Short takes
• Ever since Toronto lost in the CONCACAF Champions League final on penalties this spring to Chivas, the Reds have struggled mightily. They'll need a minor miracle to make the playoffs this year after winning the MLS Cup last year. On Wednesday, they played Mexican champions Tigres in the inaugural Campeones Cup and got pasted 3-1, at home, even though Tigres is also struggling. Tough times have returned to Toronto.
• U.S. women's national team coach Jill Ellis announced the 20-woman squad for the CONCACAF championship next month, which also serves as qualifying for next year's World Cup. Eleven of them were on the 2015 title-winning team. Defender Hailie Mace, a senior at UCLA, is the only player to make the squad from outside the NWSL.
• The United Soccer League, the current second-division league in the United States, has begun announcing teams for a new third-division league for next season. They include such long-established clubs as the Richmond Kickers and Rochester Rhinos. At the moment, there aren't concrete plans for promotion and relegation between the USL and the new league, called USL D3, but it may just be a matter of time.
