earthquakes and the hurricanes that have devastated the Gulf. Not only was it a great cause, it was a rare opportunity for American viewers to see Mexican soccer in English.
• Christian Pulisic has earned most of the hype, but another American teenager is making waves in the Bundesliga, too. Weston McKennie (above), who came out of the FC Dallas youth system, has started the past two games for Schalke in central midfield. He so impressed the team that it signed the 19-year-old to a new five-year contract.
• It might be very early in the Premier League season, but it's hard not to see a big three emerging at the top of the pack. The two Manchester sides are setting an impossible pace. Chelsea's only blip was a goofy opening-day loss to Burnley in which the Blues played much of the game with nine men. All three have so far navigated the Champions League well, too. It will be hard for the rest of England to keep pace.
