Soccer Capsules - Mexico, U.S. and League Capsules: Four suspended players return to Mexico side

The English superstar formally returned to his MLS club Thursday with a new two-year contract, vowing to win more trophies with the Galaxy while preparing to own an MLS franchise when his career ends. He'll also be free to play at the Olympics if he's chosen for Britain's national squad.

After the excitement died down from the Galaxy's run to the league title last fall during Beckham's most impressive MLS season, the midfielder made his final decision to stay in Hollywood on New Year's Eve over a glass of wine with his wife, Victoria.

"We've been happy here for the last five years, and we felt, why change something that works?" Beckham asked a packed room at Staples Center. "Los Angeles has been amazing to us as a family, so we're going to continue to enjoy it. ... We knew the first day that we arrived here that it would be a place that we'd spend many years, and I wasn't wrong."

The Beckhams' four children are comfortable living in Southern California, and he felt his family's well-being outweighed the intrigue of bigger offers from unnamed Premiership clubs or Paris Saint-Germain, which aggressively courted him in recent weeks.

"At 36 years old, to still have the offers that were being thrown at me, you have to look at all options," Beckham said.

The bold experiment that began nearly five years ago has survived a rough start to become longer and more fruitful than nearly anybody expected when Beckham left Real Madrid and moved stateside, hoping to spread the world's most popular sport in a nation that has always resisted its lure.

While Beckham's move hasn't transformed the sport in North America, he's the biggest star and fan draw in MLS even after five seasons, and the Galaxy have been the league's best team for two years.

"I must admit that I've never come back after a season with the Galaxy having been a champion," Beckham said. "I wanted to have that feeling and enter back into that locker room a champion. And we are, but we're not finished. I'm not just happy with one championship. I want more."

His second contract with the Galaxy was greeted with nothing near the spectacle of his July 2007 arrival, when the club threw a huge party at Home Depot Center to herald the biggest contract in MLS history.

This time around, Beckham quietly met his usual media retinue at the downtown arena owned by AEG, the conglomerate that also owns the Galaxy. Beckham spends much of his free time in Los Angeles at Staples Center, where he watches Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers from a courtside seat — sometimes even making it to games just a few hours after the Galaxy's matches.

"I've become a Lakers fan, so being able to come to the games is great," Beckham said. "There are so many things that we love."

Staples Center's owners are thrilled by the decision. AEG President Tim Leiweke said Beckham can play for the Galaxy for the rest of his career, if he chooses — and when he's done, AEG will help Beckham with his desire to own a franchise.

"For however long as he decides to play, the question of where he plays is not a question," said Leiweke, whose company spent aggressively to assemble top talent around Beckham in the last two years. "Unless I'm mistaken, (ownership is) his future, once he decides to retire. We have structured that option in a way to allow David to become a partner in the league at some point in the near future and operate his own franchise."

Even Beckham might not have predicted this outcome just two years into his tenure with the Galaxy, when the failed tenure of coach Ruud Gullit and the franchise's general disarray prompted Beckham to twice go on loan to AC Milan, where he blew out his Achilles tendon in 2010.

Everything came together for Beckham in Los Angeles last year after he returned from injury and another training stint with Tottenham. He was among the league's best players all season long with the Galaxy, who picked up Irish striker Robbie Keane as they topped the MLS table for the second straight season and steamrolled through the playoffs to the title.

Beckham's assist set up Landon Donovan's winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Houston in the MLS Cup on Nov. 20. Beckham celebrated the championship with his three sons on the Galaxy's home field before saying he planned to debate his future over the holidays.

Beckham claimed he would consider staying with the Galaxy, yet many fans and observers in Europe didn't believe him. Given his revitalized form with the Galaxy, many assumed he would take one of the offers sure to be dangled in front of him to resume his European career.

''I was always optimistic, because I felt he was really comfortable with the team and just happy," said coach Bruce Arena, whose steady influence has been praised by Beckham. "We literally were working all the way through the year to get David back."

-- Greg Beacham

Olympics no longer a given for U.S. soccer women

Known to sing a rock 'n' roll lyric or two to her players to get a message across, coach Pia Sundhage instead quoted from the critically acclaimed movie when she addressed the team ahead of Friday's opening game against the Dominican Republic. The Americans are in Vancouver for a tournament that will send two teams to London this summer.

"I'm a big fan of having a good start, so I want to surprise them," Sundhage said. "Sometimes we take things for granted, so I was standing there and my first words — I didn't sing — I look at them and I say: 'You're kind. You're smart. You're important.' That's exactly what they are."

As the No. 1 ranked team in the world, it would seem the U.S. women wouldn't need help of any kind to earn one of the two Olympic berths available in the eight-team CONCACAF tournament over the next 11 days. Getting to the World Cup or an Olympics was always a given: Their combined record was once 25-0-1 in qualifying for the sport's two biggest events. Until 2010, that is.

The Americans went to Cancun and blistered through the group phase of the World Cup qualifying tournament — winning three games by a combined score of 18-0 — before getting stunned by Mexico 2-1 in the semifinals. The U.S. had to win a backdoor playoff against Italy to earn a spot in Germany, a hurdle mostly forgotten as the team made a captivating run before losing to Japan in the World Cup final.

