El Salvador Is First Up for the U.S.
The U.S. men’s national team will begin defense of its Gold Cup championship on July 12 in against El Salvador, a day before North American rival Mexico opens the tournament against somewhat stiffer competition: World Cup champion Brazil.
Brazil, one of two “special guests” invited to compete in the tournament that determines the CONCACAF champion, will play Mexico in Mexico City on July 13.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. March 13, 2003 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday March 13, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 23 words Type of Material: Correction
Soccer -- Manchester United plays Club America at the Coliseum on July 27, not July 23, as reported in a Sports article Wednesday.
The 12-team field was divided into the following groups of three:
Group A: Brazil, Mexico and a qualifier to be determined.
Group B: Colombia, Guatemala and a qualifier.
Group C: El Salvador, the United States and a qualifier.
Group D: Canada, Costa Rica and a qualifier.
Group A will be based in Mexico City, Group B in Miami and Groups C and D in Foxboro, Mass.
Should the United States advance from Group C into the latter stages of the tournament, it would play a quarterfinal in Foxboro on July 19 and a semifinal in Miami on July 23. The final will be played in Mexico City on July 27.
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Champions League
Barcelona clinched a berth in the Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen while all four teams in Group B remained in contention for a spot in the tournament’s final eight.
With a chance to clinch the quarterfinals at home, Arsenal squandered an early lead provided by Patrick Vieira and settled for a 1-1 draw with visiting AS Roma. Roma equalized before halftime on a goal by Antonio Cassano.
In the day’s other Group B match, Ajax and Valencia played to a 1-1 tie, Petri Pasanen equalizing for Ajax on a 57th-minute header after Kily Gonzalez had given Valencia the lead with a 28th-minute penalty kick.
The results left Arsenal and Ajax tied atop the group with eight points, followed by Valencia with six and Roma with four. The four teams enter next Wednesday’s final group games -- Ajax at Roma, Arsenal at Valencia -- mathematically alive for the quarterfinals.
Barcelona assured itself first place in Group A with its victory over Leverkusen.
Alan Shearer scored twice as Newcastle drew at Inter Milan, 2-2, to remain in contention for Group A’s second quarterfinal berth. Inter has eight points, one more than Newcastle, entering next Wednesday’s final group games.
A Hot Ticket
Tickets for Manchester United’s July 23 match against Mexico’s Club America at the Coliseum go on sale Saturday at noon.
The match is part of United’s four-game U.S. summer tour, the club’s first trip to the United States in more than 20 years. Other stops on the tour:
July 22 against Scotland’s Celtic at Seattle’s Seahawks Stadium. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.
July 31 against Italy’s Juventus at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 8 a.m. PST.
Aug. 3 against Spain’s Barcelona at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 6 a.m. PST.
Tickets can be purchased at TicketMaster outlets, Ticketmaster.com, the respective venue box offices and a special VIP ticket hotline, 800-208-7113.
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McCarthy Returns
Former Ireland national team manager Mick McCarthy is expected to be announced today as the new manager for struggling English Premier League club Sunderland, replacing Howard Wilkinson, who was fired Monday.
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Manager Changes
Two more Mexican League managers lost their jobs when Cruz Azul fired Mario Carrillo and Queretero’s Demetrio Madera resigned. They follow Monday’s ouster of Pachuca’s Alfredo Tena.
