Soccer Capsules: Timbers get first MLS win in front of home fans
PORTLAND, Oregon (AP) — Colombian striker Jorge Perlaza scored twice as the Portland Timbers got their first Major League Soccer victory, beating the Chicago Fire 4-2 in their rain-drenched home opener Thursday.
Perlaza scored in the 29th and 48th minutes, while Rodney Wallace (38th) and Mamadou Dansu (84th) also scored for the Timbers at Jeld-Wen Field.
Midfielder Marco Pappa scored in the 66th and 81st minutes for the Fire.
Portland started the season on the road while $31 million in improvements were completed to make their downtown stadium more football friendly.
The Timbers started 20-year-old New Zealander Jake Gleeson in goal. Gleeson had started the season as Portland's third option, but both veteran Troy Perkins and backup Adin Brown went down with injuries.
Whitecaps to host Manchester City in friendly
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The Vancouver Whitecaps will host Premier League club Manchester City in a friendly at Empire Field in July.
Whitecaps Chief Executive Paul Barber announced the July 18 match during a news conference Thursday. He said all Whitecaps season-ticket holders will be admitted for free.
The Whitecaps usually play on field turf, but Barber said a temporary grass field will be installed. The game is part of the World Football Challenge being sponsored by international groups. The Major League Soccer expansion team is playing at Empire Field until the BC Place renovations are completed in the fall.
Beckham to serve one-game suspension for yellows
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Beckham's latest yellow card has resulted in an automatic one-game suspension for the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder. Beckham received the booking for a reckless tackle during the first half of Wednesday's scoreless draw against Toronto FC. It was his league-high fifth yellow card through six games.
Beckham must sit out Sunday's Major League Soccer match against the Chicago Fire. Galaxy forward Juninho will also miss the game after earning a pair of yellow cards on Wednesday.
Beckham is playing in the fifth and final year of his original contract, but recently said he'd be open to returning to MLS after this season.
U.S. to face Mexico in June 5 World Cup sendoff
CHICAGO (AP) — The U.S. women's soccer team will play Mexico in a June 5 exhibition at Red Bull Arena, its final game before the team leaves for the Women's World Cup in Germany.
The game will be the first against Mexico since El Tri upset the Americans in World Cup qualifying last November, forcing the two-time World Cup champions into a playoff against Italy for a spot in this summer's tournament. The U.S. has a 49-game unbeaten streak at home, its last loss coming Nov. 6, 2004, against Denmark in Philadelphia.
"There's nothing better than having a World Cup sendoff game at an amazing venue against a very good opponent in front of a great crowd," U.S. captain Christie Rampone said. "It will be an emotional game and a great test for us before we head over to Europe to begin our final preparations."
Kristine Lilly, whose 352 appearances is an international record, will be honored before the game. Lilly, who retired in January, is the only player to play in all five Women's World Cups. She also played on three Olympic teams, winning gold medals in 1996 and 2004.
The United States will leave for training camp in Austria after the game. The Americans begin group play June 28 against North Korea in Dresden, followed by a July 2 game against Colombia in Sinsheim. The Americans close out Group C against Sweden on July 6.
Copa Libertadores
Universidad Catolica, Velez reach final 16
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Universidad Catolica of Chile and Argentina's Velez Sarsfield clinched berths in the final 16 of the Copa Libertadores after winning their group matches Thursday.
Marcelo Canete scored the decisive goal as Catolica rallied to win 2-1 over compatriot Union Espanola to top Group 4.
Kevin Harbottle opened the scoring for Espanola in the 48th minute, but Pablo Calandria equalized for Catolica just a minute later.
"The goal had us worried for a moment but we stayed calm and managed to turn the game around," Canete said. "We trust in our team and we trust in our teammates. We know there are errors to correct but we have got to try to keep winning in the next round."
Meanwhile, Velez won 3-0 at Caracas with two goals from Santiago Silva to secure second spot and eliminate the Venezuelan club that had started the day as group leader.
Maximiliano Moralez put Velez on the way to victory with an opener in the 21st, before Silva scored in the 47th and 55th. Velez finished with 10 men after Gaston Diaz' red card in the 86th.
"It was a long trip and the pitch was in a poor state but we played a really impressive match," said Silva. "The group has been very equal right up to the last day and thankfully we managed to qualify."
Elsewhere, Brazilian club Santos, one of the title favorites, kept its qualification hopes alive with a 2-1 win at Paraguay's Cerro Porteno in Group 5.
Danilo opened the scoring with a 30-yard (meter) strike in the 12th minute, with Maikon Leite adding a second just after half time. Pedro Benitez headed a consolation goal for Cerro in stoppage time.
Santos was forced to play without suspended star striker Neymar after the 19-year-old was sent off for celebrating his goal in last week's victory against group leader Colo Colo of Chile by pulling on a paper face mask of himself. The referee deemed the celebration to be illegal and showed the striker a second yellow card.
