French midfielder Gilles Grimandi, Colorado's main offseason signing who for weeks has refused to follow through on his commitment to the Rapids, has reached an agreement with MLS that allows him to return to France.''The Colorado Rapids organization is deeply saddened by Gilles Grimandi's decision to return to France.'' Colorado Rapids general manger Dan Counce said. ''The player has cited family and personal reasons as the main factors influencing his decision to separate himself from the Rapids and MLS as of today.''The Colorado Rapids, while disappointed by his choice, respect the player's personal freedom in making such a decision. Work …

Player of the WeekEvaud Thompson (Westchester Flames)Team of the WeekG -- Greg Sherwood (Reading) * Six saves in 2-1 win at New YorkD -- JT Dorsey (Reading) * Solid play in 2-1 win at New YorkD -- Alfredo Esteves (New Hampshire) * Solid play in 2-1 loss at New JerseyD -- Glenn Puckrin (Utah) * Solid play in 2-1 and 3-1 wins at San DiegoM -- Evaud Thompson (Westchester) * Two goals, assist in 5-4 OT win over Western MassM -- Federico Molinari (Western Mass) * Two goals in 5-4 OT loss against WestchesterM -- Sterling Wescott (Utah) * Two …

Player of the WeekThiago Martins (Pittsburgh Riverhounds)Team of the WeekG -- Randy Dedini (Pittsburgh) * Seven saves in 5-0 win at CharlotteD -- Fred Degand (Charleston) * Solid performance in 1-0 win over MontrealD -- Nick DeSantis (Montreal) * Solid performance in 1-0 loss at CharlestonD -- Kevin Knight (Richmond) * Solid performance in 3-0 win over IndianaM -- Justin Evans (Pittsburgh) * Outstanding play in 5-0 win, 2-2 drawM -- Jacob Fenger (Virginia Beach) * Goal in 2-0 win over IndianaM -- Freddy Juarez (El Paso) * Assist in 2-1 win over MinnesotaM -- Jason Russell (Richmond) * Goal …

The 18-man roster U.S. coach Bruce Arena has named for the May 8 friendly against Mexico in Houston includes nine players from the 2002 World Cup squad. Six of them -- Brian McBride, Landon Donovan, Eddie Pope, Pablo Mastroeni, Earnie Stewart and Cobi Jones -- played against Mexico in the second-round 2-0 victory that earned the Americans a quarterfinal appearance.Clint Mathis, a World Cup player who didn't see action against Mexico in Korea, returns to the national team after recovering from a hernia injury. DaMarcus Beasley and Frankie Hejduk round out the list of World Cup veterans on the roster.''The …

By Mike WoitallaTwo weeks after Fresno State announced the elimination of its 33-year-old men's soccer program, Coach Dave Chesler is hopeful that his team's ambitious fund-raising drive will lead to reinstatement.''There is more than hope, but we still have an incredible fund-raising challenge,'' says Chesler.Chesler says he was told by the university on April 23 that his program, which was dropped along with men's cross country, men's indoor track and field and women's swimming, would earn a reprieve if it could raise $340,000 by May 1.The men's soccer program has created the Valley Soccer Foundation (www.valleysoccer.com) to raise funds for …

Honduras and Martinque came out on top of a three-team playoff with Trinidad & Tobago to fill the final two spots in this summer's Gold Cup.Honduras beat Martinique, 4-2, on Sunday after both teams had assured themselves of qualification with wins over T&T. Martinique had beaten T&T, 3-2, and the Hondurans won, 2-0.The groups: Group A (Mexico City): Brazil, Honduras, Mexico Group B (Miami): Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica Group C (Foxboro): El Salvador, Martinique, USA Group D (Foxboro): Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba

American goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller continued to shine in the English Premier League. Friedel's Blackburn Rovers remain in the hunt for a UEFA Cup spot thanks to a 3-2 victory at Leeds. Keller, meanwhile, repeatedly thwarted Manchester United before the league leaders took a 2-0 win.ENGLAND* Brad Friedel (Blackburn, PL) at Leeds, 3-2.Started: 90 minutes. This important victory kept alive Blackburn's bid for a UEFA Cup spot next season. Friedel played solidly, denying Mark Viduka on one occassion by diving bravely as the Australian shot. Viduka opened the scoring in the 20th minute, but Rovers equalized on a …

By Ridge Mahoney, Senior EditorHERO: Taylor Twellman ran onto a long diagonal ball from Steve Ralston to thump a left-footed volley for the winning goal in the Revs' 2-1 victory at Dallas.GOATS: Kansas City defender Nick Garcia let Andy Williams get past him just before the Fire midfielder drilled home the tying goal of the Fire's 3-2 comeback win and Garcia inadvertently screened keeper Tony Meola when sub Damani Ralph scored a well-placed but modestly struck winner.BEST GOAL: Orlando Perez nailed an unstoppable screamer past Meola from 25 yards to start Chicago's comeback from a 2-0 deficit to win, 3-2.BEST …

