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Soccer Capsules: Mexican quarterfinals open with Cruz vs. Pumas
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Cruz Azul will look to keep its bid for a first title in 13 years on track when it opens the quarterfinal playoffs of the Mexico Apertura tournament against popular club Pumas.
The other first-leg quarterfinal on Wednesday has America against San Luis. On Thursday, Santos face Jaguares and Monterrey is up against Pachuca.
The second-leg games are set for the weekend. Cruz Azul lost only two matches all season, one of them against Pumas.
"We don’t feel like the favorites," Cruz Azul midfielder Cesar Villaluz said. "We are only trying to do what we can, and the fans will decide who is the favorite. We are relaxed and focused on getting out of the first match with the advantage."
Cruz Azul finished the regular season with 39 points from 17 matches, 17 more points than Pumas.
America, another one of Mexico’s most popular clubs, is trying for its first league title since 2005.
"For America and all of the players, the only object is to be champions," midfielder Pavel Pardo said. "There is nothing else — and that’s the truth."
America has been knocked out of the quarterfinals in the last two seasons.
Monterrey, which finished behind Cruz Azul in the overall standings, has struggled in three of its last four matches and will be without three starters who were sent off in the final match against Guadalajara Chivas. Monterrey will also be without Chilean forward Humberto Suazo and Ecuador midfielder Walter Ayovi on Wednesday. Both will be away playing with their national teams.
"We’re going to see what we are made of," Monterrey sporting director Luis Miguel Salvador said. "Nobody doubts this is a difficult test, but I think we have the squad to do it."
In the other quarterfinal, Santos will start without top forward Christian Benitez of Ecuador, who is also away with his national team.
U.S. Soccer
MLS reserve league will return for 2011 season
Major League Soccer's reserve league will return in 2011, another step in improving player development.
The reserve league will have a 10-game regular season and playoffs, giving young players match experience on a consistent basis. Most top European soccer leagues have similar systems.
"Our technical committee ... it's their strong view that we need to have a reserve division as an essential part of our player development ladder in the United States," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday in his annual state of the league address.
The reserve league was disbanded in 2008 after four seasons because of costs and logistics problems, but its return had been expected since Adidas extended its sponsorship deal this summer. The new eight-year deal, which begins next year and is worth more than $200 million, included a significant investment in youth development.
MLS and its teams are already devoting significant resources and attention to their development academies, which groom high school-age players and have already produced first-team starters such as MLS Rookie of the Year Andy Najar. But it's hard for most players to make the leap from high school or even college straight to an MLS game-day roster, and there is a fear future American stars are stagnating while they fight for playing time.
When the U.S. was eliminated in the group stage of the Under-20 World Cup last year, coach Thomas Rongen blamed part of his team's erratic play on the lack of an MLS reserve league.
"We go from full-time residency to a black hole," Rongen said then. "That's the reason we are erratic from game to game. There's no game sharpness, there's no game fitness and no game rhythm. Because of the MLS dropping the reserve league the black hole will become deeper and darker."
MLS rosters will expand from 26 to 30 players to accommodate the reserve division, with six spots designated for players 24 years old and younger. Development academy players will eligible to play on reserve league teams, as will players on tryouts with MLS franchises.
In other news:
—Garber said he expects changes to the current playoff format, including the possibility that the MLS Cup could be held at the home of the highest-seeded team. The championship game is currently held at a neutral site chosen months in advance, just like the Super Bowl.
This year's MLS Cup, featuring FC Dallas and Colorado, will be played Sunday in Toronto.
—With expansion to Vancouver and Portland bringing the number of teams in the league to 18 next season, Garber said MLS will consider doing away with conferences and going to the single-table format the top European leagues use. That will not, however, mean an end to playoffs, Garber said.
"We will never do away with playoffs," Garber said. "There is absolutely no reason to do that."
—Garber continues to talk with New York City officials, the Wilpon family, the group that owns the name of the Cosmos and other potential investors about adding a second franchise in New York, and hopes to have something done by 2013. (Montreal begins play in 2012.)
—This season's Best XI are: goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles Galaxy); defenders Jamison Olave and Nat Borchers (Real Salt Lake), Omar Gonzalez (Los Angeles Galaxy); midfielders David Ferreira (FC Dallas), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC), Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia Union), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy); and forwards Edson Buddle (Los Angeles Galaxy) and Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes).
-- Nancy Armour
Woman pleads guilty in crash that injured Davies
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The driver in a crash that injured U.S. national team forward Charlie Davies and killed a female passenger pleaded guilty Tuesday to involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving.
Maria Espinoza, 23, faces up to 13 years in prison when she is sentenced in February, though sentencing guidelines suggest she will spend closer to three to four years behind bars. She also agreed to pay restitution to Davies and the family of the female passenger, though that amount was not revealed.
