SHORT TAKES
• It has been a rough week so far for Minnesota United, which lost 4-0 to both Portland and Chicago in preseason tuneups. United had high hopes of giving MLS teams a run for their money. Instead, it was obvious the Loons hadn't played a preseason game yet, while their opponents had been in training for more than a month. Fitness aside, Minnesota at times looked slow and out of sorts, especially in the center of defense — one of the many things the Loons have to work on before their April 2 opener in the North American Soccer League.
• UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino was elected FIFA president on Friday, but the more important vote was the passage of a package of reforms, including major changes to the game's governance and term limits for FIFA leaders. Here's hoping the reforms put an end to the corrupt, dictatorial leadership that has marked FIFA for decades.
• The Byzantine nature of the MLS salary rule book was on display in the following summary of a midweek trade from a league news release: "Colorado received an international slot and targeted allocation money from San Jose in exchange for general allocation money." That was the entire confusing trade: a roster spot and one type of cash for another type of cash.
