Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) -
SOCCER: U.S. Earns a 1-1 Draw Against England to Open Play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup
In one of the most anticipated games in U.S. Soccer history, the U.S. Men's National Team opened play in the 2010 FIFA World Cup with an intense 1-1 draw with England in Rustenburg, South Africa. The match was played in front of a spirited crowd of 38,646 fans at Royal Bafokeng Stadium and featured a fourth minute goal from England's Steven Gerrard and a 40th minute strike from U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey.
The U.S. had a number of inspired performances during the match, with goalkeeper Tim Howard leading the way. Appearing in the first World Cup game of his career, the 31-yearold veteran earned ussoccer.com Man of the Match honors by handling every foray into the penalty area with steady decision-making and sure hands, helping to limit England's chances.
With his goal, Dempsey joined former U.S. forward Brian McBride as the only players in team history to score in two different FIFA World Cup tournaments (2006 and 2010).
The USA's World Cup journey continues on Friday (June 18) against Slovenia at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, and then on June 23 against Algeria in Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Both matches kickoff at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) live on ESPN HD and Univision, with special pre-game coverage beginning at 9:30 a.m. on ESPN.
ARCHERY: Anschutz Strikes Gold at World Cup
The final day of the 2010 Archery World Cup Stage 2 in Antalya, Turkey witnessed the continued success of the United States medal haul that was led with U.S. women's compounder Erika Anschutz gold medal, which was her first ever World Cup championship. Braden Gellenthien climbed onto the award stand with a silver medal in men's compound, while U.S. Olympian Brady Ellison brought home the bronze in recurve. Just missing out for another piece of hardware was Roger Willet, Jr., in men's compound, who finished fourth.
During the four-day competition, the United States earned a total of eight medals at the second stop of the four qualifying stages of the 2010 Archery World Cup. The pivotal third stage will be hosted by the United States in the Ogden, Utah, Aug. 3-7.
WEIGHTLIFTING: Olympians Chad Vaughn and Natalie Burgener Return to Top of the Senior Nationals Podium
Chad Vaughn (Florence, Texas) arrived in Peoria, Ill. to compete in his first Senior Nationals since Beijing. Vaughn, who returned to competition in December with a win at the American Open, lifted a total of 325kg in the 77kg division - his best result since the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Weightlifting. In addition to winning his sixth overall National title, Vaughn also won golds in both the snatch and clean and jerk where he lifted 145kg and 180kg, respectively.Two years after narrowly missing qualification for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, Casey Burgener (Colorado Springs, Colo.) returned to competition at the USA Weightlifting Senior National Championships on Sunday. Although Burgener was the Senior National Champion in 2006 and 2007, this marked his first gold medal in the 105kg division where he totaled 357kg - beating silver and bronze medalists Timothy Rabas (Corvallis, Ore.) and Benn Overkamp (St. Louis, Mo.) who lifted 330kg and 320kg, respectively.
Beijing Olympian Natalie Burgener (Colorado Springs, Colo.) competed in her first major event since 2008 and had little difficulty winning the 63kg division by 42kg. Burgener was all smiles after claiming her fourth Senior National title with a total of 205kg that also puts her in contention to qualify for a fourth Senior World Team appearance. The silver medalist in the +75kg division at the Pan Ams, Sarah Robles (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won her second Senior National title. Robles completed all six of her lifts with a total of 226kg.
WRESTLING: Sigman, Campbell and 19 Other Wrestlers Earn Berths to September's World Championships in Moscow, Russia
Lee Sigman (State College, Pa.), the four-time NCAA Division II champion from Nebraska-Omaha turned in a sparkling and dominating performance in sweeping 2009 World bronze medalist Tervel Dlagnev (Columbus, Ohio) to win the U.S. World Team Trials in Council Bluffs, Iowa over the weekend. Sigman, backed by a boisterous cheering section, beat Tervel Dlagnev 1-0, 2-1 in the first match before taking the second match 3-3, 4-1 on Saturday night at the Mid- America Center.
Kelsey Campbell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned a spot on the USA World Team when she lost the first match to Deanna Rix at the U.S. World Team Trials Friday night, but regained her focus to win the final two matches and avenge last year's loss to make her first appearance as part of the national team, which will compete in Moscow, Russia this September.
GYMNASTICS: Gluckstein, Dooley Win Nissen Cup Synchro Gold
Steven Gluckstein (Atlantic Highlands, N.J.), and Logan Dooley (Lake Forest, Calif.), won the synchronized trampoline gold medal at the 2010 Nissen Cup, the second World Cup event of the Trampoline World Cup series, at the Indoor Sport Davos in Switzerland. Scoring a 49.80, Gluckstein and Dooley won their second World Cup synchro gold. The duo won the USA's first men's World Cup gold medal when they clinched the synchronized trampoline title at the 2009 Ostend World Cup.
