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Soccer Capsules: America secures 4th seed in Mexican playoffs
Comments 0 | Recommend 0MEXICO CITY — Carlos Ochoa scored in stoppage time Sunday as Santos salvaged a 1-1 draw against America, which secured the fourth seed in the Mexican Apertura quarterfinal playoffs.
Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas put the Eagles ahead in the 34th minute on a cross from Enrique Esqueda, but Ochoa scored off a rebound three minutes into stoppage time to earn Santos a point in the first regular season match at its new Corona stadium.
"In a way, we're closing the tournament on a better way," Ochoa said, referring to Santos going winless in four matches.
Santos qualified for the postseason as the sixth seed and will play Morelia in the quarterfinals.
Toluca, which had the best record, will play San Luis, which qualified on Saturday despite a 4-0 loss to Queretaro.
In the other series, Cruz Azul will play Puebla and America take on Monterrey.
The first leg of the quarterfinals will be played next weekend, with the schedule to be released Tuesday.
Earlier in Mexico City, the defending champion Pumas rallied for a 1-1 draw against Ciudad Juarez in a match between already eliminated clubs.
Hector Gimenez scored in the 39th for the Indians, but Marco Palacios tied the score in the 43rd.
"A win would have been better, but we gave a good effort," Palacios said. Pumas finished last in Group 3 with 17 points from 17 matches. "We need to do an analysis in the vacations, next tournament everybody starts at zero."
Ciudad Juarez finished the season without a win and only six draws and could be relegated next season.
"It's a shame, we were not able to win any matches, we need to keep working, we have to get some more players," Ciudad Juarez's midfielder Tomas Campos said.
In other scores: Monterrey 1, Morelia 1; Jaguares 2, Atlas 3; Pachuca 1, Tigres 1; Puebla 0, Toluca 2; Atlante 0, Estudiantes 0.
Striker De Nigris dies in Greece
LARISSA, Greece — A Mexican soccer player died after suffering from apparent heart problems at his home in central Greece, officials from a state hospital and his Greek club Larissa said Monday.
Antonio De Nigris, a striker who joined the Greek league team earlier this season, was 31.
A state coroner said preliminary findings from an autopsy indicated heart problems but that further examination was required. A club statement said De Nigris died early Monday.
Larissa spokesman Christos Tsoumaris said De Nigris’ wife contacted the club after her husband felt ill early Monday.
"We are still trying to understand what happened," Tsoumaris said. "Our thoughts are with his wife and young daughter."
De Nigris, who previously played at Spanish club Villarreal, played for the Turkish club Ankaragucu before moving to Larissa, which plays in the 16-team Greek league.
U.S. Soccer
Clark, Holden, Castillo added to U.S. roster
AARHUS, Denmark — Houston Dynamo midfielders Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden have been added to the U.S. roster for Wednesday's exhibition game against Denmark following their team's elimination from the Major League Soccer playoffs.
Edgar Castillo, a defender with Tigres in Mexico, also was added Sunday by U.S. coach Bob Bradley, a day after the Americans lost an exhibition 1-0 at Slovakia.
Jose Francisco Torres of Mexico's Pachuca was initially called up for the match, then was excused for personal reasons, according to the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Hannover defender Steve Cherundolo, Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey and Columbus midfielder Chad Marshall were sent back to their clubs following the match in Bratislava. The roster:
Goalkeepers: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa, England), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton, England), Troy Perkins (Valerenga, Norway)
Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes, France), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Edgar Castillo (Tigres, Mexico), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City), Clarence Goodson (IK Start, Norway), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus), Heath Pearce (Dallas), Jonathan Spector (West Ham, England)
Midfielders: Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach, Germany), Ricardo Clark (Houston), Benny Feilhaber (Aarhus, Denmark), Stuart Holden (Houston), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Dax McCarty (Dallas), Robbie Rogers (Columbus)
Forwards: Jozy Altidore (Hull, England), Conor Casey (Colorado), Jeff Cunningham (Dallas), Eddie Johnson (Fulham, England).
World Cup Qualifying
France closes in on WCup, other playoffs tight
LONDON — France has a one-goal lead and home advantage as it faces Ireland for a spot at next year's World Cup, while the other three European playoffs are closer.
Portugal takes a slender 1-0 lead to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia goes to with a 2-1 advantage, and Ukraine and Greece are level at 0-0.
Wednesday's playoffs, which involve eight of the team that finished second in their qualifying groups, will decide the last four of the 13 European spots in the field of 32 headed for South Africa next year.
European champion Spain and World Cup holder Italy qualified as group winners, and so did three-time winner Germany and 1966 champion England. Like Spain, the other five countries — the Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia, Denmark and first-time qualifier Slovakia — have never won the title.
