Mexico Unveils Its Team
Mexico announced its 23-man World Cup squad Saturday, including Europe-based players such as FC Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez and Bolton striker Jared Borgetti.
Injured midfielder Jaime Lozano, Cruz Azul defender Joel Huiqui and Toluca midfielder Israel Lopez were left out, despite the latter two training with Coach Ricardo Lavolpe for the last month.
Marquez, who has helped Barcelona win a second straight Spanish league title this season and reach the Champions League final, will be Mexico’s captain in a first-round group that includes Portugal, Iran and Angola.
Also on the roster is Chivas USA defender Claudio Suarez, 37, who played in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups but sat out the 2002 event because of injuries.
Lavolpe also opted for forward Guillermo Franco of Argentina and midfielder Antonio Naelson of Brazil, both of whom are naturalized Mexican citizens. As expected, Lavolpe left off forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
The roster:
* Goalkeepers -- Oswaldo Sanchez (Guadalajara), Guillermo Ochoa (America), Jesus Corona (UAG).
* Defenders -- Jose Antonio Castro (America), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Mario Mendez (Monterrey), Ricardo Osorio (Cruz Azul), Francisco Rodriguez (Guadalajara), Carlos Salcido (Guadalajara), Claudio Suarez (Chivas USA), Andres Guardado (Atlas), Gonzalo Pineda (Guadalajara).
* Midfielders -- Luis Perez (Monterrey), Pavel Pardo (America), Antonio Naelson (Toluca), Rafael Garcia (Atlas), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul), Ramon Morales (Guadalajara).
* Forwards -- Jared Borgetti (Bolton), Guillermo Franco (Villarreal), Francisco Fonseca (Cruz Azul), Omar Bravo (Guadalajara), Jesus Arellano (Monterrey).
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Liverpool won the FA Cup for the seventh time, beating West Ham 3-1 on penalty kicks after rallying to a 3-3 tie at Cardiff, Wales.
Liverpool, which also made a comeback and won in last season’s Champions League final, was trailing 2-0 and 3-2 until Steven Gerrard struck with a 30-yard half volley in injury time.
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina tipped a ball by Nigel Reo-Coker onto the post with a minute of overtime left before saving three kicks in the shootout.
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Italian soccer was engulfed by turmoil when a World Cup referee’s accreditation was withdrawn after he was implicated in a game-fixing scandal, and star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was questioned by prosecutors for suspected illegal betting.
Buffon’s team, Juventus, said the goalie “presented himself of his own volition to magistrates,” but didn’t say what he told prosecutors. Italy’s World Cup team will be announced Monday, and his status is in doubt.
The Italian soccer federation said it sent letters to FIFA and European soccer authorities to rescind the accreditations of referee Massimo De Santis and linesmen Alessandro Griselli and Marco Ivaldi, plus those for Paolo Bergamo and Pierluigi Pairetto, who were to assign game officials at the monthlong World Cup, which begins June 9 in Germany.
