Short takes

• I'm picking Cardiff City, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Watford to be the three teams relegated from the Premier League this season. Cardiff isn't deep enough, Brighton can't score enough, and Watford can't keep its head above water for another season.

• The North Carolina Courage is making a case to be considered one of the best women's soccer teams of all time. The team clinched the National Women's Soccer League regular-season title with four games to go. It also defeated European champion Lyon in an exhibition tournament. Lyon was in its preseason, but the Courage was missing six key players who were with the U.S. national team, so the victory is still impressive. For a league that usually sees a lot of parity, North Carolina's dominance has been nothing short of astonishing.

• Serie A will be televised in the United States after all this year, as ESPN picked up the rights. A game of the week will be shown on regular television; expect this to mostly be games involving Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo. The rest of the league's games will be on ESPN+, the network's online streaming service.