Other Articles in this Category
Most Viewed Stories
- Cameron County approves storage site for Ocean Tower debris
- Jimmy Gonzalez and Grupo Mazz Celebrate 6th Latin Grammy
- Brownsville Community Health Center breaks ground on new clinic
- Police briefs: Woman pleads guilty to smuggling husband in the trunk of car
- Rodriguez wins round against BISD Trustee Catalina Presas-Garcia
Most Commented Stories
Most Recommended Stories
Save & Share this Article
Soccer Capsules: Sounders dash Dallas' playoff hopes with 2-1 win
Comments 0 | Recommend 0SEATTLE — Brad Evans, who had an earlier goal nullified by an offsides call, scored the game-winner in the 84th minute Saturday night as the Seattle Sounders came from behind to beat FC Dallas 2-1 in the regular-season finale for both teams.
While the Sounders (12-7-11) are the first MLS expansion team since the 1998 Chicago Fire to make the postseason, Dallas (11-13-6) saw its postseason hopes dashed.
With its 47 points, Seattle, a winner of three straight, is second in the Western Conference, two points ahead of Houston and Chivas USA, which will square off in a regular-season finale Sunday in Carson, Calif. Playoff pairings, sites and dates won’t be determined until Sunday’s games are completed.
The win also made Seattle coach Sigi Schmid the career MLS leader with 125, breaking the mark of Bob Bradley — currently the U.S. national team coach.
Nate Jaqua also scored for Seattle, with his goal at the start of the 62nd minute ending a 375-minute home scoreless streak for the Sounders that stretched back to a 2-1 victory over Houston on July 11.
Although Dallas forward Jeff Cunningham went scoreless, he effectively clinched the league’s Golden Boot award as top goal scorer. Cunningham finished with 17 goals, one more than Colorado’s Conor Casey, who failed to score Saturday in the Rapids’ 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake.
Real Salt Lake 5, Rapids 0
SANDY, Utah — Robbie Findley scored twice in the first half to boost Real Salt Lake to an easy victory over the Colorado Rapids.
With Dallas' 2-1 loss to the Seattle Sounders, Toronto’s 5-0 loss to New York and D.C. United earning a 2-2 draw against Kansas City, Salt Lake earned a playoff spot.
Findley scored in the 15th and 33rd minutes, and Yura Movsisyan added an insurance goal in the 85th.
Galaxy 2, Earthquakes 0
CARSON, Calif. — Los Angeles clinched its first division title in seven years with a 2-0 victory over San Jose.
Earthquakes defender Bobby Burling deflected Landon Donovan’s cross into his net for an own goal in the 24th minute, and Donovan finished a quick length-of-the-field sequence in the 77th.
Los Angeles (12-6-12) opened a three-point lead on CD Chivas USA and Houston, which face off Sunday. The Galaxy own the first tiebreaker against both teams.
San Jose (7-14-9) finished at the bottom of the Western Division.
United 2, Wizards 2
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Claudio Lopez’s penalty kick in second-half stoppage time salvaged a tie for Kansas City.
The draw effectively ended United’s playoff hopes in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Julius James’ header in the 82nd minute gave United a 2-1 lead, but D.C. midfielder Fred drew a handball and automatic red card for using his arm to block Roger Espinoza’s shot on the goal line in the second minute of extra time.
Kei Kamara’s 30th-minute header put the Wizards up 1-0, but Jaime Moreno, a late first-half sub, equalized with a penalty kick in the 67th after drawing a foul against Kansas City’s Matt Marquess.
Red Bulls 5, Toronto FC 0
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Juan Pablo Angel and Mac Kandji each scored twice to help lift New York over Toronto FC.
Matthew Mbuta struck for a late penalty kick in the final soccer game played at Giants Stadium. The team is moving to a new stadium near Newark starting next year.
Elsewhere
Lampard scores twice in 5-0 Chelsea win vs. Rovers
LONDON — Frank Lampard scored twice Saturday to lead Chelsea to a record 5-0 win over Blackburn and first place in the Premier League.
Chelsea dominated throughout and led at halftime through an own-goal by Gael Givet, before four second-half goals at Stamford Bridge sealed its biggest ever win in 102 years of games against Rovers.
