World Cup

Russian skiers appear more frequently on the World Cup ski circuit in Europe these days, their presence hard to miss at the upcoming Alpine test events for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. While a handful of Russians will compete in the men's downhill and super-combined this weekend, more than 10 women will race the following weekend in the same World Cup events. After the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Russian Alpine Ski and Snowboard Federation hired two experienced Slovenian coaches to guide a budding program.

Tomas Berdych helped the Czech Republic rally for a 2-1 victory over Japan at the Team World Cup on Monday. Japan had a taken a 1-0 lead on Sunday but Berdych beat Go Soeda 6-1, 3-6, 6-1 and Frantisek Cermak and Radek Stepanek then prevailed in the decisive doubles in the Red Group tie, beating Tatsuma Ito and Soeda 6-2, 7-6 (4). In the Blue Group, defending champion Germany completed a 3-0 victory over Russia. Florian Mayer defeated Igor Andreev 6-2, 7-6 (7) and joined up with Christopher Kas to overcome Igor Kunitsyn and Dmitry Tursunov 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.

GENOA, Italy - The United States gained a rare victory over a soccer power, beating Italy yesterday, 1-0, on Clint Dempsey's goal in the 55th minute for its first win over the Azzurri in 11 games spanning 78 years. Dempsey, who has become an increasingly important element of the American team, took a short pass from Jozy Altidore following Michael Bradley's cross and put a right-footed shot from just inside the penalty area past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Andy Roddick and Ryan Harrison lost singles matches Sunday, giving Argentina an unassailable 2-0 lead over the United States on the opening day of the Team World Cup. The eight-nation tournament on clay is a warmup for the French Open, which starts in one week. Roddick, playing his first tournament since March, lost to Carlos Berlocq 6-2, 6-2 in the Red Group. Leonardo Mayer followed by outlasting Harrison 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. In the Blue Group, defending champion Germany leads Russia 1-0 after Philipp Kohlschreiber defeated Alex Bogomolov Jr. 6-0, 6-2. Serbia took a 1-0 lead over...

The Breakers call Aya Sameshima "Samy," which translates from Japanese to "The Shark. " Sameshima has been swimming in uncharted waters this year. In March, an earthquake and tsunami wiped out most of Sameshima's city and, along with it, her place of employment and soccer team. Sameshima was tempted to quit soccer, but she stayed with it and not only found another team - the Breakers - but also won the Women's World Cup with Japan. Not many athletes experience such extreme highs and lows over such a short period of time.

Nicolas Anelka’s profane tirade at the World Cup may have been his last act with the French national team. He was suspended for 18 games yesterday in Paris, one of four players banned by the French soccer federation for a World Cup mutiny that was criticized by President Nicolas Sarkozy and underlined an embarrassing first-round exit. The federation also handed suspensions — subject to appeal — to former captain Patrice Evra (five games), Franck Ribery (three games)

ROME -- Italy's Marco Materazzi said he insulted Zinedine Zidane's sister, revealing nearly two months after the World Cup final what provoked the French star to head-butt him in the chest. In an interview with the Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi disclosed that after he held his opponent's shirt, Zidane said: "If you want, I'll give you the jersey later. " "I responded that I preferred his sister, it's true," Materazzi said. "It wasn't something nice, true. But luckily there have been dozens of players who have confirmed that a lot worse things are said on the field.

Jonathan Cheever’s got a crystal globe in his sights. The Saugus snowboarder who moonlights as a plumber in the summer is currently second in the World Cup snowboardcross standings, sandwiched between leader Alex Pullin of Australia and France’s Pierre Vaultier . “This year it’s just a little different for me,’’ he said from his winter base of Park City, Utah. “My head is screwed on tighter, I’ve been riding strong all year, and now I’m on the podium.’’ Cheever (www.teamcheever.net)

The television camera paused, capturing the final moments in the locker room before the United States began its first match of the Women’s World Cup yesterday. A flurry of hands began pointing at the TV — more specifically, at the third woman from the left, the one with the short brown hair. That was Boston Breakers defender Amy LePeilbet, one of five Breakers on the US roster. The rest of the Breakers were gathered at Tommy Doyle’s in Harvard Square to watch the game.

LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Even in training, Lindsey Vonn performs at a world-class level. The Olympic downhill gold medalist incorporated 400-meter sprints into her workout regimen this summer to increase her ability to explode out of turns in the slalom and giant slalom. She just may have uncovered another skill, as well. A reluctant Vonn sheepishly revealed that her fastest trip around the track took 52 seconds, a self-timed split she hardly believes. With good cause. That time would’ve been good enough to win gold at both the 1964 and ’68 Summer...

