D6
K
COLLEGE LACROSSE
S
KLMNO
SOCCER
Africans hope World Cup will shatter stereotypes
cameroon from D1
hundreds of dignitaries, who burst into applause at a celebra- tion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of independence from colonial rule for Cameroon and 16 other African nations. Many Africans hope stereo-
types of their continent as an in- cubator of AIDS, corruption and wars will be shattered, if briefly, at the sight of an African nation staging the world’s most- watched sporting event. “It is time for the whole world to know that disease, conflict, the negative stuff do not define Africa today,” said Manu Di- bango, the Cameroonian saxo- phonist. “We are alive. We are ready to compete. There is a lot of positive energy around.”
JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST
Goalie Brittany Dipper has started 20 of 21 games for Maryland. The Terrapins are looking for their first national title since 2001.
Top-seeded Maryland plays for spot in final
terrapins from D1
Maryland enters Friday’s game 20-1, with its lone hiccup coming against — of all teams — North Carolina. The third- seeded Tar Heels play second- seeded Northwestern, which has won the past five national championships, in the other semifinal.
Reese became the Terrapins’ coach in 2007, returning to the program with which she won national championships in each of her four seasons as a player from 1995 to 1998. Those four triumphs were the first of seven consecutive national championships, but Maryland failed to reach the national semifinals in the five seasons before Reese’s arrival.
Reese inherited a recruiting class that included McFadden and senior defender Karrisa Taylor, both of whom became all-Americans. “They were my babies when I took over the job here and start- ed,” said Reese, who has devel- oped a kinship with the group during her four seasons. Yet the seniors have yet to experience the elation Reese felt at the end of each season as a player, so the recruiting class that resur- rected the program has a clear- ly defined goal. “It’s a memory I would love this team to leave with,” Reese said. “I look back on it and say, ‘Which national championship was the most memorable for me?’ And for whatever reason that may be, I want them to be able to say the same things when they graduate. So, 10 years from now, these seniors can look back and say, ‘In 2010,
we did this and this, and that’s what wrapped this season up and made it super special.’ ” The Terrapins have worked with a sports psychologist to hone their mental toughness, an important attribute when dealing with the internal pres- sure of being the nation’s top team. Taylor said the work with the psychologist prompted a “different vibe” on the team and is evident in the way they played this season, specifically with handling pressure and trusting one another. “This is one of the most tal- ented teams I’ve seen come through Maryland in the years I’ve been a part of it, but there’s that X-factor, that mental toughness, that we have defi- nitely shown,” said assistant coach Quinn Carney, who won four national championships as a player from 1998 to 2001. “With some more of that, we’re going to do well this weekend.” Carney thinks the loss last season helped in developing that toughness. She said the group displayed a “grit” as a re- sult of the emptiness felt in Towson in 2009, instilling re- solve in seniors hardened by what happened. Now they have only one weekend left to make up for it.
“Since we’ve been there be- fore, we don’t want to end the way we did last year,” Taylor said. “Going in with that confi- dence and knowing I don’t want to walk away like I did last year, and knowing I want to go the whole way if possible, that confidence in myself and my teammates is different than what it was last year.”
bermanz@washpost.com
A national identity
In Cameroon, a nation of al- most 20 million people in west- central Africa, the energy is vis- ible — and it revolves around soccer. In 1990, the national team, the Indomitable Lions, reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup, a first for any Afri- can team. That helped a new generation of African players gain recognition and play in Eu- rope, home of the world’s elite professional leagues. Cameroon and five other African nations — South Africa, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast — have qualified for this year’s World Cup. Today, a golden lion statue
greets visitors outside this cap- ital’s international airport. The now-defunct national airline handed out “Lions” miles in its frequent-flyer program. Bill- boards around the capital de- clare: “Live football. Love Lions 4 Life.” “It is a religion. It is a vehicle for peace,” said Thomas Libih, who played for the Indomitable Lions in the 1990 World Cup. He recalled how thousands of cheering Cameroonians greeted them at the airport upon their return.
