Short takes
• Many people joked on social media about the potential for a losers' World Cup next summer, featuring the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Chile, Cameroon and various other international soccer heavyweights that failed to qualify for the actual World Cup. (Other suggested names for the tournament: Soccer NIT and some less-printable variations.) Days later, though, various reports indicated that U.S. Soccer was actually looking into trying to create such a tournament. Somehow, the idea of U.S. Soccer trying to turn a profit off its greatest failure seems less like a fun idea and more like a reason to replace everyone at American soccer's governing body.
• It sounds like Minnesota business owner Elam Baer is getting out of the soccer ownership business. Last year, Baer purchased National Women's Soccer League side FC Kansas City, but multiple reports indicate that the team is moving to become part of the Real Salt Lake organization (though it will be treated officially as an expansion team and not as a franchise move).
• You could spend almost all of Saturday watching some of the soccer world's biggest rivalries (see the Weekend Watch Guide). For local rivalries and passion, it doesn't get much better than this.