Staff reports Former Red Sox manager Terry Francona will headline a group of five players, coaches, and USA Baseball alumni scheduled to participate in the Prospect Classic, set for June 29-30, and July 2-3, in Durham and Cary, N.C. Francona will serve as an honorary manager during the Prospect Classic and will be making his first appearance in the red, white, and blue since managing USA Baseball's 2001 World Cup Team. Francona competed on the 1978 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team as well, suiting up for the US at the Italy Cup, and he took home the 1979 USA Baseball Golden...

The expanded Women's World Cup in 2015 will be played in six Canadian cities: Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Winnipeg and Moncton. FIFA President Sepp Blatter announced the sites Friday on Parliament Hill for what will be the largest single sports event for women. The tournament set to increase from 16 to 24 countries and from 32 to 52 matches. Sixteen teams competed in the 2011 World Cup in Germany. The federal government has committed up to $15 million to the tournament.

When soccer riots broke out in Egypt in February, Bob Bradley did not hesitate to speak out despite having only just arrived as the new coach of the national team. It didn't matter that the American had been in Egypt less than six months or was still coming to terms with the country's post-revolution politics. He felt he needed to make his views clear on the events of Feb. 1, when up to 74 people were killed when supporters of two rival clubs clashed. The cause remains murky.

The U.S. is sticking with what works when it comes to qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Americans will play their second home qualifier Sept. 11 against Jamaica at Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They've never lost in Columbus, going 5-0-3 there since 2000, and have conceded only one goal. That came in the Americans' last game against Jamaica in World Cup qualifying, a 1-1 draw on Nov. 17, 2004. The Americans are 4-0-2 in World Cup qualifying in Columbus. "Playing a World Cup qualifier in Columbus makes perfect sense," U.S. coach Jurgen...

The Brazilian group that forced work to stop at the stadium being built for the 2014 World Cup opener plans to intensify protests across Brazil, saying the poor are paying the price for the government's decision to bow to FIFA's demands. The Homeless Workers Movement said Thursday that it will organize protests to draw attention to problems it says are caused by World Cup projects, especially the evictions of "thousands of working families. " There were protests Wednesday in eight of the 12 host cities.

World Cup downhill champion Klaus Kroell has broken a bone in his right foot after crashing during a motocross race. He'll need six to eight weeks for recovery. The Austrian ski federation said on Wednesday that Kroell underwent surgery following Tuesday's accident in the province of Lower Austria. Kroell says, "Such an injury is obviously not ideal. I am completely focusing on my rehab now and hope to start into the world championship season without problems. " At last month's World Cup finals in his hometown of Schladming, Kroell became the...

SANDY, Utah - The United States is not quite in second place and barely ahead of fourth as the World Cup qualifying stretch run begins. Points are precious with only four games remaining and a very slim margin between being in or out of next summer’s tournament in South Africa. The Americans host El Salvador here tonight, clinging to one of the three guaranteed spots in the region with only three points separating the top four teams. “None of us were under any illusions.

How to get there Lufthansa has daily direct flights from Boston to Frankfurt and both Delta (via Paris) and KLM (via Amsterdam) fly to Munich. If you use Lufthansa or another Star Alliance carrier, you can purchase a GloBall Airpass for flexible travel inside Germany. Also, LTU Airlines (www.ltu.com) has several special flights from New York's Kennedy International Airport to Düsseldorf. Where to stay The best one-stop source is FIFAworldcup.com . Click on Destination Germany for information on rooms and tickets . You can also check tourist websites for each city: Berlin ...

FIFA is pleased that Brazil's lower house of Congress passed a bill giving soccer's governing body the guarantees it wants to organize the 2014 World Cup. FIFA said in a statement Thursday it has "taken note of the voting" and is "pleased that finally the first step was made towards finalizing this chapter. " The lower house approved the bill late Wednesday after several delays because of other congressional matters and a dispute over the sale of alcohol inside stadiums.

The $10 million Dubai World Cup has a favorite in So You Think, and also a sentimental choice in Game On Dude. So You Think, bred in New Zealand, is the 5-2 favorite heading into the world's richest horse race on Saturday. But Kentucky-bred Game on Dude is trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who expects to attend the races less than a week after suffering a heart attack. "Need to win World Cup just to break even on medical bills," Baffert posted on his Twitter feed after being released from a Dubai hospital on Thursday.