Men's Soccer Capsules: Uruguay standing in way of Messi, Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Fans bombarded Lionel Messi with jeers and graphic profanities last week in a disorganized 0-0 draw against Colombia, illustrating what his father Jorge called the "terrible pressure" on the Barcelona star at home during the Copa America.
It could get even uglier if Argentina loses to Uruguay on Saturday in a quarterfinal being played in the northern city of Santa Fe, the same venue as last week's debacle and just a short drive from Messi's birthplace in Rosario.
This is supposed to be the tournament Argentina wins to end an 18-year drought without a major international title. But its small neighbor across the River Plate estuary stands in the way with almost the same team that reached last year's World Cup semifinals.
"Against Uruguay, this is a final," said Messi, who has not scored for Argentina in his last 15 competitive internationals, including the Copa America, World Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
The other three weekend quarterfinals offer more regional intrigue. Colombia faces Peru on Saturday, before two-time defending champion Brazil plays Paraguay and Venezuela takes on Chile on Sunday.
The final is July 24, and that's the first time Argentina and Brazil could meet.
Brazil has won the last two titles — both in finals against Argentina — and four of the last five.
Messi and Argentina redeemed themselves on Monday, defeating Costa Rica 3-0. After two miserable opening games, coach Sergio Batista dropped Messi back into a playmaker role. He dribbled and turned just as he does at Barcelona, threading passes to forwards Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria.
Batista will go with the same 11 with Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano at midfield.
The victory still wasn't overly impressive, as Costa Rica fielded an under-23, Olympic-style team in the South American championship, where they played as a guest from the CONCACAF region.
Uruguay, meanwhile, has one of the most experienced teams in the tournament led by forwards Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.
Messi, who has hardly spoken publicly during the first two weeks, held his first news conference on Thursday and was immediately asked if — faced with the nasty insults from fans — he intended to keep playing for Argentina's national team.
"Although they criticize me, I will always come to the national team," Messi said. "Criticism by the fans bothers me and everyone, but we are aware that we didn't do things correctly. ... Nobody likes to be whistled at. It happened because the team did not play well."
Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association, in a radio interview talked tongue-in-cheek about Messi staying away from Argentina, where he is often seen an outsider and lacks the charisma of Diego Maradona.
"The solution would be if he (Messi) said: 'I'm not coming again, I'm staying in Spain.'"
The game could center around two forwards who are teammates at Atletico de Madrid — Forlan and Argentina's Sergio Aguero.
Aguero, who has said he "will not return" to the Madrid club, has scored three of Argentina's four goals.
Forlan is in a terrible slump. Voted the best player in last year's World Cup, he has not scored a goal with the national team since South Africa. His last goal with Atletico de Madrid was in March.
Forlan's had chances in the first three games, left open several times only to shoot wide or over the crossbar.
"I'm not going to drive myself crazy. The goals will come," Forlan said.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said he was not worrying about Messi.
"If you have a problem, and you have no solution — why worry about it," Tabarez said.
Uruguay standing in way of Messi, Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Fans bombarded Lionel Messi with jeers and profanities last week in a disorganized 0-0 draw against Colombia, illustrating what his father Jorge called the "terrible pressure" on the Barcelona star at home during the Copa America.
It could get even uglier if Argentina loses to Uruguay on Saturday in a quarterfinal being played in the northern city of Santa Fe, the same venue as for last week’s debacle and just a short drive from Messi’s birthplace in Rosario.
This is supposed to be the tournament Argentina wins to end an 18-year drought without a major international title. But its small neighbor across the River Plate estuary stands in the way with almost the same team that reached last year’s World Cup semifinals.
"Against Uruguay, this is a final," said Messi, who has not scored for Argentina in his last 15 competitive internationals, including the Copa America, World Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
The other three weekend quarterfinals offer more regional intrigue. Colombia faces Peru on Saturday, before two-time defending champion Brazil plays Paraguay and Venezuela takes on Chile on Sunday.
The final is July 24, and that’s the first time Argentina and Brazil could meet.
Brazil has won the last two titles — both in finals against Argentina — and four of the last five.
Messi and Argentina redeemed themselves on Monday, defeating Costa Rica 3-0. After two miserable opening games, coach Sergio Batista dropped Messi back into a playmaker role. He dribbled and turned just as he does at Barcelona, threading passes to forwards Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria.