The result left Colo Colo atop the group with nine points, while Cerro is second with eight, ahead of Santos on goal difference.
Santos hosts already-eliminated Deportivo Tachira of Venezuela and Cerro travels to Colo Colo in the remaining group fixtures next Wednesday.
The final matches in Group 2 were largely academic because Colombia's Atletico Junior and Gremio of Brazil had already qualified.
Junior drew 1-1 with Leon de Huanuco and Gremio lost 3-0 at Oriente Petrolero. The results meant Junior qualified as group leader, with Gremio second.
Nine teams have now qualified for the final 16 of Latin America's top international club competition: Junior, Gremio, Velez, Paraguay's Libertad, Brazil's Cruzeiro, Argentina's Estudiantes, Chile's Catolica, Ecuador's Liga and Uruguay's Penarol.
League News
Portuguese trio reaches Europa League semifinals
LONDON (AP) — Portuguese clubs dominate the semifinal lineup for the Europa League after FC Porto, Benfica and Braga grabbed three of the four available spots on Thursday.
Porto completed a huge 10-3 aggregate win in its quarterfinal against Spartak Moscow with a 5-2 victory in Russia, while Benfica drew its second-leg match 2-2 at PSV Eindhoven to progress 6-3 past the Dutch side.
Porto will play its two-legged semifinal against Spain's Villarreal, which completed an Iberian sweep with a 3-1 win at FC Twente that rounded off a one-sided 8-2 victory over two matches.
Only Braga had to sweat over its chances, moving past Dynamo Kiev on away goals despite playing 71 minutes with 10 men. The teams drew 0-0 in Portugal but Braga progressed to a meeting courtesy of last week's 1-1 draw in Kiev.
With Braga meeting Benfica next, Portugal is guaranteed at least one team in the May 18 final in Dublin.
There have been seven previous finals between teams from the same nation, although all came in the tournament's previous guise as the UEFA Cup and none featured Portuguese sides.
Porto is the only Portuguese side to have won European club football's second-tier club competition, beating Celtic in the 2003 final under coach Jose Mourinho — a year before hoisting the more prestigious Champions League.
Benfica lost the 1983 final to Anderlecht.
Brazilian forward Hulk scored the opener and set up two more goals for a Porto side already 5-1 up from the first match.
"We are very, very happy with what we did today and in the first leg," Porto coach Andre Villas-Boas said.
Looking to salvage some pride, Spartak opened strongly but Porto counterattacked in the 28th minute and Hulk beat the offside trap from almost the center of the pitch before scoring with a low left-foot shot.
Cristian Rodriguez headed in Hulk's corner kick in first-half injury time, Freddy Guarin made it 3-0 in the 47th and, although Artem Dzyba got a goal back for the home side, Falcao added to his first-leg hat trick in the 54th with his 11th goal of the tournament — also from a corner by Hulk.
Ari scored for Spartak but Porto substitute Ruben Micael restored the three-goal advantage with one minute left.
Emir Bajrami gave Villarreal an early scare when he scored for Twente in the 31st but the home crowd's slim hopes were shattered when defender Dwight Tiendalli was ejected in the 53rd.
Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi equalized with the resulting penalty to restore the four-goal advantage Villarreal had built with a 5-1 first-leg win in Spain. Marco Ruben netted another penalty in the 84th and Ruben Cani scored the third five minutes later to wrap up the win.
Benfica led 4-1 ahead of its trip to Eindhoven and had an even bigger scare than Villarreal, conceding two goals without reply in the first 25 minutes. Balazs Dzsudzsak converted Jeremain Lens' cross to put the Dutch side ahead and Lens doubled the lead with a fierce shot.
But Luisao silenced the buzzing PSV supporters in the 45th when he pulled one back for Benfica, acrobatically hitting the ball through the defense after goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson palmed away a shot.
Oscar Cardozo converted a penalty to level for Benfica in the 63rd.
Braga held on for more than an hour after Paulo Cesar was sent off for a brutal challenge on Andriy Yarmolenko, who scored in the first leg's 1-1 draw. But Dynamo defender Goran Popov also saw a red card in the 88th.
The first legs of the semifinals are scheduled for April 28, with the return matches a week later.
-- Stuart Condie
Man United continues treble hunt vs. Man City
LONDON (AP) — Manchester United's attempt to emulate its 1999 treble trophy haul continues Saturday with an FA Cup semifinal against what is arguably the club most determined to stop it — Manchester City.
The FA Cup represents City's last chance this season of breaking its 35-year streak without a trophy, so motivation is huge to improve upon last year's defeat to its local rival at the same stage of the League Cup.
But while United heads to Wembley seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and on a high after reaching the Champions League semifinals, City has won only two of its last six games and has been hit by the loss of star striker Carlos Tevez.
"It is a big problem," said Mancini on Thursday, ruling out Tevez for as long as four weeks because of a hamstring injury. "But we can't take any risks."
