Mexico Makes Surprise Pick in Team Coach
Mexico named its new national coach Wednesday, and the choice was something of a surprise.
Ricardo Lavolpe, 50, the No. 3 goalkeeper on Argentina’s World Cup-winning team of 1978, was selected over Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, and Carlos Bianchi, who coached Boca Juniors of Argentina to two Copa Libertadores titles.
“We’ve got the human material we need for the national teams to progress and take first place in the [2004] Olympics, the [2006 World Cup] qualifiers and the World Cup,” Lavolpe told Reuters in Mexico City.
Lavolpe, who was given a four-year contract, moved to Mexico after the 1978 World Cup to play for Atlante and later became a Mexican citizen.
His coaching career began with Oaxtepec in 1983 and he has since coached Puebla, Atlante, Guadalajara, Queretaro, Club America and Atlas. He currently is coach of Toluca, which leads the Mexican league, and is expected to maintain that position until the end of the season.
World Cup 2010
Africa has been virtually assured of staging the 2010 World Cup after FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, sent letters to all 53 African nations telling them that they have until Dec. 31 to indicate their interest in hosting the quadrennial world championship.
Countries outside Africa are not being asked to submit bids for the tournament and FIFA said it will make its decision in May 2004.
South Africa, which was edged out by Germany on a 12-11 vote in the race to stage the 2006 World Cup, is considered the most likely 2010 host.
Slaton Out for USA
Danielle Slaton, the Carolina Courage player who was the defender of the year in the Women’s United Soccer Assn., left the U.S. women’s national team that will take part in the eight-nation CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup starting Sunday at the Rose Bowl.
Slaton will have arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage from her right knee today and will be sidelined for three to four months.
Philadelphia Charge defender Jenny Benson will take Slaton’s place on the roster for the Gold Cup, which serves as a qualifier for the 2003 Women’s World Cup in China.
USA Drops Two Places
The U.S. men’s national team dropped from eighth place to 10th when FIFA released its monthly world rankings in Zurich, Switzerland.
The American team has not played since the World Cup but was bumped down two notches by England and the Netherlands, which each rose three places.
Brazil remains the top-ranked team, followed by France, Spain, Germany, Argentina, England, Mexico, Turkey, the Netherlands and the U.S.
Champions League
Former winners AC Milan, Barcelona and Manchester United became the first teams to secure their places in the final 16 of the European Champions League when they each won Wednesday.
But another former champion, Bayern Munich, stood on the brink of elimination after its 2-1 defeat by AC Milan in front of 75,611 at San Siro Stadium in Milan, Italy. Brazilian Serginho gave Milan the lead, Michael Tarnat tied it for Bayern, which won the trophy in 2001 and has reached the last eight for six years in a row, but Filippo Inzaghi’s goal left the Germans in danger of falling in the first round.
Barcelona looked out of form in front of 62,000 at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona, Spain, but Frank de Boer’s 76th-minute goal was enough to down Lokomotiv Moscow and clinch Barcelona’s place in the next round.
Manchester United was given a scare in Greece, but held on to defeat Olimpiakos, 3-2, and reach the final 16.
In other matches, Newcastle United upset Juventus, 1-0; Club Brugge defeated Galatasaray, 3-1; Bayer Leverkusen edged Maccabi Haifa, 2-1; RC Lens surprised Deportivo La Coruna, 3-1, and Dynamo Kiev shut out Feyenoord, 2-0.
