Landon Donovan will not be returning to Bayer Leverkusen, which said yesterday that Donovan will rejoin Major League Soccer after 2 1/2 months in Germany.
The 23-year-old forward, the U.S. player of the year for three straight years, expressed frustration over his lack of playing time.
Three-time U.S. player of the year Landon Donovan, right, is unhappy with his playing time for Bayer Leverkusen and could be headed to the L.A. Galaxy.
(John Todd -- AP)
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"He had the possibility built into his contract to leave if he wanted," Bayer Leverkusen spokesman Uli Dost said. "This is the logical consequence."
The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that the Los Angeles Galaxy was close to sending Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz to Dallas so they could acquire Donovan.
• COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kentucky Coach Tubby Smith met with Wildcats Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart yesterday and informed him that he's not interested in Virginia's coaching vacancy. Smith, a former assistant at Virginia Commonwealth, was considered the top target for the Cavaliers, who fired Pete Gillen this month. Virginia is now expected to turn its attention to DePaul Coach Dave Leiato, Alabama-Birmingham Coach Mike Anderson and Texas Coach Rick Barnes, among other candidates. . . .
Utah's Andrew Bogut, Dee Brown of Illinois, Sean May of North Carolina, Duke's J.J. Redick and WayneSimien of Kansas were named finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as college basketball's player of the year. The award will be presented April 9. . . .
Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva will forgo his final two years of college eligibility to enter the NBA draft. Villanueva led the Huskies in scoring this season, averaging 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
• COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Ohio State starting quarterback Troy Smith can return to the team if he pays back the money he took from a booster and is held out of the Buckeyes' season opener against Miami (Ohio).
Coach Jim Tressel confirmed that the NCAA had called the university Monday about Smith. Smith was suspended for the Alamo Bowl in December against Oklahoma State because he took money from a team booster. Athletics Director Andy Geiger said that Smith would be required to pay "around $500" to a charity as restitution. . . .
Former Arizona State running back Loren Wade was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting of another former Sun Devils player. The 21-year-old Wade has been held without bond since Saturday, when he was arrested outside a Scottsdale, Ariz., nightspot. Witnesses say they saw him approach the car of Brandon Falkner, and exchange words with Falkner before a single gunshot rang out.
• TENNIS: Steffi Graf, 35, will make a brief return to pro tennis after joining the Houston Wranglers in the first round of yesterday's World Team Tennis draft, which also included Anna Kournikova and John McEnroe. The WTT Pro League regular season is July 4-24; the finals are Sept. 16-17 in Sacramento.
• HOCKEY: Carolina Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette will lead the U.S. men's team at the hockey world championships starting next month in Austria, USA Hockey said.
• CYCLING: Lance Armstrong finished 24th at the Paris-Camembert race, a Tour de France tuneup won by France's Laurent Brochard for the third time.
-- From News Services
