Injury-plagued Bayern Munich (taken from ttp://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/)

Saturday Oct 1, 2005 1:10 PM

BERLIN (AP) - Injury-plagued Bayern Munich was forced to use a goalkeeper that hadn't played in nearly five years, and still beat Wolfsburg 2-0 Saturday to remain in first place in the Bundesliga.
Roque Santa Cruz scored in the 67th minute and Lucio added the other in injury time to keep the defending champions two points ahead of Werder Bremen. Hamburg could close to within a point of the leaders with a win Sunday against Kaiserslautern.

Bayern had eight players injured, including Michael Ballack, before Oliver Kahn surprised the team - the goalkeeper said during warmups that he couldn't play because of a bruised knee suffered in training.
Since Kahn's reserve was injured, goalkeeper coach Bernd Dreher was pressed into service. The 38-year-old last played in early 2001.
"That was a huge surprise because we didn't think Kahn's injury was that bad,'' Bayern coach Felix Magath said. "I was sure Bernd would be ready - but thank God we withstood these 90 minutes.''
Dreher wasn't tested often during the match in front of 66,000 at Bayern's Allianz Arena. Forward Steve Marlet had the best chance for Wolfsburg when his 57th-minute attempt ricocheted off the post.
Bayern again played a lackluster match after scoring just four goals in five matches, but was saved when Santa Cruz - the team's oft-injured Paraguay forward - headed in a 67th-minute cross for his first goal in 18 months.
Lucio provided one of the match's few highlights with his injury-time goal, stroking in a sharply angled shot on the full run that slid just inside the far post.
"We have too many injuries, so we have to be satisfied with the result,'' Magath said of another mediocre performance by his charges.
In other matches, it was: Bayer Leverkusen 1, Arminia Bielefeld 1; Borussia Moenchengladbach 1, Mainz 05 0; Hertha Berlin 1, Werder Bremen 2; Nuremberg 2, Cologne 1; Eintracht Frankfurt 0, Schalke 1; and Hannover 96 1, Duisburg 1.
Bremen charged back to beat fourth-place Hertha Berlin with two goals in the final four minutes.
After Pal Dardai put Hertha Berlin ahead in the 48th minute, Germany midfielder Tim Borowski leveled in the 86th, volleying from the edge of the area.
Nelson Valdez then scored in the 89th as Bremen ended Berlin's unbeaten home streak at Olympiastadion at 15 matches.
Berlin was angry at an uncalled penalty on Turkey international Yildiray Basturk, that even Bremen's players admitted should have drawn a whistle.
"I could see it and I was sitting 60 meters (yards) away and the referee couldn't?'' Berlin coach Falko Goetz said. "That would have put us ahead 2-0 and changed the whole match.''
Schalke climbed into fourth with the 1-0 win against Frankfurt on Denmark striker Soren Larsen's goal.

