U.S. under-17 national team head coach John Hackworth welcomed eight new players for the ninth year of U.S. Soccer's full-time residency program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. The semester kicked off at the beginning of January, but a few players were on trial, giving Hackworth and his staff time to evaluate which players would be invited into the program full-time. A majority (25) of the players in the 40-player program were born in 1990 and will be vying for a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2007 CONCACAF Under-17 Qualifying Tournament April 21-29, along with …

Marcus Hahnemann was the only American to play in a winning effort on Tuesday night as top-flight league action resumed in England and Germany. Hahnemann was in goal as Reading beat Wigan, 3-2, to move into seventh place ahead of idle Everton in the English Premier League. Hahnemann could do nothing about Emile Heskey's third-minute goal, but he failed to hold on to Ryan Taylor's free kick that Dutchman Denny Landzaat put away in the 90th minute. Wigan has now lost a club record eight straight league games. After scoring in four of his last five games, Brian …

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor Not all of the soccer news emanating out of Salt Lake City this week is bad. Much of it, yes, but not all of it. Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon decided Monday to back the vote of a Debt Review Committee that recommended Salt Lake County reject a proposal by which $30 million in hotel taxes would be funneled to a $110 million stadium project in suburban Sandy. In the aftermath of Corroon's announcement, operator-investor Dave Checketts has threatened to: a) sell the team; b) move the team, or c) well, …

Former MLS star Stern John was sold by Coventry of the English League Championship (second level) to rival Sunderland in a move the Black Cats hope will lead to promotion to the Premier League. John, who signed a contract through the 2008-09 season, is Manager Roy Keane's sixth signing since the transfer window opened on Jan. 1. ''Hopefully I can get a few goals for Sunderland,'' said John. ''It's a fantastic move for me, a new start at a massive club and a new opportunity to show what I can do.'' Sunderland, which is tied for …

Major League Soccer's 12 U.S.-based clubs will enter the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, but only eight MLS teams will compete in tournament play. In past years, the eight MLS teams that advanced to the previous season's MLS Cup playoffs automatically qualified for the U.S. Open Cup's round of 16. This year, the MLS teams that finished in the top three of each conference in 2006 - D.C. United, New England Revolution, Chicago Fire, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Chivas USA -- will automatically qualify for the round of 16, and the final two berths will be determined by …

The USA won the Four Nations Tournament for the fifth time in six trips to China with a 2-0 win over the host country on Tuesday in Guangzhou. Needing a victory to overtake China, the Americans won on a thunderous strike from midfielder Lori Chalupny in stoppage time of the first half and an opportunistic goal from Natasha Kai in the 56th minute. Chalupny's goal came at the end of a dominating first half by the Americans, who outshot China, 9-1, over the first 45 minutes and put intense pressure on the opposing goal. …

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America RIVALDO? Since Friday, news outlets have been reporting that the New York Red Bulls are locked in a bidding war with Mexican club Necaxa for former Brazilian international Rivaldo, 34, who has been playing in Greece for Olympiakos. A source says that New York has used its second Designated Player slot, supposedly for Rivaldo, but no confirmation from the league or the team has been forthcoming. The Red Bulls acquired a second DP slot in a trade that sent Amado Guevara to Chivas USA, and used their own DP slot …

The U.S. U-18 men's national team, coached by Bob Jenkins, will train for three days at the Home Depot Center before heading to Mexico for a 24-team tournament Feb. 3-10 where their first-round opponents will be Atlas, Saprissa, Necaxa, Estudiantes de la Plata and Santos. U-18 U.S. national team roster: GOALKEEPERS: Warren Gross (Greenfield Center, N.Y.), David Meves (Arlington Heights, Ill.). DEFENDERS: TJ Cyrus (Virginia Beach, Va.), Greg Eckhardt (Orange Park, Fla.), Blair Gavin (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Colin Givens (Troy, Mich.), Hunter Jumper (Plano, Texas). MIDFIELDERS: Jalil Anibaba (Davis, Calif.), Danny Barrera (Thousand Oaks, Calif.), Jose Gonzalez …

U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu, 24, is headed to Newcastle United, which is 11th place in the English Premier League. Onyewu, who played in all three games for the USA at last summer's World Cup, has been with Belgium First Division's Standard Liege since 2004, after stints with French club Metz and Belgium's La Louviere. He went to Europe after two seasons at Clemson University.

In his second game and first start German Second Division club Munich 1860, Josh Wolff scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 loss to Kickers Offenbach. Californian Kamani Hill, 21, made his German First Division debut for VfL Wolfsburg in a 2-1 loss to Hertha Berlin. Hill was a 68th minute sub. Benny Feilhaber was a halftime sub for Hamburg SV in its 1-1 tie with Arminia Bielefeld. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Borussia M'Gladbach fell, 3-1, to Energie Cottbus. In England, Brian McBride scored his 10th in all competitions of the 2006-7 season …

There's a lot more time for David Beckham and Real Madrid to reverse course yet again on whether he will come to MLS earlier than the summer. True, the European transfer window closes next Wednesday and Beckham's contract with Real doesn't officially expire until June 30. However, in the case of a player under contract moving between teams in different countries, his eligibility to be registered and play in competitive matches is determined by the transfer window in the country of destination, not the country of departure. In either case, there's much more flexibility with the American transfer windows …

By Ridge Mahoney Senior Editor, Soccer America Already D.C. United and Houston are in the news, both for long-term reasons as well as the here-and-now. Because of their qualification for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, they petitioned the MLS Players' Union for permission to open preseason camp early. Permission was so granted and both teams start camp Monday, a week earlier than their 11 league rivals. Early betting - if there is a such a thing regarding MLS - has D.C. and Houston as favorites in their conferences. D.C. posted the league's best record in 2006 before stumbling …

Brazil won the South American Under-20 Championship in Paraguay. For the first time, the tournament served as qualifying for both the 2007 Under-20 World Cup and 2008 Olympics. The top four teams -- Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile -- qualified for Canada '07, and Brazil and Argentina will play in the under-23 men's soccer competition at the Olympics. Argentina edged out Uruguay for the second Olympic berth when Argentina beat the Celeste, 1-0, on a goal by Lautaro Acosta in the final 20 seconds of stoppage time on the last day of tournament play. Colombia and Paraguay were the …

David Beckham will appear in Disney's ''Where Dreams Come True,'' ad campaign. Beckham played the role of dragon-slaying, Sleeping Beauty character Prince Phillip. ''I'm the prince, and I'm sort of slaying a dragon, which is something I've never done before, obviously,'' said Beckham.

(All times ET unless noted. Consult your regular television listings guides for availability in your area. Schedules are subject to change.) MONDAY, Jan. 29 no live games TUESDAY, Jan. 30 FOX SOCCER CHANNEL England PORTSMOUTH-MIDDLESBROUGH (live), 2:30 pm. FOX SPORTS EN ESPANOL England PORTSMOUTH-MIDDLESBROUGH (live), 2:30 pm. Copa Libertadores VELEZ SARFIELD-DANUBIO, Primera Fase, 1st Leg (live), 5 pm. Copa Libetadores TACHIRA-TOLIMA, Primera Fase, 1st Leg (live), 7:15 pm. GOL TV Germany BAYERN MUNICH-VfL BOCHUM (live), 1:55 pm. SETANTA SPORTS USA England WEST HAM-LIVERPOOL (live), 2:40 pm. …