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KLMNO SOCCER Could Boskovic be the answer to D.C. United’s woes?
Veteran of European clubs hopes to propel team out of last place
by Steven Goff Had he arrived in the spring,
Branko Boskovic would have en- joyed ample time to build up his fitness, learn about his new D.C. United teammates and progres- sively adapt to the club’s philoso- phy.
But time is short. The MLS sea- son has passed the midway junc- ture, and United is desperate for victories in order to revive its playoff wish. Since his entrance this month,
Boskovic has taken a crash course in American soccer, and after brief appearances in a pair of reg- ular season matches and influ- ential starting roles in two non- league games last week, the at- tacking midfielder is poised to orchestrate United’s attack Satur- day night against reigning cham- pion Real Salt Lake at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. “I am a simple guy,” he said. “All of the players here have good character and are friendly. You need time to know the players, know how they play and know what they like. It’s starting to come together.” It will need to come together
quickly. United (3-11-3) has the fewest points (12) in the 16-mem- ber league, and while its pros- pects of reaching the eight-team postseason are grim, the imple- mentation of summer signings Boskovic and Argentine forward Pablo Hernandez promises to bol- ster an attack that has produced just 12 goals and been shut out 11 times. “We have been able to incorpo-
rate him more into the team, and he has fit in nicely,” Coach Curt Onalfo said of Boskovic. “He has instincts to go forward, but he is tactically intelligent and knows where to be defensively.” Boskovic’s promotion into the lineup has altered United’s ap- proach. Instead of playing with two deep-lying central midfield- ers in tandem — Clyde Simms and Stephen King formed a steady partnership of late — Onalfo plans to use Simms in de- fensive support of Boskovic and create a diamond-shaped mid- field with a variety of options on the wings. Much is expected of Boskovic, 30, whose designated player con- tract is one of the largest in club history. Terms were not released, and the players’ union salary list probably won’t be updated for several weeks. His career has taken him from famed Serbian club Red Star Bel- grade to French sides Paris Saint- Germain and Troyes, then to Rap- id Vienna for 41
⁄2 years. He was
born in Yugoslavia and played for Serbia and Montenegro in inter-
SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2010 TENNIS
Qualifying gives upstarts their shots at Legg Mason
Six of the world’s top 20
tennis players, led by top American Andy Roddick and Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, are about to descend on Washington for the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, which runs through Aug. 8 at the William H.G. FitzGerald Ten- nis Center in Rock Creek Park. But some of the more fierce
competition will unfold in this weekend’s qualifying matches, in which 24 lesser- known hopefuls vie for six re- maining spots in the 48-play- er draw.
Qualifying for the $1.4 mil- lion hard-court classic gets under way Saturday at 10 a.m. and continues Sunday at the same time. The matches, all contested at the FitzGerald Center, offer a chance to see rising stars such as Somdev Devvarman, a two-time NCAA singles champion at Virginia, who advanced to the tourna- ment’s third round last year, and Devin Britton, who in 2009 became the youngest (at 18) to win an NCAA singles ti- tle as a freshman at Missis- sippi. Later that year Britton had the dubious distinction of drawing Roger Federer as his first-round opponent in his Grand Slam tournament de- but, at the U.S. Open. Others of note in the Legg
Mason’s qualifying draw: Lo- cals Denis Kudla of Arlington and Junior Ore of Gaithers- burg, both of whom train at the Junior Tennis Champions Center in College Park. Kudla, 17, turned pro while in high school and is ranked 612th in singles. In July, he won his first match on the ATP tour, defeating Santiago Ventura, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in New- port, R.I.
Ore, also 17, upset the JOHN MCDONNELL / THE WASHINGTON POST United’s Branko Boskovic, right, signed a designated player contract that is one of the largest in club history. He will start Saturday night.
