Soccer Sports News & Betting

Brazilian striker Bruno Cazarine has signed a one-year contract with the defending A-League champion Sydney FC.

The club said Tuesday that, pending visa approval, Cazarine could play in Saturdays match against Adelaide at Sydney Football Stadium.

Cazarine, 27, has spent the past two years playing in the Brazilian second division.

Sydney has only two points from its opening four matches after two draws and two losses.

Bob Bradley has agreed to a contract extension Monday that will see him remain coach of the U.S. football team until after the 2014 World Cup.

U.S. Soccer announced the four-year contract extension late Monday, ending speculation Bradley was seeking a job in Europe and that the federation wanted to start anew in the lead-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Bob is honored to be the U.S. coach,” said Ron Waxman, Bradleys agent. “Its a job he enjoys very much, and hes very happy.”

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati and Bradley will address the extension Tuesday.

The United States won its group at the World Cup in South Africa before being eliminated in a 2-1 extra time loss to Ghana.

Though many countries addressed their coaching situations soon after the World Cup, Gulati felt no pressure to move quickly because Bradleys current deal didnt expire until December. The Americans also had a friendly against Brazil earlier this month and will play two more in October.

As the weeks passed, however, it seemed less likely Bradley would be retained. Despite reaching the second round, Gulati has said he thought the Americans were capable of more in South Africa. Bradley also expressed interest in jobs overseas, including Fulham and Aston Villa in the English Premier League.

Its often tough for coaches to replicate success over to a second cycle, too. Bradley replaced Bruce Arena, who led the Americans to the quarterfinals in 2002 only to see them crash out in the first round in 2006.

But in the end, Bradley and U.S. Soccer decided to stay the course. Bradley is well-respected tactically, and players appreciate his even keel and open-mindedness. He selected both Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez for South Africa despite the fact neither was even on the depth chart at the beginning of the year.

Gulati and Bradley met last Thursday, and negotiations on a new deal were finalized Sunday night.

Ronaldo played his first official match in almost four months Sunday, and despite being overweight and slowed by various injuries, showed some of his old flashes in Corinthians 2-1 victory over Vitoria.

The victory moved Corinthians within three points of leaders Fluminense in the Brazilian standings. Fluminense, which managed only a 2-2 draw with Sao Paulo, has 37 points with Corinthians on 34.

The three-time FIFA player of the year was far from his best at Pacaembu stadium, but he showed some of his skills in setting up his teammates a couple of times before being substituted due to fatigue in the 63rd minute.

“It was good to be playing competitively again,” Ronaldo said. “Ill keep working to see if I can play in more matches from now on.”

Former Boca Juniors striker Iarley opened the scoring for Corinthians with a header in the 10th minute and midfielder Paulinho added to the lead from close range two minutes into first-half injury time. Vitoria, 14th in the table, got one back with a header by striker Kleber Pereira in the 83rd.

Ronaldo has hinted he may retire soon and said in a recent interview he would not make a big deal out of his retirement and would simply announce after a match: “Thats it.”

Deco, another Brazilian who has returned home after a long career in Europe, scored for Fluminense - his first goal since returning to Brazilian football.

In Argentina, new Boca Juniors coach Claudio Borghi can breathe a bit easier after Sundays 2-1 victory at home against Velez Sarsfield.

It was Bocas first victory of the Apertura season, spurred on by goals by Sebastian Battaglia in the 37th minute and Lucas Viatri in the 67th. Santiago Silva scored late for Velez Sarsfield.

Bocas fierce Buenos Aires rival River Plate stayed in first place despite a 0-0 draw against defending Clausura champion Argentinos Juniors - the club Borghi coached to the title in May.

It was Rivers first draw after three victories to start the season.

Ariel Ortega could have found a goal for River Plate in the 65th, but his shot from a counterattack went straight at goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro. Nicolas Blandi had Argentinos best chance six minutes later, but his shot went wide.

In Mexico, Cruz Azul and Santos are atop the standings with 15 points. Both picked up weekend victories; Cruz Azul defeated Tigres 3-2 and Santos won over Atlas 3-1. Santos leads Group 1 and Cruz Azul is atop Group 3.

Clausura champion Toluca pulled into a tie on top of Group 2 with nine points following Sundays 2-0 victory over Queretaro. Toluca started the season without a win in its first four games, but has rebounded neatly.

America also has nine points in Group 2 after a 1-1 draw on Sunday with Necaxa. America has not lost at home since August 2, 2009.

Monterrey has 12 points in Group 1 - just behind Santos - but let a victory slip away on Saturday when Chile international Humberto Suazo missed a late penalty and Monterrey settled for a 1-1 draw with Chipas.

Results in Argentinas Apertura football championship:

Fourth Round

Huracan 1, Newells 1

Colon 1, Godoy Cruz 3

San Lorenzo 3, All Boys 1

Tigre 3, Quilmes 0

Lanus 0, Banfield 0

Independiente 1, Arsenal 2

Argentinos Juniors 0, River Plate 0

Boca Juniors 2, Velez 1

Olimpo 1, Racing Club 0

Estudiantes vs. Gimnasia (postponed)

Thierry Henry scored his first MLS goal in the second half, helping the New York Red Bulls beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on Saturday night.

