The U.S. U-17 national team, which is preparing for March's qualifying tournament for the 2003 U-17 World Cup, lost 2-1 on Wednesday against Costa Rica in San Jose, Costa Rica. The teams meet again today.Eddie Gaven, recently drafted by the MetroStars, scored the U.S. goal in the 33rd minute off a Brandon Owens assist. But the Americans gave up two goals in the final four minutes of the first half.U-17 SUMMARY: Costa Rica-USAJan. 29 in San Jose, Costa RicaCosta Rica 2 USA 1. Goals: Cespedes 42; Porrac (Cespedes) 46+; Gaven 33.Costa Rica -- Solano, Saborio, Barboza, Araya, Guzman, Morales, Ruiz-Cristano, …

Jamaica called up three players who played in MLS last season for the Boyz's friendly against the United States Feb. 12 in Kingston.Tyrone Marshall of the MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy and Craig Ziadie and Andy Williams, who played for the MetroStars in 2002, were called up. Williams did not have his MLS option picked up for 2003.Coach Carl Brown invited nine English-based players: midfielders Micah Hyde (Watford), Ricardo Gardener (Bolton), Jamie Lawrence (Bradford) and Damien Francis (Wimbledon) and forwards Deon Burton (Portsmouth), Onandi Lowe (Rushden & Diamonds), Trevor Benjamin (Leicester), Jermaine Johnson (Bolton) and Kevin Lisbie (Charlton). Newcomer Francis, …

ENGLAND* Brad Friedel (Blackburn, PL), at West Ham, 1-2.Jermain Defoe scored with a blast to the near post in the 89th minute, five minutes after entering the game, to give West Ham the victory, its first in 13 games. Blackburn is now 11th in the Premier League.* Kasey Keller (Tottenham, PL), vs. Newcastle, 0-1.Jermaine Jenas' goal off a rebound in the 90th minute sunk Spurs, snapping its two-game win streak. Tottenham dropped to eighth place.FRANCE* Joe Cannon (Lens, D1), vs. Lyon, 2-2.DNP -- not on bench.* David Regis (Troyes, D1), vs. Bordeaux, 0-1.DNP -- not on bench.* Greg Vanney (Bastia, …

Argentina national team coach Marcelo Bielsa is bringing 20 players on his team's thre game tour of Honduras and the United States: Jan. 31 vs. Honduras in Tegucigalpa, Mexico Feb. 4 in Los Angeles and the U.S. Feb. 8 in Miami (TV: ESPN2, live, 11:55 a.m. ET).Missing are Argentina's European-based stars, but the squad is loaded with young players from the team that won the 2001 World Youth Championship.Goalkeepers: Sebastian Saja (San Lorenzo), Wilfredo Caballero (Boca Juniors).Defenders (5): Nicolas Burdisso (Boca Juniors), Clemente Rodriguez (Boca Juniors), Gonzalo Rodriguez (San Lorenzo), Ariel Garce (River Plate), Gabriel Milito (Independiente).Midfielders: Sebastian Battaglia (Boca …

The United States was drawn today with Paraguay, South Korea and Germany in the World Youth Championship, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates March 25-April 16.Thomas Rongen's U-20s will face Paraguay, third in the South American under-20 championship completed last night in Uruguay, on March 27, Asian champion South Korea on March 30 and European runner-up Germany on April 2. All the games will be played in Dubai, not Al Ain as previously reported. There has been concern that the World Youth Championship will have to be moved from the UAE in the event of a U.S.-led …

Group A -- UAE (host), Slovakia (Europe No. 3), Panama (CONCACAF No. B1), Burkina Faso (Africa No. 4) in Abu Dhabi.Group B -- Argentina (South America No. 1), Spain (Europe No. 1), Uzbekistan (Asia No. 4), Mali (Africa No. 3) in Sharjah.Group C -- Brazil (South America No. 2), Canada (CONCACAF No. A1), Czech Republic (Europe No. 5), Australia (Oceania) in Dubai.Group D -- Colombia (South America No. 4), Egypt (Africa No. 1), Japan (Asia No. 2), England (Europe No. 6) in Abu Dhabi.Group E -- Saudi Arabia (Asia No. 3), Ireland (Europe No. 4), Mexico (CONCACAF No. B2), Ivory …

A 1-0 win over Germany in Shanghai on a goal by midfielder Devvyn Hawkins earned the U.S. womenÆs national team the 2003 Four Nations Tournament title.Coach April HeinrichsÆ team had beaten Norway, 3-1, and had lost to host China, 2-0, but finished atop the round-robin standings because China and Norway played to a 1-1 tie in their final game. China finished second on 5 points while Germany and Norway went winless. All four teams are considered favorites for this yearÆs World Cup in China (Sept. 24-Oct. 11).The goal by defensive midfielder Hawkins, her first in nine U.S. appearances, came after …

