Casey Stoner’s return to form and the rise of Ducati team-mate Nicky Hayden could spell trouble for Jorge Lorenzo, whose run to the MotoGP title may involve more hurdles than he had imagined over the final five races.

Finishing second to Dani Pedrosa at every round between now and the end of the season would be enough to seal the championship for the Yamaha man but Sunday’s result in Aragon showed how fluid the situation is when more riders are up there battling for the win.

Hayden’s last-lap ‘backyard’ pass, as he described it, was an example of the risks other riders are prepared to take when the opportunity to score a top-three result arises, while for Lorenzo the tightrope between finishing on the podium and not crashing is an increasingly precarious one.

With 56 points between him and top spot, thanks to top-two finishes at eight of the last 10 races, Pedrosa has worked a foot into the door – and a non-finish for Lorenzo at this stage would kick it wide open.

Pedrosa penned a new two-year deal with HRC in Aragon – but the announcement was made by the factory’s racing department rather than the Repsol Honda team.

It is a sensitive issue, given that Honda have already signed Stoner but have Andrea Dovizioso on their books, too.

The Japanese factory want Dovizioso, whose results in the early part of the season triggered a performance-related option on a further year in his contract, to go quietly to the satellite Gresini team.

But the Italian and his management are playing hardball, insisting he is guaranteed factory support, factory wages and his current crew.

Valentino Rossi admitted this weekend that he has a better relationship with Pedrosa than with Lorenzo but insisted he would help his Yamaha team-mate to win the title if the opportunity arose.

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On Friday night, I could have constructed a long list of things that I didn’t expect to see on Monday morning but, if I had then erased anything sordid or relating to my personal life, Valencia sitting pretty in La Liga’s number one spot would have featured very near the top.

The facts have been touched upon in this blog a couple of times in the past but in the summer Valencia sold their best two players from recent seasons, David Villa and David Silva.

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Joe Cole scored his first goal for Liverpool to help them beat Steaua Bucharest in their Europa League tie.

The Reds playmaker steered in a shot only 27 seconds in after pouncing on a poor backpass by Octavian Abrudan.

Steaua equalised when Cristian Tanase chipped over on-rushing keeper Pepe Reina but a David Ngog penalty restored the Reds’ lead.

A stunning Lucas Leiva 22-yard strike and a late angled Ngog effort completed the home side’s victory.

While the Europa League is not a priority for Liverpool, their manager Roy Hodgson will be using the games in the competition to judge some of the players on the fringes of his squad.

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(CNN) — English Premier League side Fulham launched a stunning comeback to send two-time European champions Juventus out of the Europa League on Thursday.

Fulham trailed 3-1 from the first leg in Turin and made the worst possible start when French striker David Trezeguet scored for Juve after just two minutes.

But the home side hit back just seven minutes later when Bobby Zamora outmuscled Fabio Cannavaro to turn home Paul Konchesky’s cross.

On 25 minutes Fulham’s task got a little easier when Cannavaro was sent off for bringing down Zoltan Gera, and 14 minutes later Gera reduced the deficit further when he turned home Simon Davies’ cross.

Gera then converted a penalty after Diego was adjudged to have handled inside the area before United States international Clint Dempsey sealed Fulham’s remarkable comeback with a delicate lob.

There was still time for another red card, as Jonathan Zebina kicked out at Damien Duff, meaning Juventus finished the game with nine men.

“I just thought ‘what the heck’ and tried to put it in the far post and it went in,” Dempsey said of his goal on ESPN television.

“Nine times out of te

The United States hasn’t caught soccer fever yet, but it’s running a bit of a temperature.

While U.S. athletes rate among the best in many sports, Americans are rarely mentioned when talk turns to the world’s soccer stars.

But many people, including agent Richard Motzkin, contend that the planet’s most popular game will soon snap American ambivalence. They point to a steady upward arc in interest from 1986, when the U.S. last failed to qualify for the World Cup, to today, as the team prepares for a sixth straight finals bid.

When Motzkin made the decision to begin representing soccer players in 1995, the U.S. didn’t have a competitive pro league, and Major League Soccer wouldn’t kick off for another year.