The draw is in Cape Town on Dec. 4 and France, which won the title in 1998 and was runner-up to Italy three years ago, should be confident of being in it after Nicolas Anelka's deflected winner in Dublin on Saturday.
The 30-year-old Chelsea striker, who has yet to play in a World Cup after being overlooked by the coaches in the past three, is taking nothing for granted.
"We shouldn't get carried away, anything can happen," said Anelka, who believes it would be wrong for his side to concentrate on defense. "We will play to win on Wednesday because that's the only way we can play freely."
There were angry scenes at Croke Park on Saturday after Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews was unhappy at a comment he says opponent Lassana Diarra made. Several players then began pushing each other.
That will give Wednesday's return game at Stade de France an extra edge with the Irish needing to score at least once to win a place at a major championship for the first time since the 2002 World Cup.
"The main thing now is to keep a clean sheet," Andrews said. "I don't think we will be going gung-ho in terms of throwing everything at the French team in the first half, certainly.
"We know we have got the players to score a goal. If we win 1-0 over there, then obviously, it's job done. It goes to extra time and we would be happy with that."
While the French defend a lead at home, Russia can't afford a 1-0 loss in Slovenia.
The Russians conceded a late goal in Moscow which gave the Slovenes a major boost ahead of Wednesday's match in Maribor. Russia remains the favorite but an early Slovenia goal will put huge pressure on the visitors.
Portugal wanted more than just a 1-0 lead over Bosnia ahead of the second leg in Zenica. With Cristiano Ronaldo still sidelined with an ankle injury, the Portuguese are short of firepower but have not lost away from home in World Cup qualifying in 13 years.
Goalkeeper Eduardo has conceded only two goals in 10 games since his debut in February, and Portugal has not conceded in its last three matches.
"It's halftime and we're winning 1-0," Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz said. "Playoffs go down to the wire, to the last minute of play.
"We're going there to score. We can't sit back and wait for things to happen. We have to dictate the run of play, stay cool-headed."
While Greece failed to score in Athens, the 0-0 draw still gives the 2004 European champions a good chance to make it to the World Cup for the first time since 1994. An early goal in Donetsk will leave the home side needing to score twice.
Ukraine is without strikers Andriy Voronin and Serhiy Nazarenko, putting more pressure on veteran striker Andriy Shevchenko who knows that, for him, a loss will almost certainly mean no more World Cups.
-- Robert Millward
Swiss fears over U-17 World Cup player departures
ZURICH — Swiss delight with its under-17 World Cup win in Nigeria was dampened Monday by concern over the future plans of its many players with dual-nationality.
Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz congratulated the team on its 1-0 win against Nigeria on Sunday. Plans were also being drawn up to celebrate the squad's return to Zurich on Tuesday.
But with 12 members of the teenage squad holding second passports, team officials and media commentators expressed fears that other countries might lure away some of Switzerland's most promising players before they play for the senior team.
Zurich tabloid Blick reported Monday that senior team coach Ottmar Hitzfeld would try to persuade wavering players to stay with Switzerland. "I will target those players for a chat," the paper quoted him saying.
Sunday's goal scorer Haris Seferovic, who holds Bosnian citizenship, and Nassim Ben Khalifa, of Tunisian origin, are being touted as among the biggest talents in the Swiss junior game.
Under FIFA rules a player can change national sides as long as he hasn't played in an official competition at the senior level.
Commentators have pointed to Switzerland's inability to hold on to Mladen Petric and Ivan Rakitic. Both grew up in the country but eventually chose to play for the Croatia national side.
Other players in the under-17 squad with ties to other countries include Andre Goncalves (Portugal), Ricardo Rodriguez (Chile), Kofi Nimeley (Ghana), Joel Kiassumbua (Congo), Igor Mijatovic (Serbia), Frederic Veseli (Kosovo), Sead Hajrovic (Bosnia), Maik Nakic (Croatia), Pajtim Kasami (Macedonia) and Granit Xhaka (Albania).
Elsewhere
Iraq dissolves soccer federation board
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Olympic committee disbanded the Iraqi Football Association on Monday, drawing a quick warning from FIFA that any government meddling in the association could lead to the suspension of Iraq’s teams.
Samir al-Moussawi, a member of the Olympic committee’s executive bureau, said the soccer association was being dissolved because of alleged financial and administrative irregularities and the repeated delaying of internal elections.
"We held many meetings with the former football federation and were hoping to reach an agreement with them in order to avoid a decision like this, but we did not see any response from them," al-Moussawi said.
"When we took this decision, we bore in mind all the consequences of suspension or punishment, but we are working from now to get out from this situation — God willing."
He said a temporary board will be named to run the federation until new elections can be held.
The soccer federation’s deputy chief, Najih Hamoud, rejected the decision, saying it "has no legitimacy because it contradicts FIFA laws" and the Olympic committee "is not authorized to make such a decision."
FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, also said the committee has no right to intervene in the affairs of the association. FIFA also said it is waiting for more information before taking action.
Al-Moussawi insisted the committee had the power to dissolve the federation under Iraqi law.
"We are athletes, and we have the right to intervene in the affairs of all the (sports) federations we supervise," he said.
Al-Moussawi later told The Associated Press that eight of the 11 members of the Olympic committee’s executive bureau approved the decision.
Last month, FIFA granted the Iraqi Football Association until April 30, 2010 to adopt new statutes and elect a new board, stressing that the process had to be done without government interference.
At the time, FIFA voiced concern in a statement that "some quarters in the Iraqi government might be trying to force earlier elections or otherwise interfere in the process."
This would not be Iraq’s first run-in with FIFA.
Last year, FIFA slapped a ban on Iraqi teams after the Iraqi government dissolved the national Olympic committee, along with all sports federations. The ban was lifted after the government assured FIFA that the soccer federation had been excluded from the government decision.
-- Bushra Juhi
Germans to play first match after Enke’s death
FRANKFURT — Robert Enke’s jersey will be on the team bench when Germany plays its first game since the goalkeeper’s suicide, an exhibition against Ivory Coast on Wednesday.
Enke, who was expected to be Germany’s starting goalie at next year’s World Cup in South Africa, stepped in front of a train last week, stunning the country and leaving it in mourning. The national team canceled Saturday’s exhibition against Chile.
Coach Joachim Loew and the entire team attended a memorial service for Enke at his home stadium in Hannover on Sunday before assembling in Duesseldorf, where the team will practice for Wednesday’s game in nearby Gelsenkirchen.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Diaby pulls out of France squad with injury
PARIS — Abou Diaby has pulled out of France's World Cup playoff against Ireland, adding to coach Raymond Domenech's growing injury list.
Diaby hurt his left calf playing for Arsenal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League earlier this month, and the French football federation said Monday that Diaby has left the camp.
Midfielder Jeremy Toulalan (groin) and defender Eric Abidal (thigh) are also out injured and will miss Wednesday's match at Stade de France. France won the first leg 1-0 in Dublin on Saturday.
France struggled to find any consistency in defense throughout its fraught qualifying campaign, where it finished second behind Serbia, and Abidal's injury will force Domenech to revise his plans once more.
During Saturday's match at Croke Park, Abidal played alongside William Gallas for the third consecutive match. It was the first time in 18 months that France has had the same two central defenders for three straight games.
Domenech has tried seven different center half pairings since France went out of Euro 2008 in the group stages without winning a match.
During the qualifiers, France was regularly troubled on free kicks and corners, a strong point for Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland team.
With Abidal out, Domenech may choose Julien Escude alongside Gallas, even though Escude scored an own goal in the 1-1 draw against Romania in September, turning a cross into his own net when under little pressure. Alternatively, he could pick Sebastien Squillaci.
With Diaby and Toulalan both out, Domenech has no cover in central midfield for Alou Diarra and Lassana Diarra.
Domenech overlooked Patrick Vieira for the two-legged playoff, even though he is back playing regularly for Inter Milan.
Scotland fires coach George Burley
GLASGOW, Scotland — Scotland fired coach George Burley on Monday after the team slumped to an "unacceptable" defeat at Wales in a friendly.
Scotland, which hasn't qualified for a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup, is now looking for its fifth manager in five years after Berti Vogts, Walter Smith, Alex McLeish and Burley.
The Scottish Football Association unanimously decided to sack Burley despite in September backing him to remain in charge after the team failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
Burley had convinced the SFA board that he was equipped to preside over the 2012 European Championship qualification campaign.
But Saturday's 3-0 loss at Wales in the wake of a defeat in Japan made Burley's position untenable.
SFA chief executive Gordon Smith said the decision came after a "realization that the expectations of the supporters, the Scottish FA and George himself, were not being met."
Burley, whose contract ran through 2012, was hired in 2008 after McLeish failed to qualify for the European Championship. He won just three of his 14 matches in charge with the team failing to score in nine of those games.
"I should point out that the Scottish FA stands by its decision to give the national coach our full support despite failure to qualify for the World Cup playoffs," Smith said. "It would have been negligent not to have given George every opportunity to rebuild and revitalize the squad in light of the improved performances in the last two qualifiers against Macedonia and Holland.
"Unfortunately, the adverse results in the two subsequent friendly matches against Japan and Wales provided confirmation that the improvement could not be sustained."
Burley's assistants, Terry Butcher and Paul Hegarty, are also leaving their posts.
Ronaldo trains regularly for 1st time with Madrid
MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo returned to regular training with Real Madrid on Monday as part of his recovery from a serious ankle injury.
The Portugal winger took part in exercise drills involving running and ball play at the Spanish club's Valdebebas training field. Ronaldo injured his right ankle on Sept. 30 but hasn't played since aggravating the problem while playing for Portugal on Oct. 10.