Reserve midfielder Justin Mapp set up the tying goal in the 82nd minute and scored the winner in stoppage time as Philadelphia snapped a six-match winless streak.

Nick Rimando got his 10th shutout of the season for Real Salt Lake.

FC Dallas set an MLS record for going unbeaten on the road and extended its overall undefeated streak to 12.

Dallas (9-2-10) has gone 3-0-7 in its past 10 away matches to break the mark held by the Crew and Chicago Fire. FCD has seven wins and five ties in its past 12 games to move into third in the Western Conference.

Columbus (12-5-5) remains first in the East.

The Crew came closest to scoring in the 68th minute when a shot by Guillermo Barros Schelotto was cleared off the goal line by defender Zach Loyd.

Juan Mensequez, Guillermo Pereyra and Cristian Tula scored in the second half as San Lorenzo downed a nine-man All Boys 3-1 in the Argentine Apertura football tournament on Saturday.

Menzequez opened the scoring in the 55th minute and Pereyra added another in the 68th. Mauro Matos scored for All Boys with a 70th-minute penalty before Tula made the game safe for San Lorenzo in the 83rd.

All Boys had players sent off in the 60th and 81st minutes.

Earlier Saturday, Banfield drew 0-0 at Lanus, Tigre had a 3-0 win over Quilmes and Godoy Cruz won 3-1 at Colon.

Matches continue Sunday with Argentinos Juniors against River Plate and Boca Juniors vs. Velez Sarsfield.

On Friday, Huracan drew 1-1 with Newells Old Boys.

Banfield, two points behind the leaders at the start of the day, missed the opportunity to move to the top of the standings temporarily with a scoreless draw at Lanus. The point moved Banfield onto eight points from four matches played.

Velez Sarsfield and River Plate lead the table with nine points from three games.

Elsewhere Saturday, Mariano Echeverria scored at the back post to open the scoring for Tigre against Quilmes following a corner in the 10th minute.

Diego Morales cut in from the left to add a second in the 80th and Denis Stracqualursi sealed Tigres first points of the season in the 86th.

Godoy Cruz also got a first win of the season with second-half goals from Jairo Castillo in the 69th minute, David Ospina in the 72nd and Rodrigo Salinas in the 77th at Colon.

Damian Diaz had given Colon the lead after 30 minutes.

Both teams lost players during the match. Colon had Christian Ledesma sent off just before half time and went down to nine men when Mauro Bellone was shown a red card two minutes after the restart. Godoy Cruz lost Jorge Curbelo just after the 60-minute mark.

Elizabeth Lambert went from Internet sensation to the end of the bench.

The senior defender for New Mexico didnt get on the field Friday night in her first chance since serving a two-game suspension. Lambert was the player caught on video in November yanking her opponent to the ground by the ponytail during the Mountain West Conference tournament.

The video was posted on the Internet and watched by millions worldwide.

Lambert was reinstated Tuesday, but didnt talk to reporters then and didnt appear in the first game she was eligible against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Friday.

School spokesman Frank Mercogliano said Lambert wouldnt speak unless she was involved in a play that helped determine the outcome. The Lobos and the Panthers played to a 1-1 draw.

Lambert received a two-game suspension for her role in the widely publicized hair-pulling fracas against BYU. The most infamous images are of Lambert grabbing BYUs Kassidy Shumway by her ponytail and yanking her to the ground, but Lambert also was the recipient of some rough play, receiving an elbow to the ribs during a dead ball and responding with one of her own.

The Lobos tried to distance their program from the wider debate the video sparked, including sexism in coverage of womens sports. Lambert addressed those issues briefly after the episode in her only public comments when she told The New York Times, “I definitely feel because I am a female, it did bring about a lot more attention than if a male were to do it.”

New Mexico athletics director Paul Krebs said Lambert fulfilled the terms of her suspension by missing two games and other requirements that included keeping up her grades, participating in community service and staying away from the team until fall workouts.

Lambert is expected to be a key contributor for the Lobos this season, but she started out on Friday night as just another cheerleader.

“You go girl! Work it!” Lambert shouted from the bench, and a minute later Rachel Fields put the Lobos up 1-0 off the assist from Stephanie Rowe early in the 52nd minute. Milwaukees Laurel Ragalie scored the equalizer 29 minutes later.

Lambert, who started all 21 games as a junior, switched numbers from 15 to 19 and was vocal on the sideline, standing most of the time on top of the bench and clapping in support.

The only time she touched the ball came when she scooped it up out of bounds and tossed it to Lobos defender Roxie McFarland for a throw in.

At halftime, Lambert put her arm around McFarland and her teammate burst out laughing. When they were done talking, Lambert gave McFarland a big hug and shouted, “Go get a goal!”

Lambert began warming up in the 36th minute after coach Kit Vela motioned for her, but she never entered the game. Shell get another next chance when the Lobos play No. 23 Marquette on Sunday in the finale of the Milwaukee Cup competition that also features Auburn.

