CORNER KICKS

1 Oguchi Onyewu, the towering defender whose last-minute goal gave the U.S. a 2-1 victory over Honduras in the 2005 Gold Cup semifinals, is searching for a new club, preferably in England. For the moment, however, his focus is on helping the U.S. defend its Gold Cup title.

“My hopes and plans are to remain in the Premier League,” he said. “Right now, it’s just a question of seeing which teams are in need of a central defender. It’s a little early in the transfer market.”

The transfer window in Europe opens again Friday. Onyewu played for Newcastle United last season, on loan from Standard Liege in Belgium. “Any chance that you get to play in the Premier League in front of fans like that and with the caliber of players I was playing with and against, it’s always a benefit. There’s never a regret,” he said.

2 Jose Pekerman, who stepped down as Argentina’s national team coach after losing to Germany in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup, is the new coach of Toluca in the Mexican league.

Pekerman, 57, coached Argentina to victory in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 1995, 1997 and 2001. Last fall, his name was linked to the then-vacant U.S. national team position, but Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, said Pekerman’s desire had been to coach a high-level club team. Toluca was Mexican champion as recently as 2005.

3 Trinidad and Tobago Coach Wim Rijsbergen has brought some refreshing honesty to the Gold Cup. He has had to deal with a boycott by his top players, who have not been paid the 2006 World Cup bonuses owed to them by Trinidad and Tobago’s soccer federation. “It’s tough for me to talk about it because the federation is upset if we mention it,” Rijsbergen said.

But the federation can’t cross swords with Rijsbergen, given his credentials. He played for the Dutch team that reached the final of the 1974 and 1978 World Cups before spending four seasons with the New York Cosmos.

4 According to the Daily Telegraph in England, Italian champion Inter Milan is prepared to pay up to $60 million for West Ham United’s Argentine international and 2004 Olympic gold medal winner Carlos Tevez, and to offer him a four-year contract worth as much as $150,000 a week.

5 Real Madrid has sold out its 80,400-seat Santiago Bernabeu stadium for Sunday’s decisive season-ending match against Real Mallorca. If Real Madrid wins, it will become Spanish champion for the 30th time, but for the first time in David Beckham’s four years with the team.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi, of defending champion Barcelona, said he would like to see his club offer Real Mallorca a little something extra.

“If it is an incentive to win, then I see no problem with Barcelona paying Mallorca a bonus,” Messi said. “Anything to help them earn three points at the Bernabeu.”

If Mallorca beats or ties Real Madrid, Barcelona would be champion as long as it defeats Gimnastica.