Thursday, February 28, 2008
Professional soccer has historically missed the mark in Philadelphia. The Atoms won the North American Soccer League title in their inaugural season in 1973, but folded after four seasons. The NASL's Fury arrived two years later, but relocated after three seasons.
Despite those failures, Major League Soccer is set to bring the sport back to Philadelphia, convinced the time and the struggling city of Chester, Pa., are right for its 16th team.
The league is expected to award the area an expansion franchise that will start play in the 2010 season at a news conference in Chester today.
"Having grown up in the soccer community of Philadelphia, I know that there isn't a city more starved for the world's game," said Chris Albright of the New England Revolution and a member of the U.S. national team.
The new franchise will play in a planned 18,500-seat stadium on the Delaware River waterfront, part of a $414 million redevelopment project for the long-downtrodden city of Chester, about 15 miles south of Philadelphia.
¿ AUTO RACING: The Champ Car World Series is no more, but there will be one more Champ Car race.
Indy Racing League founder Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven, owner of the now-defunct Champ Car series, held a news conference to reveal some details of the merger of America's two open-wheel series, including the fact that the April 20 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be run by Champ Car teams with their old equipment while their new IndyCar Series brethren are in Japan.
Points earned at Long Beach will count toward the IndyCar Series championship.
The unusual race schedule was made necessary when neither Long Beach nor the traditional IRL race at Motegi, Japan, set for April 19, would agree to change dates.
¿ PRO FOOTBALL: The Carolina Panthers released quarterback David Carr, the top overall pick in the 2002 draft, and welcomed back wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, who played nine seasons in Carolina before spending the last three years with the Chicago Bears. . . .
The Minnesota Vikings released quarterback Kelly Holcomb, who was 0-3 as a starter last season. . . .
The Buffalo Bills terminated the contracts of running back Anthony Thomas, linebacker Coy Wire and cornerback Jerametrius Butler. . . .
The Baltimore Ravens terminated the contract of running back Mike Anderson, freeing up his $1.8 million salary. Anderson spent two seasons with the Ravens, rushing for 245 yards and scoring one touchdown.
¿ TENNIS: Top-ranked Justine Henin was stretched to the limit by Katarina Srebotnik before beating the Slovenian qualifier, 7-5, 6-7 (8-6), 6-3, to reach the Dubai Championships quarterfinals. The four-time defending champion, now 17-0 in Dubai, will next face Italian Francesca Schiavone. . . .
Former U.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters gave birth to a daughter, Jada, nine months after retiring from tennis. Clijsters, 24, was Belgium's first tennis player to reach the No. 1 ranking, holding it for 19 weeks in 2003.
¿ TRACK AND FIELD: Marion Jones's longtime agent has been sentenced to six months of home detention for a minor role in a bank fraud that resulted in a six-month prison sentence for the former track star. Charles Wells, who pleaded guilty last March, also was fined $7,500 by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas in New York.
-- From News Services
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