The winner will meet Bolton or Stoke in next month's final, with those two sides meeting in the second Wembley semifinal on Sunday.
Despite failing to regularly hit the free-scoring heights of previous seasons, record 11-time FA Cup winner United is a strong favorite to make it to an 18th FA Cup final.
United's only defeat in nine FA Cup semifinals under manager Alex Ferguson came in a penalty shootout against Everton two years ago, a record that defender Rio Ferdinand attributed to a strong team spirit.
"You don't see anyone come off the pitch shaking their head, being disgruntled, or sitting on the bench in a sulk at this club," Ferdinand said. "It won't happen here because everyone is delighted to play for this club and they want to be here. The moment you show a bit of dissent like that, the manager pulls rank, and rightly so."
City goalkeeper Joe Hart said morale was low after Monday's 3-0 defeat at Liverpool left City just three points ahead of fifth-place Tottenham in the Premier League, while midfielder James Milner threw his armband to the floor and angrily shook his head at being substituted in that match.
Mario Balotelli could replace Tevez, who scored 34 goals in two years with United before switching to City, while Ferguson must decide whether to retain Javier Hernandez, reintroduce leading scorer Dimitar Berbatov or play both in attack.
Berbatov has 21 Premier League goals this season, but Hernandez has managed 18 goals in his debut season in England. His partnership with Wayne Rooney has begun to flourish, but the England striker is suspended after swearing into a television camera.
Bolton reached the last of its seven FA Cup finals in 1958, when it beat a United side ravaged by the Munich air crash 2-0 for a fourth title, but Stoke's FA Cup record is far weaker.
The 148-year-old club, the oldest in the Premier League, has made it to three previous semifinals and lost all of them.
"Getting to Wembley this time won't mean anything unless we make it through to the final itself," midfielder Rory Delap said. "It's a great day out for the supporters, and they thoroughly deserve it, but from our point of view it's just another game."
Bolton expects about 27,000 of its supporters to be at Wembley on Sunday, when the game will be competing for attention with Arsenal's Premier League match against Liverpool.
Second-place Arsenal needs victory to keep up the pressure on United, but Liverpool is in form after its big win over City and hopeful of a first ever win at Emirates Stadium.
"We need to work hard to close them down and make sure that we don't give them space or time on the ball," Liverpool striker Andy Carroll said. "There's no reason why Liverpool can't win there and all the lads are confident that we can beat Arsenal."
Also this weekend, it's: Birmingham vs. Sunderland, Blackpool vs. Wigan, Everton vs. Blackburn, West Bromwich Albion vs. Chelsea, and West Ham vs. Aston Villa.
-- Stuart Condie
Barcelona needs to focus on league, says Cruyff
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona can move closer to a third straight Spanish league title by beating Real Madrid on Saturday in the first of four matches against its main rival in 18 days, and Johan Cruyff wants his former club to stay focused on the task.
Barcelona leads the league by eight points ahead of the match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and will be looking to extend its winning streak over Madrid to six matches. Madrid, however, will be desperate to erase the humiliation of the 5-0 loss in November.
Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and Barcelona counterpart Pep Guardiola say they will start their best teams despite meeting in the Copa del Rey final four days later. The clubs will also clash on April 27 and May 3 in the Champions League semifinals.
Cruyff wants Barcelona to avoid the distractions of the Champions League and Copa del Rey with only seven rounds of the league remaining, saying a sweep of the four games is not "normally" possible due to strength of both clubs.
"The most important thing (of the three) is always the league, it's a long-distance thing. You don't need to be lucky, you have to play well the whole way," Cruyff said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
"In the Champions League, you can have injuries, a little luck, a little bad luck — so a lot of things can happen in a short competition. So, for me, the league is always very important."
Cruyff expects revenge to be Mourinho's top priority after the largest defeat of the Portuguese coach's career.
"Let's see if he saw something different and will do something different," said Cruyff, adding that he expects Mourinho to focus on the other two tournaments.
"He's got difficulties in the league because Barcelona is quite far ahead, so he's got two more options and he has to play everything in these two options because he of course hopes to achieve something."
Madrid's players have also had to contend with a daily reminder of the drubbing, which was recently turned into an advertising campaign in the Catalan capital with images of Barcelona players displaying their hands to celebrate the five goals.
"Anything can happen. With this, he who laughs last, laughs best," Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo said. "Barcelona's players are not of another world, just the best in the world like ours. The team which makes the fewest errors will win."
Madrid striker Karim Benzema returned from a leg injury to play in Wednesday's 1-0 victory at Tottenham from Ronaldo's goal.
Ronaldo has now scored in three straight games as he looks to catch Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who has a league-high 29 goals to lead the Portugal forward by one.
Madrid attackers Angel Di Maria, Mesut Oezil, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gonzalo Higuain are all available and will be looking to capitalize on the absence of injured Barcelona defenders Carles Puyol (knee) and Eric Abidal (liver tumor).