No date has been set for the 24-year-old Ronaldo's return, although he hopes to be back for the Spanish league match against Barcelona on Nov. 29.
Ronaldo scored nine goals as Madrid won all seven games he played in before the injury. The Spanish powerhouse has since been eliminated from the Copa del Rey after losing to third-tier Alcorcon.
Barcelona's Abidal out for 3 weeks with injury
BARCELONA, Spain — Barcelona will be without Eric Abidal for up to three weeks after the leftback sustained a leg-muscle injury while on international duty.
The Spanish champion said that scans on Monday showed that the France defender had hurt a tendon in his left thigh during Saturday's 1-0 World Cup playoff victory in Ireland.
Abidal will miss the European champions' Champions League group match against Inter Milan and will likely be out for the league match against Real Madrid on Nov. 29.
Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa out for 3 months
LONDON — Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa has had knee surgery and will be out of action for about three months.
Bosingwa is the second Chelsea defender with a serious injury. Left back Ashley Cole has a depressed fracture of the tibia, although he will not require surgery.
Chelsea said Wednesday on its Web site that Bosingwa "underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee this week. His recovery time will be approximately three months."
The Portugal right back and Cole have played a key role in Chelsea's success this season, adding attacking options and helping the London club concede the fewest goals in the Premier League with eight in 12 games.
Bulgaria striker Berbatov fit for Malta friendly
SOFIA, Bulgaria — Dimitar Berbatov has recovered from a knee injury and will join Bulgaria's national team for Wednesday's friendly at Malta.
Berbatov was injured during Manchester United's 2-1 win over Blackburn earlier this month and missed his club team's matches against CSKA Moscow and Chelsea.
Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov is counting on Berbatov to lead the attack along with Parma forward Valeri Bojinov.
Stoilov named a 17-man squad Monday for the match at Malta.
Ballack to miss Germany friendly vs. Ivory Coast
FRANKFURT — Germany captain Michael Ballack will miss the team's first game after the death of goalkeeper Robert Enke.
The Chelsea midfielder has a knee injury that has ruled him out of Wednesday's friendly against Ivory Coast.
Germany coach Joachim Loew says Enke's jersey will be on the team's bench during the game. Germany called off last Saturday's game against Chile after Enke threw himself in front of a train. The goalkeeper had been suffering from depression.
Cyprus man critically hurt in football clashes
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cyprus police say a man has been critically injured after fans from rival football clubs clashed in the capital.
Spokesman Thomas Efthymiou says the 20-year-old man is on a respirator at Nicosia General Hospital and was listed Monday in critical, but stable condition.
Efthymiou says about 100 fans from cross-town rivals APOEL and Omonia clashed at a five-a-side field on Nicosia's outskirts Sunday night.
The brawl started when a group of traveling APOEL fans stopped on the side of a highway near the grounds where Omonia fans were playing. Other details were unclear.
Efthymiou says three suspects have been arrested and three are being sought.
Algerian youths trash Egypt Air office
ALGIERS, Algeria — Youths in Algiers trashed Egypt Air's local office Monday, two days after Algeria's national soccer team lost to Egypt in a World Cup qualifier that left the teams deadlocked and forced a playoff. No one was injured.
In one of several violent incidents, Algerian supporters broke down doors and smashed the windows of the airline's office, then set fire to its furniture. Youths cheered a team slogan as firefighters worked to put out the flames.
With staff fearing violence, the office had remained closed.
Youths said they were angry that Algerian players and fans had been attacked by Egypt supporters before and after Saturday's match in Cairo, which Egypt won 2-0. The Algeria team says Egyptian supporters threw stones at their bus, breaking windows and lightly injuring four players.
The teams play again Wednesday in Sudan, with the winner advancing to next year's World Cup in South Africa.
Montpellier president banned for homophobic slur
PARIS — Montpellier president Louis Nicollin has been banned for two months by the French Football Federation after he used a homophobic term to describe Auxerre midfielder Benoit Pedretti after a French league match.
Nicollin apologized for his outburst after his team's 2-1 loss to Auxerre last month, but on Monday the FFF's ethics commission banned him for two months, with an additional two month suspended ban.
Nicollin cannot sit on his team's bench or enter the team's dressing room during his ban.
Several gay rights groups expressed outrage over Nicollin's comment and threatened to sue him. Nicollin rang Pedretti, a former France international, to apologize.
Gennaro Gattuso's stolen car found in Albania
TIRANA, Albania — Albanian police say a car stolen from AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has been seized in Tirana.
The Range Rover jeep, stolen in 2006, was found in the hands of an Albanian man who told police he had bought it from an Italian. He has not been charged.
Many vehicles stolen in European countries end up in Albania with false documentation. The seizure was announced Thursday.
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