Espinoza, Davies and 22-year-old Ashley Roberta met at a Georgetown restaurant Oct. 12, 2009 and went to a nightclub, according to a court document. The three left the nightclub together at about 1:30 a.m.
Espinoza agreed to drop Davies off at his hotel but was unfamiliar with the area. She used a GPS to get directions but missed an exit she was supposed to take. While driving on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, she took her eyes off the road to look at the GPS again and hit a bridge support, according to the document. The force of the crash cut the car in half and killed Roberta, of Phoenix, Md., who was sitting in the front seat.
Espinoza was driving above the 40 mph speed limit and had a blood-alcohol level of .13, above the legal limit of .08, according to a court document.
A good Samaritan who stopped to help after the crash said Espinoza tried to pull Davies out of the car, but he was pinned in the back of the vehicle. He had consumed very little alcohol and was not under the influence, according to the court document.
Davies sustained broken bones in his right leg, elbow and face as well as a lacerated bladder. The injuries caused him to miss this year's World Cup. He is trying to regain fitness with Sochaux's reserves in France.
Espinoza, of Clarksville, Md., will be sentenced on Feb. 18 in federal court in Alexandria.
Davies' lawyer, Jon D. Pels, said the forward would participate in sentencing by submitting a statement.
-- Jessica Gresko
Defending champ in women's pro soccer league folds
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The defending champion FC Gold Pride of Women's Professional Soccer have folded after two years of operation.
The Bay Area team says it is disbanding because of slow ticket sales and costly cross-country travel. Its players become free agents Wednesday.
WPS chief executive Anne-Marie Eileraas says it is "disappointing" the club "did not find the level of support it aimed for in its market."
The league will have six teams next season in Atlanta, Boston, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington and Western New York. A Chicago franchise is seeking investors and hopes to join the league for 2011. The deadline is Dec. 15.
League News
River edges Boca 1-0 to win 'superclasico'
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Jonatan Maidana headed a second-half winner to give River Plate a 1-0 victory over Buenos Aires archrival Boca Juniors on Tuesday.
Maidana sent a downward header past Boca keeper Javier Garcia in the 54th minute of the so-called "superclasico" between Argentina's two most popular clubs.
The win moved River to 21 points as the club struggles to escape the relegation zone. Boca stayed on 17, but is not threatened by the drop. In Argentina, relegation is determined on results over three seasons.
River's badly needed victory was its first after seven winless league games and came in its first match under new coach Juan Jose Lopez, the replacement for Angel Cappa who was fired last week.
"The happiness is tremendous. It was a goal I could never imagine," said Maidana, who played previously for Boca Juniors. The 25-year-old said he didn't get a chance at Boca, but was getting one now.
Boca never got into the match before a 50,000-strong crowd at River's El Monumental stadium.
Boca's playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme hardly touched the ball in the first half and, slowed by a right foot injury, was replaced at half time by Cristian Chavez. It was only Riquelme's second match after returning from a six-month layoff following surgery on his left knee.
River Plate had most of the play in the first half with Mariano Pavone and Paulo Ferrari having clear scoring chances. Boca never threatened and was neutralized in midfield.
"This group deserves the victory," River captain Matias Almeyda said. "We have left our hearts on the field in every game and we gave ourself an award we deserved."
The high-tension match was heavily secured, with 1,500 police officers stationed inside and outside the stadium in northwest Buenos Aires. Sections of the stands were cordoned off for Boca fans who arrived from the club's stronghold on the south side of the city, decked out in blue and yellow with banners and flags to match.
Velez leads the Argentina Apertura tournament with 30 points and five games remaining. Estudiantes also have 30, but trail on goal difference.
The loss may be bad news for Boca coach Claudio Borghi, who was hired six months ago to turn the club's fortunes around. Borghi threatened to quit the same day Cappa left River Plate. He has been told by at least one club director that he needs to win — or else. Borghi was the fourth different coach at Boca in four months when he was hired.
Copa Libertadores draw set for Nov. 25
ASUNCION, Paraguay (AP) — The draw for the 2011 Copa Libertabores, the most prestigious club tournament in Latin America, is set for Nov. 25, the South American confederation CONMEBOL said Tuesday.
Internacional of Porto Alegre, Brazil, won the tournament last season, defeating Guadalajara Chivas of Mexico in the final.
Nestor Benitez, CONMEBOL spokesman, said the confederations' executive committee would meet before the draw. The agenda includes the qualifying system for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
UEFA presents twin mascots for Euro 2012
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Meet the mascots for Euro 2012: identical twin brothers in the football kits of Poland and Ukraine, with shocks of hair in the colors of their nations' flags.