national competition 12 times, and when Montenegro became an independent country in 2006, he chose to represent his father’s ethnic heritage. In Montenegro’s first official
event, the qualifying stages for the 2010 World Cup, Boskovic started seven of 10 matches and captained the squad multiple times. Montenegro (1-3-6) fin- ished fifth out of six teams in a group that included Italy and Ire- land. Largely inactive since the Aus- trian season ended in May, Bos- kovic has had to work on fitness. Upon becoming eligible two-plus weeks ago, he played 18 and 17
D.C. United at Real Salt Lake
Where: Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah. When: 9 p.m. TV: Comcast SportsNet. Records: United 3-11-3, 12 points; Real Salt Lake 9-4-4, 31 points. D.C. probable starters (4-4-2 formation): GK Troy Perkins; Ds Devon McTavish, Carey Talley, Julius James, Jordan Graye; MFs Santino
minutes, respectively, against the Seattle Sounders and Los Angeles Galaxy before scoring in the first minute of his first start, against third-tier Harrisburg in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. He was
Quaranta, Clyde Simms, Branko Boskovic, Andy Najar; Fs Pablo Hernandez, Danny Allsopp. RSL probable starters (4-4-2 formation): GK Nick Rimando; Ds Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert; MFs Andy Williams, Ned Grabavoy, Javier Morales, Will Johnson; Fs Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola.
in the starting lineup last Satur- day against English club Ports- mouth, registering an assist in 61 minutes of a 4-0 victory.
Conditioning has been a chal- lenge in the oppressive heat and
humidity of a Washington sum- mer. “It’s very, very hot, and even if you are physically good, it’s hard. It’s a difficult climate, but I have gotten used to it,” he said. “These last two games helped me a lot. I feel like I can play at a good level now.”
Notes: Forward Chris Pontius (foot), defender Devon McTavish (calf), defender Dejan Jakovic (hamstring), forward Adam Crist- man (abdominal) and defender Marc Burch (foot) were all expec- ted to be available after injury lay- offs. Defender Juan Manuel Peña (quadriceps) remains sidelined.
goffs@washpost.com
Stars take the field at M&T Bank Stadium for Saturday’s friendly soccer from D1 Young players might primarily
make up the side against Inter, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “The players have shown that
they’ve got the temperament to rub shoulders with the first-team players,” Mancini said. “So for me a great thing has been the tem- perament of the young players.” Mancini also will not be at Sat- urday’s game after he suddenly
left the team for Italy later Friday because of a family illness, the As- sociated Press reported. Manchester City is coming off a
penalty-kick victory over Mexico’s Club America in Atlanta and has played in three preseason match- es in the United States in the past week. Saturday will be Inter’s first preseason game.
Both teams had busy offseasons
for different reasons. Disappoint- ed with its fifth-place finish in the Premier League, which leaves the
club just outside of the Champi- ons League next year, Manchester City has been aggressive in the transfer market. The club has brought in several players, includ- ing Silva and Jérôme Boateng, and may make further changes. The team is rumored to be in pursuit of several players, includ- ing Landon Donovan, and report- edly is on the verge of acquiring 19-year-old Inter striker Mario Balotelli to a five-year deal. The acquisition would push the team’s
spending over the $150 million mark. Mancini would not comment on the potential addition of Dono- van, except to say, “When you sign on the dotted line, that’s when they start talking about you.” On the other hand, Inter’s ma- jor change wasn’t by choice. Coach Jose Mourinho resigned af- ter the team’s Champions League victory to manage Real Madrid. Saturday’s match will be Rafael Benitez’s first as Inter manager.
DIGEST TELEVISION AND RADIO
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 4 p.m. 4 p.m. 7 p.m.
7 p.m. 8 p.m.
SOCCER 9 p.m.
GOLF 10 a.m. 3 p.m. 4 p.m.
TENNIS 3 p.m. 5 p.m.
10:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Cincinnati » WTTG (Channel 5) Detroit at Boston » WBFF (Channel 45)
Philadelphia at Washington » MASN, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)
Baltimore at Kansas City » MASN2, WJZ (Channel 13), WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM)
Chicago Cubs at Colorado » WGN
MLS, D.C. United at Real Salt Lake » Comcast SportsNet, Spanish WDCN (87.7 FM)
Women’s British Open » ESPN
PGA Tour, Greenbrier Classic » WUSA (Channel 9), WJZ (Channel 13) U.S. Senior Open » WRC (Channel 4), WBAL (Channel 11)
Bank of the West Classic » ESPN2 Farmers Classic » ESPN2 Farmers Classic » ESPN2
AUTO RACING 7:30 p.m.