“Weve got to find our legs again after overtime, everything else, but it is what it is,” said Vela, who declined to say if Lambert would play Sunday. “We do a pretty good job of recovering and were a pretty good group.”

Jose Antonio Reyes and Sergio Aguero scored second-half goals as Atletico Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-0 to win the European Super Cup for the first time Friday.

Atletico continued its run of form after winning the Europa League last season. Inter won the Champions League under former coach Jose Mourinho, who has been replaced by former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez.

“We have the squad to win titles. Today we showed it,” Reyes said. “It was a tremendous joy. To score a goal in the final is every players dream.”

Atletico took the lead in the 62nd minute when Inter failed to clear the ball on the edge of the area and it fell to Reyes, who glided past Maicon with a neat touch and drove a shot into the bottom left corner past goalkeeper Julio Cesar

Aguero tapped into an empty net in the 83rd.

Inter striker Diego Militos last-minute penalty was superbly saved by Atletico goalkeeper David de Gea.

Benitez, who guided Liverpool to its fifth Champions League title in 2005, remained upbeat despite the defeat.

“I think we played well, we had three dangerous situations in front of the goal,” the Spaniard said, adding that he felt some of his players were tired.

“We were not at the level we needed to be against a team that was physically stronger and very good tactically,” he said.

Benitez does admit he will have to decide what he needs to change after inheriting Mourinhos team.

“Some things we will need to do in the same way as we did before and change the way we do some other things,” Benitez said. “Its clear we will need some time, but how long you never know.”

Moments before Atleticos opening goal, Cesar had denied Reyes with a brilliant one-handed save low to his right as the former Arsenal forward cut inside down the right side and curled a shot goalward.

Milito, Inters star when it beat Bayern Munich to win the Champions League, saw his shot deflected for a corner as Inter started brightly before gradually losing steam.

Samuel Etoo, playing in a role out on the left, looked frustrated as he rarely got on the ball, but in the 32nd, he jinked past two defenders and hit a low shot which flew just past the right post.

Atletico striker Diego Forlan, the star of Uruguays run to the World Cup semifinals, was well contained by the Inter defense and the Spanish sides most threatening player in the first half was the Argentina forward Aguero.

Roared on by Atleticos noisy fans, Aguero found space in the penalty area moments before the interval, but drove his powerful shot over the crossbar.

Atletico got on top in the second half, mainly because Inter failed to contain the pace of Reyes and the clever runs off the ball of Aguero as their defenders still had to keep an eye on the sleek and elusive Forlan.

“We faced a very good team tonight, the best in Europe last season, so we are happy with the result and the performance,” Atletico midfielder Fran Merida said. “We dominated the game for the most part and we were strong enough to face them.”

Inter still might have set up a grandstand finish when Goran Pandev was fouled in the box, but Militos penalty was tipped around the post by Atleticos 19-year-old goalkeeper De Gea.

Prior to the game, police intervened quickly to prevent a clash between small factions of hooligans from Atletico and Inter.

Around 25 Atletico hooligans were waiting outside a shop near Monacos Stade Louis II stadium when some 30-40 thugs from Inter turned a corner into the road, putting the rivals just yards apart.

Atletico thugs, some who smashed wooden crates and ripped off pieces to use as weapons, rushed into the road as they were beckoned on by their counterparts.

A handful of police formed a line to push the Atletico hooligans back before further reinforcements helped contain the Inter hooligans, some of whom were waving belts.

—

Lineups:

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Walter Samuel, Lucio, Cristian Chivu, Dejan Stankovic (Goran Pandev, 69), Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Wesley Sneijder (Coutinho, 78), Diego Milito, Samuel Etoo.

Atletico Madrid: David de Gea, Tomas Ujfalusi, Luis Perea, Diego Godin, Alvaro Dominguez, Paulo Assuncao, Jose Antonio Reyes (Fran Merida, 70), Raul Garcia, Simao (Ignacio Camacho, 90), Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan (Jose Manuel Jurado, 82).

(jp)

The Brazilian football federation says goalkeeper Gomes has been dropped from Brazils squad because of a right leg muscle injury.

Gomes sustained the injury with Tottenham in the Premier League teams 4-0 win over Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday.

He will be replaced by 17-year-old Cruzeiro goalkeeper Gabriel, who has been playing with Brazils youth squads.

The Brazil squad will meet for a training camp from Sept. 2-7 in Barcelona. The five-time world champion will play practice matches, but no friendlies have been scheduled for the period.

The 29-year-old Gomes was Brazils reserve goalkeeper at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Inter Milans Julio Cesar was the starter.

Young Brazil playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso will miss the rest of the season because of a left knee injury that will require surgery.

Ganso tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Santos 2-1 victory over Gremio in Porto Alegre on Wednesday and his team said medical tests on Thursday showed he needs surgery that will leave him sidelined for about six months.

The 20-year-old midfielder is one of the most promising stars in Brazilian football and many fans wanted him to be included in Brazils World Cup team in South Africa earlier this year.

Along with Santos teammate Neymar, he made his debut with the national team in a 2-0 victory over the United States in a friendly at New Jersey earlier this month.