In Brief: He isn't as known as Beckham, but he's MVP of the MLS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

E-Mail

reprint or license

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

WASHINGTON -- So much for the "Beckham rule." The MVP of Major League Soccer is a newcomer who arrived without the fanfare.

D.C. United forward Luciano Emilio was honored Thursday as MVP, capping a season in which he became the league's first 20-goal scorer in five years.

"This is the best moment in my career," said Emilio, 28.

The Brazilian finished ahead of Juan Pablo Angel of the New York Red Bulls and Cuauhtemoc Blanco of the Chicago Fire in voting by coaches, general managers, players and media.

All three finalists are foreign players who are new to the league, but Emilio is the only one who wasn't signed under the new designated player rule -- known as the "Beckham rule" after English superstar David Beckham -- that allows teams to ignore the salary cap to pursue up to two high-profile players.

Golf

Lorena Ochoa was in the lead and hitting her stride at the ADT Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla., until she hit two balls into the water on the 17th hole for a quadruple bogey that sent her tumbling down the leaderboard. Christina Kim and Mi Hyun Kim shared the lead in the 32-player event with bogey-free rounds of 5-under-par 67 at Trump International, one shot ahead of Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer. Ochoa had a 70. ... Kevin Sutherland shot a 10-under 62 to take a four-stroke lead over Rocco Mediate and Joel Kribel after the first round of the Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational. The event features players from the PGA, LPGA, Champions and Nationwide tours and mini-tour players and amateur foursomes. ... Matt Bettencourt of Modesto is tied for sixth at 8-under 136 after two rounds in the second stage of PGA Tour Q School in Maricopa, Ariz. ... Former major-league pitcher Rick Rhoden double-bogeyed the final hole to drop into a three-way tie for the lead after the third round of the Champions Tour's National Qualifying Tournament in Coral Springs, Fla. Rhoden, Jack Ferenz and Scott Masingill are at 6-under 210. ... K.J. Choi shot an 8-under 62 to take a one-stroke lead over Garry Houston after the first round of the Hong Kong Open. ... Ian Poulter shot a 5-under 65 for a share of the first-round lead with Kim Kyung-tae and Toshinori Mutoin in the Japan Golf Tour's Dunlop Phoenix in Miyazaki.

Tennis

Two days after beating good friend Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer gave him a gift: a spot in the Masters Cup semifinals in Shanghai, China. Ferrer overwhelmed Richard Gasquet 6-1, 6-1 to win the Gold Group and clinch a semifinal berth. Gasquet was eliminated from the season-ending tournament, and the result allowed Nadal to advance as well. Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4. Andy Roddick clinched the Red Group and faces top-ranked Roger Federer today. Also, Nikolay Davydenko plays Fernando Gonzalez.

Volleyball

The United States qualified for the Beijing Olympics with a win over Japan at the Women's World Cup in Nagoya, Japan. Logan Tom and Tayyiba Haneef-Park scored 13 points each to lead the U.S. to a 25-17, 25-14, 25-20 victory. The Americans improved to 9-1. European champion Italy improved to 10-0 and qualified for Beijing with a 27-25, 25-19, 25-16 win over Cuba.

Motor Sports

Christian Fittipaldi will drive for Andretti Green Racing in the American Le Mans sports car series next season. Fittipaldi, 36, nephew of two-time Formula One champion and Indianapolis 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, is a former CART teammate of AGR co-owner Michael Andretti.

Figure Skating

U.S. ice dancers Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov withdrew from Cup of Russia, saying they need more time to recuperate from injuries suffered in a fall this month. Cup of Russia is Nov. 23-25 in Moscow. ... World champion Brian Joubert pulled out of the Trophee Bompard because of illness.