SYDNEY-Veterans Lucas Neill, Josh Kennedy and Sasa Ognenovski have been named in Australia's 26-man squad for World Cup Asian qualifying matches in June against Japan, Jordan and Iraq.
SAN ANTONIO- The San Antonio Silver Stars had a quiet offseason, which seems appropriate for a non-descript franchise that has quietly made six straight playoff appearances.
The Football Association of Ireland says Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy have agreed to let forward Robbie Keane play in friendlies against England and Georgia that are not on FIFA fixture dates.
MINNEAPOLIS- Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve would find herself walking through the aisles at her grocery store this offseason when she would be recognized by a fan.
MALAGA, Spain-Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini says he will leave the Spanish club at the end of the season despite having two years left on his contract.
VATICAN CITY- Players and officials from Roma and Lazio met with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on Wednesday in a peace initiative before the Italian Cup final between the two bitter rivals.
Cal State Fullerton baseball head coach Rick Vanderhook joined the Tim Brando Show to discuss the Titans season as well as winning the Big West championship.
Ole Miss baseball head coach Mike Bianco joined the Tim Brando Show to discuss Rebels baseball as well as the SEC tournament that is currently underway.
VIENNA-Austria midfielder Marko Arnautovic was selected Wednesday for the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Sweden in June despite not playing club football since being banned by Werder Bremen in April for speeding.
LONDON-The head of the Bundesliga criticized FIFA on Wednesday for awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, saying the decision "is not for the good of the game."
DORTMUND, Germany-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze will miss Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich after failing to recover from a hamstring injury, leaving the team without one of its best players.
KASHIWA, Japan-Jorge Wagner scored one goal and set up another as Kashiwa Reysol beat South Korean side Jeonbuk Motors 3-2 on Wednesday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League.
MUNICH-Bayern Munich defender Holger Badstuber will miss another 10 months after undergoing further surgery on the cruciate ligament tear in his right knee.
SYDNEY-The A-League season will extend into May for the first time in 2013-14 in a move designed to bring Australia more into line with European competitions and to give domestic players as much preparation as possible for the World Cup.
NEW YORK- WNBA general managers are predicting the Phoenix Mercury, with a healthy returning roster and the addition of No. 1 draft pick Brittney Griner, to win the championship, and Los Angeles' Candace Parker as the top choice to earn the MVP award.
CHICAGO- Carli Lloyd will make her first appearance with the U.S. women's soccer team since breaking her left shoulder in a June 2 exhibition against Canada.
NEW YORK- Hoping their baseball success will translate to titles in another sport, the Yankees are combining with English power Manchester City to own a Major League Soccer expansion team in New York that will start play in 2015.
DORTMUND, Germany-Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Goetze pulled out of training on his comeback from a hamstring injury Tuesday, putting his participation in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in doubt.
SEOUL, South Korea-FC Seoul advanced to the Asian Champions League quarterfinals for the third time in five years Tuesday, while Buriram United became the first Thai team to reach the last eight in 10 years.
MANCHESTER, England- Chelsea surged to the top of the weekly Associated Press global soccer poll after winning the Europa League and qualifying for the Champions League for the 11th straight season.
AMSTERDAM-Coach Frank de Boer has agreed to extend his contract with Ajax until 2017 after leading the Amsterdam club to its third straight Dutch league title.
SEOUL, South Korea-FC Seoul reached the Asian Champions League quarterfinals for the third time in five years, scoring three second-half goals to beat Beijing Guoan 3-1 on Tuesday night.
LONDON-Manchester United earned a record 60.8 million pounds ($92.7 million) in Premier League television revenue this season en route to a 20th English title.
MILAN-Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis denies meeting former Chelsea coach Rafael Benitez on Monday but admits he is interested in selling Edinson Cavani to sign Manchester City's Edin Dzeko.
DORTMUND, Germany-Mario Goetze did not train with Borussia Dortmund teammates as planned on Tuesday, putting the midfielder's fitness for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich in doubt.
