Champions Cup Establishes Draw
If the Galaxy wants to regain the CONCACAF Champions Cup it won in 2001, Major League Soccer’s defending champion will first have to get past CD Motagua of Honduras.
That much was established Monday when the draw for the 2003 tournament’s round of 16 was held in New York. The Galaxy will play the first game of the two-game series on the road and the second at the Rose Bowl. Exact dates have yet to be determined, but the round must be completed by March 27. If it defeats Motagua, the Galaxy will play the winner of a series between Arnett Gardens of Jamaica and Necaxa of Mexico.
Motagua is a nine-time winner of the Honduran league and is coached by former Honduras national team player and coach Ramon Maradiaga. In all, four Major League Soccer teams and four from Mexico’s first division were involved in the draw, which also produced these pairings: Toluca (Mexico) vs W Connection FC (Trinidad and Tobago); Municipal (Guatemala) vs San Jose Earthquakes (MLS); Club America (Mexico) vs F.A.S. (El Salvador); Alajuelense (Costa Rica) vs New England Revolution (MLS); Comunicaciones (Guatemala) vs Morelia (Mexico), and Deportiva Arabe Unido (Panama) vs Columbus Crew (MLS).
Sampson’s Debut
Steve Sampson, who coached the United States to the 1998 World Cup and who now is coach of Costa Rica, won his debut game in charge of the Ticos when they defeated the Chilean club team Universidad Catolica, 3-2, Sunday in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Sampson’s team fell behind after Daniel Oerez scored in the third minute but took charge in the second 45 minutes after Universidad Catolica’s Albert Acevedo picked up his second yellow card in the 54th minute and was ejected. Forward Orlando Fonseca tied the score on the ensuing free kick and put the Ticos ahead four minutes later, but Universidad came back to tie it after 78 minutes on a goal by Mark Gonzalez.
David Bryce scored three minutes later, however, to help Sampson gain the victory.
Italian Taxes
Adriano Galliani, the vice president of AC Milan, has been accused of tax evasion by Italian authorities, who allege that he falsified contracts and failed to declare earnings made by the club. A trial date was set for May 9.
Greek Drugs
Three players in the Greek first division have failed a second drug test after initially testing positive for nandrolone, league officials said Monday. The players, all with lesser known clubs, were identified as Albanian midfielder Bledar Kola of Kallithea; Greek defender Panayiotis Kordonouris of Xanthi, and French forward Karim Mouzaoui of Panionios. Each faces a possible two-year ban.
Mexican Roundup
Second-half goals by Guillermo Franco and Flavio Rogerio earned unbeaten Monterrey a 2-1 home victory over Veracruz in the latest round of Mexican league matches and moved it to the top of the overall standings. Defending champion Toluca got a hat trick from Vicente Sanchez and two goals from last season’s leading goal scorer, Jose Cardozo, as it routed winless UNAM, 5-1, for its first victory of the new season. Besides Monterrey, only two other teams remain unbeaten four games into the season.
Chivas of Guadalajara managed to eke out a 3-3 tie on the road with Cruz Azul, which got three goals from Sebastian Abreu; and Pachuca stayed unbeaten by tying Universidad de Guadalajara, 1-1. Previously unbeaten Necaxa lost for the first time this season, 1-0, to Puebla.
Team of 2002
Almost 1 million votes were cast in a poll conducted by UEFA’s Web site in which fans were asked to select their ideal team and coach based on 2002 performance.
The result was surprising only in the absence of surprise choices. The complete lineup: Goalkeeper: Rustu Recber (Fenerbahce and Turkey). Defenders: Carlos Puyol (Barcelona and Spain); Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan and Italy); Cristian Chivu (Ajax Amsterdam and Romania), and Roberto Carlos (Real Madrid and Brazil). Midfielders: Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan and the Netherlands); Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich and Germany); Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid and France), and Damien Duff (Blackburn Rovers and Ireland). Forwards: Thierry Henry (Arsenal and France) and Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Brazil). Coach: Senol Gunes (Turkey).
