Knee Injury to Sideline Friedel
United States World Cup goalkeeper Brad Friedel faces surgery and probably will be sidelined for several weeks because of cartilage damage in a knee, his English Premier League club, Blackburn Rovers, said.
Friedel, 31, was praised as “the best goalkeeper in the country,” by Blackburn Coach Graeme Souness after making several spectacular saves in the Rovers’ 2-1 victory over English champion Arsenal on Saturday.
“His cartilage popped out in the warm-up today,” Souness told Reuters. “He managed to sort it out and play on. Not for the first time, he was excellent.
“We think he’s the best goalkeeper in the country. But he’s going to have to have an operation now, whenever we can find the right time.”
Arsenal took 27 shots, 14 of them on target, but Friedel was beaten only on a shot by Brazilian Edu just before halftime.
MLS Teams Win
Three-time Major League Soccer champion D.C. United ended its year with a resounding 4-0 victory over CD Aguila of El Salvador, with former Aguila player Eliseo Quintanilla assisting on three goals.
Jaime Moreno scored twice in front of 17,453 at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. Bobby Convey and Roy Lassiter also had goals for D.C. United.
The Dallas Burn beat Olympia of Honduras, 6-5, on penalty kicks, in New Orleans after the teams had played to a scoreless tie in regulation.
Zidane Future
Zinedine Zidane, a World Cup winner with France in 1998, a European Championship winner with France in 2000 and a European Cup winner with Real Madrid in 2002, might retire before the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
The midfielder told the French daily Le Parisien that he is considering quitting when his contract expires in 2005.
“Afterwards, at 33-34, I think it will be a good time to put an end to my career,” the former FIFA world player of the year said, adding that he is unlikely to move to a French club.
“To return to France would be a decision from the heart,” he said. “And I don’t want my career to be ruled by my heart but by reason. I want to finish at the top.”
Bellamy to U.S.
Forward Craig Bellamy, whose goal powered Wales to a 2-1 upset victory over Italy in a 2004 European Championship qualifying match earlier this month, will fly to Colorado today after re-injuring his knee.
Bellamy, who plays for Newcastle United in the English Premier League, will visit knee specialist Richard Steadman, who has operated on such top players as England’s Alan Shearer and Brazil’s Ronaldo.
Kenya Wins Title
A goal by John Baraza 10 minutes from the final whistle Saturday earned Kenya a 1-1 tie with Uganda in Dar es Salaam, and the Kenyans then won, 3-2, on penalty kicks, to claim the Four Nations Cup.
South Africa finished third, prevailing over Tanzania on penalty kicks, 4-3, after a 1-1 tie.
Player Dies
Colombian player Giovany Cordoba died, three days after he was struck by lightning that killed Deportivo Cali teammate Hermam Gaviria during practice.
Cordoba, who was 24, had three heart attacks as a result of Thursday’s lightning strike.
Germany Match
Germany, the 2002 World Cup runner-up, will play a charity match in Gelsenkirchen on Dec. 16 to aid victims of the floods that ravaged parts of the country in August.
Germany’s opponent will be a team made up of non-German players competing in the Bundesliga and could include U.S. World Cup defender Tony Sanneh, who plays for FC Nuremburg.
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CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup
* Sunday at the Rose Bowl: Panama 4, Trinidad and Tobago 2; U.S. 3, Mexico 0.
* Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton: U.S. vs. Trinidad and Tobago (7 p.m.) and Mexico vs. Panama (9 p.m.).
* Significance: The two finalists qualify for the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup in China. The third-place finisher advances to a playoff against the third-place team in Asia for a World Cup berth.