With both defenders unlikely to return for any of the four matches, defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets is likely to plug the gap in Barcelona's depleted backline.
"They are basically the most powerful team in all senses, at their strongest and in their best moment with an unstoppable squad," Guardiola said of Madrid. "We accept the task of trying to beat them."
Messi scored a club-record 48th goal on Tuesday in the Champions League quarterfinals against Shakhtar Donetsk, moving closer to becoming the first Spanish league player to reach the half-century mark.
But the Argentina international has yet to find the back of the net in eight games against Mourinho-coached clubs, while Ronaldo has yet to score against Barcelona.
In other games, it's: Malaga vs. Mallorca; Getafe vs. Sevilla; Almeria vs. Valencia; Levante vs. Hercules; Real Sociedad vs. Sporting Gijon; Deportivo La Coruna vs. Racing Santander; Osasuna vs. Athletic Bilbao; Espanyol vs. Atletico Madrid; and Villarreal vs. Zaragoza.
-- Paul Logothetis
AC Milan looking to add to Sampdoria's struggles
ROME (AP) — Two teams heading in opposite directions meet Saturday when Serie A leader AC Milan hosts struggling Sampdoria. While Milan holds a three-point lead over Napoli, Sampdoria is in a relegation battle after having played in the final phase of qualifying for the Champions League at the start of the season.
Now only one point clear of the drop zone into Serie B, Sampdoria began the season with a formidable attack featuring Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini, both of whom departed during the January transfer window.
Cassano joined Milan after reportedly engaging in a verbal tirade against Sampdoria president Riccardo Garrone, and Pazzini left for Inter Milan. In the ensuing months, Samp has won just one match, and is currently on a seven-match winless streak.
"We're going through a tough moment but we've got to be as positive as possible; by knocking ourselves down we only risk making the situation worse," said Sampdoria captain Angelo Palombo. "Samp isn't dead and we can still bounce back in a big way."
However, Cassano will surely be motivated to face his former club, and will also want to celebrate the birth of his son on Thursday. While Alexandre Pato has been in top form, Cassano could find his way into the lineup since Zlatan Ibrahimovic is suspended again.
Having just returned from a two-game ban, Ibrahimovic will miss three of Milan's remaining six matches for insulting a linesman during last weekend's win over Fiorentina.
"Ibra is a key player for Milan, but we also played the derby without him and we won," said defender Alessandro Nesta, referring to the impressive 3-0 win over Inter a couple weeks ago.
Nesta's contract is up in June and there has been speculation that at age 35 he might retire.
"I'm near the end but not quite there yet, so I'm hoping to continue playing," he said. "I've read a lot of completely false things lately, but I haven't even discussed it with the club yet. Every once in a while somebody likes to turn the newspapers into the cinema. There's a title chase going on and it seems like my contract renewal is the bigger worry."
Napoli welcomes back standout striker Edinson Cavani from suspension when it hosts Udinese, which is chasing fourth place and the final Champions League berth.
Having allowed a last-minute goal in a loss to Roma last weekend, Udinese dropped to fifth, one point behind Lazio.
Napoli hasn't won Serie A since Diego Maradona led the southern club to the honor in 1987 and 1990 and mentioning the word "scudetto" — the term used for the title — is unofficially banned by the team and the football-crazed city.
"We haven't said it yet and we're not saying it yet," said Napoli captain Paolo Cannavaro, the younger brother of former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro.
Cavani has scored 25 goals this season, the most in a single season in Napoli history, and has drawn comparisons to Maradona.
"Maradona went down in history and I hope Cavani becomes part of our history, but replacing Diego isn't easy," said Paolo Cannavaro.
Still, Napoli fans are starting to sense something special and 15,000 of them traveled to see the team beat Bologna 2-0 last weekend.
"The impact when you walk out of the changing room really fills you with adrenalin. Seeing half the stadium in white-blue is indescribable," Paolo Cannavaro added. "Our supporters give us an extra weapon compared to Milan."
Five-time defending champion Inter, which is five points back, visits Parma fresh off its elimination by Schalke in the Champions League, having won a treble last season.
"It's a bitter pill to swallow, especially since this team has won so much over the last few years," said Inter coach Leonardo.
Inter striker Diego Milito added: "We've still got two months to go and we owe it to the fans to try and win Serie A and the Italian Cup."
Also this weekend, it's: Roma vs. Palermo; Catania vs. Lazio; Cesena vs. Bari; Chievo Verona vs. Bologna; Fiorentina vs. Juventus; Genoa vs. Brescia; and Lecce vs. Cagliari.
-- Andrew Dampf
Bayern Munich hosts Heynckes' Bayer Leverkusen
BERLIN (AP) — Bayer Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes finds himself in the difficult situation of being able to dent his future club's hopes of Champions League football next season when his current team faces Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Second-place Leverkusen is nine points ahead of fourth-place Munich with five games left, and will re-ignite the title race if it wins in Munich, putting the pressure on Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund's lead has been cut to five points after winning only one of its last four games. It hosts Freiburg on Sunday.
