SAN CRISTOBAL, Venezuela (AFP) - World player of the year Kaka returned after an 11-month international absence to inspire five-time champions Brazil to a 4-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Venezuela here on Sunday.
LONDON (AFP) - Former England manager Bobby Robson insists there is room for both Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the England midfield engine room - but wants Fabio Capello to use them in a 4-4-2 formation.
MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid are still hoping to prise Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United by next summer, according to an interview published Sunday with coach Bernd Schuster.
CLAIREFONTAINE, France (AFP) - Barcelona striker Thierry Henry has played down rumours linking him with a transfer to English Premiership big spenders Manchester City.
PRAGUE (AFP) - The Czech football team is under increasing pressure after a 2-1 away loss to Poland on Saturday, staying fourth with a single point from two games in its qualifying group for the 2010 World Cup.
LONDON (AFP) - Rio Ferdinand has warned England that only a victory is acceptable in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus.
DORTMUND, Germany (AFP) - Germany coach Joachim Low said on Sunday he would no longer select striker Kevin Kuranyi after he went absent without leave, disappearing from the stadium following Saturday's 2-1 win over Russia in a World Cup qualifier.
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AFP) - Honduras took a major step toward advancement in 2010 World Cup qualifying with a 3-1 victory over Canada here Saturday while Mexico suffered an upset loss at Jamaica.
JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Guinea and Mozambique filled the final slots Sunday as six months of 2010 World Cup-African Nations Cup second round qualifying drama ended.
DORTMUND, Germany (AFP) - Russia coach Guus Hiddink insisted his team will keep learning from their 2-1 defeat to Germany as they prepare for their next World Cup qualifier against Finland on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON - DaMarcus Beasley scored his first international goals in 16 months, Landon Donovan added his record 37th goal for the United States and the Americans breezed past Cuba into the final round of World Cup qualifying with unusual ease.
European champion Spain won 3-0 at Estonia to extend its unbeaten streak to 25 games, and England outplayed Kazakhstan 5-1 in another World Cup qualifying game Saturday after being booed off the field at halftime by its fans.
WEMBLEY, England - Wayne Rooney scored twice Saturday to help England overcome a shaky performance and beat Kazakhstan 5-1 in a World Cup qualifying game.
BRASILIA, Brazil - The United States lost to Paraguay 5-0 Tuesday on the opening day of the Futsal World Cup, a five-per-team soccer tournament featuring 20 nations.
WASHINGTON - Two members of Cuba's national soccer team have gone missing during the team's trip to Washington for a World Cup qualifying match, the team's coach told reporters on Friday.
PORTSMOUTH, England - Portsmouth defeated Tottenham 2-0 Sunday, with Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch scoring against their former club. In another Premier League game, Manchester City was upset 2-1 at Wigan.
ZURICH, Switzerland - European champion Spain remained No. 1 in FIFA's soccer rankings Wednesday, followed by Italy and Germany. The United States is No. 24.
CARSON, Calif. - Alecko Eskandarian and Sasha Victorine scored first-half goals, and Chivas USA beat the Kansas City Wizards 2-1 on Saturday night.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - FIFA president Sepp Blatter will propose new World Cup bidding rules that would dash U.S. hopes of hosting the 2018 tournament but put the Americans in prime position to stage soccer's showcase event in 2022.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Conor Casey's third goal of the game, a volley with a little more than a minute remaining, gave the Colorado Rapids a 5-4 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night.
NEW YORK - The new Women's Professional Soccer league that launches next year will have a live Sunday night broadcast each week on the Fox Soccer Channel.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Chad Marshall scored his fourth goal of the season and the Columbus Crew held on for a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night.
BRUSSELS, Belgium - FIFA president Sepp Blatter says Poland has reached a deal to avoid suspension from World Cup qualifiers and loss of its co-hosting rights to the 2012 European Championship.
TORONTO - Marvell Wynne scored for Toronto, but teammate Hunter Freeman had an own goal and Toronto FC had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, stretching Toronto's winless skid to seven games.
WASHINGTON - All 11 starters from the United States' previous two World Cup qualifying victories were selected to the roster for the Americans' match on Oct. 11 against Cuba.
BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - Chris Rolfe scored two goals and Cuauhtemoc Blanco added a goal and an assist to lead the Chicago Fire to a 3-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Thursday night.
CONSTANTA, Romania (AFP) - The future of France coach Raymond Domenech was left hanging in the balance on Saturday after a spirited Romania took a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with the 1998 World Cup winners.
CARSON, Calif. - Landon Donovan had three goals and an assist to lead the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 5-2 victory over D.C. United on Saturday night, giving Bruce Arena his first win as the Galaxy's coach.
WARSAW, Poland - The governing bodies of world and European soccer will not recognize the new administrator of the troubled Polish soccer federation, possibly endangering the country's right to co-host the 2012 European Championship.
LONDON (AFP) - Wayne Rooney scored twice as England kept their World Cup show on the road with a 5-1 Wembley win over Kazakhstan that was nothing like as convincing as the scoreline suggested.