Pro Soccer
Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos has been recalled by El Salvador’s national team for a tournament beginning Wednesday at the Coliseum, and will miss Saturday’s Major League Soccer regular-season finale in Kansas City.
The absence of Cienfuegos, who shares the MLS lead with 17 assists, could hurt the Galaxy’s quest to win the Western Conference regular-season championship and home-field advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Galaxy leads Colorado and Dallas by three points and needs a victory over the Wizards to clinch the conference championship. The Galaxy, which lost to Dallas, 4-3, on Sunday would still win the title under several other scenarios involving Colorado and Dallas losses.
Cienfuegos is scheduled to rejoin the Galaxy on Oct. 12 when it begins preparations for the MLS playoffs. The team is scheduled to play either Oct. 16 or 17.
College Basketball
Missouri Coach Quin Snyder will have to wait another day, and maybe longer, before finding out if he broke NCAA rules while pursuing his first two recruits.
The university had expected to hear from the NCAA whether the men’s basketball program had violated recruiting rules. But no such ruling was issued from the college sports governing organization, and NCAA spokeswoman Jane Jankowski said there was no specific time set for one.
Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden notified the NCAA last Friday that the university may have violated recruiting rules by allowing the mothers of Detroit basketball prospects Rickey Paulding and Arthur Johnson to join their sons on a chartered plane to Columbia, Mo.
Both mothers paid the university between $200 and $300 each for their tickets prior to flying from Detroit to Columbia Regional Airport Sept. 17 and returning Sept. 19, Alden said. He said the university believed the NCAA rules allow a prospect to be accompanied on a noncommercial flight if the extra party paid fair market value.
While not commenting specifically on Missouri’s case, NCAA officials said last week that the school’s interpretation was wrong. Jankowski said the rules are quite clear regarding transportation of prospective recruits and their relatives and friends.
Drag Racing
John Force moved another step closer to winning his ninth NHRA Winston funny car championship with a victory at the 11th annual Advance Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Topeka, Kan.
Force covered the quarter-mile in 4.797 seconds at 316.97 mph to defeat Tommy Johnson Jr., who ran 5.175 seconds at 239.40.
Doug Herbert was the winner in the top-fuel division, defeating Joe Amato in 4.664 seconds at 312.35 mph.