Across Africa, where tribal loyalties dominate, soccer has helped foster a sense of national identity. In Cameroon, once di- vided between its French- and English-speaking parts, ten- sions remain high. Anglophones increasingly feel alienated from a Francophone-led government that’s firmly in the grip of Presi- dent Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon since 1982. Corrup- tion is widespread; the gulf be- tween rich and poor is vast. But the divisions seem to
evaporate whenever the Lions play. “Soccer is the only stock where every Cameroonian feels invested like a Cameroonian,” Dibango said. These days, though, attend-
ance at local matches has dwin- dled from the previous decade, players and coaches said. The
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES
Inter Milan forward Samuel Eto’o, the most decorated African player ever, led Cameroon to a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics.
Soccer “is a religion. It is a vehicle for
peace.”
— Thomas Libih, a member of the 1990 Cameroon World Cup team
spread of satellite television, by which worldwide matches are shown around the clock, is one reason.
So is poverty, deepened by the global economic crisis. “People are starving. They are more wor- ried about their survival,” said Simon Pierre Etoundi, a sports journalist with the Cameroon Tribune newspaper. “But when the Lions play it is
different.” Ask Bienvenu Kenne, a 23- year-old clothing vendor in Yaounde’s bustling street mar- ket. He has seen the sales of his green and yellow Lions jerseys double over the past two months. Each costs between $10 and $20 — a princely sum here. Kenne, too, wore a Lions jer-
sey emblazoned with a “9,” the number of his favorite Cam- eroonian star, Samuel Eto’o, the most decorated African player ever who led Cameroon to a gold medal in the 2000 Olympics and now plays for the famed Inter Milan in Italy’s Serie A. “When I watch the Lions and Samuel Eto’o, it is pure pleasure. You forget the difficulties of life,” said Kenne, who dropped out of high school to support his fami- ly.
Many are hoping the Lions reach the quarterfinals or be- yond in South Africa. No African team has made a World Cup fi- nal. But with more and more Af- rican professionals playing in Europe, the odds of an African
SCOREBOARD BASKETBALL
NBA conference finals
(Best-of-Seven); (x-if necessary)
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Boston 3, Orlando 2
Game 1: Boston 92 ....................................Orlando 88 Game 2: Boston 95 ....................................Orlando 92 Game 3: Boston 94 ....................................Orlando 71 Game 4: Orlando 96........................... Boston 92 (OT) Game 5: at Orlando 113 ............................. Boston 92 Friday: Orlando at Boston.................................... 8:30 x-Sunday: Boston at Orlando.............................. 8:30
WESTERN CONFERENCE
L.A. Lakers 2, Phoenix 2
Game 1: L.A. Lakers 128......................... Phoenix 107 Game 2: L.A. Lakers 124......................... Phoenix 112 Game 3: Phoenix 118......................... L.A. Lakers 109 Game 4: at Phoenix 115.................... L.A. Lakers 106 Thursday: Phoenix at L.A. Lakers...................... Late Saturday: L.A. Lakers at Phoenix....................... 8:30 x-Monday: Phoenix at L.A. Lakers........................... 9
WNBA
Eastern Conference WL Pct
GB
Atlanta ................................. 4 0 1.000 — Connecticut ........................ 3 1 Washington ......................... 3 2 Indiana ................................. 2 2 New York ............................. 1 2 Chicago ................................ 1 4
.750 1
.600 1A .500 2
.333 2A .200 3A
Western Conference WL Pct
Seattle .................................. 4 1 Phoenix ................................ 2 1 San Antonio ......................... 2 1 Tulsa ..................................... 1 3 Minnesota ........................... 1 4 Los Angeles ......................... 0 3
Thursday’s Results
at Connecticut 105...............................Minnesota 79 at Chicago 84............................................... Seattle 75
Friday’s Games
Washington at Los Angeles .............................. 10:30 New York at San Antonio .......................................... 8 Atlanta at Phoenix.................................................... 10
Saturday’s Games
Chicago at Minnesota................................................ 8 Indiana at Tulsa........................................................... 8
HIGH SCHOOLS
BASEBALL
Virginia A Bull Run District— Final
Manassas Park 7, Madison County 2
Virginia AA Evergreen District—Final
Brentsville 6, Kettle Run 5
Virginia AAA Cardinal District—Final
Woodbridge 1, Potomac (Va.) 0
Virginia AAA Commonwealth — Final
Brooke Point 5, Riverbend 3
BOYS’ SOCCER
Virginia AAA Northern Region — Quarterfinals
Stone Bridge 2, Lake Braddock 0 Yorktown 5, Centreville 1
GB
.800 — .667 1 .667 1
.250 2A .200 3 .000 3
Wednesday’s Late Game
MAGIC 113, CELTICS 92
SCORING
Boston Orlando
27222617 — 92 31 26 27 29 — 113
Boston Min FG FT O-T A PF Pts.
