SOCCER
Chile beat US 3-2
Mark Gonzalez scored twice in the second half to help Chile to a 3-2 home win over the US in a friendly in Santiago on Wednesday. The US started brightly, with Brek Shea scoring after five minutes after being set up by Matt Bresler. Chile, with coach Jorge Sampaoli picking a home-based line-up, hit back fast and made it 1-1 in the 10th minute when Gonzalez crossed for Roberto Gutierrez to head home. The visitors blew chances through DeAndre Yedlin, Michael Bradley and Steve Birnbaum, but Jozy Altidore connected on a Mix Diskerud pass to beat Chilean goalkeeper Johny Herrera in the 30th minute. Chile struggled for ideas early in the second half, but got back on level terms in the 66th minute when Gonzalez blasted home. Chile, who are to host the Copa America in June, then sealed their first win over the US since 1994 when Gonzalez scored again nine minutes later. The US are to host Panama next month as part of their preparations for the Gold Cup before traveling to Europe to play Denmark and Switzerland in March. They also face Mexico in April.
SOCCER
Juve make Italian Cup semis
A goal one minute from time from Alvaro Morata gave Juventus a 1-0 win at Parma and a place in the Italian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. Juventus, who have not won the title for 20 years, will face either AS Roma or ACF Fiorentina for a place in the final. Morata, 22, and recruited from Real Madrid for 20 million euros (US$22.61 million) last year, decided Wednesday’s tie with his fifth goal of the season. On Tuesday, SS Lazio beat AC Milan 1-0 to also make the semi-finals.
BASEBALL
Suzuki cites ‘enthusiasm’
Ichiro Suzuki says a renewed sense of enthusiasm was behind his decision to sign a US$2 million, one-year contract with the Miami Marlins. Making a rare appearance at a press conference in his native Japan, Suzuki said: “When I met [Miami] team executives yesterday, I felt incredible enthusiasm, so I wanted to respond to their enthusiasm and I believe that is something I have been looking for the last two years.” Suzuki’s deal includes US$2.8 million in performance bonuses based on plate appearances: US$400,000 for 300 and the same amount for each additional 50 through 600. The 41-year-old Suzuki, a 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, is expected to be the team’s fourth outfielder behind Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich and Marcell Ozuna.
GOLF
Kel Nagle dies at 94
The PGA of Australia says former British Open winner and US Open runner-up Kel Nagle has died. He was 94. The PGA said in a statement yesterday that Nagle, who won the British Open at St Andrews in 1960, its centenary year, died overnight at a Sydney hospital. It did not give a cause of death. The Australian golfer won a tournament every year for 26 years after turning professional in 1946, collecting 61 victories on the PGA Tour of Australasia and two on the US tour. He finished second to Gary Player at the 1965 US Open at Bellerive in St Louis, Missouri, losing an 18-hole playoff to the South African. Player said then that Nagle was “one of the best short-game players” he had seen. Nagle also won the Australian PGA championship a record six times.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
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