Warner Bros. Deal Is Done
Bugs Bunny in goal? Wile E. Coyote on the right wing? Tweety as referee?
The possibilities became almost endless Wednesday when UEFA, European soccer’s ruling body, named Warner Bros. as the exclusive worldwide licensing agent for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal.
The American entertainment conglomerate, part of the AOL Time Warner media group, will be in charge of all merchandising for the quadrennial 16-nation event, which is second only to the World Cup in significance.
Warner Bros., through its consumer products division, will not only have control of on-site retail sales but also will create the tournament mascot.
“Warner Bros. is a household name all over the world,” said Gilberto Madail, the Euro 2004 chairman. “The prestige of the European Championship will become even greater with this new venture.”
The European Championship will be played in nine Portuguese cities from June 12 to July 4, 2004.
MLS Waiver Draft
Only three of the 26 players waived by Major League Soccer clubs Tuesday were selected by other teams in the MLS waiver draft Wednesday.
Former Galaxy defender Craig Waibel was selected by the San Jose Earthquakes; former Southern Methodist University striker Luchi Gonzalez, one of only eight players to win both the Hermann Trophy and MAC Award as college player of the year, was chosen by the Columbus Crew after being waived by the Earthquakes; and former Chicago Fire defender Billy Sleeth was picked up by the Colorado Rapids.
Among the 23 players not selected were two former U.S. national team players: goalkeeper Juergen Sommer and striker Roy Lassiter.
Nicol Signs
Steve Nicol was officially named coach of the New England Revolution on Wednesday, agreeing to a two-year contract after serving as interim coach for much of the 2002 MLS season and taking the team to the title game before losing to the Galaxy.
Former assistant coach Renato Capobianco, the husband of former U.S. women’s national team World Cup-winning goalkeeper Mary Harvey, was named director of soccer by the Revolution.
Lewis Scores
U.S. World Cup winger Eddie Lewis, a former UCLA player, created the first goal and scored the second as Preston North End of the English first division upset Birmingham City of the English Premier League, 2-0, in the English League Cup Tuesday night.
The upsets continued Wednesday night as Premier League clubs West Ham United, Arsenal, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur all crashed out of the competition.
Galaxy Earns Tie
Brian Mullan of the Galaxy scored in the 84th minute to force a 1-1 tie with Santos Laguna of Mexico’s First Division in an exhibition at Houston.
Rodrigio Ruiz scored an unassisted goal for Santos Laguna in the 61st minute.
The Galaxy played without two starters from its victory in last month’s MLS Cup. Forward Carlos Ruiz, the league’s most valuable player and leading goal scorer, was excused to play with Guatemala’s national team.
Galaxy midfielder Mauricio Cienfuegos was given time off to attend an English-language class he is taking to help bolster a future coaching career.
Argentina Changes
Argentina, the 2002 World Cup favorite that was surprisingly eliminated in the first round of Korea/Japan ‘02, will play its first post-World Cup game Nov. 20 against Japan in Tokyo.
On Wednesday, Coach Marcelo Bielsa named a 20-man roster for the match but did not select a single Argentine-based player.