Lampard scored with a firm shot, Michael Essien scored from about 35 meters (yards), Lampard hit a penalty and Didier Drogba headed in — all by the 64th minute — as Chelsea recovered from last week's 2-1 loss at Aston Villa.
"We wanted to bounce back and we've done it in style today," Lampard said. "It was a determined performance and we've shown a little bit of what we're about."
Chelsea now leads by two points from defending champion Manchester United, which could retake top spot if it wins at fierce rival Liverpool in one of Sunday's four matches.
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Sunderland all missed good chances to close on the leaders on Saturday.
Tottenham could have gone level on points with Man United with a victory but stayed in third place after a 1-0 loss to visiting Stoke, while Aston Villa drew 1-1 at lowly Wolves.
Sunderland was hoping to move into the top four but lost 2-1 at Birmingham.
Givet put Chelsea ahead in the 20th minute when he redirected Nicolas Anelka's pass into his own net, but the Blues had to wait until three minutes into the second half to score again.
Lampard rushed into the area to smash in a rebound, and nine minutes later Essien scored with a similarly fierce shot from about twice as far out.
Lampard scored a 59th-minute penalty following a foul by Ryan Nelsen on Drogba, and the Ivory Coast striker rounded off the scoring with a close-range header from a corner.
Chelsea twice beat Blackburn 5-1, most recently in 1964.
The Blues moved up to 24 points from 10 games, two more than United and five more than Tottenham, which dominated visiting Stoke but played the last 13 minutes with 10 men after an injury to winger Aaron Lennon and conceded a goal with four minutes left.
Ricardo Fuller burst down the right at White Hart Lane and cut a pass back to substitute Glenn Whelan, who smashed a shot past goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
"We had so many chances, the keeper's made great saves, they've kicked shots off the line and they've only had one shot worth talking about," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said.
Tottenham's third loss of the season left it likely to be overtaken by Arsenal and Manchester City on Sunday.
The fourth-place Gunners are at West Ham, while fifth-place Manchester City hosts Fulham. Bolton hosts Everton in Sunday's other match.
Villa is two points behind Tottenham in sixth place.
It took the lead in the 79th at Wolves through Gabriel Agbonlahor's sixth goal of the season but Sylvan Ebanks-Blake equalized four minutes later with a penalty awarded for a foul by Steve Sidwell.
Liam Ridgewell and James McFadden gave Birmingham victory over Sunderland, which scored only in the 82nd through an own goal.
Hugo Rodallega scored twice to lead Wigan to a 3-1 win at Burnley, while Portsmouth and Hull stayed in the bottom three after a 0-0 draw at KC Stadium.
Also Saturday, Newcastle came from a goal down to beat Doncaster 2-1 to sit first in the second-tier League Championship from Cardiff, which drew 0-0 with third-place West Bromwich Albion.
-- Stuart Condie
Real Madrid draws 0-0 with Gijon in Spanish league
MADRID — Real Madrid failed to bounce back from its midweek loss to AC Milan in drawing with Sporting Gijon 0-0 in the Spanish league on Saturday, while nine-man Mallorca held Atletico Madrid to 1-1.
Also, Sevilla drew 0-0 against Espanyol, which played most of the second half with 10 men.
Missing Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, Karim Benzema and Ruud van Nistelrooy in attack, Madrid was stifled by Gijon in the first half and, although it improved after the break, still struggled to create more than a handful of chances in wet conditions.
"Wednesday was a big blow to us," said Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez, referring to the 3-2 home defeat to Milan in the Champions League. "We're without some big players at the moment who score goals."
Madrid's Kaka went close in the 68th minute from a free kick, but goalkeeper Juan Pablo Colinas made a one-handed save with the ball heading into the bottom corner.
A neat passing move in the 78th gave Madrid's Xabi Alonso a long-range shot, but the Spain midfielder blasted over the bar.
Borja Valero scored an injury-time equalizer for Mallorca against Atletico Madrid, which was playing its first game since coach Abel Resino was fired.
Diego Forlan scored a 52nd-minute penalty to give Atletico a 1-0 lead after Mallorca's Ivan Ramis was sent off for a second yellow card for handball in the area.