Batista will go with the same 11 with Fernando Gago and Javier Mascherano at midfield.
The victory still wasn’t overly impressive, as Costa Rica fielded an under-23, Olympic-style team in the South American championship, where they played as a guest from the CONCACAF region.
Uruguay, meanwhile, has one of the most experienced teams in the tournament led by forwards Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez.
Messi, who has hardly spoken publicly during the first two weeks, held his first news conference on Thursday and was immediately asked if — faced with the nasty insults from fans — he intended to keep playing for Argentina’s national team.
"Although they criticize me, I will always come to the national team," Messi said. "Criticism by the fans bothers me and everyone, but we are aware that we didn’t do things correctly. ... Nobody likes to be whistled at. It happened because the team did not play well."
Julio Grondona, the president of the Argentine Football Association, in a radio interview talked tongue-in-cheek about Messi staying away from Argentina, where he is often seen an outsider and lacks the charisma of Diego Maradona.
"The solution would be if he (Messi) said: ‘I’m not coming again, I’m staying in Spain.’"
The game could center around two forwards who are teammates at Atletico de Madrid — Forlan and Argentina’s Sergio Aguero.
Aguero, who has said he "will not return" to the Madrid club, has scored three of Argentina’s four goals.
Forlan is in a terrible slump. Voted the best player in last year’s World Cup, he has not scored a goal with the national team since South Africa. His last goal with Atletico de Madrid was in March.
Forlan’s had chances in the first three games, left open several times only to shoot wide or over the crossbar.
"I’m not going to drive myself crazy. The goals will come," Forlan said.
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said he was not worrying about Messi.
"If you have a problem, and you have no solution — why worry about it," Tabarez said.
-- Stephen Wade
Brazil could lose Thiago Silva for Copa quarters
CAMPANA, Argentina (AP) — Brazil could be without defender Thiago Silva against Paraguay in the quarterfinals of the Copa America on Sunday because of a right thigh muscle injury.
Thiago Silva missed Brazil’s practice on Friday and doctors said it was unclear whether he would recover in time for the decisive match in La Plata.
Doctors said they will wait to see how the healing process progresses and reevaluate the AC Milan player on Saturday. The Brazilian football federation said the injury stems from natural fatigue after the three group matches.
If Thiago Silva is not able to play, coach Mano Menezes will have to choose between Benfica defender Luisao or Chelsea’s David Luiz to play alongside veteran captain Lucio.
The 26-year-old Thiago Silva has been a regular starter since Menezes took over the national team after the World Cup last year. The coach used Thiago Silva and David Luiz in friendlies leading into the Copa America, but then brought Lucio back to add experience to the team, benching David Luiz.
Luisao hasn’t played much under Menezes, but he has the experience of having played in the last two Copa Americas, both won by Brazil.
The possible change for Sunday’s match could add even more pressure on the Brazilian defense, which has been criticized after below-average performances in the South American competition. Brazil allowed two goals in each of the last two matches after unusual defensive breakdowns and individual errors, including two by goalkeeper Julio Cesar against Ecuador on Wednesday.
"The defense hasn’t been playing badly, we just allowed some goals because of mistakes, that happens in football, it’s normal," Lucio said.
The coach likely won’t have to make any other changes to the team after it improved significantly against Ecuador following the draws against Venezuela and Paraguay in the group stage. Menezes hasn’t announced the official lineup, but could leave it unchanged for the first time in the tournament.
He hinted that Maicon will remain in the lineup after his impressive performance against Ecuador, when he replaced Daniel Alves on the right side of the defense. Daniel Alves made an error that cost one of Brazil’s goals against Paraguay last week.
"It’s up to Mano to decide who will be playing," Maicon said. "But if he decides to choose me, I hope I can play up to expectations and help again, just like I did against Ecuador."
Brazil was already without midfielder Sandro because of injury. The Tottenham player was dropped from the team earlier this week because of a left knee ailment.
Brazil is playing the Copa America with a squad mixed with veterans and young promising stars, including Paulo Henrique Ganso and Neymar, as Menezes works toward building a team for the 2014 World Cup at home.
