Field hockey coach Bernhard Peters, who became the symbol of Juergen Klinsmann's efforts to remake German soccer, was finally hired by the German federation (DFB) to work as an "external advisor" two weeks after he led Germany to a second straight field hockey World Cup title.

Peters, 46, was Klinsman's choice for the job of sports director to restructure German soccer, an aging game short on talent and increasingly dependent at the professional level of the mass importation of foreign players. Klinsmann, who quit as German national team coach following the 2006 World Cup, wanted German soccer to adapt some of the methods Peters had pioneered in the training, analysis and player mentoring system he had implemented in German field hockey.

The DFB rebuffed Klinsmann, however, and picked former Borussia Dortmund coach and Germany defender Matthias Sammer for the position of sports director. The setback last winter was viewed as a contributing factor in Klinsmann's decision not to extend his contract after the World Cup, where Germany finished third. Klinsmann is considered a leading candidate to replace Bruce Arena as U.S. national team coach.

Peters' full-time job will be sports director at ambitious Regionalliga (third level) soccer club TSG Hoffenheim.

UEFA CUP. French club Marseille suffered a humiliating 4-2 loss to Czech club Mlada Boleslav on Thursday and lost the first-round series, 4-3, on aggregate.

OM led, 1-0, after the first leg in Marseilles, and was up, 2-1, at halftime of the second leg but gave up three goals in the second-half, the last of which was a stoppage-time header from substitute Tomas Sedlacek.

The four other French clubs all advanced to the group stage, including Nancy, which upset German club Schalke 04, 3-1, at home to win, 3-2, on aggregate.
AMERICANS ABROAD
(UEFA Cup, Thursday)

Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege/Belgium). Played all 90 minutes in 3-0 loss to Celta. Standard went out, 4-0, on aggregate.
Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers/England). Played all 90 minutes in goal in 2-0 win against Red Bull Salzburg. Blackburn advanced to group stage, 4-2, on aggregate.

Jonathan Spector (West Ham United/England). Played all 90 minutes in his Hammers' debut at Palermo. West Ham lost, 3-0, and exited, 4-0, on aggregate.

Michael Bradley (Heerenveen/Netherlands). Played last 15 minutes in 0-0 tie against Vitoria Setubal. Heerenveen won first leg, 3-0.