Klinsmann withdraws from consideration
Juergen Klinsmann withdrew Thursday from consideration as coach of the U.S. team after several months of talks failed to lead to an agreement.
Klinsmann was the heavy favorite for the U.S. job.
U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati scheduled a telephone conference call with reporters today “to make an important announcement on the search for the next head coach of the U.S. men’s national team,” a USSF statement said.
Bob Bradley, the coach of Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA team, is to be announced today as the interim coach of the national team, a soccer official with knowledge of the decision told the AP. He spoke on condition of anonymity, because the announcement had not been made.
WNBA
Group buys Sparks
The Los Angeles Sparks were sold for $10 million to an investment group led by two of the team’s longtime season-ticket holders.
Kathy Goodman, a high school English and social studies teacher, and Carla Christofferson, an attorney and former Miss North Dakota, are the new majority owners in Gemini Basketball Holdings.
•Lisa Leslie will miss the season because the three-time league Most Valuable Player is pregnant with her first child. The 35-year-old Leslie is due in June.
Miscellany
Biffle crashes at test
Nextel Cup driver Greg Biffle was in a fiery crash while testing tires at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and was helped from his burning race car by Kyle Busch.
Although Biffle was uninjured, he did not continue the session. A track spokesman said Biffle was released from the care center, and left the race track driving his car.
•Roberto Duran and Olympic gold medalist Pernell Whitaker, another four-division champion, were voted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame along with undefeated Mexican strawweight champion Ricardo “Finito” Lopez.
•Argentina’s Andres Romero and Angel Cabrera combined to make five straight birdies on the back nine on the way to a 7-under-par 64 and a share of the first-round lead with South Africa and Sweden at the final World Golf Championships event of the season in St. James, Barbados.
Americans Stewart Cink and J.J. Henry finished with a 5-under 66.
•The governing body for U.S. track and field is expanding its zero tolerance anti-doping policy to coaches. New regulations made public will require coaches to register with USA Track & Field, and coaches who have had athletes serve at least a two-year ban for doping or have been sanctioned themselves must be approved by a review panel.
•The Regina Pats have completed the largest trade in the Western Hockey League this season. Regina is shipping forwards Justin Bernhardt, Jason MacDonald and prospect Kyle St. Denis to Kelowna in exchange for forwards Troy Ofukany, Kaspars Saulietis and Kirt Hill.
•Zach Lund won his first World Cup skeleton title and fellow American Katie Uhlaender took the women’s competition, giving U.S. sliders a first-place sweep in Park City, Utah.