CORNER KICKS
1 The United States plays Uruguay at Toronto today in the round of 16 at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. The tournament is being used as a platform by Freddy Adu to catch the attention of European teams, with an eye on a possible transfer from Real Salt Lake to a high-profile club this winter.
It helped, therefore, that by scoring three goals against Poland, Adu became the first player to record a hat trick at both the Under-20 and Under-17 World Cups. The U.S. midfielder/forward’s earlier hat trick was against South Korea at the Under-17 event in 2003.
Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts already is looking ahead to plugging the gap if and when Adu does move on. One possibility, since discarded, was former Real Madrid and Portuguese national team star Luis Figo, now with Inter Milan.
“The more we talked to his coaches and other people, the more we thought he was thinking that this was his retirement -- you know, come to America, see the American cities,” Checketts told the Salt Lake Tribune.
2 Chelsea, which arrived in Los Angeles this week and is training at UCLA ahead of Saturday’s match against Club America of Mexico at Palo Alto, on Tuesday was joined by French international winger Florent Malouda, who was acquired Sunday from Olympique Lyon for a reported $27.3 million.
On its preseason tour, Chelsea also plays South Korea’s Suwon Bluewings on July 17 and the Galaxy on July 21, both games at the Home Depot Center.
3 MLS is about to add another recognized Mexican international to its ranks. Forward Daniel Osorno, who scored 14 goals in 61 matches for Mexico from 1999 to 2006, including the game-winner against Brazil in the 2003 Gold Cup final, has agreed to terms with the Colorado Rapids.
4 Three UCLA players -- senior defender Greg Folk of Woodland Hills, sophomore defender Chance Myers of Thousand Oaks and sophomore midfielder Michael Stephens of Naperville, Ill. -- have been named to the U.S. team for the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The U.S. opens Sunday against Venezuela and also has first-round games against Bolivia on July 18 and Mexico on July 21.
5 The Chicago Fire has turned to South America in a bid to put its 4-7-4 season back on course and has named Colombia’s Juan Carlos Osorio, 46, as its new coach. He replaces Dave Sarachan, who was fired June 20.
Osorio, an assistant with the then-New York/New Jersey MetroStars for two years and with Manchester City in England’s Premier League for five seasons, had been coaching Millonarios in Bogota, Colombia.
