Soccer

British police are investigating a claim made by Crystal Palace reserve goalkeeper Alex Kolinko of Latvia, who has filed a complaint alleging that the team’s coach, former England international Trevor Francis, assaulted him during a first division match against Bradford on Tuesday night.

Francis has admitted to hitting Kolinko, but said no harm was intended.

“I was very disappointed by [Bradford’s] goal, and when I turned round I saw Kolinko laughing, so I cuffed him around the ear,” Francis said. “It was only a bit of fun.”

The referee banished Francis from the dugout after being told of the incident by the fourth official and the English Football Assn. is investigating the matter.

The game ended in a 1-1 tie.

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USA Roster Set

Coach Thomas Rongen on Thursday selected 20 players, four from Southern California, to the United States under-20 national team that will play Brazil, Italy and Ukraine in an eight-nation tournament in Spain, starting next week.

The U.S. team will leave Monday to play in the XIX Torneo Internacional de Futbol de l’Alcudia Aug. 24-29 in Valencia, Spain.

Rongen’s squad includes UCLA defender Jordan Harvey of Mission Viejo, Stanford defender Chad Marshall of Riverside, midfielder David Johnson of Venice, who plays for Willem II in the Netherlands, and midfielder Raul Palomares of Inglewood, who plays for Osijek in Croatia.

The squad, which in November will try to qualify for the FIFA World Youth Championship, also features five Major League Soccer players: midfielders Craig Capano (Chicago Fire), Justin Mapp (D.C. United) and Jordan Stone (Dallas Burn) and forwards Devin Barclay (San Jose Earthquakes) and Ed Johnson (Dallas Burn).

The D.C. United duo of Bobby Convey and Santino Quaranta is part of the U.S. team but will not make the trip to Spain.

Convey was not released by the MLS team and Quaranta is recovering from abdominal hernia surgery.

The U.S. is in Group A and plays Brazil on Aug. 24, Italy on Aug. 26 and Ukraine on Aug. 27. Group B consists of Costa Rica, Gabon, Spain and Uruguay.

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Only One Award Now

For years, the nation’s outstanding male and female college players have been honored annually by winning either the Hermann Trophy, started in 1967, or the Missouri Athletic Club award, started in 1986, or both.

That confusing situation was remedied Thursday when the two awards were merged into one, to be known as the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy.

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Kirovski Gets Permit

Jovan Kirovski, the forward from Escondido who was an alternate on the 2002 U.S. World Cup team, Thursday was granted a work permit to play for Birmingham City in the English Premier League.

Kirovski’s permit request was denied last week by the British government, but the club successfully appealed, and if the paperwork can be completed in time, he will be eligible to play against defending champion Arsenal when the English season begins Saturday.

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Bolivians Strike

The players from Bolivian champion Oriente Petrolero refused to travel to a road game against Real Potosi on Wednesday night, claiming they had not been paid in two months. The game had to be postponed.

Carlos Chavez, the club’s president, said the players would be paid in full by next week, but also threatened disciplinary action against them.

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Ballack Honor

Michael Ballack, the midfielder whose headed goal knocked the U.S. out of the World Cup in the quarterfinals, has been named Germany’s player of the year.

He beat out goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, who had won the award the previous two years, 433-345 in voting by the nation’s sportswriters.