Herzog, Aguinaga Reach 100

Two 34-year-old players on opposite sides of the Atlantic achieved significant personal milestones this week, each playing in his 100th international game.

Andreas Herzog of Austria and Alex Aguinaga of Ecuador reached that mark on Wednesday, joining a select group of 73 men worldwide who have represented their country that many times.

“Of course, the 100th game is something special,” Herzog said in Vienna, where Austria was beaten by Norway, 1-0. “I am the first Austrian to have made it.”

Aguinaga is the first player from Ecuador to join the so-called “century club,” and he did so in even better fashion than Herzog, scoring Ecuador’s first goal in a 2-2 tie with Costa Rica in Quito, Ecuador.

Aguinaga, who made his national team debut against Colombia in 1989, has spent almost all of his professional career with Necaxa in Mexico.

Beasley Surgery

Chicago Fire and United States national team winger DaMarcus Beasley underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to remove torn cartilage in his left knee and will be sidelined for eight to 10 weeks, the Major League Soccer club announced.

USA-Japan

The United States women’s national team will open the 2003 season with a game against Japan in San Diego on Jan. 12. The match will serve as preparation for the Four Nations Cup in China that month.

New Senegal Coach

Guy Stephan, an assistant coach for France at the 2002 World Cup, has agreed to coach Senegal, the team that upset France in the tournament’s opening game.

Stephan, 45, who coached Olympique Lyon and Girondins Bordeaux in the French league, will take charge in mid-December. His three-year contract runs through qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. He replaces Bruno Metsu, who led Senegal to the quarterfinals at Korea/Japan ’02.

Burgos Retires

German Burgos, who played 34 games for Argentina and was a member of its World Cup squad, retired from international soccer.

The 33-year-old goalkeeper made the announcement in Spain, saying he hoped the decision would prolong his career at Atletico Madrid.

Lokomotiv Wins Title

A goal by Dmitry Loskov five minutes into the game gave Lokomotiv Moscow a 1-0 victory over CSKA in Moscow and earned the club the Russian league title, the first in its 67-year history.

The teams had finished the season tied atop the standings and played a one-game playoff.

Honduran Surprise

A headed goal by Milton “Tyson” Nunez in the 76th minute was enough to give Honduras a 1-0 victory over South American champion Colombia, which fielded a young and untested team, at San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Wednesday night.

One More Referee

Tired of controversial decisions and subsequent complaints from players and coaches, the German Bundesliga has decided to add a fourth official to assist the referee, starting Jan. 25 after the league’s six-week midwinter break.

“We think the fourth referee will be a great help,” FIFA referee Herbert Fandel told Reuters. “He will be able to support the first assistant, whose duty is complicated by the theatrics going on on the bench.”