Adu’s Play Criticized After U.S. Loses to Italy
Freddy Adu and the U.S. under-20 soccer team crashed out of the World Youth Championships on Tuesday with a second-half meltdown against Italy in Enschede, Netherlands.
Leading at halftime, 1-0, the U.S. defense disintegrated, Adu played poorly and the Italians rallied with spectacular play to win, 3-1, and advance to the quarterfinals.
“The guys, including myself, we relaxed a little bit,” Adu said. “We figured Italy was not going to be as good as they really were. But they were much, much better than that.”
Adu failed to live up to the great expectations he carried into the tournament.
“I didn’t think he showed up today,” U.S. Coach Sigi Schmid said of his 16-year-old forward.
Adu didn’t disagree.
“I was terrible in this tournament,” he said.
Adu missed two penalty kicks in the tournament. The first came against Argentina, but the U.S. still won, 1-0. On Tuesday, he missed again -- but the referee ruled the goalie had moved off his line and teammate Hunter Freeman stepped up and took it instead to give the U.S. team the halftime lead.
In other games, defending champion Brazil defeated Syria, 1-0, and Germany edged China, 3-2, to set up an anticipated quarterfinal match.
Morocco defeated Japan, 1-0, and will play Italy.
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Argentina rallied twice from a goal down to draw with Germany, 2-2, in the Confederations Cup at Nuremberg, Germany.
In the other Group A game, Tunisia defeated Australia, 2-0, at Leipzig, Germany.
Germany finished first in Group A and will face the runner-up from Group B -- either Japan, Brazil or Mexico -- in Saturday’s first semifinal. Argentina also reached the semifinals and will play the Group B champion on Sunday.
Brazil faces Japan, and Mexico plays Greece in today’s final Group B games.
Motor Racing
Three lawsuits have been filed by fans seething over the decision to stage Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix in Indianapolis with only six cars.
A class-action lawsuit was filed in Indianapolis on behalf of Larry Bowers, who wants a refund for his five tickets and travel expenses from his home in Colorado Springs, Colo., said Bowers’ lawyer, William Bock.
The suit holds Formula One, the sport’s governing body FIA and the Michelin tire company responsible for not holding the type of event that was advertised.
Hockey
Dale Tallon was hired as Chicago’s general manager, and he wasted no time firing coach Brian Sutter.
Under Sutter, the Blackhawks were 91-118-37 in three seasons, and made the playoffs once, in 2001-02. Tallon said Trent Yawney, coach of the Blackhawks’ American Hockey League team in Norfolk the last five seasons, was the top candidate to replace Sutter.
Pro Football
Myron Cope, 76, whose screechy-voiced antics and towel-waving enthusiasm became nationally known during Pittsburgh’s string of Super Bowl championships in the 1970s, is retiring after 35 years as a team announcer.
Cope decided to quit after retired team executive Joe Gordon told him his on-air work had declined.
Receiver Johnnie Morton agreed to a two-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Morton, an 11-year pro from USC, spent the last three seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.... Veteran receiver Az-Zahir Hakim signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints, a week after an agreement with Kansas City fell through.
College Football
Bowl championship series officials, meeting in Denver this week, are inching closer toward establishing a replacement panel for the Associated Press poll, which pulled out of the BCS standings formula earlier this year.
The new poll will be administered by Harris Interactive, a marketing research firm. BCS spokesman Bob Burda said that commissioners “feel the poll has the potential to become reality.” One BCS official said he would be “very surprised” if the new poll did not become reality within two weeks.
One final sticking point is trying to decide how many people will participate in the new poll. Harris Interactive, which operates the Harris poll, feels it might need as many as 100 voters to make the poll regionally balanced and “statistically defensible.”
The new poll will be comprised of former players, coaches, administrators and media members.
Pro Basketball
Ann Wauters scored 20 points to lead New York to a 77-59 victory over San Antonio in a WNBA game at New York.
Alana Beard scored 19 points and Washington pulled away in the second half to defeat Phoenix, 77-56, at Washington.
Miscellany
Sports talk radio station KSPN (710) has dropped afternoon drive-time co-host Doug Krikorian, informing him that his contract would not be renewed. Station officials said they wanted to go in a different direction.
Partner Joe McDonnell, whose contract with the station expires in November, will host what was known as the “McDonnell-Douglas Show” solo until Friday, when he will be joined by Gary Miller. Then, after McDonnell goes on vacation, others may be brought in for auditions.
St. Peter’s basketball player George Jefferson was found dead in his dorm room in Jersey City, N.J. The cause of death was not immediately known, although officials said it did not appear to be a homicide.
Georgia Tech cornerback Reuben Houston was arrested in Atlanta in connection with a marijuana distribution operation authorities say was based in California. Authorities allege that Houston, 22, conspired to possess and distribute about 100 pounds of marijuana.
Norwegian distance runner Grete Waitz, 51, who won the first world women’s marathon title at the 1983 Helsinki championships and a silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, is undergoing treatment for cancer in Oslo.
