Clark County native Nick Palodichuk helped set up a late opportunity, but the United States dropped its opening match on Monday at soccer’s Under-17 World Cup, falling to Spain 2-1 in Kano, Nigeria.
Palodichuk, wearing No. 11, played the whole match in midfield for the United States. He made a pass to start a play in stoppage time that ended with a shot right at the Spanish goalkeeper.
The second of three group matches for the Americans will take place at 8 a.m. PDT on Thursday against Malawi. The match will be broadcast on ESPNU (Comcast 411 and 727), Galavision (Comcast 619) and online at ESPN360.com.
Jack McInerney scored for the United States four minutes into Monday’s match, converting after Spain goalkeeper Edgar failed to control a long U.S. throw-in.
The goal came moments after Spanish defender Sergi Gomez was ejected for fouling McInerney from behind on a clear scoring chance.
Despite playing 10 on 11 the rest of the way, Spain scored twice within eight minutes in the first half, then defended through most of the second 45 minutes. Strikers Borja and Pablo Satasbia teamed up on both Spanish goals, each getting one goal and one assist.
The FIFA men’s under-17 World Cup is played every two years.
Winterhawks at home tonight
The Portland Winterhawks, hot off a 4-2 road trip though the Western Hockey League’s Central Division, return home tonight to face the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Fans planning on attending the 7 p.m. game at the Memorial Coliseum should be aware the Rose Quarter will be a hub of activity with the Portland Trail Blazers opening their NBA season at the Rose Garden next door, also at 7 p.m.
The Winterhawks (11-5-0-0) share first place in the U.S. Division with Tri-City (11-2-0-0) as both teams have 22 points.
Brandon (8-6-0-1) features center Brayden Schenn, the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings. Schenn has four goals and 13 assists in 11 games this season.
Six of the Winterhawks’ next seven games are at home, including three in the Rose Garden.
Andretti defends late caution
John Andretti defended NASCAR’s decision not to throw a caution when he could not move his disabled car from the finish line at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday.
Andretti crashed on the frontstretch during the next to lap of the race, and NASCAR apparently believed he could move his car out of the way in time for the field to race its way across the finish line. Because he could not, the caution wasn’t called until the cars were coming out of the final turn and quickly closing in on Andretti.
“It wasn’t a bad call,” Andretti said in a statement on Monday. “To me, I wasn’t in a great position, but I wasn’t in an overly dangerous position. NASCAR focuses on the race itself, and they want to see the winner come across the finish line.
“It’s probably the call I would’ve made. I would’ve gotten out of the way if I could’ve. But I had a couple of issues. The car was too damaged.”
NHL: Moyes agrees to sell
Phoenix Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes has agreed to sell the bankrupt franchise to the NHL. The agreement, which still must be approved by Judge Redfield T. Baum, was announced in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Monday after attorneys met for more than an hour during a recess in a status hearing on the case.
Former coach Wayne Gretzky, who has a $22.5 million claim in the case, has not agreed to the deal. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that once the deal closes, hopefully on Nov. 2, the league will immediately look to sell the team, preferably to an owner who will keep the club in Arizona.
n Atlanta Thrashers star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, one of the league’s top scorers, is expected to miss three to five weeks with a broken bone in his right foot.
n New Jersey defenseman Paul Martin and left wing Jay Pandolfo will be sidelined four to six weeks after being injured in the Devils’ game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Martin has a broken left arm that will not require surgery. Pandolfo has a shoulder injury.
Serena, Safina battle for No. 1
After months of debate about who is more deserving of the No. 1 ranking, Serena Williams and Dinara Safina will settle the issue on the court at the WTA Tour’s season-ending Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Safina recaptured the top ranking from Williams on Monday, but the margin is so slim that the player who performs better at this week’s tournament in Doha will end the year at No. 1. If both players have equal results, Safina keeps the top ranking.
The eight-player tournament starts today with a round-robin stage. The top two players from each group advance to the semifinals. Williams and Safina are in different groups, meaning they will not face each other until a potential match in the knockout rounds.
Williams was drawn with her sister Venus and Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Dementieva. The other group consists of Safina, former No. 1 Jelena Jankovic of Serbia, Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Danish teenager Caroline Wozniacki.
Lesnar out of UFC main event
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar has withdrawn from his upcoming title defense against Shane Carwin because of an illness.
Lesnar was scheduled to fight Carwin in the main event of UFC 106 on Nov. 21 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The former professional wrestler and college wrestling champion said Monday he’s been out of training for nearly a month while battling the unspecified illness.
Tito Ortiz’s return to UFC against former champion Forrest Griffin will become the main event at UFC 106.
Maccabi apologizes for coach
The president of Maccabi Tel Aviv has apologized to the NBA and the Knicks for its coach’s behavior during an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden.
In his letter, Maccabi Tel Aviv president Shimon Mizrahi thanked the NBA and the Knicks for their hospitality, and said coach Pini Gershon should have left the court immediately after receiving two technical fouls in an Oct. 18 loss to the Knicks.
