Soccer short takes

• Many have noted the passing of Dutch soccer great Johan Cruyff, who was 68. Cruyff famously starred for and managed both Ajax and Barcelona, but he also played two seasons in America, in the old NASL. His style and managerial ideas, honed at Ajax as a youth, were so widely influential that in many ways Cruyff can be considered the founder of the modern game of soccer.

• Chelsea and AC Milan will play an exhibition match Aug. 3 at U.S. Bank Stadium, the first event at the new stadium. While both sides are famous, storied teams, these preseason matches have a history of being underwhelming, and the last such match in Minneapolis was nearly called off because of a poorly prepared temporary grass field.

• The David Beckham-led MLS ownership group in Miami announced that it has acquired private land for a new stadium in the city's Overtown neighborhood. Many legislative and developmental hurdles remain, but for the first time in several years, it seems possible that MLS will actually complete its planned return to south Florida.