For Bayern Munich, which sacked coach Louis van Gaal after slipping to fourth, third is the minimum aim to secure the Champions League playoff spot.
Interim coach Andries Jonker has been entrusted with that task before Heynckes takes over in the summer, pitting the 48-year-old Dutchman against his successor in his first game in charge.
"We have the most individual quality in the league, so we have to start picking up points and regain third place in the table," Bayern captain Philipp Lahm said. "We have a target, and we have to hit it."
Failure would be hugely embarrassing for the club, especially as the Champions League final will be played in Munich in 2012.
Heynckes, however, is concentrating on his current club, and insists Bayern's fate is none of his concern.
"Expectations are always high in Munich," the 65-year-old told Kicker on Thursday. "The incentive to be able to play Champions League in the coming season is hugely important. But I have no influence on that. Here and now, all that counts for me is Bayer Leverkusen."
Bayer has failed to win in Munich in 20 Bundesliga games, its last victory coming in 1989, but its task will be made easier with the suspension of Bayern's star winger, Arjen Robben.
The Dutch international was banned for two games for a red card after he insulted the referee following the 1-1 draw at Nuremberg last week.
Veteran goalkeeper Joerg Butt is likely to return in place of Thomas Kraft, whose mistake allowed Nuremberg equalize, and Jonker may opt to give striker Miroslav Klose a rare start alongside Mario Gomez.
Bastian Schweinsteiger's participation is in doubt after he pulled out of Thursday's training session due to an ankle injury.
"We're at home and we're the better team," he said, before he took the knock. "There's more quality in our squad. We have to show that, because Leverkusen are strong and their coach knows us best."
Heynckes, who has already had two stints as coach of Bayern, acknowledged: "The public's interest will be huge, perhaps in me even more because I'm switching to Bayern."
He predicted a 2-1 win for his current side. "And then I'll jump for joy!"
Dortmund's top scorer with 13 goals, Lucas Barrios, will miss the game against Freiburg because of a groin injury, but Robert Lewandowski will start in his place.
Meanwhile, league top scorer Papiss Demba Cisse will hope to add to his tally of 20 as he helps Freiburg's push for the Europa League.
Mainz gets the weekend's action under way on Friday when it hosts bottom side Borussia Moenchengladbach.
On Saturday, Hannover hopes to consolidate third place with a victory at Hamburger SV; Felix Magath's Wolfsburg hosts St. Pauli in a relegation battle; and it's Hoffenheim vs. Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne vs. Stuttgart, and Kaiserslautern vs. Nuremberg.
In Saturday's late game, relegation-threatened Werder Bremen welcomes Champions League semifinalists Schalke.
-- Ciaran Fahey
Deschamps urges players to focus on title race
MONACO (AP) — Defending champion Marseille will play at Montpellier on Sunday with coach Didier Deschamps urging his players to stay focused on the title race and not think about the League Cup final soon after.
Second-place Marseille is only three points behind French leader Lille with eight games remaining, and is still on course to match last season's league and League Cup double.
Marseille faces Montpellier twice in six days, with the teams meeting again in the cup final at Stade de France.
"There's a trophy at stake, both are important for us," Deschamps said. "I won't favor one over the other."
With Montpellier in sixth place and challenging for a Europa League place next season, midfielder Geoffrey Dernis said his teammates will not be letting up on Sunday, either.
"All of us can't wait to play in this final, but I think we would be very disappointed to finish in 13th or 14th place when we are currently in sixth," Dernis said. "Of course we're thinking about it, but that's not all that's on our minds."
Lille hosts a struggling Bordeaux side that was jeered by its fans after last weekend's 0-0 home draw against last-place Arles-Avignon. The president of Bordeaux's longtime sponsor, the French television channel M6, even threatened to pull out if results do not improve.
Deschamps was annoyed with his players after last weekend's 2-2 home draw with Toulouse. With Lille unexpectedly losing at struggling Monaco, Marseille missed the chance to close the gap at the top to one point.
"We have got closer," Deschamps said. "But given Lille's result, anything other than a win was a bad result."
Deschamps took some drastic action against Toulouse, taking center half Souleymane Diawara off at halftime. The Senegal defender did not join the rest of the team in the dressing room after the match, and has since apologized.
"I was gutted because I am a competitor and I want to play in all the games. I was rubbish and it was normal that he took me off," Diawara said. "We spoke about it on Tuesday, he explained things to me. I told him that I didn't have a problem with it."
Third-place Lyon and fifth-place Paris Saint-Germain both got back to winning ways last weekend, and face each other at Parc des Princes in Paris on Sunday.
Lyon coach Claude Puel must decide whether to keep veteran Brazilian defender Cris on the bench, after dropping him last week, and stick with his new partnership of Dejan Lovren and Jeremy Toulalan, who normally plays in midfield.