BRIGHTON, England-Brighton has formally apologized to Crystal Palace after excrement was found on the floor of its fierce rival's changing room before the second leg of their second-tier League Championship playoff last week.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- National champions Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Bria Hartley headline the U.S. women's basketball team that will compete in July at the World University Games.
COLUMBUS, Ohio- New Ohio State women's basketball head coach Kevin McGuff has announced the hiring of Patrick Klein and Joy Cheek as assistant coaches.
BRASILIA, Brazil-Brazilian organizers acknowledge there were setbacks in the inauguration of the stadium which will host the opener of the Confederations Cup, vowing to try to fix the problems in time for the second and final test event at the venue next Sunday.
MADRID-Jose Mourinho will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season after three years at the Spanish club, paving the way for his expected return to Chelsea.
NASHVILLE, Tenn.- Belmont has found its new women's basketball coach in Cameron Newbauer, who reached the NCAA championship game this past season as an assistant at Louisville.
FLORENCE, Italy-Italy must adopt a zero tolerance policy towards racism in football if it is to eradicate the problem from the sport, national team coach Cesare Prandelli said Monday.
BUCHAREST, Romania-Bucharest's highest court has ordered a retrial in the case of eight Romanian football officials who were sentenced to prison for tax evasion and money laundering in connection with the transfer of 12 players over a six-year period.
SINGAPORE-Atletico Madrid will not stand in the way of striker Radamel Falcao if he wants to leave the club this offseason, general manager Miguel Angel Gil Marin said Monday.
DORTMUND, Germany-Borussia Dortmund's central defender Mats Hummels is expected to recover from an ankle injury in time to play in the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.
HARRISON, New Jersey-Tim Cahill's header in stoppage time gave New York a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 on Sunday, helping the Red Bulls maintain top spot in the MLS eastern conference.
HARRISON, N.J.- Tim Cahill scored on a header off a crossing pass in second-half stoppage time, lifting the New York Red Bulls to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday.
MEXICO CITY-Mexico City rivals Cruz Azul and America will meet in the final of Mexico's first division Clausura tournament after victories in weekend semifinals.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand-New Zealand's only professional football team has hired Scotland-born Ernie Merrick, one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Australian A-League, as its new manager.
Arsenal qualified for the Champions League for the 16th straight season, edging Tottenham for fourth place in the Premier League on Sunday, while Alex Ferguson bowed out as Manchester United manager with a 5-5 draw against West Bromwich Albion.
SAO PAULO-Corinthians won the Sao Paulo state championship for the 27th time and kept Santos from lifting the trophy for the fourth straight year after a 1-1 draw in the second leg on Sunday.
BARCELONA, Spain-Newly crowned Spanish champion Barcelona celebrated winning the league title in front of its home fans by easing to a 2-1 victory over Valladolid on Sunday.
MILAN-AC Milan secured third spot and a place in the Champions League after coming from behind to win 2-1 at Siena on Sunday in the final Serie A round of the season.
LISBON, Portugal-FC Porto clinched its third straight Portuguese league title on the final day of the season Sunday after winning 2-0 at 10-man Pacos Ferreira.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina-River Plate failed to gain ground on Argentine first-division leader Newell's Old Boys after coming from behind to draw 2-2 with Union on Sunday.
MEXICO CITY- Mexicans often feel that billionaire Carlos Slim owns everything in their country, from telephone and Internet companies to banks and chain stores, but his latest acquisitive foray is meeting resistance after touching a national passion: soccer.
NICE, France-Lyon cemented third place in the French league to remain on course for the final Champions League berth after a 1-1 draw against Nice despite being reduced to 10 men.
MILAN-A late equalizer saw Chievo Verona draw 2-2 at Atalanta while Bologna was held to a goalless draw by Genoa on the final day of the Serie A season on Sunday.
GLASGOW, Scotland-St. Johnstone secured a spot in the Europa League for the second straight season by beating Motherwell 2-0 on Sunday to finish third in the Scottish Premier League.