Pierce 41:47 3-8 10-10 0-3 3 4 18 Garnett 28:49 5-14 0-0 1-5 3 2 10 Perkins 16:23 1-1 0-0 0-4 0 3 2 Rondo 38:10 7-15 5-11 1-3 6 4 19 RAllen 41:32 3-11 2-3 0-4 7 3 9 Davis 19:51 2-4 0-0 0-1 0 4 4 Wallace 18:02 7-9 4-4 0-2 0 6 21 TAllen 10:39 1-3 0-0 0-1 0 0 2 Finley 7:44 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Daniels 3:18 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 Robinson 8:56 2-5 0-0 1-1 0 2 5 SWilliams 4:49 0-0 2-2 0-0 0 1 2
Totals 240 31-72 23-30 4-26 19 30 92
Percentages: FG .431, FT .767. 3-Point Goals: 7-16, .438 (Wallace 3-5, Pierce 2-4, R.Allen 1-3, Robinson 1-4). Team Rebounds: 10. Team Turnovers: 10 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Wallace 2, Pierce, Robinson). Turn- overs: 10 (Pierce 3, Rondo 2, R.Allen, T.Allen, Dan- iels, Perkins, Wallace). Steals: 5 (Perkins, Pierce, Robinson, Rondo, Wallace). Technical Fouls: Per- kins, 2:15 second Ejections: Perkins, 0:36 second.
Orlando Min FG FT O-T A PF Pts.
Barnes 24:41 3-6 0-0 1-7 0 2 9 Lewis 23:36 6-11 1-2 2-7 0 5 14 Howard 39:40 7-12 7-12 2-10 0 2 21 Nelson 30:00 6-10 8-8 1-5 5 4 24 Carter 25:30 3-10 1-1 0-3 3 4 8 Redick 22:06 3-6 6-7 0-1 1 2 14 Gortat 19:59 0-0 2-2 2-4 1 3 2 Bass 12:13 3-5 2-2 0-1 1 0 8 Pietrus 24:15 3-5 0-0 0-2 0 2 8 JWilliams 18:00 2-4 1-1 2-3 5 0 5
Totals 240 36-69 28-35 10-43 16 24 113
Percentages: FG .522, FT .800. 3-Point Goals: 13-25, .520 (Nelson 4-5, Barnes 3-4, Redick 2-3, Pietrus 2-4, Lewis 1-3, Carter 1-4, J.Williams 0-2). Team Re-
bounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 14 (13 PTS). Blocked Shots:
7 (Howard 5, Barnes, Pietrus). Turnovers: 13 (How- ard 4, Nelson 3, Barnes 2, Lewis 2, Bass, Redick). Steals: 6 (Howard 2, Barnes, Pietrus, Redick, J.Wil- liams). Technical Fouls: Gortat, 2:15 second
A: 17,461 (17,461). T: 2:52.