-- Tales Azzoni
Other Soccer News
Twente hopes CL run eases stadium accident trauma
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — FC Twente hopes that progressing to the global spotlight of the Champions League group stage can help the Dutch club cope with the trauma of a stadium construction accident that killed two people.
The Grolsch Veste venue in the Netherlands town of Enschede is still being treated as a crime scene eight days after a roof collapsed during renovation work, and staff are being offered counseling, club officials said Friday.
"It’s a tragedy that we’re overpowered by," Twente operations manager Eugenio Porcu told The Associated Press at UEFA headquarters.
"Due to this tragedy, people came to each other because they experienced it together. There’s a special feeling of bonding together," he said.
Porcu described the "fantastic" prospect of speeding the club’s recovery by reaching the elite group stage of the world’s most prestigious club competition.
Twente begins a quest to advance through two preliminary rounds with its first competitive match since the July 7 accident.
The Dutch league runner-up was paired Friday with Champions League newcomers FC Vaslui, which placed third in the Romanian league last season.
However, Twente’s stadium can’t host the "home" leg on July 26 which will likely be played 56 miles (90 kilometers) away at the Gelredome in Arnhem.
"There is an investigation by the justice department," Porcu said. "It’s not our part of the stadium any more. We’re waiting for clearance to remove the (debris)."
The cause of the collapse, which sent steel girders and red roof panels crashing down on a concrete terrace behind the southern goal, is still unknown.
Construction workers were adding a new tier above existing seating to increase the stadium’s capacity to 30,000 from 24,000.
"Hopefully in a short period of time we can put seats in and make it a safe stadium again. Maybe at a later stage we can put the roof on top," Porcu said.
The renovation reflected Twente’s ambition after winning the Dutch league in 2010, that earned entry into a Champions League group that included Inter Milan and Tottenham. It then finished the domestic season a close second to traditional powerhouse Ajax of Amsterdam.
Twente can’t be sure of fulfilling its first home Dutch league fixture, scheduled for the evening of Aug. 13 against AZ Alkmaar, Porcu said.
Without floodlights at one end, the club would prefer to play the following afternoon.
The club’s close-knit community values are helping it recover from the accident, which also injured more than a dozen people.
"Some were working on the first tier and had to flee for their lives," Porcu said. "Some of our people are still shocked. We had to fly in professional help.
"But this will make us stronger as an organization, absolutely."
-- Graham Dunbar
Trabzonspor gets Benfica in Champions League
NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Declaring itself "100 percent" innocent in a widespread Turkish match-fixing scandal, Trabzonspor’s tough luck in the Champions League continued Friday when it drew Portuguese club Benfica in the third qualifying round.
In other pairings, Dynamo Kiev was drawn to face Rubin Kazan and FC Twente was paired with Romanian club Vaslui.
Twente is preparing to play the opening home leg at neutral Arnhem in the Netherlands on July 26-27 just three weeks after construction works collapsed at its stadium, killing two people.
Danish champion FC Copenhagen, which reached the last-16 knockout round last season, was drawn at home first against Shamrock Rovers of Ireland or Estonia’s Flora Tallinn, whose second qualifying round tie will be completed next week.
Trabzonspor finished runner-up in the Turkish league last season, and could yet be awarded the title if allegations are proven that champion Fenerbahce’s officials cheated their way to the trophy. Fenerbahce edged Trabzonspor on goal difference in May after winning 16 of its last 17 matches.
However, the probe isn’t being resolved in time to award Trabzonspor direct entry — instead of Fenerbahce — to the lucrative 32-team group stage of the Champions League.
"I am 100 percent sure we don’t have anything going on with this (investigation)," Trabzonspor director Nevzat Aydin told The Associated Press. "Our fans are telling us that if we did anything wrong we have to be relegated to the second division — we don’t have a problem with that.
"But what is true is that Fenerbahce’s president, vice president and accountant are in jail," Aydin said.
Six Trabzonspor officials have been questioned by police since the scandal emerged last week.
Champions League organizer UEFA and Turkey’s football federation this week cleared both clubs to enter the competition because the investigation is ongoing. Fenerbahce is set to earn at least €15 million ($21 million) prize money for taking part.