The format for this tournament is the same — except there's no backdoor playoff. The two teams that win the semifinals go to London; everyone else stays home.

"There's no Italy to back us up this year," midfielder Megan Rapinoe said.

That makes every game crucial, even the group matches against teams like the Dominican Republic (ranked No. 88) and Guatemala (No. 85), followed by the eagerly awaited rematch against Mexico (No. 21). One slip-up and the Americans might end up with a do-or-die semifinal game against No. 7 Canada, which is expected to win the other group.

"There's no better motivation than things not going as you planned," forward Abby Wambach said. "And definitely the last qualification didn't go as we planned. We thankfully had a second chance with playing the home-and-away series against Italy, and this time around we don't have that chance. All of us know that. It's not something that we even talk about.

"We're one of the best teams in the world, and we just can't show up for qualification and play and expect to win nowadays. Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, they're all really good teams, and they have a good chance of beating us on any given day."

So where there used to be ho-hum, there's now drama. While it shows that American domination isn't what it used to be, it's good for women's soccer as a whole as the sport tries to expand its reach and command attention at times when there's not a World Cup or Olympics going on.

Any tournament is going to have its idiosyncrasies, and this one is no exception. After all, this is Canada in January, so the games are being played indoors at BC Place. Sundhage is trying to get the Americans to play a more possession-type game, which can be a little tricky when the ball is bouncing on artificial turf. Defender Heather Mitts tweeted a photo of a bloody knee after Thursday's practice with the comment: "meet the BC turf."

Ironically, soccer could've been played outdoors when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics two years ago. The city that didn't see a flake during the 2010 Winter Games has snow on the ground and freezing temperatures this week as it hosts a sport from the summer version.

There's also the compact schedule. Three group matches in five days, then a short break before the all-important semifinals and the somewhat anticlimactic final. The U.S. has a deep, veteran team, so Sundhage is expected to spread the playing time around so that everyone is fresh for the one game that matters most.

"Right now we are in a wonderful situation, where you have the starting lineup, and as coaches we'll look at the bench — 'Wow. There are some good players,'" Sundhage said. "Regardless of who we pick for the starting lineup, we'll have good players. Now the key is whether they play well together, so that's something we need to look into with the games we have in front of us."

-- Joseph White

Sporting KC signs veteran forward Peterson

The match at Emirates Stadium represents a chance for the Gunners to bounce back from consecutive defeats, boost their chances of getting back into the Champions League qualifying spots and dent their opponents' chances of retaining the title.

There's also the matter of payback for August's 8-2 humiliation by United at Old Trafford.

"It is a massive opportunity because you feel we have given six points away in the last two games in a way that is unbelievable," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "It is time for us to wake up and be focused. We have a good opportunity to do that against Manchester United."

But victory is just as important to United, which could draw level with Manchester City at the top of the standings with victory over Arsenal. That's if third-place Tottenham can grab a surprise win at City in Sunday's other game.

"We will go there in a positive frame of mind and try to win," Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric said. "We do that against every opponent."

United could already be ahead of City but lost back-to-back games to Blackburn and Newcastle before bouncing back with a 3-2 FA Cup win at City. A 3-0 win over Bolton then got the Red Devils back on track in the Premier League, moving them 12 points clear of fifth-place Arsenal.

United defender Chris Smalling, who has returned to action after tonsillitis, blamed a rocky patch that included Champions League elimination on injuries.

"We've probably had more injuries than any other club in the league," Smalling said. "I definitely don't think many teams have lost players of the caliber of Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher for such lengthy periods. And yet we're still going strong, we're still challenging for the lead and we're even getting a few players back now, which will be crucial for the title run-in."

Arsenal can at least draw upon good home form, with only Liverpool in August winning at Emirates Stadium.

"I am confident we will get into the top four," Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny said. "We don't deserve to be outside the top four. We should be challenging for trophies every year and I believe the results will pick up and we will at least finish in the top four because we have the quality in the squad to succeed."

It's away from home where Arsenal is struggling, with a 2-1 defeat at Fulham and last week's 3-2 defeat at Swansea leaving the Gunners with the Premier League's worst away defense.

"I have no idea why we can't win away from home," Szczesny said. "The results speak for themselves and we have been really poor away this season. I really can't explain it. We go everywhere and try to do our best but the results don't go our way. We have talked about it and cannot come up with an answer."

City is also going through a slight dip in form with three defeats in four matches in all competitions before Monday's 1-0 win at struggling Wigan.

"It was a really important three points because it was a difficult game," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "Tottenham are having a fantastic season. They are a very good team, and it will be a fantastic game on Sunday."

Tottenham is just five points behind City, which has been its rival for a Champions League spot for the past two years. Spurs clinched a place in 2010 with a 1-0 win at City before the positions were reversed with a 1-0 win for City last season.

Spurs' players must hope last weekend's 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers represents only a check to fans' expectations rather than the start of a decline after just one loss in 19 games.

