Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Chris Murray has been known to be a bit wordy, so we’re giving him 1,000 words (no more than that) to share his thoughts from the week that was in the world of sports.

* BIG ANNOUNCEMENT THIS WEEK: Reno is getting a professional soccer team. First question that came to my mind was this: Will the team be successful? First, we have to define what success is. The new Reno soccer team will play in the United Soccer League, which is the third tier of pro soccer in America behind MLS and the NASL. The average attendance in the USL is 3,048 fans per game (which in minor-league counting measures means 2,000 real fans and 1,000 ghost fans). Success for the Reno franchise would be hitting that average attendance mark. Given every USL team has 14 home dates, you’re basically asking for 35,000 fans to come watch a soccer game in downtown Reno.

* MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS THIS wouldn’t work. (I might be a pessimist by nature, so I’ll try and work on that). But the more I’ve dug around, the more I think it will work (unless you work on the grounds crew at Aces Ballpark; then it’s a disaster). But if you’re just a sports fan, Reno can pull this off. More people like soccer than you’d think, especially young people. A recent poll showed soccer is the second most popular sport behind football for those aged 12-24. Throw in the Latino population in Reno/Sparks (almost 80,000 people) and some of the buzz on social media and the team should be able to pull in 3,000 or so fans for its 14 home dates, if only for the novelty factor.

* NOW, IT WON’T BE EASY. It won’t be like Sacramento, which draws 6,587 per game and also crushes it with its Triple-A baseball team (there must not be a lot to do in Sacramento other than watch minor-league sports). There’s a long list of teams that have played in the USL only to fail, the Reno Rattlers, which existed from 1994-98, among them. But this is a different time and place. Soccer is more popular in the U.S. than ever and Aces Ballpark is a beautiful stadium, even if it’s not a perfect fit for soccer (again, good luck to the folks who have to turn it from a baseball field to a pitch 14 times a year). A Facebook fan page for the team was created about 10 days ago and has a rousing 41 members. This isn’t going to be like the MLS’ highly successful Portland Timbers or Seattle Sounders. But it will work.

* LET’S GET DOWN TO THE REAL FUN: naming the team. I’ve seen some good suggestions: Biggest Little FC, Battle Born FC, 775 United, Reno United, Reno Rush, Sporting Reno, Reno Dynamo and Nevada Night Fury among them. Or you could just go with the name of the soccer team I played for as a youth: The Green Machine. (As I recall, I only scored one goal, an own goal). I like Biggest Little FC or Battle Born FC, but I doubt either one flies. Almost certainly the word “Reno” or “Nevada” will be in the team name. It almost has to. But people in town are talking about soccer, and that’s pretty cool. It’s a win-win all the way around (unless you’re on that grounds crew; sorry to those guys and girls).

* CHRIS AULT IS HEADED TO ITALY to coach the Rhinos Milano (how about Rhinos Reno for that new soccer team?), and if you didn’t know they played football in Italy, don’t feel bad. I didn’t, either. I’m sure this isn’t what Ault was thinking when he resigned from Nevada in 2012. I’m guessing he was looking for a gig with an NFL team, but there are a lot worse places to live than Milan. Ault, who has never been out of the country, is a history buff and will love Europe. Plus, he gets to coach football at its most basic level. The coach makes a small fortune in retirement anyway, so money wasn’t an issue. It might not be the NFL, but I’d take six months in Milan no questions asked.

* CARSON HIGH GRAD MATT WILLIAMS will almost certainly be fired by the Washington Nationals after the season. His star player, Bryce Harper, backed Williams this week, saying “I love him as a manager.” He basically has to say that. If he says anything else, he looks like a jerk. The Nationals have been destroyed by injuries, but nobody wants to hear that. Williams has struggled tactically and has an old-school baseball approach in the game’s new-school world. The Nationals are nearly 10 games behind the Mets in the NL East. No manager can add or subtract 10 games to the win column. Two or three games is the best-case scenario. Somebody has to pay for Washington’s disappointment, and it’s going to be Williams.

* I LEGITIMATELY DIDN’T KNOW BARRY ZITO was in the A’s minor-league system. I assumed he was playing guitar on some beach or street corner. Zito hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2013 and had made more than $137 million during his career. Most people in that situation would call it a career and sit on a pile of cash rather than grind through bus rides in the minor leagues for another shot. Clearly, Zito loves the games. If I was in his situation, I would have retired or offered the Oakland $10 million for a spot in the big-league rotation, which the A’s might have taken given its financial situation. Good on Zito, who was called up to the majors this week after posting an 8-7 mark and 3.46 ERA in Triple-A.

* KUDOS TO NHL STAR PK SUBBAN, who pledged a $10 million donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital this week. Subban, who signed an eight-year, $72 million contract last season, said: “In life I believe you are not defined by what you accomplish, but by what you do for others. Sometimes I try to think, ‘P.K., are you a hockey player or are you just someone who plays hockey?’ I just play hockey. Because one day I won’t be a hockey player anymore. I’ll just be someone who played hockey. So what do I want people to remember me for other than being a hockey player?” Well said.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.