UEFA has warned that it can kick clubs out of a competition and wipe its results from the record books if corruption is proven. The rules also prevent a team being upgraded once it has played a match — leaving Trabzonspor to fight through two rounds just to reach the glamorous group stage.
"Maybe that is the most difficult situation because we are losing money and losing reputation, but there is nothing we can do now," Aydin said.
"It’s a chaotic situation. We have to rebuild trust in Turkish football."
Trabzonspor begins that task with a first-leg match away to two-time European champion Benfica on July 26 or 27. The return in Turkey is scheduled Aug. 2 or 3.
"Of course, it was not our first choice," Aydin said, of last season’s Europa League semifinalist. "We would not be their choice either. Both teams like to play football."
Turkey is among several countries dealing with domestic match-fixing scandals that have also rocked football in Italy, Finland, Greece and Israel.
UEFA’s top administrator called for European clubs to obey the rules "in these difficult times of rumor and counter-rumor."
"It is more important than ever to show respect," UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said before conducting the draw.
"We will not hesitate to come down hard on any individual, or individuals, or clubs or officials that are proven to be involved in such illegal activities."
The draw for the second-tier Europa League’s third qualifying round included Bursaspor, which finished third in the Turkish league and could have been upgraded to the Champions League if Fenerbahce had been barred.
Bursaspor was drawn to play at home first against Gomel of Belarus on July 28. The return legs are played Aug. 4.
Atletico Madrid, the 2010 winner, was paired with Norway’s Stromsgodset, and England’s Stoke City plays its first European match since 1974 at home to Hajduk Split of Croatia.
The complex Europa League format sees winners of 35 ties drawn Friday joined by more new entrants in the next round, plus losing teams in the Champions League preliminaries, before the 48-team group stage is drawn next month.
-- Graham Dunbar
Altidore headed for Dutch club AZ Alkmaar
NEW YORK (AP) — American forward Jozy Altidore is headed to the Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
Altidore said on Twitter on Friday that "I have indeed agreed to terms to join AZ."
His agent, Lyle Yorks, said on Twitter that "nothing has been signed yet and all to be completed next week in Holland."
Altidore joined Villarreal from Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls in 2008 but never saw regular playing time at the Spanish club, which loaned him to Spain’s Xerez, England’s Hull and Turkey’s Bursaspor.
Altidore appeared as a substitute in two league matches last season for Villarreal, which loaned him to Bursaspor on the last day of the January transfer window. Altidore’s only goals for the Yellow Submarine last season were both against Poli Ejido in the fourth round of the Spanish Copa del Rey.
Alkmaar is in qualifying for this season’s Europa League.
England under-21 pair signs new Chelsea contracts
LONDON (AP) — England under-21 internationals Josh McEachran and Ryan Bertrand have signed new contracts with Premier League side Chelsea.
The 18-year-old McEachran signed a five-year contract and 21-year-old Bertrand committed to a four-year deal. Both players made their first-team debuts last season as Chelsea finished runner-up to Manchester United.
McEachran is regarded by many fans as Chelsea’s brightest prospect for years and says the long-term contract is "what I wished for when I was a kid and hopefully I will spend my career at Chelsea."
Liverpool signs Brazilian goalkeeper Doni
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool signed Brazilian goalkeeper Alexander Doni from Roma on Friday, adding backup to its squad for first-choice Pepe Reina.
The 31-year-old goalkeeper joined the Premier League club after passing a medical but Liverpool did not disclose financial details of the deal or the length of his contract.
Doni has played 10 times for Brazil and made 179 appearances in six seasons for Roma, with whom he twice won the Italian Cup.
Doni follows Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing in agreeing to join Liverpool since the end of last season, when the Reds finished sixth following a resurgence under returning manager Kenny Dalglish.
Liverpool completes deal for Villa’s Downing
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool has completed the signing of England midfielder Stewart Downing from Aston Villa.
Liverpool said on its website Friday that Downing signed a "long-term deal" with the Premier League club after passing a medical exam.
The club did not disclose financial details, but British media have reported the transfer fee to be 20 million pounds ($31.8 million).
Liverpool also signed Brazilian goalkeeper Alexander Doni from Roma on Friday as backup for Pepe Reina, and has previously bought Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam this transfer window.
