Short takes
• I'm as excited for the women's World Cup next summer as anyone, but there's no doubt the tournament is really going to put a damper on the National Women's Soccer League season. The league announced its format for next summer, including a break June 3 through June 14, ostensibly for the World Cup. That said, the group stage of the World Cup doesn't end until June 20 and the final won't take place until July 7. Throw in warmup games and a post-tournament break, and the league's best-known players will miss most of the NWSL season.
• The planned La Liga game in Miami is less than two months away, but it's still not approved and the lawsuits have begun. La Liga is suing the Spanish soccer governing body, which is refusing to sanction the game. Full resolution may not come soon, but with all the people objecting to this game, it would be a shock if it actually took place in Miami.
• Strange stat of the week: English fifth-division team Chesterfield drew for the eighth consecutive league match last week. The tie also stretched the team's winless run to 18 games, making it simultaneously the club's longest winless run and longest unbeaten run in its more than 100-year history.