Latin scores

Apertura
1st Round
Results
Racing 0, Banfield 0
San Lorenzo 3, Velez 2
Rosario Central 1, Olimpo 1
Quilmes 1, Newell's 1
Lanus 2, Independiente 4
Gimnasia 1, Colon 0
River Plate 2, Tiro Federal 0
Boca 4, Gimnasia de Jujuy 1
Postergados:
Argentinos-Arsenal
Instituto-Estudiantes
Standings: Boca, Independiente, River, San Lorenzo, Gimnasia 3; Newell's, Central, Olimpo, Quilmes, Banfield, Racing 1; Velez, Lanus, Colon, Tiro Federal, Gimnasia, Argentinos, Arsenal, Instituto y Estudiantes 0.
Next round: Velez-Argentinos, Estudiantes-San Lorenzo, Independiente-Instituto, Olimpo-Lanus, Gimnasia (J)-River, Boca-Central, Newell's-Tiro Federal, Banfield-Quilmes, Colon-Racing, Arsenal-Gimnasia.
BRASIL
Campeonato nacional
18th round
Botafogo 2, Paysandu 0
Atletico Paranaense 5, Cruzeiro 4
Corinthians 0, Sao Caetano 2
Juventude 1 Palmeiras 2
Parana 1, Santos 1
Fortaleza 2, Flamengo 1
Vasco 2, Figueirense 1
Brasiliense 0, Internacional 0
Ponte Preta 0, Coritiba 3
Atletico Mineiro 1, Fluminense 2
Sao Paulo 0, Goias 1
Standings: Corinthians 34; Ponte Preta 33; Parana 32; Botafogo, Santos, Fluminense 31; Goias, Internacional, Cruzeiro 30; Sao Caetano 28; Fortalece 27; Juventude 26; Palmeiras, Coritiba 25; Atletico Paranaense 22; Brasiliense 20; Flamengo 19; Vasco , Sao Paulo 18; Figuereinse 15, Atletico Mineiro, Paysandi 13.
Proximos partidos: Sao Caetano-Atletico Paranaense, Paysandu-Vasco, Coritiba-Atletico, Palmeiras-Ponte Preta, Internacional-Corinthians, Figueirense-Sao Paulo, Cruzeiro-Botafogo, Fluminense-Fortaleza, Santos-Brasiliense, Flamengo-Parana,Goias-Juventude
COLOMBIA
Clausura
6th round
Nacional 2, Caldas 1
Pereira 2, Tolima 0
Huila 1, Junior 2
Chico 1, America 0
Envigado 1, Real Cartagena 1
Bucaramanga 2, Quindio 0
Cali 2, Pasto 2
Union Magdalena 1, Santa Fe 1
Millonarios 1, Medellin 0 (sabado)
Standings: Millonarios 18; America 15; Real Cartagena, Pereira 12; Nacional 11; Junior 10; Tolima, Cali 9; Envigado 8; Bucaramanga 7; Quindio, Santa Fe, Pasto, Chico 6; Caldas 5; Medellin 4; Huila 3; Union Magdalena 1.
Next round, Tolima-Nacional, Caldas-Union Magdalena, Santa Fe-Cali, Pasto-Bucaramanga, Quindio-Envigado, Cartagena-Chico, America-Huila, Junior-Millonarios, Medellin-Pereira.
CHILE
Clausura
4th round
Rangers 1, U. de Chile 3
Huachipato 2, U. Concepcion 0
Wanderers 0, U. Catolica 2
Colo Colo 3, A. Italiano 0
Coquimbo 3, Temuco 0
Cobreloa 1, Everton 1
Concepcion 2, La Serena 1
U. Espanola 2, Palesino 1
P. Montt 1, Cobresal 0
San Felipe 1, Melipilla 1
Standings: U. Catolica 12; Colo Colo 10; U. de Chile, Palestino, U. Concepcion 6; San Felipe, Concepcion, Cobreloa 5; U. Espanola, Huachipato, Rangers, Everton, S. Wanderers 4; Coquimbo, La Serena, Cobresal, A. Italiano, Melipilla, Puerto Montt, Temuco 3.
Next round: Cobresal-Colo Colo, San Felipe-Cobreloa, Everton-Wanderers, U. de Chile-Huachipato, La Serena-U. Espanola, Audax Italiano-Coquimbo, U. Catolica-P. Montt, U. Concepcion-Rangers, Palestino-Concepcion, Temuco-Melipilla.
PERU
Clausura
1st round
Cienciano 0, San Martin 2
Universitario 1, Universidad 3
Bolognesi 3, Melgar 0
Huaral 1, Vallejo 0
Sport Boys 0, Alianza Atletico 0
Sort Ancash, Cristal
Standings: Bolognesi, Universidad, San Martin, Huaral 3; Sport Boys, Alianza Atletico, Cristal, Sport Ancash 1; Vallejo, Cienciano, Universitario, Melgar 0. Descansa: Alianza Lima.
Next round: Cienciano-Sport Ancash, Melgar-Vallejo, Cristal-Sport Boys, Huaral-San Martin, Alianza-Bolognesi. Descansa: Universitario.
ECUADOR
Clausura
3rd round
Liga de Quito 3, Espoli 2
Deportivo Cuenca 0, Barcelona 0
Aucas 0, El Nacional 3
Deportivo Quito 1, Olmedo 0
Emelec 1, Liga de Loja 0
Standings: El Nacional 7, Barcelona, Liga de Quito 5, Emelec, Olmedo, Deportivo Quito, Aucas 4, Deportivo Cuenca 3, Espoli, Liga de Loja 1.
Next round: Barcelona-Liga de Quito, El Nacional-Emelec, Espoli-Aucas, Olmedo-Deportivo Cuenca, Liga de Loja-Deportivo Quito.