Mallorca also had Josemi Gonzalez dismissed for handball in the area in the 27th, but Forlan blasted that spot kick wide.
One minute into injury time, De Gea tried to clear Valero's shot but instead let the ball slip into his net.
Madrid is at the top of the standings on 19 points with Barcelona, which has the chance to go clear when it plays Zaragoza on Sunday. Sevilla is third on 16, and Deportivo La Coruna is next with 15. Mallorca has 14, two more than Gijon and Espanyol. Atletico has seven.
Caretaker coach Santi Denia was in the dugout for Atletico. The club fired Resino on Friday after winning only one of the past 10 games to be last in its Champions League group and struggling in the Spanish league.
Atletico hired Quique Sanchez Flores as Resino's replacement and he's expected to be officially presented next week.
"Atletico has a great squad and I swear on my children that (Sanchez Flores) will find the right way to make sure that it performs to its potential," Denia said.
Sevilla went into the game against Espanyol on the back of a 3-1 win against Stuttgart midweek in the Champions League and hoping to keep in touch with leaders Real Madrid and Barcelona.
In an open first half both teams had chances although Sevilla enjoyed more possession and looked a constant threat.
Diego Perotti and Jesus Navas in particular hurt Espanyol with their runs down the wings. Carlos Kameni had to pull off a spectacular save in the 23rd from a Perotti free kick and the winger tested Espanyol's 'keeper again shortly before halftime with a stinging shot.
After Espanyol's Nicolas Pareja was sent off for a brutal challenge on Diego Capel on the hour Sevilla looked even more dominant but could not find the net as Kameni pulled off several more crucial saves.
Also on Sunday, it's: Valladolid vs. Deportivo La Coruna; Getafe vs. Athletic Bilbao; Racing Santander vs. Osasuna; Tenerife vs. Xerez; Villarreal vs. Malaga and Almeria vs. Valencia.
Inter Milan beats Catania 2-1 to go top in Serie A
MILAN — Sulley Muntari and Wesley Sneijder scored as Inter Milan beat Catania 2-1 to reclaim top spot in the Serie A after Sampdoria had defeated Bologna 4-1 on Saturday to briefly lead the standings.
Inter led 2-0 at halftime at the San Siro and held on despite Giuseppe Mascara scoring a late penalty for Catania.
Sampdoria scored four first-half goals, Daniele Mannini hitting two and Giampaolo Pazzini and Reto Ziegler adding one each before Paolo Osvaldo picked up a second-half consolation goal for Bologna.
Inter leads the standings with 22 points, two ahead of Sampdoria.
"I think this reflects all the work we do in the week. Tonight, we were ready for Catania," Inter defender Ivan Cordoba said. "Matches like this are always difficult and we mustn't forget that. We had to work hard in the second half to take control of the situation."
Inter took the lead in the 13th minute when Muntari hit a cross into the area toward Samuel Eto'o. The Cameroon international failed to reach the ball, but it bounced over goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo.
Ezequiel Carboni soon forced Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar into pushing his powerful drive away for a corner, but that was the Sicilians best effort of the first half.
Patrick Vieira hit the bar in the 27th, but Wesley Sneijder curled in a free kick to double Inter's lead four minutes later.
In the second half, both sides appeared happy to play out the match— until Mascara slotted home a penalty in the 84th after Cesar had fouled Gianvito Plasmate.
Striker Antonio Cassano was at the hub of everything Sampdoria did in attack, raising further questions over Italy coach Marcello Lippi's inability to find a place for him in the national squad.
Cassano floated a cross in from the right for Pazzini to score his sixth goal of the season in the seventh minute. Pazzini played with a protective face mask after breaking his nose in a collision with Lazio goalkeeper Fernando Mulsera last week.
Pazzini then flicked on Cassano's cross for Mannini to volley home Sampdoria's second in the 16th. Ten minutes later, Ziegler turned Bologna's Nicola Mudingayi and fired past goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano from long range.
Mannini headed home the fourth goal in the 33rd from another cross by Cassano.
Bologna scored when Daniele Portanova's header hit the crossbar from a free kick, and Osvaldo reached the rebound first to beat goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi in the 62nd.