HOCKEY
Stanley Cup finals
(Best-of-Seven); (x-if necessary)
Philadelphia vs. Chicago
Saturday: Philadelphia at Chicago ..........................8 Monday: Philadelphia at Chicago ........................... 8 Wednesday, June 2: Chicago at Philadelphia ....... 8 Friday, June 4: Chicago at Philadelphia ................. 8 x-Sunday, June 6: Philadelphia at Chicago............ 8 x-Wednesday, June 9: Chicago at Philadelphia.... 8 x-Friday, June 11: Philadelphia at Chicago............ 8
AUTO RACING
GIRLS’ SOCCER VIRGINIA
Battlefield 3, Loudoun Valley 2
Virginia AAA Northern Region— Semifinals
Oakton 3, Lee 0
Virginia AAA Northern Region— Quarterfinals
Stone Bridge 3, Lee 0 Westfield 3, Yorktown 0
SOFTBALL
Virginia AA Dulles District— Final
Briar Woods 1, Park View 0
Virginia AAA Cardinal District— Final
Osbourn Park 7, Hylton 1
NASCAR Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600
After Thursday’s Qualifying; Sunday’s Race At Charlotte Motor Speedway; In Concord, N.C. Lap length: 1.5 miles; (Car # in parentheses)
1. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 187.546 mph. 2. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 187.292. 3. (56) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 187.188. 4. (9) Kasey Kahne, Ford, 187.169. 5. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 186.974. 6. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.825. 7. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.767. 8. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 186.728. 9. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 186.528. 10. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 186.053. 11. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 186.021. 12. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 185.803. 13. (83) Casey Mears, Toyota, 185.535. 14. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 185.459. 15. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 185.452. 16. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 185.052. 17. (66) Dave Blaney, Toyota, 184.932. 18. (43) AJ Allmendinger, Ford, 184.906. 19. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 184.856. 20. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 184.634. 21. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 184.609. 22. (36) Johnny Sauter, Chevrolet, 184.464. 23. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 184.407. 24. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 184.344. 25. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 184.344. 26. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 184.326. 27. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 184.181. 28. (37) David Gilliland, Ford, 184.093. 29. (64) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 184.049. 30. (55) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 184.037. 31. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 183.949. 32. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 183.855. 33. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 183.586. 34. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 183.542. 35. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 183.306. 36. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 183.281. 37. (12) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 182.599. 38. (71) Bobby Labonte, Chevrolet, 182.562. 39. (19) Elliott Sadler, Ford, Owner Points. 40. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, Owner Points. 41. (38) Travis Kvapil, Ford, Owner Points. 42. (34) Kevin Conway, Ford, Owner Points. 43. (46) J.J. Yeley, Dodge, 183.243.
RESULTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL
ACC tournament: Florida State 11, Virginia 4
GOLF
Jeff Overton .............................................34 29 — 63 -7 Jason Bohn ...............................................30 33 — 63 -7 Blake Adams ............................................33 30 — 63 -7 Brian Davis ...............................................32 32 — 64 -6 Bill Haas ....................................................32 33 — 65 -5 Nathan Green ..........................................33 32 — 65 -5 Bryce Molder ...........................................32 33 — 65 -5 John Mallinger ........................................32 33 — 65 -5 Carl Pettersson .......................................32 33 — 65 -5 Zach Johnson ..........................................32 33 — 65 -5 Spencer Levin ..........................................34 31 — 65 -5 Kris Blanks ...............................................33 32 — 65 -5 Aron Price ................................................32 33 — 65 -5 Ricky Barnes ............................................33 33 — 66 -4 John Daly ..................................................33 33 — 66 -4 John Merrick ............................................33 33 — 66 -4 Paul Casey ...............................................33 33 — 66 -4 Jason Day .................................................34 32 — 66 -4 Woody Austin ..........................................35 32 — 67 -3 Justin Rose ...............................................31 36 — 67 -3 Tim Clark ..................................................34 33 — 67 -3 K.J. Choi ....................................................34 33 — 67 -3 Derek Lamely ..........................................34 33 — 67 -3 Vijay Singh ...............................................34 33 — 67 -3 Justin Leonard .........................................34 33 — 67 -3 Scott Verplank ........................................35 32 — 67 -3 Boo Weekley ............................................32 35 — 67 -3 Tim Herron ...............................................33 34 — 67 -3 J.J. Henry ..................................................31 36 — 67 -3 Corey Pavin ..............................................31 36 — 67 -3 Henrik Stenson .......................................33 34 — 67 -3 Bo Van Pelt ...............................................33 34 — 67 -3 Rory Sabbatini ........................................32 35 — 67 -3 Michael Bradley ......................................33 34 — 67 -3 Cameron Beckman .................................33 34 — 67 -3 Jerry Kelly ................................................33 34 — 67 -3 Kevin Na ...................................................33 34 — 67 -3 J.P. Hayes .................................................34 33 — 67 -3 George McNeill .......................................34 34 — 68 -2 David Duval ..............................................35 33 — 68 -2 Steve Marino ...........................................33 35 — 68 -2 Fredrik Jacobson ....................................33 35 — 68 -2 Kenny Perry .............................................34 34 — 68 -2 Steve Stricker ..........................................34 34 — 68 -2 Stephen Ames .........................................33 35 — 68 -2 Mike Weir .................................................32 36 — 68 -2 Charlie Wi .................................................34 34 — 68 -2 James Nitties ...........................................34 34 — 68 -2 Angel Cabrera .........................................32 36 — 68 -2 Nick Watney ............................................36 32 — 68 -2 Ben Crane .................................................32 36 — 68 -2 Brian Gay ..................................................34 34 — 68 -2 David Toms ..............................................34 34 — 68 -2 Jonathan Byrd .........................................34 34 — 68 -2 Tim Petrovic ............................................34 34 — 68 -2 Graham DeLaet .......................................34 34 — 68 -2 Michael Connell ......................................34 34 — 68 -2 Kyle Stanley .............................................34 34 — 68 -2
Crowne Plaza Invitational
At Colonial Country Club; In Fort Worth, Texas Purse: $6.2 million; Yardage: 7,204; Par 70 (35-35) First Round, Leading Scores
Jamie Donaldson, Wales Rhys Davies, Wales Luke Donald, England Paul McGinley, Ireland
PGA European Madrid Masters
At Real Sociedad Hipica Espanola Club de Campo Golf Course; in Madrid Purse: $1.85 million; Yardage: 7,162; Par: 72 First Round, Leading Scores
Senior PGA Championship
At Colorado Golf Club; In Denver
Robin Freeman ........................................33 33 — 66 -6 Bernhard Langer ....................................34 32 — 66 -6 Brad Bryant ..............................................34 34 — 68 -4 Tom Lehman ............................................36 32 — 68 -4 Bill Loeffler ..............................................35 34 — 69 -3 Bill Glasson ..............................................34 35 — 69 -3 Fred Couples ...........................................33 36 — 69 -3 Tom Kite ...................................................35 34 — 69 -3 Dan Forsman ...........................................34 36 — 70 -2 Chien Soon Lu .........................................35 35 — 70 -2 Nick Price .................................................37 33 — 70 -2 Dave Rummells .......................................35 36 — 71 -1 Lindy Miller ..............................................35 36 — 71 -1 Chris Starkjohann ..................................36 35 — 71 -1 Michael Allen ...........................................35 36 — 71 -1 Chip Beck .................................................36 35 — 71 -1 Mike Goodes ............................................36 35 — 71 -1 Jay Don Blake ..........................................35 36 — 71 -1 Gary Hallberg ..........................................38 33 — 71 -1 Scott Simpson .........................................34 37 — 71 -1