How to get better at soccer

Soccer is a very fast and fitted sport. In order to get better you must train and practice with a team and also train on your own.This means you have to do ball work and drills to become fit. You should start off by running miles each week and aslo sprint 40-50 yard dashes every 2-3 days. Push-ups and sit-ups should be part of your training. Ball work must contain skill, and jungling drills.

Champions League Schedule (taken from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/)

Monday Aug 8, 2005 8:28 AM

LONDON (AP) - This week's first leg games in the Champions League third qualifying round:

Tuesday, Aug. 9

Anorthosis (Cyprus) vs. Glasgow Rangers (Scotland)

Everton (England) vs. Villarreal (Spain)

Manchester United (England) vs. Debrecen (Hungary)

Real Betis (Spain) vs. AS Monaco (France)

Valerenga (Norway) vs. Club Brugge (Belgium)

Wisla Krakow (Poland) vs. Panathinaikos (Greece)

Wednesday, Aug. 10

Anderlecht (Belgium) vs. Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Artmedia Bratislava (Slovakia) vs. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia-Montenegro)

Basel (Switzerland) vs. Werder Bremen (Germany)

Brondby IF (Denmark) vs. Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)

CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) vs. Liverpool (England)

Rapid Vienna (Austria) vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Malmo FF (Sweden) vs. FC Thun (Switzerland)

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. Inter Milan (Italy)

Steaua Bucharest (Romania) vs. Rosenborg (Norway)

Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) vs. Udinese (Italy)

Soccer: Thuram rejoins national team (http://www.dailytimes.com))

TURIN (Italy): Juventus defender Lilian Thuram said on Sunday he would become the third player this week come out of international retirement to help France qualify for the 2006 World Cup. The 33-year-old Thruam followed Real Madrid playmaker Zinedine Zidane and Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele, who also decided to step down after last year’s European Championship. Thuram was a member of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship. “I did not want to change my mind about retirement, but if the coach believes my presence is important, I’ll accept the call,” Thuram said. “France gave me a lot and I would not be grateful by refusing to wear its jersey again.” France coach Raymond Domenech included Thuram in the list of players, along with other Juve stars David Trezeguet, Jonathan Zebina and Patrick Vieira, for the August 17 friendly against Ivory Coast. The returning trio are likely to play their first competitive game in the September 3 World Cup qualifier against the Faeroe Islands. France is fourth in its six-team qualifying group, with 10 points from six matches, three points fewer than leader Ireland. Juventus coach Fabio Capello had anticipated Thuram’s decision on Saturday in an interview with Milan’s sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport. ap

Soccer: Drogba dazzles as Chelsea beats Arsenal (Taken From http://www.iht.com/)

CARDIFF, Wales Didier Drogba scored twice Sunday to lead the Premier League champion, Chelsea, to a 2-1 victory over Arsenal in the Community Shield, the traditional season opener for English soccer's top clubs.

Drogba scored a goal in each half at the Millennium Stadium here before Cesc Fabregas got a goal back for Arsenal.

In contrast to the often sedate nature of the annual match between England's champion and FA Cup holder, both teams played attacking soccer and had more chances to score.
In injury time, an Arsenal substitute, Gilberto Silva, sent the ball over the bar, while Kolo Toure nearly lost his shoe clearing an attempt by Chelsea's Joe Cole.

Both sides used numerous substitutions - Arsenal six and Chelsea five - as the opposing managers, José Mourinho of Chelsea and Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, tried out players and formations before the coming start of the Premier League. Chelsea begins its title defense at Wigan.

Drogba opened the scoring after seven minutes, hooking the ball at close range past Toure and the Arsenal goalkeeper, Jens Lehmann.
Arsenal had several chances in the first half. The best was a shot by Toure, which was pushed away by the Chelsea goalkeeper, Petr Cech, who also foiled Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry.

Chelsea's Claude Makelele and Fabregas each picked up a yellow card after they clashed over the award of a free kick as the teams sought an early advantage in the coming season's psychological battle.

Drogba scored again in the 57th minute. He evaded a defender, Philippe Senderos, went past Lehmann, pushed Lauren away, then turned to shoot into the roof of the net.