UEFA presented the mascots on Tuesday but is still seeking names for the twins. It is inviting the public to submit suggestions — names will be chosen by Dec. 15.
One of the grinning mascots is decked out in Poland's red and white national colors and the other in Ukraine's blue and yellow.
Four cities in Poland and four in Ukraine are to host the championships. The tournament is to open in Warsaw and the final match is to be held in Kiev, Ukraine's capital.
Elsewhere
Man United owners say no cash drawn from club
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United's American owners say they have not drawn cash from the English Premier League club to fund the repayment of high-interest loans.
Co-chairman Joel Glazer has told lenders that by Monday it plans to buy back the $353 million of loans that were used to fund his family's 2005 takeover. It's unclear, however, where the money is coming from or whether a new loan has been taken out.
The loans, which carry an interest rate of 16.25 percent, have provided a focal point for fans' anger toward the Glazers since their leveraged buyout.
In the latest set of financial results Tuesday, the Glazers didn't confirm the loan repayment — or make a direct reference to it — but announced they haven't drawn any funds from the club. The team had cash reserves of nearly $241 million as of Sept. 30.
Fan groups want to know how the Glazers are funding the loan repayment.
"Now is the time for the Glazers to finally come clean and tell the truth about what is going on at Manchester United and what their plans are," Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of Manchester United Supporters' Trust, said in a statement. "What have they got to hide? No more secrecy. No more spin. Just tell the fans the truth."
Forbes magazine has estimated that United is worth $1.8 billion — making it the most valuable soccer team in its rankings for the sixth straight year.
A third of the way through the Premier League season, the 18-time English champions are third in the standings — three points behind defending champion Chelsea.
-- Rob Harris
French players end WCup bonus row with federation
WEMBLEY, England (AP) — The French squad has agreed to give its World Cup bonuses to help amateur football projects throughout the country, drawing a line under the team's humiliating exit from the tournament.
After France's group-stage exit in South Africa earlier this year, amid infighting and indiscipline, the players accepted they didn't deserve the bonuses totaling around €3 million ($4 million).
But they couldn't agree with the football federation about where the money should go, or who should distribute it, until Monday night.
With midfielder Alou Diarra and winger Florent Malouda alongside him, federation president Fernand Duchaussoy announced Tuesday that the dispute had been resolved ahead of a friendly against England the following night.
"The players confirm the undertaking they took at the World Cup to give up all bonuses of any nature, during the (World Cup) warmup matches and the competition itself in South Africa," Duchaussoy said at Wembley Stadium. "The players approve the step taken by the FFF to allocate the bonuses to the financing of amateur football projects.
"There has never been any controversy between the France team players and the French Football Federation. There was just a lack of accuracy and clarity which led to inaccurate and regrettable interpretations. The page has now been turned."
Diarra said that the players "felt it was the most logical solution."
"We have come to an agreement that we are all happy with," the captain said.
France was left embarrassed as a nation during the World Cup when its players went on strike after Nicolas Anelka was thrown out of the squad for insulting then-coach Raymond Domenech during half time in a group match against Mexico.
Not only that, the team was eliminated at the group stage after picking up just one point from three games, mirroring its performance in the 2008 European Championship.
Coach Laurent Blanc is pleased that the bonuses row has been settled and the team can focus on qualifying for Euro 2012.
"It is good to put this stuff in the past and it has ended now," Blanc said through a translator. "It has been solved in the best way possible and we are happy."
-- Rob Harris
Chelsea's defensive problems mount with injuries
LONDON (AP) — Chelsea's defensive problems mounted Tuesday when captain John Terry started consulting doctors over treatment for a nerve problem and Alex was ruled out for as long as eight weeks with a knee injury.
Terry said the injury, which causes pain in his right leg and already ruled him out of England's friendly against France on Wednesday, could keep him out for months. Alex needs surgery to his right knee.
Both missed Chelsea's 3-0 Premier League defeat by Sunderland at the weekend and the defending champion's defense could be vulnerable until the January transfer window opens.
The defeat by Sunderland, Chelsea's heaviest at Stamford Bridge since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the west London club in 2003, reduced its lead at the top of the Premier League to two points.
"It is at a point where I cannot carry on with it," Terry said. "I used to be able to make it through games because the adrenalin gets you going and you blank the pain out. But now there is no decision to make. After games I'm in agony and not sleeping at all."
British daily The Sun said Terry may travel to Italy for treatment from a specialist recommended by Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Chelsea's four-man defense against Sunderland featured three right-backs and such a pattern could continue after Alex was ruled out after linking up with Brazil's squad for a friendly against Argentina.
