Trinidad Player Dies in Stabbing

Dwight Lewis, 18, a member of Trinidad and Tobago’s under-20 national team and one of the country’s most promising prospects, was stabbed to death in Arima, Trinidad, over the weekend during an argument over a spilled beer.

Police said they were looking for an unidentified 28-year-old man and two accomplices.

The incident occurred Saturday after Lewis accidentally bumped into the man while leaving a store and they got into a bottle-throwing fight. The main suspect and two friends then chased and caught Lewis, police said, and the 28-year-old repeatedly stabbed him in the head and back.

Lewis died at a local hospital and his father, Clarence Lewis, was in critical condition after suffering a heart attack while identifying his son’s body.

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A Tie for America

Club America, with Coach Leo Beenhakker back in charge for the first time in nine years, came from behind to earn a 1-1 tie against Cruz Azul on Sunday on the second weekend of the Mexican league season.

Newly acquired Argentine striker Cesar Delgado had given Cruz Azul the lead in front of 80,000 fans at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, but a penalty kick goal by Mexico national team forward Cuauhtemoc Blanco earned Beenhakker’s team a share of the points.

The game also featured the Club America league debut of Uruguayan striker Sebastian Abreu, a former Cruz Azul player, who was booed and whistled by the latter team’s fans.

“I didn’t hear anything,” Abreu said. “I was only thinking about my team.”

Mexico’s other “big” team, Chivas of Guadalajara, managed a 2-2 tie against Atlante in Nezahualcoyotl, a Mexico City suburb.

Chivas took an early lead on a goal by Jorge Barrera, but Atlante got goals from Sebastian “Chamagol” Gonzalez and Aaron Padilla before Johnny Garcia saved the tie for the Guadalajara side with a goal two minutes from the end.

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Kleberson Arrives

Brazilian World Cup-winning midfielder Kleberson finally received his work permit from the British government and will join Manchester United in time for this weekend’s English Premier League season opener against Bolton Wanderers.

Kleberson, 24, was acquired from Atletico Paranense of the Brazilian league for $8 million last month. Kleberson is seen as a potential replacement for Juan Sebastian Veron, the Argentine midfielder sold to Chelsea last week for $24 million. Monday, Veron criticized United Coach Sir Alex Ferguson for selling him.

“I would say he wasn’t sincere with me,” Veron told England’s Evening Standard newspaper. “Two months ago ... he said I wasn’t for sale. He gave me the impression that I was wanted.”

Meanwhile, Portuguese television reported that Sporting Lisbon had agreed to sell 18-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo to United for $13.6 million.

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A Real Return

Real Madrid, which paid $41 million to buy David Beckham from Manchester United in June, has recouped more than one-quarter of that amount even before the new season has begun.

The Spanish champions returned home from their four-game Asian tour Monday. The tour netted the nine-time European champion $11.28 million in appearance fees, and also considerably boosted its reputation, and hence its merchandise sales, in China, Japan, Hong Kong and Thailand.

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Quick Passes

The Carolina Courage, which won the Women’s United Soccer Assn. championship last year but failed to make the playoffs this season, fired Jay Entlich as coach.... Juvenal Olmos, who almost quit as Chile’s coach last week after an argument with Chilean soccer federation officials over player selection, named a squad of all Chilean-based players for next week’s match against China in China.

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Times wire services contributed to this report.