Purse: $2 million; Yardage: 7,490; Par 72 (36-36) First Round, Leading Scores
SOCCER
International Exhibition
Thursday’s Results
at Denmark 2................................................ Senegal 0 at South Africa 2....................................... Colombia 1 Honduras 2 ..................................... at Belarus 2 (OT)
Major League Soccer
Eastern Conference
W L T Pts GF GA
Columbus ...................... 6 0 2 20 14 6 New York ....................... 5 4 0 15 9 12 Toronto FC ..................... 4 4 1 13 12 13 Chicago .......................... 2 3 4 10 12 13 Kansas City ................... 2 4 2 8 8 9 New England ................. 2 6 2 8 10 15 Philadelphia .................. 1 5 1 4 7 15 D.C. United ..................... 1 8 0 3 4 18
Western Conference W L T Pts GF GA
Los Angeles ................... 8 0 2 26 16 2 Real Salt Lake ............... 5 3 1 16 17 10 Houston .......................... 5 4 1 16 14 10 San Jose ......................... 5 2 1 16 12 7 Colorado ........................ 4 3 1 13 9 7 Dallas .............................. 2 2 6 12 11 11 Seattle ............................ 3 4 3 12 9 13 Chivas USA .................... 3 6 1 10 11 14
Thursday’s Result
Dallas 1 ........................................... at Chicago 1 (OT)
Saturday’s Games
Maarten Lafeber, Netherlands
32-33_65 32-33_65 32-33_65 34-32_66 32-34_66
Chivas USA at D.C. United ....................................7:30 Los Angeles at Columbus .................................... 7:30 New York at New England......................................... 8 Philadelphia at Houston ...................................... 8:30 Seattle FC at Colorado............................................... 9 Kansas City at Real Salt Lake................................... 9 Toronto FC at San Jose............................................ 10
Wednesday, June 2
Houston at New York ............................................7:30 Columbus at San Jose ............................................. 10
TENNIS
French Open
At Stade Roland Garros; In Paris Purse: $21.1 million; Surface: Clay-Outdoor Singles— Men— Second Round
M. Baghdatis (25), Cyprus, def. M. Granollers, Spain, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5, 6-2; T. Gabashvili, Russia, def. G. Zemlja, Slovenia, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1; F. Fognini, Italy, def. G. Monfils (13), France, 2-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-4, 9-7; J. Isner (17), USA, def. M. Chiudinelli, Switzerland, 6-7 (7-3), 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7), 6-4; A. Roddick (6), USA, def. B. Kavcic, Slovenia, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2; A. Murray (4), Britain, def. J. Ignacio Chela, Argenti- na, 6-2, 6-7 (7-5), 6-3, 6-2; P. Andujar, Spain, vs. T. Bellucci (24), Brazil, 6-1, 3-6, susp., darkness; I. Ljubicic (14), Croatia, vs. M. Fish, USA, 6-2, 6-7 (10-8), susp., darkness.
Singles— Women— Second Round
L. Na (11), China, def. S. Cohen-Aloro, France, 6-2, 6-2; A. Kleybanova (28), Russia, def. A. Iva- novic, Serbia, 6-3, 6-0; Y. Shvedova, Kazakhstan, def. A. Radwanska (8), Poland, 7-5, 6-3; A. Rodio- nova, Australia, def. V. Zvonareva (21), Russia, 6-4, 6-4; J. Jankovic (4), Serbia, def. K. Kanepi, Es- tonia, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4; A. Wozniak, Canada, def. K. Bondarenko (32), Ukraine, 6-4, 6-1; J. Groth, Aus- tralia, def. K. Date Krumm, Japan, 6-0, 6-3; E. De- mentieva (5), Russia, def. A. Medina Garrigues, Spain, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3); A. Bondarenko (27), Ukraine, def. M. Rybarikova, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-3; O. Sanchez, France, leads M. Bartoli (13), France, 5-4, susp., darkness; M. Sharapova (12), Russia, leads K. Flipkens, Belgium, 6-3, 2-2, susp., darkness; S. Peer (18), Israel, def. B. Mattek-Sands, USA, 3-6, 6-0, 6-1; J. Henin (22), Belgium, leads Klara Zako- palova, Czech Republic, 6-3, 3-2, susp., darkness; F. Schiavone (17), Italy, def. S. Ferguson, Aus- tralia, 6-2, 6-2.