"It was a great first half and we controlled the game for 30 to 40 minutes," Mannini said. "It is a reward for all the hard work we have been doing. We're playing attractive football, we're scoring goals and we're enjoying the season. We should be happy with our performance tonight."
-- Jeremy Inson
Bordeaux top in France with 3-0 win over Le Mans
PARIS — Defending champion Bordeaux moved back to the top of the French league by beating Le Mans 3-0 on Saturday, while Lyon slumped to a second consecutive league defeat with a surprising 4-1 loss at struggling Nice.
Bordeaux, which had lost its two previous league games, has 22 points, one more than Monaco, which secured its seventh win of the season with a 3-1 victory at Boulogne.
"It was not easy to win against a team which played with 10 men in defense," Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc said. "My lads can be happy with their performance tonight."
Promoted Montpellier missed a chance to go top after losing 3-0 at Rennes, which climbed to seventh place with 16 points. Montpellier has 20.
Rennes, which has the best defensive record in the league with only six goals conceded, ended Montpellier's three-game winning streak after goals from Sylvain Marveaux, Moussa Sow and Asamoah Gyan.
Four days after winning at Liverpool in the Champions League, Lyon fell to third place with 20 points following its worst loss since a 5-2 defeat at Barcelona in the first knockout stage in last season's European Cup.
"I don't think the score reflects the reality of this match," France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan said. "We missed a lot of chances while Nice converted its opportunities. It's not the end of the world and we'll try to recover next week at Saint-Etienne."
After a good opening spell, Nice broke the deadlock in the 17th when Mamadou Bagayoko got the better of Lyon defender Cris in the area and headed home from Loic Remy's cross.
Lyon had most of the possession, but Nice doubled the lead when Aly Cissokho scored an own-goal in the 39th. Remy ran down the right flank and delivered a low cross that was deflected in by the Lyon defender past reserve goalkeeper Remi Vercoutre.
Nice midfielder David Hellebuyck slotted home in the 69th with an angled shot, and Remy completed the rout in the 74th against his former club. Ederson salvaged some pride for Lyon with a consolation goal in the 82nd.
Nice climbed from second last to 14th with 11 points.
Following its 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Bordeaux took the lead when Le Mans goalkeeper Didier Ovono scored an own-goal in the fourth minute. Yoan Gouffran's strike hit the post and then Ovono before crossing the line.
Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh found the net for the first time since Aug. 15 with a powerful header from a corner in the 67th, and David Bellion scored from close range in the 83rd after being left unmarked in the box.
Monaco rose to second place with a 3-1 win at promoted Boulogne, and Sochaux claimed its third consecutive win by beating Lorient 1-0 to move to eighth.
Sochaux defender Damien Perquis' seventh-minute header from a free kick beat goalkeeper Fabien Audard.
Goals from Johan Audel and David Ducourtioux gave Valenciennes a 2-0 win at Saint-Etienne, and last-place Grenoble lost its 10th consecutive game with a 2-1 home loss to Nancy.
On Sunday, Marseille will host fierce rival Paris Saint-Germain, which will be without some players due to swine flu after being diagnosed Saturday.
The club didn't reveal the players' identities, but RTL radio said they are midfielder Ludovic Giuly and defender Mamadou Sakho.
Marseille trails Bordeaux by five points, while PSG lags well behind in 11th place after three draws and two losses in its last five games.
In Sunday's other matches, Lens hosts Toulouse and Lille is at Auxerre.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Bayern Munich beats Eintracht 2-1 in Bundesliga
FRANKFURT — Daniel van Buyten scored a late goal Saturday for Bayern Munich to come from behind and beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Bundesliga.
The defender's header in the 88th minute saved Bayern from another home embarrassment following yet another unconvincing performance.
Bayern's Arjen Robben came off the bench three weeks after undergoing knee surgery to equalize after Alexander Meier had put Frankfurt ahead.
Stuttgart fell to its fifth defeat in six games when it went down 1-0 at Hannover, increasing the pressure on coach Markus Babbel.
"It's a bitter defeat. They had one chance and scored and the goal appeared to come from an offside," Babbel said. "We hit the post twice, we were just unlucky."