NASCAR Nationwide Series, U.S. Cellular 250 » ESPN2 PRO BASKETBALL Attorney: Armed men were seeking L. Wright
An attorney said three armed men looking for Lorenzen Wright showed up at the home of the former NBA player’s ex-wife about six weeks before he was found shot to death. Lawyer Gail Mathes said Fri-
day her client, Sherra Wright, was afraid for herself and her children so kept quiet until Mon- day. She then alerted police in Collierville, a Memphis suburb. Mathes said the men, dressed
in sport coats with weapons in view, threatened Sherra Wright and her family if she told anyone about the visit. Mathes’s account was first reported by the Com- mercial Appeal. Lorenzen Wright’s body was found Wednesday in woods in Memphis. He had been missing since July 18, when he left his ex- wife’s house around midnight with an unidentified person.
only from Comcast.
GOLF Yani Tseng, a 21-year-old from
Taiwan, shot her second consec- utive 4-under-par 68 to take a
four-shot lead after the second round of the Women’s British Open in Southport, England. Christie Kerr posted the tour- nament low round with a 5-under 67 to join fellow American Britta- ny Lincicome and South Korea’s Amy Young at 4 under.
Rain washed over Royal Birk- dale in the afternoon, making things difficult for the late start- ers — including defending cham- pion Catriona Matthew of Scot- land, who missed the cut by seven strokes after making a 10 at the par-four 13th hole. . . . Jeff Overton shot an 8-under 62 to take a four-stroke lead mid- way through the Greenbrier Clas- sic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. Overton, winless in five years on the PGA Tour, shot the low round of the tournament, us- ing wedges on all but one ap- proach shot during a bogey-free round. He is 14 under. Boo Week- leyer is 10 under after a 63. Jim- my Walker (64) and double heart transplant recipient Erik Comp- ton (68) are 9 under. . . .
In Sammamish, Wash., Bern-
hard Langer overcame a shaky front nine with an eagle and bird- ie on the back nine to take the clubhouse lead at 3 under in the second round of the U.S. Senior Open. After a fog delay of more than two hours brought play to a halt Friday morning, Langer shot a 2-under 68. He was one stroke behind first-round leader Bruce Vaughan, who teed off later Fri- day afternoon.
SOCCER France has won the under-19 European Championship for the second time, rallying past Spain, 2-1, in Caen, France. Chelsea winger Gael Kakuta set up Al- exandre Lacazette for the win- ning goal with five minutes to go. Spain opened the scoring in the 18th minute on a goal by Rodri- go. Gilles Sunu tied it for the French in the 49th. . . .
Swiss club Sion has declined to
sign Freddy Adu after the former U.S. international star spent the week there in training. Sion said on its Web site that Adu, 21, had undeniable qualities but did not fit in with its plans. . . .
The Colorado Rapids have bol- stered their defense by acquiring Anthony Wallace in a deal with FC Dallas, giving up a fourth- round pick in the 2011 draft and a conditional pick in 2012.
MISC. West Virginia University says
men’s basketball Coach Bob Hug- gins’s fall that resulted in broken ribs in a Las Vegas hotel room last week occurred because medica- tion taken on an empty stomach left him lightheaded when he stood up too quickly, tripped and fell into a table. . . . Pocono Raceway in Long Pond,
Pa., has flipped the switch on a solar energy system that leaders say will make the NASCAR track the world’s largest solar-powered sports facility. It will be partially up and running this weekend and provide power to the raceway for Sunday’s Pennsylvania 500. It would be the first track to run on solar energy. . . . The Cleveland Cavaliers signed
6-foot-7 former Nuggets swing- man Joey Graham, who averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 63 games last season for Denver. — From news services
City has lost two of three in its
U.S. preseason tour and will head back across the Atlantic after Sat- urday for a Ferrostaal Cup game against Borussia Dortmund. The team will play a friendly against Valencia on Aug. 7 before opening the EPL season against Totten- ham on Aug. 14. Inter will travel to Toronto to
play Greek club Panathinaikos on Tuesday and to Dallas to play MLS’s FC Dallas.
castilloj@washpost.com JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES
Former Virginia star Somdev Devvarman, a two-time NCAA singles champ, will try and qualify for the draw.
world’s top-ranked junior and defending champion Daniel Berta in the first round of the French Open Junior tourna- ment earlier this summer. To earn a spot in the main
draw, players who go through qualifying must win two matches. Berdych, who fell to Rafael
Nadal in straights sets in the Wimbledon final earlier this month, is the tournament’s top seed, having risen to No. 8 in the world rankings. Rod- dick, a three-time Legg Mason champion and three-time Wimbledon finalist, is the No. 2 seed, ranked ninth. Also in the field are former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt and the tournament’s 2002 champion, James Blake. — Liz Clarke
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