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“Many people thought it was crazy and questioned what I was doing with my life,” said Motzkin, who now represents some of the U.S. national team’s biggest stars, including captain Landon Donovan and Freddy Adu.

Times were “challenging” at first, Motzkin said, but soccer was enjoying a popularity boost from the 1994 World Cup. Also, the domestic youth leagues had been swelling for years, as the Internet and expanded cable and satellite offerings made “the beautiful game” more accessible.
“You just didn’t know what the best soccer looked like, but if you’re a top soccer player [today], you’re probably watching a little bit of Manchester United or AC Milan every week,” he said. “Eleven-year-olds who play soccer know exactly who Arsenal is.”

American youngsters are even being sought out by top European clubs, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton, which are developing partnerships in the U.S.

Motzkin has enjoyed soccer’s ascent. Three years ago he sold his agency to Wasserman Media Group, a marketing agency, and he’s noticed dealings with clubs, agents, partners and sponsors becoming increasingly international.

“There’s more of a reflection that it’s a worldwide marketplace,” he said.

Soccer isn’t poised to take on the Super Bowl, Kuper said, but its top product rivals those of America’s Big Four: the well-heeled NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, whose lengthy seasons provide year-round entertainment.

In 2006, the World Cup final — with 16.9 million Americans watching, five million of them the Spanish broadcast — beat out deciding games of baseball’s World Series (16.3 million) and basketball’s NBA finals (15.7 million).

“Soccer is going to get a place at the top table,” Kuper said, “but baseball, basketball and football aren’t going to go anywhere.”

Evidence that soccer is shedding its second-class citizenry may lie in the ticket sales for the World Cup in South Africa. Speaking on March 4, U.S. Soccer Federation spokesman Neil Buethe said at least 125,000 tickets had been sold stateside, more than in England or Brazil and second only to South Africa.

It’s difficult to compare this year’s ticket sales, Buethe said, because FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, has changed how it sells them.

The federation had about 10,000 tickets allotted for the U.S. team’s first-round games in the 2006 World Cup in Germany — not enough to sate the 40,000 applicants but enough to top the combined American sales of the 2002, 1998 and 1990 World Cups combined, Buethe said.

“I think there’s definitely been a noticeable change in the interest level, not only with fans but also with broadcasters and media in general,” he said.

ESPN approached the U.S. Soccer Federation last year and shared its plan to pump the World Cup into American homes. The network aired a handful of World Cup games in the 1980s and none in 1990, but showed every game of the 1998 and 2006 tournaments live.

Americans can expect the same this year, as ESPN plans to put its muscle behind soccer like never before, said Seth Ader, the network’s senior director of sports marketing.

England have released Delon Armitage, Ugo Monye and Courtney Lawes from the squad for Saturday’s final RBS Six Nations game against France in Paris.

The absence of the out-of-form Armitage looks set to give Ben Foden his first start at full-back, while Monye’s exit could see a reshuffle in the backs.

Mike Tindall could come into the starting XV at centre, with winger Chris Ashton tipped to make his debut.

Captain Steve Borthwick will have his knee injury assessed on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old left England’s base at Pennyhill Park after a light training session on Tuesday to seek specialist treatment on the problem.

England manager Martin Johnson, who will name his side at 1300 GMT on Wednesday, said: “Steve has gone for treatment for a long-term wear-and-tear issue.

“Hopefully it is just precautionary and he will be fine.”

Armitage and Monye have started all of England’s games so far in the Six Nations, while Lawes came off the bench against Scotland to win his second cap.

London Irish full-back Armitage has struggled for form since returning from injury, while Monye – who was taken off at Murrayfield on a stretcher after a nasty clash of heads – has also not been at his best during a campaign in which England’s backline has struggled for fluency.

Lawes, meanwhile, is seen as one of the most dynamic and promising young forwards in the English game, but Johnson looks set to prefer the vastly more experienced Simon Shaw at the Stade de France.

The trio were among 11 players released from the squad on Tuesday, with Steffon Armitage, Jordan Crane, Shontayne Hape, Charlie Hodgson, Paul Hodgson, Lee Mears, Matthew Mullan and Dan Ward-Smith the others to be deemed surplus to requirements.

More to follow.

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