Soccer Sports News & Betting

David Beckham made his first run-on appearance of the season for the Los Angeles Galaxy on Friday against the New York Red Bulls.

Beckham started in his preferred position on the right flank.

The midfielder has played twice as a substitute for the Galaxy since tearing his left Achilles tendon while on loan with AC Milan in March.

Beckham played 20 minutes in his season debut Sept. 11 in a 3-1 victory over Columbus, then played 37 minutes Sept. 18 in the Galaxys 2-1 decision over D.C. United.

Soccer news reports
Sep. 24, 2010

LOME, Togo — Two members of Togos interim soccer federation have been detained on suspicion of being involved with the fake national team that played an unsanctioned match against Bahrain this month, a security official said Friday.

Meanwhile, former Togo coach Tchanile Bana — who was banned for his role as the organizer behind the scandal — is now “on the run,” said Col. Damehane Yark, commander of the Togolese National Paramilitary Gendarmerie.

Yark said federation officials Antoine Folly and Doucoure Mamadou had been held for questioning Friday following a dawn raid.

Folly was a member of the disciplinary commission investigating the Sept. 7 game and Mamadou is a special assistant to the federations president.

The pair are suspected of being behind fake documents sent to the Bahrain Football Association to set up the match, according to Yark.

A group of unknown players, claiming to be Togos national team, lost 3-0 to Bahrain in an international friendly at the National Stadium in Riffa. Togos football federation and sports ministry both said the players and officials did not have permission to represent the country.

In documents seen by the Associated Press, former Togo federation secretary general Kodzo Samlan was the apparent signatory on a letter to the BFA to accept the invitation to play the friendly game. Samlan denies writing the letter and says his signature was forged.

It all came as a major embarrassment for the already-troubled Togo football body.

The Togolese Football Federation was dissolved by FIFA last December and an interim panel was installed until a new body could be elected. Those elections are set for Oct. 16, just three weeks time.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke confirmed in Johannesburg on Thursday that FIFA had been in touch with Togo football federation president Seyi Memene regarding the incident.

Bana, whose whereabouts are now unknown, has admitted his role in the scandal and was banned for three years earlier this week. He said there were other football officials involved.

Bana, Folly and Mamadou could face criminal charges.

A statement by Togolese sports minister Christophe Tchao confirmed that the Togo government has instructed the minister of justice to take legal action against Bana and his accomplices, although the identity of those accomplices hasnt been revealed.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi was named Thursday in the Argentina team to travel to Japan for a friendly next month, despite injuring his right ankle last weekend in a match against Atletico Madrid.

Messi is expected to miss at least two Spanish league games.

Media reports in Argentina said the Argentine Football Association will collect an additional $200,000 if Messi - the FIFA player of the year in 2009 - is included in the squad.

The Oct. 8 friendly at Saitama, Japan will be the third match for interim Argentina coach Sergio Batista. He won the first two, defeating Ireland 1-0 and World Cup champion Spain 4-1.

Batista is the leading candidate to replace Diego Maradona, whose contract was not renewed following Argentinas 4-0 loss to Germany in the World Cup quarterfinals.

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Squad:

Goalkeepers: Oscar Ustari (Getafe), Mariano Andujar (Catania), Sergio Romero (AZ Alkmaar).

Defenders: Gabriel Milito (Barcelona), Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan), Walter Samuel (Inter Milan), Nicolas Burdisso (Roma), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Martin Demichelis (Bayern Munich), Gabriel Heinze (Olimpique Marseille).

Midfielders: Fernando Gago (Real Madrid), Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid), Javier Mascherano (Barcelona), Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan), Jose Sosa (Napoli), Mario Bolatti (Fiorentina), Javier Pastore (Palermo), Andres DAlessandro (Internacional, Brazil).

Forwards: Gonzalo Higuain (Real Madrid), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid), Diego Milito (Inter Milan), Ezequiel Lavezzi (Napoli), Carlos Tevez (Manchester City), Nicolas Gaitan (Benfica).

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has been included in the Argentina team travel to Japan for a friendly next month, despite injuring his right ankle last weekend in a match against Atletico Madrid.

Messi is expected to miss at least two Spanish league games.

Media reports in Argentina said the Argentine Football Association will collect an additional $200,000 if Messi - the FIFA player of the year in 2009 - is included in the squad.

The Oct. 8 friendly at Saitama, Japan will be the third match for interim Argentina coach Sergio Batista. He won the first two, defeating Ireland 1-0 and World Cup champion Spain 4-1.

Real Salt Lake defeated Panama club Arabe Unido 3-2 on Wednesday to take the lead in Group A of the CONCACAF Champions League.

