American Women Win, 1-0
Angela Hucles scored her third goal in two games, leading the United States over Denmark, 1-0, on Tuesday in the Algarve Cup at Quarteira, Portugal.
Hucles scored from inside the Danish penalty area in the 60th minute after a solo run by Abby Wambach.
“In the second half, we were able to settle the ball down a bit more,” Hucles said. “The ball was just bouncing around in the first half, and in the second half we were able to get better possession and play to our feet.”
On Thursday, the U.S. plays 2003 Women’s World Cup finalist Sweden, which was stunned by France, 3-0, Tuesday. The U.S. defeated France, 5-1, in its first game Sunday.
In other games Tuesday, Norway defeated Italy, 3-0, and China routed Finland, 4-0.
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Club Troubles
Europe’s biggest soccer clubs plan to boycott next year’s FIFA Club World Championship and test the legality of rules that force them to make players available to national teams.
FIFA announced Feb. 29 that it plans to revive the club tournament as a six-team event in December 2005. The plan is opposed by 18 of the top clubs in Europe.
“We’re satisfied with the current competitions and have no wish to fill the schedules even more,” Bayern Munich’s President Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told Spain’s Efe news agency. “No club from the [group] will participate in this FIFA competition. We refuse to play the world championship and our decision is final.”
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Champions Cup
The San Jose Earthquakes and Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer will be on the road in the first leg of quarterfinal matchups today in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The competition determines the top regional club from North and Central America and the Caribbean.
San Jose will play Alajuelense of Costa Rica and Chicago will play CL Financial San Juan Jobloteh of Trinidad and Tobago at Port of Spain.
In other matchups, Deportivo Saprissa will play host to Pachuca of Mexico at San Jose, Costa Rica, and Deportivo FAS of El Salvador will play host to Monterrey of Mexico at San Salvador.
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League Cups
Millwall advanced to the semifinals of the English Football Assn. Cup, defeating Tranmere, 2-1, on goals by Tim Cahill and Neil Harris.
Millwall will face fellow division one club Sunderland in the semifinal April 4. Arsenal and Manchester United of the Premier League play in the first semifinal April 3.
In Germany, Bundesliga leader Werder Bremen needed second-half extra-time goals from Ailton and Nelson Valdez to overcome second-division Luebeck, 3-2, for a place in the German Cup final.
Today in Spain, Real Madrid will face Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey final at Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.
Real Madrid Coach Carlos Queiroz said striker Ronaldo had not recovered from a pulled left thigh muscle and would not play.
The World Cup winner, however, was included in Brazil’s roster by Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira for a World Cup qualifying match later this month against Paraguay.
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Quick Passes
Italian club Brescia has refused to release Costa Rican international defender Gilberto Martinez for his country’s friendly against Mexico on March 31 at the Home Depot Center.... Sebastian Deisler, one of Germany’s most gifted midfielders, returned to practice with Bayern Munich but left open when he would play his first game. Deisler recently returned to individual training after undergoing nine weeks of treatment for depression.... Olympiakos Piraeus fired Ukrainian coach Oleg Protasov after the team slipped to second place in the Greek league. The team has won seven consecutive league titles.... Columbus Crew defender Mike Clark, an original member from the team’s first season in 1996, announced his retirement.
-- Compiled by Jim Barrero
