By VERA FILIPELLI, Times wires
Published March 15, 2004
FERREIRAS, Portugal - The U.S. women beat France 5-1 Sunday on the first day of the Algarve Cup.
The Americans took a 4-0 first-half lead, two of the goals by Andrea Hucles. Former Florida Gator Abby Wambach had the first goal for the United States, heading in a cross from Mia Hamm in the 16th minute. It was Wambach's 20th career goal in 31 career international games.
"We definitely came out ready to play and were focused," Wambach said. "We just played a great first half."
This is the United States' ninth appearance in the invitational tournament. The Americans, who won in 2000 and 2003, have upcoming matches against Denmark and 2003 World Cup finalist Sweden.
UNITED FLOUNDERS: Manchester United's hopes to win the Premier League title again all but ended with a 4-1 loss at Manchester City. United, the defending champion in which the Bucs' Malcolm Glazer has an ownership stake, is in third and 12 points behind unbeaten Arsenal with 10 games to go. United has won eight titles in 11 seasons.
QUALIFYING: Grenada advanced to a second-round matchup against the United States in the CONCACAF World Cup tournament, beating host Guyana 3-1. Grenada faces the U.S. team in June.
GREYHOUNDS: Cayman Went upset
Cayman Went, the leading favorite in the Distance Classic, finished fourth in Round 1 of the four-round series Saturday at Derby Lane. Winners included Modesto, Perpetual Smiler, Flying Newport and EZ Chief Slammer. Round 2 is Wednesday night. On Friday, St. Petersburg representative Rooftop Moby finished last in the Hollywood World Classic. EA's Itzaboy of Rhode Island won for a second straight year.
IDITAROD: New leader emerges
Charlie Boulding, 61, who usually finishes in the top 10, took the lead, spending just four minutes at the checkpoint in Unalakleet before returning to the trail. Norway's Kjetil Backen, who was leading and lost time when one of his dogs collapsed and died, moved to second, leaving about eight minutes after Boulding. Unalakleet is 219 miles from the finish in Nome, Alaska.
OLYMPICS: Maier targets Turin
Hermann Maier, who won the overall World Cup on Saturday, wants to ski in the 2006 Turin Games. The Austrian missed the 2002 Salt Lake City Games after almost losing a leg in a life-threatening motorcycle wreck the previous summer. This was Maier's first full season back on the circuit since the accident. He hopes to return to the Sestriere, Italy, slopes in 2006 in an attempt to add to the two golds he won at the 1998 Nagano Games.
GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING: Three-time Olympic medalist Juan Maren of Cuba defeated Spain's Moises Sanchez in a 146-pound match in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Maren won silver in Atlanta and Sydney and bronze in Barcelona.
ET CETERA
CYCLING: Jorg Jaksche of Germany's Team CSC won the Paris-Nice race in 28:00.01, and American Bobby Julich was 43 seconds back in third. Two-time defending champion Alexander Vinokourov won the 87.9-mile final stage (3:35.43). ... Roberto Petito (5:20.51) won the fifth stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico in Italy; Paolo Bettini retained the overall lead, three seconds ahead of Oscar Freire.
TENNIS: Top-ranked Roger Federer and No. 3 Andy Roddick breezed through opening matches in the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, Calif. Federer, who won 6-1, 6-1 over Andrei Pavel, is 17-1 this year. Roddick downed Jan-Michael Gambill 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 as temperatures reached 102 degrees. Lindsay Davenport beat Samantha Stosur 6-0, 6-3 in a third-round match.