Cris is a firm favorite among fans, having won four league titles and with more than 250 games for the club, and Puel's decision to ditch him against Lens caused a stir — even among the players.
"I don't really know why Cris found himself on the bench last week. It's the coach's decision," Lovren said. "Cris is a good captain, and has had a difficult season with a lot of injuries. But I think he's done pretty well."
Lyon is five points behind Lille, Rennes is seven points behind in fourth place, and PSG is nine points back and has a more realistic target of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Also Saturday, it's: Lens vs. Brest; Nice vs. Monaco; Rennes vs. Lorient; Saint-Etienne vs. Nancy; Sochaux vs. Caen; and Toulouse vs. Auxerre.
In Sunday's other match, Arles-Avignon hosts Valenciennes.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Japan will play in Copa America after all
TOKYO (AP) — Japan will play in the Copa America after all, reversing its decision to withdraw from the South American championship in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
The Japan Football Association announced the decision on Thursday to again accept the invitation to compete as a guest team with Mexico in July in Argentina.
Following last month's deadly disasters that struck northern Japan, tournament organizers urged Japan to reconsider its withdrawal and were grateful the JFA had second thoughts.
"South America did not lose hope of having Japan in the Copa America and the decision to reconsider the withdrawal is to be applauded," Nestor Benitez., spokesman for the South American football confederation, said on Thursday.
"Football is a sport of solidarity that unites people in good times and bad."
In a statement, the governing body of South American football said the only condition the JFA asked for was "the cooperation of CONMEBOL with FIFA to have at least 15 of a list of 20 players playing in Europe to be freed by their clubs so they can take part in the Copa America."
The JFA has received backing from the J-League, which will provide some players for coach Alberto Zaccheroni's squad.
Copa America spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo said the organizing committee was yet to receive official confirmation of Japan's participation.
"But if Japan could accompany us, the organizing committee would be proud and very grateful," Cherquis Bialo told The Associated Press in Buenos Aires.
"Proud because the champion of Asia is going to play, which makes the Copa stronger football-wise, and grateful because we know that it's been a great effort to be able to fulfill this commitment and overcome a tragedy which has hurt the whole world."
Elsewhere
Study says airports likely not ready for World Cup
SAO PAULO (AP) — It will be difficult to get most Brazilian airports ready in time for the 2014 World Cup, according to a government study released Thursday.
Renovation work in 10 of the 13 airports which will be used during the monthlong tournament will not be completed in time unless there are changes in the investment plans made by Brazil's airport authority, Brazil's Economic Research Institute said in its study.
"If the usual timelines for infrastructure projects in Brazil are maintained, 10 of the 13 passenger terminals will not be completed by 2014," the report said, adding that "the low efficiency in the execution of investment programs is worrisome."
The study shows that even if the upgrades are finished, most airports would remain operating over their capacity because Brazil's strong economic growth is expected to significantly increase passenger demands at the airports in the next few years.
"Ten (airports) would be operating in critical situation," the study said, adding that currently 14 of Brazil's 20 biggest airports are already operating over capacity.
Brazil's woeful airports infrastructure has always been one the main concerns for local officials trying to prepare Brazil to host soccer's showcase competition three years from now. Stadium construction and improving public transportation on the ground also are challenges facing Brazil.
The Brazilian soccer federation and some government officials had already said they were worried with the slow pace of upgrades at the airports. A government watchdog group also warned last year that renovations in some airports may not be completed by 2014.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff said recently that upgrades to the country's airports will be opened up to private investment to ensure they are finished. She said the government would make "a strong intervention" to fix the nation's overcrowded airports, including creating a civil aviation ministry to oversee the country's civil aviation agency and the nation's airport authority.
Brazil's infrastructure investments for the World Cup will reach nearly $20 billion, including about $3 billion on airports, which need significant upgrades to accommodate the 600,000 visitors expected for the World Cup.
Brazil will also host the 2013 Confederations Cup and the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
-- Tales Azzoni
Cruyff calls on Ajax to implement plan of action
MADRID (AP) — Ajax should thank Johan Cruyff for a plan of action he designed to turn around the Dutch club's recent fortunes by implementing it immediately, the Netherlands great said on Thursday.
The four-time European champion's board of directors quit on March 30 amid a bitter disagreement over Cruyff's proposal to instal a nucleus of respected former Ajax stars to oversee the first team and the club's youth academy.
Cruyff insisted he would not take any official role on at Ajax, a former European powerhouse that hasn't won the European Cup since 1995 and is without a league title since 2004.
He said it was "absurd" that the club would not draw on the experience and knowledge of its former players and coaches.
"When they (former players) decide on youth development you've got to close your eyes, say thank you very much, and just do it," Cruyff told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
Cruyff's blueprint involves himself, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten as well as former Netherlands international Dennis Bergkamp. Key to Cruyff's vision is installing Wim Jonk, Bergkamp and current coach Frank de Boer to oversee the first team and the club's legendary youth academy, based at a training facility called "The Future."
