Sounders take 10 players in MLS expansion draft
The neophyte Seattle Sounders just grew from four players to 14.
General manager Adrian Hanauer and technical director Chris Henderson emphasized defense with a mix of youth and experience in Wednesday’s MLS expansion draft.
One new Sounder is Northwest native Nate Jaqua, from Eugene. He played for the Houston Dynamo and the U.S. national team.
Three other draft picks have international experience at the senior level: Kahno (KAHN-no) Smith, a midfielder from New England, has over 20 caps for Bermuda. Jarrod Smith, a forward from Toronto FC, has represented New Zealand. Peter Vagenas (Vye-YAY-nuss), a midfielder from the Los Angeles Galaxy, earned U.S. caps in 2000.
Also drafted were midfielders Brad Evans (from Columbus), Stephen King (Chicago) and Nathan Sturgis (Salt Lake), plus defenders Jeff Parke (New York), James Riley (San Jose) and Tyson Wahl (Kansas City).
Evans, Sturgis, Vagenas and Wahl have played for U.S. youth international teams. Sturgis was named to the 2008 Olympic team.
NFL
Porter apologizes
Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter apologized Wednesday for not leaving the field during Sunday’s game against New England, but said the incident was blown out of proportion.
The NFL sack leader would not leave the game as Dolphins first-year coach Tony Sparano had instructed during Miami’s 48-28 loss to the Patriots. Porter, who is as well-known for his opinions as his sacks, did not take questions after making his 39-second statement Wednesday.
•Two players fined: Matt Light of New England and Channing Crowder of Miami were fined $15,000 apiece by the NFL for what the league called “a verbal and physical altercation” last Sunday.
•Vasher has broken hand: Chicago Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher has a fractured right hand and will miss Sunday night’s game against the Minnesota Vikings when the teams meet at the Metrodome for first place in the NFC North. Vasher, sidelined for three games earlier this season with an injury to his right wrist and thumb, was hurt Sunday against the St. Louis Rams.
NHL
Canadiens beat Red Wings
Carey Price made 32 saves, and Maxim Lapierre, Tomas Plekanec and Christopher Higgins scored second-period goals in the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-1 victory over the host Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings had won seven of their last eight games against the Canadiens prior to Wednesday.
•Devils beat Panthers in OT: Johnny Oduya scored with 55.5 seconds left in overtime to give New Jersey a 3-2 victory over host Florida, the Devils’ fifth consecutive victory.
•Coyotes end skid: Viktor Tikhonov’s goal with 2:32 remaining helped Phoenix beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2, ending the Coyotes’ six-game losing skid.
•Crosby rallies Penguins: Sidney Crosby scored a goal and set up two by Evgeni Malkin in a 5:35 span of the third period for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who rallied for a 5-3 win against the host New York Islanders. Malkin finished with a hat trick.
•Flyers win again: Simon Gagne had two goals and an assist to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to their sixth straight victory, 3-1 over the host Carolina Hurricanes.
•Roy scores twice in Buffalo’s victory: Derek Roy scored twice and the host Buffalo Sabres beat the Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins 3-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.
•Ovechkin adds another hat trick: Alex Ovechkin had his sixth career hat trick and added an assist to help the host Washington Capitals end a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. The Capitals announced beforehand that forward Chris Clark will be sidelined at least three weeks with a stress fracture in his forearm, the latest injury setback for a team that had to recall four players from the minors for Wednesday night’s game against Atlanta.
NBA
Early night for James
LeBron James played just 17 minutes, tying his career low, as the Cleveland Cavaliers rolled to a 117-82 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. James scored 14 points.
College basketball
Texas downs Oregon
Damion James had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 Texas to a 70-57 victory over Oregon on in the third-place game of the EA Sports Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawaii.
•No. 10 Purdue survives: E’Twaun Moore scored 19 points and No. 10 Purdue withstood a late rally to beat Boston College 71-64 in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York.
Miscellany
BALCO restrictions lifted
Thousands of pages of grand jury testimony related to the long-running steroids investigation of Barry Bonds and other athletes were unsealed by a federal judge in San Francisco.
U.S. District Court Judge Susan Illston signed an order that allows prosecutors to share grand jury transcripts, medical lab reports and search warrant affidavits with Bonds’ lawyers. It came in response to a request from the U.S. Attorney’s office last week that the protective order on the documents be lifted to avoid possibly delaying Bonds’ trial, scheduled to begin March 2.
•U.S. women lose: China scored a pair of second half goals to defeat the United States 2-0 in the final match of Group B play for both teams at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Temuco, Chile. Washington State’s Kiersten Dallstream started for the American, but left in the ninth minute due to an injury. She will be able to continue in the tournament. Despite the loss, the United States won its group.