In other games, Hoffenheim defeated Nuremberg 3-0, Mainz beat fellow promoted side Freiburg 3-0 and Cologne drew 0-0 at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Bayer Leverkusen drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund on Friday to remain undefeated and stay top, at least until Sunday, when Hamburger SV visits Schalke. Leverkusen has 22 points after 10 games, Hamburg has 21 and Schalke 19.
Werder Bremen, which travels to Bochum on Sunday, is fourth on 18, ahead of Bayern on goal difference.
Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni wasted Bayern's best chances in the first half, and Louis van Gaal's team was booed off the field at halftime.
Robben came on for Klose in the 60th minute, but Eintracht took the lead moments later. Patrick Ochs played a through ball for Alexander Meier to slot past goalkeeper Joerg Butt.
Bayern equalized after Eintracht goalkeeper Oka Nikolov's error allowed substitute Mario Gomez to head the ball down to Robben for a simple tap-in in the 69th.
Robben had needed surgery on his right knee after being injured in a Champions League match against Juventus on Sept. 30.
Van Gaal, under fire in the Munich media after a string of tepid performances culminating in the midweek Champions League loss to Bordeaux, made a key substitution when he took off Toni and sent on defender Martin Demichelis in the 86th minute.
At the same time, the coach sent Van Buyten up front, and the tall defender headed in the winner at the far post following a cross from Philipp Lahm that was redirected by Thomas Mueller.
"They scored from their first chance, but we were mentally strong and made our luck," Van Gaal said after Bayern's 850th Bundesliga victory.
Stuttgart, third last season, fell closer to the relegation zone when Didier Ya Konan scored for Hannover in the 30th.
"We are trying everything but nothing seems to work," Stuttgart captain Thomas Hitzlesperger said.
Christien Eichler, Vedad Ibisevic and Franco Zuculini scored for Hoffenheim, which snapped a two-game losing streak.
Tim Hoogland scored two goals for Mainz, with Andreas Ivanschitz adding the other.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Feyenoord beats VVV-Venlo 1-0 in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM — Feyenoord midfielder Denny Landzaat scored Saturday to lead his team to a 1-0 win over VVV-Venlo in the Dutch league.
Landzaat scored off a rebound after goalkeeper Kevin Begois had spilled Roy Makaay's shot.
FC Twente leads the standings with 26 points, two more than PSV Eindhoven. Feyenoord has 23 points along with Ajax, which is at defending champion AZ Alkmaar on Sunday.
Twente hosts FC Groningen Sunday hoping to extend its 10-game unbeaten run while PSV, the only other unbeaten side this season, travels to NEC Nijmegen.
Also Saturday, Erik Falkenburg scored a hat trick to lead Sparta Rotterdam to a 3-2 win over ADO The Hague. Falkenburg hit the net in the ninth, 38th and 90th minutes. Danny Buijs and Charlton Vicento replied with first-half goals for ADO
Willy Overtoom and Sebastiaan Steur scored to give Heracles Almelo a 2-0 win over Vitesse Arnhem.
Anthony Lurling scored as NAC Breda edged RKC Waalwijk 1-0. RKC's Gijs Luirink was sent off in the 83rd after picking up his second yellow card.
On Friday, Zambia forward Jacob Mulenga scored his first goal for FC Utrecht and Ricky van Wolfswinkel added another in a 2-1 win over Roda JC. Willem Janssen got a consolation for Roda in stoppage time.
Also Sunday, it's: Willem II vs. SC Heerenveen and Vitesse Arnhem vs. Heracles Almelo.
Swine flu hits 2 players in French soccer league
PARIS — Two Paris Saint-Germain soccer players have been diagnosed with swine flu and another player in the French league also could have the disease.
The two members of PSG won’t play at archrival Marseille on Sunday night. The team didn’t reveal the players’ identities on Saturday, but according to RTL radio they are midfielder Ludovic Giuly and defender Mamadou Sakho.
The league added that the Nice game against leader Lyon scheduled for later Saturday would go ahead as planned despite a "suspected" case on the Nice team.
Should this case be confirmed, a total of four swine flu cases will have been diagnosed in the French first division. Montpellier defender Emir Spahic contracted the virus in August.
See archived 'Sports' stories »
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