"It's only one game: one draw doesn't suddenly mean we're not going to do this or not going to do that," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. "We've been on a great run and we still are.

"We're still right up there, Champions League qualification is a real possibility for us and that's what we've got to aim to do."

Fourth-place Chelsea is at Norwich in one of eight matches Saturday, when Liverpool is at Bolton and Everton hosts Blackpool. Newcastle is at Fulham, Stoke hosts West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland hosts Swansea, Aston Villa is at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Wigan is at Queens Park Rangers.

West Ham has the chance to take over at the top of the second tier when it hosts Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while current League Championship leader Southampton hosts Leicester on Monday.

-- Stuart Condie

Bayern travels to Moenchengladbach in Bundesliga

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Bayern Munich could find out whether it should have made a bigger bid for Marco Reus when it kicks off the second half of the Bundesliga at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday.

Inter full of optimism after emotional derby win

ROME (AP) — Inter Milan is full of optimism following an emotional derby win over AC Milan that is helping the club forget its dismal start to the season.

Without an African title for 20 years and following disappointing performances at the last two Cup of Nations and the 2010 World Cup, Ivory Coast is approaching a last-chance scenario for some its leading players — especially Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.

The 33-year-old forward who has so often led the Elephants' charge at the African Cup won't have a better chance to claim a continental title with former winners Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria and South Africa all absent.

Drogba leads an impressive forward line for Ivory Coast, alongside Chelsea teammate Salomon Kalou and Arsenal winger Gervinho. Fellow veteran Kolo Toure forms the heart of the defense.

Yet Ivory Coast's success may depend on whether Kolo's younger brother, midfielder Yaya Toure, can take his dominant form for English Premier League team Manchester City onto the fields in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.

Yaya Toure was voted Africa's 2011 player of the year and there's little argument that he is currently the continent's outstanding player. He anchors the impressive lineup, which includes players from the top leagues in England, France and Germany.

But as Ivory Coast has discovered before with its recent failures, culminating in a surprising quarterfinal exit at the 2010 tournament, Africa's championship doesn't always suit the Europe-based stars.

"We hope this year will be our year," Yaya Toure said. "It's always difficult. We fell three times. It is so difficult. We have all the players playing in Europe. We know Africa is different, the weather, the fields.

"We have to fire. Quality is not enough to win the African Cup of Nations. If you speak about quality, the Ivory Coast has fantastic quality. We need the fighting spirit because you know Africa is so difficult, so hard."

Kolo Toure conceded Ivory Coast had undoubtedly "struggled" at the Cup of Nations, despite its talented group of players.

After the failure at the African Cup in Angola and a first-round exit at the 2010 World Cup, Ivory Coast turned to former international Francois Zahoui to coach the squad after a string of foreign managers.

That appeared to be the right decision as under Zahoui the Ivorians produced a perfect qualifying campaign for the African Cup, winning six out of six games to head to the tournament as the form team — as well as the top-ranked team — in Africa.

Warmup wins over Tunisia and Libya in the final run-in to the African Cup underlined Ivory Coast's status as obvious favorite for a first continental title since its only previous success in 1992. The expectation is great.

"The pressure is normal," Kolo Toure said, denying the favorites tag would weigh down the Ivorians. "Every time Ivory Coast plays a tournament everybody expects us to be the winning the team. For us, the pressure is normal. We are relaxed. We have prepared for the tournament well. We are ready to go there and make a show."

Drogba may not have many more African Cups left, while Kolo Toure is also heading toward the end of his career. They are part of a strong generation for Ivory Coast that has not lived up to its promise yet in international football — another heavy load for the squad to carry.

"I'm 30 years old and most of the team are 30. For us, we just need to now win this tournament," Kolo Toure said. "That is the only thing missing in our record. We have been in the World Cup twice. We know winning World Cup is difficult. If we don't win (the African Cup) it will bad thing for us."

Ivory Coast will be boosted by their tournament group, which appears easier than that of main title rival Ghana.

The Elephants would expect to beat Angola, Burkina Faso and Sudan in Group B, while Ghana has to deal with a dangerous Mali team in Group D alongside Botswana and Guinea, another tricky customer which beat out Nigeria in qualifying.

But as the top-ranked team and the favorite — and without big guns Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria — Ivory Coast also knows that it is the main target for the other teams. Everyone will be going all out to beat Ivory Coast.

"We have to respect everyone and play our best and that is the only way we can win the competition," Kalou said. "We are working. That is reason why we are here. We want to win the competition. We have to be ready to sacrifice all our energy, our time to go to the end.

"The only way of putting ourselves in trouble is not paying attention to a team."

Ivory Coast opens against Sudan, then faces Burkina Faso and Angola, and will surprise many if it doesn't ultimately make the trip to Libreville for the final on Feb. 12. Another failure would almost certainly be a bigger shock than the previous ones.

-- Gerald Imray

Morocco, Tunisia braced for early showdown

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Morocco and Tunisia are braced for an early showdown as both teams hope to lead the North African challenge at the African Cup of Nations in the absence of the region's dominant force, Egypt.