"It's 100 percent football people who are talking about football," Cruyff said. "(And when) world famous players talk about football, what should be the attitude of the people who are deciding who do not know nothing about football? The questions should be quite easy."
Cruyff said reports linking Turkey coach Guus Hiddink to the coaching job were untrue.
The Ajax academy has been a production line of talent but it has been seen as in decline since Ajax won the Champions League in 1995 with a team built around academy stars like Kluivert, Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf and Frank Rijkaard.
Cruyff rejected any notion he was responsible for tearing the club in two with his proposals.
"That's not the idea. The idea is with Ajax not winning the league for seven years and the youth development is quite poor and if they want to come back into leading positions again they've got to change things," Cruyff said. "That's not just my position but of all the players involved in this plan."
Where Ajax's academy was once seen as the blueprint for rearing talent, the mantle has now been taken over by Barcelona — the other football love of Cruyff's life and widely regarded as the best team in the world at the moment. Cruyff swapped Ajax for Barcelona in 1973 after leading Ajax to three successive European Cups and helped Barcelona win its first Spanish league title since 1960 that season. He also managed Barcelona to a European title in 1992, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989 and four Spanish league titles.
Barcelona has flourished by embracing Cruyff's brand of total football, winning eight trophies over the past two seasons including the 2009 Champions League, two straight Spanish leagues and a Club World Cup.
Barcelona is currently vying for its second treble of league, Copa del Rey and Champions League triumphs in three seasons under coach Pep Guardiola, who was a key player for Cruyff's "Dream Team" of the early 1990s.
"Of course I appreciate it that people think like that," Cruyff said of the comparisons. "It's more or less the same attitude and way of thinking as Ajax played in the 1970s and the Dutch nationality played which is based on controlling the ball and attacking. (Barcelona) are proving that playing well you can achieve the world."
-- Paul Logothetis
Three jailed in football match-fixing trial
BOCHUM, Germany (AP) — Three members of a football betting ring have been given prison terms for their involvement in what officials have described as Europe's biggest match-fixing scandal.
The defendants admitted to betting on matches which had allegedly been fixed, and to have bribed players. They were charged in relation to 18 games up to Europa League level.
The longest sentence of 3 years 11 months was handed to a betting shop operator identified by the court only as Stevan R. A gambler identified as Tuna A. received a three year, eight month sentence, while another shop operator was sentenced to three years. Both betting shop operators developed contacts with football players who became clients.
"Manipulative relationships developed later from these contacts," Judge Carsten Schwadrat said.
However, it was not established beyond reasonable doubt whether matches were actually manipulated, nor was it clear whether players who accepted money were influenced by the payments. According to the verdict, all three defendants were involved in the scheme for years.
Seven more defendants are waiting to be sentenced, including Ante Sapina, convicted as the mastermind of a match-fixing ring in Germany in 2005 and sentenced to 35 months in prison.
He was released early and told the court he resumed betting large sums on manipulated games shortly after the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Sapina's sentence is expected in the first half of May.
The Bochum prosecutor said almost 300 suspects still need to be investigated, and further charges are expected.
Pele, Charlton join FIFA 2014 task force
ZURICH (AP) — Pele will be Franz Beckenbauer's deputy on a FIFA-appointed team that will recommend ways to improve soccer before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
FIFA on Thursday announced a 22-member Task Force Football 2014, which includes World Cup winners Bobby Charlton, Cafu and Christian Karembeu.
Other former players include former AC Milan teammates Demetrio Albertini and Dejan Savicevic, Fernando Hierro and Zambia's Kalusha Bwalya.
The task force is a pet project of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, who said last year it would help create "a more attractive" World Cup.
"This vastly experienced team will address every facet of the game, tackling any challenges related to the game and coming up with appropriate solutions," Blatter said Thursday in a statement.
FIFA also appointed Swiss referee Massimo Busacca and officials from three countries who lost in bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups: United States federation leader Sunil Gulati, England's Alex Horne and Japan's Kohzo Tashima.
FIFA says the panel will meet May 10 in Zurich.
St. Pauli's appeal against fan ban successful
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — St. Pauli has successfully appealed against playing its next home Bundesliga match in an empty stadium, after presenting its case to the German football federation's sport tribunal on Thursday.
The Hamburg club was due to play fellow relegation candidate Werder Bremen without any fans on Easter Sunday, after one of its fans hit a linesman with a full plastic beer cup in a league game against Schalke on April 1. The match was abandoned in the 87th minute and Schalke, leading 2-0, was awarded the win.
St. Pauli argued the spectator ban was too harsh and that it also punished its rival.
The court instead ordered the club to play its first home game of the new season at least 50 kilometers (30 miles) away.
St. Pauli, whose coach Holger Stanislawski is leaving after 18 years at the club, is second from bottom with five games left to play.