Acheivements Playing For Gottschee

I play for BW Gottschee, the past years hard work and requirement have lead to great wins and titles. First, we made our selfs known by wining local tournaments. As we got older our team got stronger and better by adding more players. We won 2004 state cup and we're presented by Eastern New York Soccer Association to represent USA in France. We played for the Dannon's Nations Cup. Traveling internationally it was a great experience playing against very good clubs with great players. As the tournament went on we finished 2nd in our group and advanced to the medal round. We finished 16th and made a record of the highest rank made by the past US teams in that tournament. After that year we won 2005 state cup and made it to the regionals. This was also experience playing top teams.

US Open Cup Roundup (taken from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Posted: Thursday Aug 4, 2005 1:29 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Abe Thompson and Eddie Johnson scored in overtime to give FC Dallas a 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew in a U.S. Open Cup round of 16 match marred by penalties and fan unrest Wednesday night .

Thompson gave Dallas the lead in the 113th minute, and Johnson converted his penalty kick three minutes later to seal the Burn's berth in the quarterfinals of the 91-year-old, single-elimination tournament.
The teams played 30 minutes of overtime to conclude a match in which referee Ricardo Salazar called 36 fouls, and issued six yellow cards and two red cards.
Salazar gave a red card to the Crew's Danny Szetela in the 100th minute for a midfield challenge to Arturo Alvarez.
The call drew sharp criticism from Columbus players and coaches as Alvarez was treated on the field by Dallas trainers.
Seconds after Alvarez re-entered the game in the 103rd minute, the Crew's Frankie Hejduk slid into his legs and was ejected.
Dallas coach Colin Clarke conceded Szetela's ejection was unwarranted.
"I thought he made some questionable decisions,'' Clarke said of Salazar. "I didn't think Szetela's (foul) was a red card. Frankie's was. Frankie reacted to what happened. Szetela's was unlucky.''
Following the match, Salazar, his officiating crew and the Dallas team required a security escort as they passed by a large group of Columbus fans who shouted and hurled objects.
Carey Talley tapped the ball past Crew goalkeeper Jonny Walker from close range to give Dallas a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.
Columbus tied it seven minutes later when Kyle Martino finished off precise passes from Knox Cameron and Hejduk inside the penalty area.
In other matches, D.C. United beat Richmond 3-1, Chicago defeated New England 3-2, Rochester surprised the MetroStars 3-1, Kansas City whipped Des Moines 6-1, Minnesota upset Colorado 4-1, San Jose blanked Portland 2-0, and Los Angeles topped Chivas USA 5-2. In the quarterfinals Aug. 24, the matchups will be FC Dallas-D.C. United, Minnesota-Kansas City, Rochester-Chicago and Los Angeles-San Jose.
Thunder 4, Rapids 1
At St. Paul, Minn., Melvin Tarley scored all the goals to spark Minnesota's upset of Colorado.
Tarley, who now has six goals against MLS teams this season, scored three times in second half. The Thunder - who play in the United Soccer Leagues First Division - advanced to the tournament's quarterfinal round.
With Minnesota leading 2-0 in the 68th minute, Colorado midfielder Alain Nkong scored the Rapids' only goal.
Wizards 6, Menace 1
At Parkville, Mo., Josh Wolff and Davy Arnaud scored two goals apiece, and Kansas City defeated Des Moines.
The Wizards, the defending U.S. Open Cup champions, scored first on a goal by Arnaud in the ninth minute.
Des Moines, which plays in the Premier Development League, tied the game in the 13th minute. Matt Wieland scored on a header.
The Wizards took the lead for good in the 16th minute on a penalty kick goal by Wolff. The Wizards were awarded the penalty kick when Menace defender Cody Kother tripped Wolff.
Sasha Victorine and Scott Sealy had the other Kansas City goals.
D.C. United 3, Kickers 1
At Richmond, Va, Christian Gomez scored twice in the second half, breaking a 1-all tie with the first goal.
United, which also got a goal from 16-year-old phenom Freddy Adu, avenged a 2-1 loss to Richmond in the tournament last year.
Gomez broke the tie in the 76th minute for the defending MLS champions after a disputed penalty kick was awarded by referee Abiodun Okulaja. Gomez beat Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, then scored again in the 81st minute.
Adu assisted on the final goal with a pass to Gomez.
The Kickers' goal was scored by McColm Cephas.
Raging Rhinos 3, MetroStars 1
At Rochester, N.Y., the Raging Rhinos of the USL's First Division continued their success in the competition.
The Rhinos, who in 1999 became the only A-League team to win the Cup, went head in the 20th minute when a corner kick led to a header by Scott Palguta that beat MetroStars goalie Zach Wells.
Mauro Carabajal slipped the ball past Wells in the 30th minute. Rene Rivas scored Rochester's third goal off a penalty kick in the 58th minute.
Sergio Galvan Rey broke up the shutout late in the game for the MetroStars of the MLS.
Fire 3, Revolution 2, 2 OT
At Ludlow, Mass, Andy Herron scored twice for Chicago, including the decisive goal in the 99th minute.
Chicago's C.J. Brown scored in the sixth minute of overtime, giving Chicago the lead, before Herron locked it up. New England's Andy Dorman scored on a free kick in the game's final minute, but it was too late to help the Revs.
Shalrie Joseph had the other goal for New England, in the 22nd minute.
It was the first overtime game for both teams this season because MLS has done away with extra periods.
The Fire, a three-time winner of the U.S. Open Cup, outplayed the Revolution, who were without several starters, including MLS All-Stars Pat Noonan, Clint Dempsey and Matt Reis. All-Stars Joseph and Taylor Twellman played only in the first half.
Earthquakes 2, Timbers 0
At Portland, Ore., Wade Barrett and Brian Mullan scored goals for San Jose, which also beat the Timbers in the fourth round last year.
Barrett made it 1-0 for the Earthquakes in the 27th minute with an unassisted goal he rebounded off a Portland defender.
The Timbers of the USL's First Division, nearly tied it in the 57th minute when forward Dan Antoniuk's shot sailed just right of the post - far out of goalkeeper Jon Conway's reach.
But Mullan beat Portland keeper Josh Saunders in the 63rd minute to give the MLS club breathing room.
Galaxy 5, Chivas USA 2
At Carson, Calif., Joseph Ngwenya and Herculez Gomez scored late in the first half to propel Los Angeles to victory.
Cobi Jones, Landon Donovan and Chris Albright also scored for the Galaxy, which reached the quarterfinals for the seventh consecutive year.
Chivas USA took a 1-0 lead on Douglas Sequeira's 5-yard header off Francisco Gomez's corner kick in the fourth minute.
Jones tied the score in the 12th minute with a 24-yard shot but Ramon Ramirez put Chivas USA ahead 2-1 in the 20th minute with a 20-yard free kick. Ngwenya tied the match in the 36th minute.
Gomez put the Galaxy in front to stay in the 45th minute. he intercepted Armando Begines' clearance and fired a 28-yard drive that goalkeeper Brad Guzan deflected into the net.