BASKETBALL: Selections for U17 and U18 National Teams Announced
After three days at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, USA Basketball announced the finalists of the 2010 USA Women's U17and U18 National Team. The USA U17 team will compete in the inaugural FIBA U17 World Championship, July 16-25, in Rodez and Toulouse, France; while team U18 will compete in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women, June 23-27 at the USOTC. The selections were made by the USA Basketball Women's Developmental National Team Committee, following three days of trials June 8-10 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Following three days of trials that featured 36 of the nation's top 17-and- unders and held at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball announced the inaugural four-member 2010 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team. Named to the 2010 U.S. Youth Olympic Games Team were: Briyona Canty (Trenton Catholic Academy / Willingboro, N.J.); Andraya Carter (Buford H.S. / Flowery Branch, Ga.); Amber Henson (Sickles H.S. / Tampa, Fla.); and Kiah Stokes (Linn Mar H.S. / Marion, Iowa).
MODERN PENTATHLON: Youth A World Championships Conclude in Sweden
The U.S. women's team of Samantha Achterberg (Littleton, Colo.), Anna Olesinski (Roswell, N.M.), who took ninth place earlier this week in the individual competition, and McKenzie West (Sedalia, Colo.) placed 11th in Sunday's relay with a total of 2864 points in Uppsala, Sweden. They combined for 35 wins in the fencing portion, and had times of 3:32.01 in the swim and 27:53.14 in the combined run/shoot. team from China captured the women's relay title with 3556 points, followed by Hungary with 3464 and Russia with 3396.
The U.S. men's team of Ryan Anderson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Cory Cranford (Morrison, Colo.) and Andrew Wiggins (Laurel, Miss.) finished 16th in the relay competition with 2580 points. The trio posted 29 wins in the fencing and clocked in at 3:20.26 in the swim and 29:12.47 in the combined run/shoot. Korea was the top men's relay team with 4664 points, while France finished second with 4604 and Hungary took third place with 4494 points.
TRIATHLON: Bennett, Shoemaker Lead Americans at Hy-Vee Event
USA Triathlon National Team members Laura Bennett (Boulder, Colo.) and Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.) grabbed top-10 finishes against a top-notch international field Sunday at the Hy-Vee ITU Triathlon Elite Cup at Raccoon River Park.
Bennett, who was sixth in the women's race, and Shoemaker, who took ninth in the subsequent men's event, led the way for the Americans on an afternoon which produced six top-20 finishes in the Olympic- distance race for Team USA.
The winner of the inaugural Hy-Vee Triathlon in 2007, Bennett finished in 2 hours, 18 seconds for her third career top-10 showing in Des Moines. Australian Emma Snowsill clocked a blistering 34:05 run spit to claim her second Hy-Vee title in 1:59:35.
VOLLEYBALL: Kessy, Ross Secure Silver Medals in Moscow; U.S. Women Settle for Silver at Montreux; U.S. Men Finish Off Finland in Fourth Set
The U.S. women's beach volleyball team of Jen Kessy (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) and April Ross (Costa Mesa, Calif.) came away with the silver medal on Sunday while two U.S. men's teams will compete in Monday's semifinals of the SWATCH FIVB World Tour Grand Slam Presented by Seat in Moscow, Russia. Kessy and Ross, the tournament's second-ranked team, fell to China's eighth seeded Chen Xue and Xi Zhang in Sunday's gold-medal match, 21-17, 21-19 in 41 minutes. They split $29,500 for second place. It was the fourth international medal the team has won this season and the first silver.
On the men's side, Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser had their title streak snapped Monday in the championship match against a team from China at the $600,000 Swatch-FIVB Moscow Grand Slam. China's victory ended a streak of three straight championships for Rogers and Dalhausser. They had won in Italy and Poland on the FIVB World Tour and captured a domestic AVP title in Huntington Beach before traveling to Russia.
The U.S. Women's National Team lost to China 23-25, 29-27, 25-22, 25-20 in the Montreux Volley Masters gold-medal match Sunday afternoon at Montreux, Switzerland. The U.S., which was playing in the event for the first time since 2005, settled for the silver medal. Earlier in the day, Cuba swept Russia 25-13, 25-18, 27-25 to earn the bronze medal.
Cynthia Barboza (Long Beach, Calif.) led the U.S. in scoring with 20 points via 18 kills, one block and one ace. The Americans finished second in Pool A with a 2-1 record and needed to defeat NORCECA-rival and Pool B winner Cuba in the semifinals to advance to the gold-medal match. China, which finished second in Pool B behind Cuba, defeated Pool A winner Russia in the semifinals to advance to the title match.
Getting great play in the fourth set from some of its younger athletes, the U.S. Men's Volleyball Team held off three set points to defeat Finland, 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-21, 28-26) on Saturday in an FIVB World League match in Tampere, Finland. The U.S. Men improved their record to 2-2 in Group C and they sit in second place as they return to the United States to play two pool play matches against Egypt (1-3) on June 18-19 in Concord, N.C. Finland fell to 1-3 and is in third place in Group C.