"This is phenomenal," Stanislawski said. "It's called fair play. We're really delighted that we can host this season's last two home matches before a home crowd."
Tevez to miss FA Cup semifinals against Man United
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini says striker Carlos Tevez will be out of action for about four weeks because of a hamstring injury, ruling him out of Saturday's FA Cup semifinal match against Manchester United.
The former United striker was substituted because of the injury in the 16th minute of Monday's 3-0 Premier League loss at Liverpool. Mancini says the injury "is a big problem but we can't take any risks."
Tevez has scored 42 Premier League goals in 63 appearances for City, with another nine in 12 matches in domestic cup competitions. United and City meet in the first of two semifinals at Wembley. Bolton and Stoke meet in the second match on Sunday.
Longtime Arsenal director Fiszman dies aged 66
LONDON (AP) — Danny Fiszman, a director at Arsenal for 19 years, died from cancer Wednesday just days after agreeing to sell his stake in the Premier League club. He was 66.
Fiszman helped the club move from its old Highbury home to the new Emirates Stadium. He sold his stake to Stan Kroenke in a move announced Monday, helping the American investor take control of the club with a 62.89 percent holding. Kroenke says Fiszman "taught me so much about the proud history and traditions of Arsenal."
A diamond trader and qualified pilot, Fiszman bought his first stake in Arsenal from David Dein to acquire a seat on the board. He owned as much as 33 percent of the north London club until his holding was diluted over recent years.
Capello offers support, vote to Berlusconi
MADRID (AP) — England manager Fabio Capello says his support for Silvio Berlusconi is unwavering despite the Italian prime minister's recent legal woes.
Berlusconi faces underage prostitution and abuse of office charges but can still count on Capello's vote should the 74-year-old seek re-election. Capello says from Madrid, "I voted Berlusconi before and I'll vote Berlusconi again."
Capello led Berlusconi's AC Milan to four Serie A titles and a Champions League trophy in the Nineties. Capello, who was receiving an award from a Spanish sports newspaper on Thursday, again confirmed he has no interest in being Italy manager after England.
Capello also hit out at Italy's migrant problem, saying with "28,000 refugees arriving from North Africa — it's too much."
Bid to banish 'Yiddo' chants from English football
LONDON (AP) — A new campaign against anti-Semitism in English soccer targets the "Yiddo" chants by Tottenham fans — many of them Jewish.
The Kick It Out organization says the chant often results in variations of the term "Yid" being hurled back at Tottenham fans by rival supporters.
Tottenham, which has traditionally drawn a large fan base from the Jewish communities of north London, is careful not to condemn its own followers, who call themselves the "Yid Army."
The "Y Word" video was released Thursday.
-- Rob Harris
Cole admits to charge over Twitter joke
LONDON (AP) — West Ham striker Carlton Cole has acknowledged a charge of improper conduct from the Football Association over comments he made on Twitter during England's friendly against Ghana last month.
Cole joked that the match at Wembley was a trap by the British government to find illegal immigrants. He deleted the comment, but was still charged.
The FA says it has granted Cole a personal hearing at his request, adding that it will take place before April 21. Several thousand Ghana fans attended their country's first match against England, which ended 1-1.
Omonia Nicosia fires coach Dusan Bajevic
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Omonia Nicosia has fired coach Dusan Bajevic after failing to repeat as Cyprus champion. Omonia made the announcement on its website Thursday. It comes after Sunday's 2-0 loss to crosstown rival APOEL, which clinched its 21st Cypriot league title.
The 62-year-old Bosnian Serb, whose two-decade career in Greece earned him eight championships, took over Omonia in October amid high hopes that he would turn the club's fortunes around following a bad run under Takis Lemonis. But a string of lackluster performances, including four consecutive draws, ended the second-place club's chances of catching up to leader APOEL.
Omonia, however, is in the Cypriot Cup semifinals.
Schweinsteiger likely to miss Leverkusen match
BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich says influential midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is likely to miss the crucial Bundesliga match against Bayer Leverkusen because of an ankle injury.
The Germany international had to leave training following a challenge from teammate Arjen Robben, and an examination from team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt revealed sprained ligaments in his right ankle.
Schweinsteiger will miss training on Friday and Saturday and the club says he is "very doubtful" to line up on Sunday. With five games left to play, fourth-place Bayern hosts second-place Leverkusen.
N.Z. defender Ryan Nelsen to miss rest of season
BLACKBURN, England (AP) — New Zealand defender Ryan Nelsen will miss the rest of the English Premier League season with Blackburn after undergoing knee surgery.
Blackburn manager Steve Kean says the 33-year-old Nelsen delayed surgery until Monday to play as many games as possible for the relegation-threatened club.
Kean says "with good medical backup we've managed to get him on the pitch more times than we thought we would," adding that the central defender should be fit for the start of next season. Blackburn is three points above the relegation zone with six games remaining.