By Scott French, Senior EditorLET'S PLAY TWO: Nine WUSA players -- eight Americans and a Canadian -- pulled double-duty this weekend, seeing time in the U.S. women's national team's 6-1 win Saturday over Canada in Washington and in their clubs' league matches.Three of them -- Atlanta goalkeeper Briana Scurry, San Jose defender Brandi Chastain and San Diego forward Shannon MacMillan -- went the full 90 twice.Scurry and Washington's Mia Hamm played in both games of the RFK Stadium doubleheader. The Freedom and Beat tied, 1-1, in the nightcap.Carolina's Danielle Slaton played one half for the U.S. women and -- following …

A few weeks after Wade Barrett arrived in Denmark, he found himself at the fishmonger's selecting a variety of herring to take to his apartment in downtown Aarhus, an eastern port city of 575,000. ''One reason I came was to live in a European environment,'' said Barrett, who was raised in Virginia Beach and spent the last five years playing for the San Jose Earthquakes. ''I wanted to learn a new language and entrench myself in a different culture.'' The language part is coming along. Barrett practices with a computer program and attends classes. ''It is …

A-C-L. They can be the most frightening three letters an injured player hears. The anterior cruciate ligament. Pliable although not elastic, it connects the bones and pretty much holds the knee together. Three prominent U.S. players suffered torn ACL's in 2002. Chris Armas missed the 2002 World Cup after going down a month before the tournament. Josh Wolff and Claudio Reyna suffered their tears in August and October, respectively. ''Of course it's always bad to suffer an injury like this,'' says Reyna. ''But when I think about how Chris Armas' injury happened right before the World Cup, …

The inevitable is hap-pening. Those stalwarts who were inspired during the NASL years and witnessed its demise are leaving MLS, which they helped found. Eric Wynalda, Marcelo Balboa and Tab Ramos each played in three World Cups. John Harkes played in two. Peter Vermes' only showing was in 1990, but if not for Walter Zenga's left buttock, he would have scored against Italy in Rome. For various reasons, they came home for the launch of MLS in 1996. Frankly, some of their importance was more symbolism than substance, and in the cases of Wynalda and Ramos, what …

April 25Richmond 3 (Russell 34, Jeffrey 49, Testo 90) Indiana 0.Charlotte 0 Pittsburgh 5 (Woolfolk 4, Evans 13, Martins 14, 32, Villar 70).El Paso 0 Minnesota 1 (Morehead 14).April 26Atlanta 2 (Nusum 26, Asad 60) Pittsburgh 2 (Woolfolk 4, Martins pen. 70).Virginia Beach 2 (Washington 15, Fenger 38) Indiana 0.Charleston (Conway pen. 43) Montreal 0.April 27El Paso 2 (Greigo 47, Pierce 83) Minnesota 1 (Menyongar 90).

Kim Pickup's famed ''flip-throw'' led to the winning goal Sunday as San Diego beat toothless San Jose, 2-1, before 5,965 at Torero Stadium.Julie Fleeting scored one goal and played a role in the winner as the Spirit (2-1, 6 points) rallied from a second-half deficit and moved above .500 for the first time in club history.Fleeting was dominant up top for San Diego, taking eight shots -- six on target -- and keeping the CyberRays' backline on its heels much of the second half.The Spirit took charge after Tisha Venturini-Hoch fired San Jose (1-2, 3 points) ahead with a nifty …

April 26 at WashingtonWashington 1 Atlanta 1. Goals: Golebiowski 67; Dominguez 67.Washington -- Mullinix, S. Little, Moore, Grubb, Barr, Stoecker, Jones, Lindsey, Golebiowski (Gerardo, 78), Schott (Hamm, 63), Wambach.Atlanta -- Scurry, Bivens, Nonen (J. Augustyniak, 93+), N. Augustyniak, Gaston, Miller, Serlenga, Crumpton, Sawa, Dominguez, Hooper (Dieke, 87).Yellow cards: Washington -- Golebiowski 24, Wambach 88; Atlanta -- Hooper 51.Referee: Erick Simmons.Att.: 6,222. April 26 at BostonBoston 3 Philadelphia 1. Goals: Meinert (Mugneret-Beghe, McDowell) 3, Hawkins (Mellgren) 38, Meinert (Mellgren) 51; Hoffman pen. 92+.Boston -- LeBlanc, Kluegel, Gonzalez, McCann, Aldama, Mugneret-Beghe, Popper (O'Grady, 46), McDowell, Meinert, Mellgren (Wallis, 84).Philadelphia -- Moore, Mitts, …