William Aguilar gave the Panama team an early 1-0 lead. But Real Salt Lake rallied with three unanswered goals in the first half. Will Johnson equalized in the ninth minute, Alvaro Saborio scored with a header in the 35th and Johnson got his second in the 41st minute. Sergio Angulo got one back for Arabe Unido in the 52nd.

Real Salt Lakes win was the first in the CONCACAF Champions League by a MLS team in Panama.

Real Salt Lake has nine points in four matches to lead the group. The Panama club has only three points in four matches. Cruz Azul is second with seven points after a 0-0 draw on Tuesday against Toronto.

Real Salt Lake defeated Panama club Arabe Unido 3-2 on Wednesday to take the lead in Group A of the CONCACAF Champions League.

William Aguilar gave the Panama side a 1-0 lead after only two minutes. But Salt Lake rallied with three unanswered goal in the first half. Will Johnson equalized in the ninth minute, Alvaro Saborio scored with a header in the 35th and Johnson got his second in the 41st minute. Sergio Angulo got one back for Arabe Unido in the 52nd.

Salt Lake has nine points in four matches to lead the group. The Panama club has only three points in four matches. Cruz Azul is second with seven points after a 0-0 draw on Tuesday against Toronto.

Andres Mendoza scored in the 87th minute and the Columbus Crew beat Mexicos Santos Laguna 1-0 on Tuesday night to move into the top spot in Group B of the CONCACAF Champions League.

Columbus (3-1) has a two-point advantage over Santos (2-1-1) with two games left. Municipal of Guatemala (0-1-2) is third with two points. The top two teams advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament that determines the club winner from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Mendoza took a pass from Jason Garey but mishandled the ball as it went off defender Jonathan Lacerda. Mendoza then regained control and converted from 23 yards into the lower right corner of the goal.

The next tournament game for each team comes on Sept. 29, with the Crew at Municipal and Santos hosting Joe Public of Trinidad.

Everton manager David Moyes said he had to stop himself from grabbing a Brentford fan who threw at bottle at the Premier League clubs supporters after a League Cup match.

Brentford fans Brentford spilled onto the pitch after Phil Jagielkas missed penalty kick gave the third-tier club a 4-3 shootout win over Everton on Tuesday. The third-round match was level at 1-1 after extra time.

“I thought it was terrible - I saw a fan throw a bottle into our supporters,” Moyes said. “I said to him, I saw your face. I saw who you were. He got a bottle and went right up and threw it right into the middle of our supporters.

“I didnt grab him. I wanted to but obviously that would have brought more attention to the situation.”

Moyes offered to help police find the alleged culprit.

The loss compounded Evertons dire start to the season. The Merseyside team is yet to win in the Premier League and is next to last in the standings after five matches.

All but three members of New Zealands unbeaten football World Cup squad were recalled Tuesday to play international friendlies next month against Honduras and Paraguay.

The only members of the 23-man Cup squad unavailable for the matches against Honduras in Auckland on Oct. 9 and Paraguay in Wellington on Oct. 12 are England-based striker Rory Fallon, who is injured, and defender Andy Barron and goalkeeper James Bannatyne, who have both retired.

New Zealand-based midfielder Cole Peverley is the player selected by coach Ricki Herbert who was not at the World Cup.

Defenders Ryan Nelsen of Blackburn Rovers and Winston Reid of West Ham have both been cleared by their English Premier League clubs to play in the friendlies.

“Selecting the 23 for South Africa was among the toughest decisions Ive had to make but it was of paramount importance that we give those players who went to South Africa a chance to thank the public for the overwhelming support,” Herbert said.

“Its fantastic to have two World Cup opponents here in New Zealand so close after the World Cup. It is a great way of concluding the 2010 campaign, but its also important to announce the start a long hard campaign towards Brazil 2014.”

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New Zealand squad: Glen Moss, Mark Paston, Andrew Boyens, Tony Lochhead, Ryan Nelson, Winston Reid, Ben Signmund, Tommy Smith, Ivan Vicelich, Leo Bertos, Jeremy Brockie, Tim Brown, Aaron Clapham, Jeremy Chritie, Simon Elliott, Michael McGlinchey, David Mulligan, Cole Peverley, Chris Killen, Shane Smeltz, Chris Wood.

Javier Arizmendis equalizer gave Getafe a 2-2 draw with Deportivo La Coruna in the Spanish league on Monday.

Deportivo led 2-1 after winger Andres Guardado scored penalties in the 50th and 57th minutes following teammate Diego Colottos own-goal in the 33rd. But Arizmendis left-foot shot in the 69th minute earned a point for Getafe at El Riazor stadium.

Valencia leads the standings with nine points, two more than Real Madrid and Sevilla. Defending champion Barcelona has six.