Forward Conny Pohlers, one of Germany's best young players, will play for the Atlanta Beat in the upcoming WUSA season, Beat coach Tom Stone said Tuesday. An announcement is expected Wednesday.Pohlers, 24, will fill part of the foreign void created with the departures of Chinese stars Sun Wen and Liping Wang.Pohlers, who has scored seven goals in 12 appearances for the German women's national team, arrives on a transfer from FFC Turbine Potsdam. She has scored 40 goals in the past season and a half in the Frauen-Bundesliga for the club, which finished second last season and is again second, …

Joe Max Moore, the New England Revolution's all-time scoring leader, is returning to the Revs after three years at English club Everton.He left the Premier League this winter after failing to play for Everton's first team since last spring. He netted 10 goals in the 37 games with the first team (League and Cup matches).Moore was a three-time Revolution Most Valuable Player (1996,'98,'99). He has 100 points (37 goals, 26 assists) in 77 games with the Revs, whom joined in the middle of the 1996 season after spending time with German Bundesliga clubs Nuremberg and Saarbruecken.The three-time World Cup veteran …

ENGLAND* Brian McBride (Everton, PL), at Bolton, 2-1.Started: 90 minutes. McBride held scoreless for his time in three starts.* Claudio Reyna (Sunderland, PL), vs. Southampton, 0-1.DNP -- out after knee surgery.* Marcus Hahnemann (Reading, D1), vs. Leicester, 1-3.Started: 90 minutes. Three goals in first 34 minutes doom Royals, whose promotion hopes are fading.FRANCE* Oguchi Onyewu (Metz, D2), vs. Istres, 4-1.Came on as substitute in 60th minute. Fourth straight game in which the U-23 star has played. Metz temporarily moves into a tie for fourth -- the top three teams go up.

Florida International University, which on Jan. 16 announced the elimination of its menÆs soccer program, has decided keep the team for two more years. It will review the ''overall'' situation in one yearÆs time.FIU menÆs soccer, the universityÆs most successful sport, became endangered when the school strained its athletic budget by introducing football for the 2002 season. The womenÆs soccer program is protected by Title IX.An outcry from the community -- and extensive coverage by the South Florida press, including a front-page story in the Miami Herald -- upon the elimination announcement may have contributed to the re-examination.''Soccer has been …

Hristo Stoitchkov will play -- and serve as assistant coach -- for D.C. United after Chicago traded the 36-year-old Bulgarian star for a second-round pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft.The deal marks the Fire's fourth major trade in a month as the team tries to stay under MLS's budget guidelines. It has sent Josh Wolff to Kansas City, Dema Kovalenko to D.C. United and Peter Nowak to New England.Stoitchkov, who was injured for much of his three-season stint in Chicago, scored 17 goals and 15 assists in 51 MLS games.In 2000, his first MLS season, he helped the Fire to …

Brad Friedel's Blackburn Rovers remain alive in England's FA Cup thanks to a late goal by Dwight Yorke that tied Sunderland. In Germany, Gregg Berhalter and Energie Cottbus blanked host Bayer Leverkusen, 3-0.ENGLANDFA Cup, Fourth Round* Brad Friedel (Blackburn, PL) vs. Sunderland, 3-3. Started: 90 minutes.An extra-time goal by Dwight Yorke spared Blackburn from exiting its second cup competition in four days. Blackburn was eliminated on Tuesday by Manchester United from the Worthington League Cup, a trophy Rovers earned last year. Andy Cole scored two goals and Blackburn rallied after being down 3-1 in the 70th minute. Another match will …

Host China scored two first-half goals to beat the United States, 2-0, Sunday before 40,000 fans at Wuhan Sports Center Stadium.China's WUSA stars proved to be the difference. China dominated the first half and was rewarded with goals by San Diego Spirit defender Fan Yunjie (off a corner by Zhao Lihong of the Philadelphia Charge) in the 19th minute and Atlanta's Sun Wen (28-yard shot) in the 36th minute.''These are some of the most difficult conditions that I've seen our women's national team face,'' said U.S. coach April Heinrichs. ''As many as 10 players got sick, we are playing China …

Ben Ashwill, New Mexico (F)Finished as the top scorer in the MPSF (12 goals) to lead the Lobos to a school-record 18 victories and second straight NCAA Tournament berth.Mehdi Ballouchy, Creighton (M)Moroccan by way of Henry Gunn High in Palo Alto, Calif., scored five goals and added four assists for the NCAA Division I semifinalists.Jeff Curtin, Georgetown (D)Was named Big East's top rookie five years after brother Jim, now with MLS's Chicago Fire, won the award at Villanova.Leandro De Oliveira, Connecticut (M)With three goals and seven assists, the Brazilian, who attended high School in Allen, Texas, was a key …