SOCCER NEWS

• Inter wins 3-1 at Bologna to lead by 8 points 11/21/2009, 2:05 p.m. EST
(AP) — MILAN - Diego Milito, Mario Balotelli and Esteban Cambiasso scored Saturday for Inter Milan to win 3-1 at Bologna and extend its lead in the Serie A to eight points.

• Police: 17 arrests in soccer match-fixing probe 11/20/2009, 8:31 a.m. EST
(AP) — FRANKFURT - German prosecutors investigating match-fixing in soccer say 15 people in Germany and two in Switzerland have been arrested and about 200 games in Europe are under suspicion.

• French gym teachers criticize Henry hand ball 11/19/2009, 1:12 p.m. EST
(AP) — PARIS - France's gym teachers said "indisputable cheating" allowed the national soccer team to qualify for next year's World Cup.

• Multiple arrests in German soccer corruption probe 11/19/2009, 7:56 a.m. EST
(AP) — FRANKFURT - German police have arrested an undisclosed number of people suspected of fixing matches in major European soccer leagues.

• Billings Central boys soccer coach resigns 11/18/2009, 4:34 p.m. EST
(AP) — BILLINGS, Mont. - Billings Central boys soccer coach Pat Cates has resigned after six seasons.

• Starry Galaxy wary of scrappy Salt Lake in MLS Cup 11/17/2009, 7:39 p.m. EST
(AP) — LOS ANGELES - If the Los Angeles Galaxy can defeat an opponent that entered the playoffs with a losing record, David Beckham and Landon Donovan will add Major League Soccer championships to their glittering histories.

• CONCACAF Champions League Glance 11/17/2009, 6:33 p.m. EST
(AP) — D.C. United (United States) 1, Firpo (El Salvador) 1

• Tuesday's International Soccer Scores 11/17/2009, 5:15 p.m. EST
(AP) — Oman 0, Brazil 2

• Quarterfinals set for CONCACAF Champions 11/17/2009, 3:34 p.m. EST
(AP) — NEW YORK - Mexican league champion Toluca has been drawn to face defendng MLS champion the Columbus Crew in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.

• Henry: Hardest yet to come against Ireland 11/17/2009, 1:21 p.m. EST
(AP) — CLAIREFONTAINE, France - Striker Thierry Henry says the hard work is not over just because France won 1-0 in Ireland in the first match of their World Cup playoff, and he expects the Irish to fight back in the return leg.

• Uruguay has edge in playoff with Costa Rica 11/17/2009, 11:52 a.m. EST
(AP) — MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Uruguay is closing in on a final World Cup spot from the Americas, and can wrap it up Wednesday at home against Costa Rica.

• Sudan braces for charged Egypt-Algeria match 11/17/2009, 8:31 a.m. EST
(AP) — KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan's capital is bracing for Wednesday's playoff between Egypt and Algeria for a place at the 2010 World Cup-a contest that has historically turned into an often bloody grudge match between two long time rivals.

• Egypt-Algeria: when fair play died 11/17/2009, 8:29 a.m. EST
(AP) — PARIS - The first rock was thrown with such force that it traveled through the bus, smashing windows on its way in and out, Michel Gaillaud, a French doctor, recalls.

• Benitez defends his Liverpool record 11/17/2009, 8:04 a.m. EST
(AP) — LONDON - Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has launched a strong defense of his five-year reign, saying the increased value of the club and his squad showed that his tenure had been a success.

• France hopes fans get behind team against Ireland 11/17/2009, 8:00 a.m. EST
(AP) — PARIS - France coach Raymond Domenech hopes Saturday's hard-fought 1-0 win in Ireland proves a turning point in persuading the moody French fans to finally get behind their team during Wednesday's return leg of the World Cup playoff.

• Ballack and Drogba to miss friendly 11/17/2009, 7:47 a.m. EST
(AP) — FRANKFURT - Chelsea teammates Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba won't be facing each other when Germany plays Ivory Coast in a friendly Wednesday that will be the Germans' first game since the suicide of goalkepeer Robert Enke.

• Ukraine hosts Greece in World Cup playoff 11/17/2009, 7:26 a.m. EST
(AP) — DONETSK, Ukraine - Ukraine is playing down its home advantage for Wednesday's World Cup playoff against Greece.

• Slovenia, Russia play key game for World Cup spot 11/17/2009, 7:14 a.m. EST
(AP) — LJUBLJANA, Slovenia - Slovenia is back on familiar ground, playing at home and on grass, and looking to overturn its one-goal deficit against Russia on Wednesday with a spot at next year's World Cup at stake.

• FIFA warns Iraq to stop meddling in football 11/17/2009, 5:34 a.m. EST
(AP) — ZURICH - Iraq faces suspension from world football if it does not restore the disbanded national federation by Thursday.

• Needing a win, Bosnia relying on home advantage 11/17/2009, 3:22 a.m. EST
(AP) — SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Portugal will enter a cauldron in central Bosnia without Cristiano Ronaldo on Wednesday when it plays for a World Cup spot against a Bosnia-Herzegovina team desperate to qualify for the first time.

• Va Commonwealth fires soccer coach 11/16/2009, 5:48 p.m. EST
(AP) — RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia Commonwealth University men's soccer coach Tim O'Sullivan has been fired.

• Scotland fires coach George Burley 11/16/2009, 12:43 p.m. EST
(AP) — GLASGOW, Scotland - Scotland fired coach George Burley on Monday after the team slumped to an "unacceptable" defeat at Wales in a friendly.

• Widow: Germany goalkeeper Enke was depressed 11/16/2009, 10:07 a.m. EST
(AP) — HANNOVER, Germany - Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke had been suffering from depression, his widow said Wednesday, one day after the Hannover captain threw himself in front of a train.

• Germany goalkeeper Robert Enke dies at age 32 11/16/2009, 10:05 a.m. EST
(AP) — FRANKFURT - Robert Enke, the Hannover and Germany goalkeeper, has died, according to the Bundesliga club's president. He was 32.

• France closes in on WCup, other playoffs tight 11/16/2009, 8:10 a.m. EST
(AP) — LONDON - France has a one-goal lead and home advantage as it faces Ireland for a spot at next year's World Cup, while the other three European playoffs are closer.