Report: Beckham to extend contract with Madrid (from http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

Thursday Aug 4, 2005 5:51 AM

MADRID, Spain (AP) - David Beckham will extend his contract with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid by two years through to 2009, sports daily Marca reported Thursday.

Beckham's new deal, which would take him to the age of 34, will be rubber-stamped next month following initial talks with Madrid president Florentino Perez at the end of last season, the newspaper said. Beckham was quoted as saying. "I'm playing in the best club in the world and my wish is to keep wearing the shirt in the future.''Beckham, whose global fame has been credited with boosting Madrid's finances, has displayed patchy form since joining Madrid from Manchester United on a four-year contract in 2003 and has been reported at various times to be considering a move back to England. Beckham's decision to give his third son, born in February, the Spanish name of Cruz has also been interpreted as a sign he is more comfortable. The midfielder is presently training with Madrid in Austria in preparation for the new Spanish season, which begins on Aug. 27.

Everton Get United's Phil Neville (taken from cnn.com)

Thursday, August 4, 2005 Posted: 1447 GMT (2247 HKT)

LONDON, England -- Everton swooped for Manchester United's England international Phil Neville in a $6 million deal on Thursday.

The Premier League club and Neville have agreed terms on a five-year contract and the 28-year-old will sign subject to passing a medical on Thursday.

"We have staved off a great deal of competition to get him. Several clubs were interested in signing him.

Neville won six Premiership titles, a Champions League winners' medal, three FA Cup winners' medals and a World Club Cup winners' medal with United whom he joined in 1993.

Neville has won over 50 England caps, but his international chances were set to be damaged after slipping down the pecking order at United.

________________________________________________

Everton were also "very optimistic" that Australian midfielder Tim Cahill will sign a new long-term deal.

Cahill, 25, was outstanding in his debut season after arriving from Millwall, scoring 12 goals in 38 appearances.