FIGURE SKATING: Lineups Announced For 2010 ISU Grand Prix Of Figure Skating
The International Skating Union (ISU) and U.S. Figure Skating announced Sunday the skater selections for the 2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which will begin Oct. 22-24 with the NHK Trophy in Nagoya, Japan. The Grand Prix Series, which enters its 16th season, incorporates six prestigious international figure skating competitions as a unified point-scoring series that awards prize money to eligible skaters.
At the conclusion of the six events, athletes' points are totaled, and the top six ladies, men, pairs and ice dancing teams are invited to compete at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This year the Grand Prix Final will be held Dec. 9-12 in Beijing, China.
Representing the United States include Rachael Flatt (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Mirai Nagasu (Arcadia, Calif.), Jeremy Abbott (Aspen, Colo.), and ice dancing couple Meryl Davis (West Bloomfield, Mich.) and Charlie White (Royal Oak, Mich.).
JUDO: Travis Stevens Wins Silver at Lisbon World Cup
Beijing Olympian Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass.) won his second medal on the World Tour this year on Sunday with a second place finish in the 81kg division at the Lisbon World Cup in Portugal.
The win marked the first time Stevens, a two-time Grand Slam bronze medalist, advanced to the finals of a World Tour event. With qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games kicking off last month, Stevens also earns valuable points on the world ranking list. Stevens won each of his first four matches by ippon (instant win) to qualify for the finals.
SAILING: USSTAG's Andrew Campbell, Brad Nichol Win Silver Medal at Star Europeans; All Teams Finish in Top Five
US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics' (USSTAG) Star teams had a stronghold on a deep, 132-boat fleet this past week at the 2010 Star European Championship in Viareggio, Italy, the biggest Star event in the class' history. USSTAG's Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.)/Brad Nichol (Miami, Fla.) won a silver medal, while the teams of George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.)/Mark Strube (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Mark Mendelblatt (St. Petersburg, Fla.)/John von Schwarz (Annapolis, Md.) finished fourth and fifth, respectively
TRACK & FIELD: Diamond League Brings Top Performances to Adidas Grand Prix
In its sixth year as a world-wide athletics attraction, the Adidas Grand Prix threw an internationally renowned event in New York at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island. Saturday's Adidas Grand Prix set nine meet records, four world-leading marks and two national records.
Bershawn Jackson and Kerron Clement battled over the men's 400m hurdles title. Clement's long stride gave him an advantage in the homestretch to win in 47.86. Improving on her world-leading time from the Oslo Bislett Games and further staking her claim on the Diamond League first-place standing, Lolo Jones finished the women's 100m hurdles in 12.55 seconds. Perdita Felicien of Canada was behind her in 12.58.
WEEKLY PREVIEW - JUNE 15-21
BOXING: The 2010 Junior Olympic National Championships will take place June 14-19 at Camp Lejuene in North Carolina. The top male and female boxers will compete in multiple weight classes.
BADMINTON: The USA Badminton NY Open will take place in Flushing, N.Y. on June 18.
CANOE/KAYAK: The World Cup Race 1 will take place in the Czech Republic on June 18. This event is an ICF ranking event in slalom.
MODERN PENTATHLON: The World Cup Final will take place June 18-20 in Moscow, Russia. Representing Team USA are Margaux Isaksen and Sam Sacksen.
RUGBY: The Churchill Cup will continue as the USA Eagles play the loser of the Canada/France A match for the Plate, on June 19 at 5:30 p.m. at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. The Can-Am series for the women's rugby team will begin on Monday, June 14 in Shawnigan Lake, B.C. The second match will be on Friday, June 18 in Langford, B.C.
SAILING: Kiel Week, a stop on the ISAF Sailing World Cup, will take place in Kiel, Germany June 18-23. Men and women will compete in the 470, 420, Finn, 49er, Laser, Star, Laser Radial, RS:X and WMR events.
SOCCER: The 2010 FIFA World Cup began June 11 and will run through July 11 in South Africa. Team USA will face Slovenia on Friday, June 18 at 10am (ET) at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
SWIMMING: More than 10 U.S. Olympians, including Olympic gold medalists Natalie Coughlin (Vallejo, Calif.) and Ryan Lochte (Daytona Beach, Calif.), will compete at the Swimnetwork.com Santa Clara International Grand Prix, June 17-20 in Santa Clara, Calif. The meet is the second-to-last stop of the eight-meet USA Swimming Grand Prix Series.
The top medal-winner at the conclusion of the Grand Prix Series will be awarded $20,000, courtesy of USA Swimming. Swimmers are awarded five points for a gold medal, three points for a silver medal and one point for a bronze medal. The Series concludes July 11 in Los Angeles. National Teamer Chloe Sutton is the current Grand Prix Series leader with 16 gold medals and 99 points overall.
TENNIS: The Wimbledon Championships will take place June 21-July 7 in London, England. Representing the U.S. will be Andy Roddick and Venus and Serena Williams.