Doubles— Men— First Round
B. and M. Bryan (1), USA, def. J. Hajek, Czech Re- public, and L. Lacko, Slovakia, 6-3, 6-1.
Doubles— Women— Second Round
L. Raymond, USA, and R. Stubbs (7), Australia, def. A. Cornet and A. Rezai, France, 6-2, 6-2.
LOCAL GOLF
NVRMGA Matches
Army Navy-Arlington 26, Westwood 10 Army Navy-Fairfax 24, Fairfax National 12 Chantilly 18 1
⁄2
CC of Fairfax 23 1 Fort Belvoir 23 1 International 28 1
⁄2
, Hidden Creek 17 1 ⁄2
⁄2 , Evergreen 12 1 ⁄2
, Mount Vernon 12 1 ⁄2
, Heritage Hunt 7 1
⁄2 ⁄2
Springfield 26, Belle Haven 10 Chantilly National — In the ladies home and home tournament, Annie Baker, Dottie Dobbins and Myrna Fulton won first gross with 164 while Tina Bingham, Pat Cunningham, Barbara Wright and Casey Thompson won first net with 117. Columbia — In the ladies’ mix-n’match event, Kathy Cortese, Karin Weber, Stephanie Farrell and Betty Ann McGeehan won with 107. Kenwood — In the niner’s member/guest event, Trish Elliot, Cindy O’Neill and Jennifer Manders won with 48. Lakewood — In the 18 hole mini guest day event, Kay Colen and Priscilla Hoffman won with 52. Norbeck — James Strosnider, Eli Conner, Buck Hartley and David Rubin won the MISGA event.
winner have never been higher. “We have to believe in our
team,” said Roger Milla, who at age 38 scored four goals at the 1990 World Cup for the Lions, making him one of the first ma- jor African soccer stars. “With hard work and discipline, we can win.”
Eyes of the world
Unlike previous World Cups, there is more scrutiny and pres- sure on the organizers — not least because of the continent’s negative image. “Even 20 days before the
World Cup, there are people doubting the capabilities of South Africa to host the World Cup,” said Samuel Noufesse, president of Lausanne, a local Cameroonian team. “If South Africa can host it without prob- lems, it will help change the per- ceptions the world has about Af- rica.”
Others are cynical. They note
that South Africa has staged other large events, including the Rugby World Cup in 1995. How- ever successful next month’s World Cup, they say it will do lit- tle to change the continent’s grim realities. “It won’t change the perceptions of Africa,” said Milla, shaking his head. But perhaps the biggest im-
pact could be on the next gener- ation, especially if African teams do well. “They will dream of achieving the same thing, and they will have more confidence they can achieve their dreams,” Noufesse said.
Anguissa, the young player, is already confident. He practices five hours a day. He embraces his parents’ sacrifices. It is all part of the plan, he said, to “be- come the best football player in the world.”
raghavans@washpost.com
Soccer Insider
6Blogging at
FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2010
washingtonpost.com/ soccerinsider
Thousands of tickets
are still available
FIFA says more than 160,000
World Cup tickets are still unsold with the tournament kickoff two weeks away. FIFA secretary general Jerome
Valcke revealed the ticketing status at a ceremony marking the handover of Johannesburg’s Ellis Park stadium to World Cup organizers on Thursday. None of the 64 games is sold
out after FIFA released an extra 90,000 tickets — which were not wanted by its various sponsors and affiliates. Valcke said “all is nearly
perfect” when asked about final World Cup preparations, but the high-end category one tickets, which range from $160 to $900, appear to be causing problems. More than 75,000 category one
tickets, unaffordable for the majority of South Africans, are still available.
Essien out, Rooney fine
Ghana midfielder Michael Essien will miss the World Cup after failing to recover from a knee injury.
Essien injured a hamstring while playing for Chelsea against APOEL Nicosia in the European Champions League on Dec. 8. He returned to play the second half for Ghana against Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations of Jan. 15, then injured his right knee two days later during training. He has not played since. “An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make full recovery until the end of July,” the association said Thursday on its Web site. . . . England Coach Fabio Capello
says striker Wayne Rooney is ready for the World Cup after assorted injuries. Rooney had knee, ankle and groin problems the last two months of the season. But Capello tells Sky Sports Italia he’s now pleased because Rooney is “100 percent.”
Denmark tops Senegal
Christian Poulsen and Thomas
Enevoldsen scored to lead World Cup-bound Denmark over visiting Senegal, 2-0, on the eve of its departure for South Africa. Poulsen got the first goal in the
27th minute off a pass from Jon Dahl Tomasson, and Enevoldsen scored in second-half stoppage time. . . . In Villach, Austria, Georgie
Welcome scored on a header in the 71st minute, three minutes after entering the game, to give Honduras a 2-2 tie against Belarus.
— From news services
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