"Further to the Chelsea medical team's diagnosis, the Brazilian national team doctors agree that further investigation via arthroscopic surgery is required on the player's right knee," Chelsea said in a statement. "That will take place over the coming days."
Bielsa says goodbye to Chile in friendly
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Marcelo Bielsa will end his three-year run as Chile coach in Wednesday's friendly against South American neighbor Uruguay.
The popular Argentine announced his resignation several weeks ago, stepping down in a disagreement with Spanish businessman Jorge Segovia, who was elected this month as the president of the country's football federation. Bielsa had supported the incumbent Harold Mayne-Nicholls.
Bielsa said before the election that he would step down if the Spaniard were elected, and he has followed through. Chile has yet to announce a new coach in a controversy that has also implicated Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.
"The idea is not to go backward, but it will be difficult to replace Bielsa," national team defender Gonzalo Jara said. "There are few like him."
Midfielder Mauricio Isla added: "It hurts to lose a great coach. It's tough to say goodbye, particularly when he had done things well."
The Argentine guided Chile to its first World Cup in 12 years, reaching the second round in South Africa before being knocked out by five-time champion Brazil.
Bielsa, who coached Argentina at the 2002 World Cup, is seen as a temperamental innovator, a tactician who studies videos and paces on the sidelines with a feverish intensity. In Spanish he is known simply as "el loco" — "the crazy one."
Some fans attending the match in Santiago are expected to protest Bielsa's resignation, blaming Segovia and expressing their displeasure by wearing black T-shirts.
Pinera has been said to be part of a campaign to remove Mayne-Nicholls. Pinera is a minority stockholder in the large Chilean club Colo Colo and news reports in Chile have said Pinera did not get along with Bielsa.
Mayne-Nicholls hired Bielsa and former Chile President Michelle Bachelet was also a strong supporter.
-- Federico Quilodran
Tshabalala's 1st goal at World Cup on award list
ZURICH (AP) — Siphiwe Tshabalala's spectacular opening goal for South Africa against Mexico in the first match of the World Cup has been named on a shortlist for the best goal of 2010.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst's long-distance strike for the Netherlands in its semifinal victory against Uruguay was also announced by FIFA on Tuesday among the 10 Puskas Award contenders for the best goal scored between Jan. 1 and Oct. 15.
The other candidates were scored by Hamit Altintop for Turkey, Matthew Burrows for Northern Irish side Glentoran, Linus Hallenius for Swedish club Hammarby, Lionel Messi for Barcelona, Samir Nasri for Arsenal, Neymar for Santos, Arjen Robben for Bayern Munich, and Kumi Yokoyama for Japan's women's under-17 team.
Fans will vote for the winner on FIFA's website.
The award, which was created last year in honor of Hungary and Real Madrid great Ferenc Puskas, will be presented at a Jan. 10 ceremony in Zurich when FIFA will give the Ballon D'Or trophy to the world's best player in 2010.
Altintop's goal was a first-time volley from a corner in a 2012 European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan.
Burrows scored with a backflick volley while leaping away from goal, and Hallenius drew comparisons with Marco Van Basten's breathtaking finish for the Dutch in the Euro '88 final against the Soviet Union.
Messi, Nasri, Neymar, Robben and Yokoyama were all nominated after dribbling past several defenders before scoring from inside the penalty area.
Cristiano Ronaldo won the inaugural Puskas Award for scoring from 40 yards (35 meters) for Manchester United against Porto in a Champions League match in April 2009.
He got nearly 18 percent of the votes from 120,000 fans who took part.
Cagliari fires coach Bisoli after 2 losses
CAGLIARI, Sardinia (AP) — Cagliari has fired Pierpaolo Bisoli following losses at home to Napoli and Genoa in the Italian league and hired former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni as a replacement.
The Sardinian club has gained 11 points in its opening 12 matches and is tied with two other clubs for the penultimate position in the standings — two points above last-place Bari.
Bisoli took over Cagliari at the start of this season for his first coaching job in Serie A, having helped guide Cesena up from the second division last season.
Donadoni coached Italy to the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Championship and has also guided Livorno, Genoa and Napoli in Serie A.
Cagliari's next match is at Brescia on Sunday.
Donadoni hired by Cagliari
CAGLIARI, Sardinia (AP) — Former MetroStars midfielder Roberto Donadoni has been hired as coach of Cagliari, which fired Pierpaolo Bisoli following home losses to Napoli and Genoa in the Italian league.
Donadoni played for the MetroStars in 1996-97 between stints at AC Milan (1986-96 and 1997-99). He coached Italy to the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Championship and has also coached Livorno, Genoa and Napoli in Serie A.
Cagliari has 11 points in 12 games, tied with Brescia and Cesena for next-to-last place, two points above Bari. Cagliari is at Brescia on Sunday.
