LA Galaxy fire team president Chris Klein after miserable start to season

The LA Galaxy have fired president Chris Klein with the five-time Major League Soccer champion franchise sitting at the bottom of the overall standings. Klein was the target of ire this year from several Galaxy fan organizations frustrated by the team's miserable recent seasons. The fan groups threatened to boycott the team if Klein stayed in charge, and they followed through on the threat to varying degrees. Klein wrote a letter to Galaxy supporters last month promising to step down if the Galaxy didn't make the playoffs this season, but the club decided it couldn't wait any longer for a shakeup.

Brazil court seeks arrest of LA Galaxy's Costa for failing to pay child support

A Brazilian court is seeking the arrest of L.A. Galaxy striker Douglas Costa for failing to pay for child support. An attorney for the Brazilian striker says in a statement that he trusts the decision by a judge in the city of Porto Alegre will be reversed. The 32-year-old Costa cannot be arrested outside Brazil, according to the court's ruling. He has played for Brazil, Bayern Munich and Juventus. He signed with the Galaxy in February 2022.

River Plate unveils divisive statue of coach Marcelo Gallardo

River Plate's tribute to one of its greatest coaches has become divisive since the seven-meter-tall statue of Marcelo Gallardo was unveiled. Exaggerated private parts on the statue and other alleged flaws have caused only 21% of more than 6,100 voters to say they liked it in an online poll. The statue was unveiled on Saturday at Estadio Monumental in honor of Gallardo. He won 14 trophies for River as a player, and 14 trophies as a coach, including two Copa Libertadores. Gallardo attended the event and laughed at the pronounced bulge in front of the pants. The sculptor says the exaggeration is intentional, as a symbol of courage, and no joke. River director Carlos Trillo says he's heard the criticism and is willing to make adjustments.

US men's soccer to play Germany, Ghana in October exhibitions

The U.S. men's soccer team will play exhibitions against Germany and Ghana in October. No. 14 Germany will play the 13th-ranked U.S. on Oct. 14 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut, and No. 60 Ghana will face the Americans three days later at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee. The U.S. has an automatic berth for the 2026 World Cup as co-host and Germany has an automatic spot in the 2024 European Championship, which it is hosting.

US crushes New Zealand to reach Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals; Israel also advances

The United States has reached the Under-20 World Cup quarterfinals in convincing fashion without conceding again after beating New Zealand 4-0 in Mendoza. Israel will also be in the quarterfinals after a last-minute 1-0 win over Uzbekistan. The Americans dominated the round-of-16 match without much threat from the New Zealanders but they struggled to show it on the scoreboard. After Owen Wolff's lucky early opener, the U.S. didn't score again until the 61st minute through Cade Cowell. Justin Che and Rokas Pukstas added on. The U.S. is the only team yet to concede a goal in the tournament. It next faces Gambia or Uruguay for a spot in the semifinals.

Video, tips sought in probe of shooting outside suburban Philadelphia stadium that wounded 8

Authorities are asking the public to share any video or information as they investigate a weekend shooting that left eight teens wounded outside a stadium near Philadelphia. Police in Chester said gunfire erupted shortly before 11:30 p.m. Sunday in a parking lot outside Subaru Park, the sports venue where the MLS soccer team Philadelphia Union plays. Authorities say one of th teens remains hospitalized in critical condition. The shooting occurred hours after the Union's affiliate team, Union II, played against Crew II at the stadium. A team spokesperson said officials were saddened by the violence and noted it occurred hours after the match in an outer parking lot.

Bayern Munich brings back Rummenigge to supervisory board

Former chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is returning to Bayern Munich as a member of the club's supervisory board. Bayern says the 67-year-old Rummenigge is returning to ensure its continued success. Rummenigge is a former player and long-time employee of the club before he made way for incoming CEO Oliver Kahn in December 2021. He is returning to a club without a sporting director following Bayern's dismissal of Hasan Salihamidžić along with Kahn on Saturday.

Hudson quits as US men's soccer interim coach, is replaced by Callaghan

Anthony Hudson has quit as interim head coach of the U.S. men's soccer team just two weeks before he was to lead the Americans in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals. He was replaced by B.J. Callaghan, another holdover from Gregg Berhalter's staff. Hudson's departure was announced just six days after the U.S. Soccer Federation said he was remaining as coach of the Americans through the CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer. The USSF said Hudson was taking a job with a club but did not identify the team or the role.

Sevilla, Roma's Mourinho put perfect European records on line in Europa League final

A remarkable perfect record in European soccer must fall Wednesday when Sevilla faces José Mourinho's Roma in the Europa League final. Sevilla has played six and won six finals of the Europa League and its predecessor the UEFA Cup. Mourinho has a 5-0 career mark in major European club competition finals dating back to the UEFA Cup triumph in 2003 when he coached Porto. Only one record can survive their meeting at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. The Europa League trophy is just the first reward for the winning club. Both teams need to win to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Juventus agrees to fine but won't appeal in plea bargain over salaries probe

Juventus will be fined 718,000 euros but will agree not to make any appeals as part of a plea bargain with the Italian soccer federation after the club and seven former team directors were charged with alleged fraud for the way they handled player salary cuts during the coronavirus pandemic. The only former team director who did not agree to the plea bargain was ex-Juventus president Andrea Agnelli. He'll be judged June 15. Juventus said at the start of the pandemic that 23 players agreed to reduce their salary for four months to help the club through the crisis. But prosecutors claim the players gave up only one month's salary. Juventus and the former team directors denied any wrongdoing.

German soccer club punished for walking off field after alleged racist slur

A lower-level German soccer team called its punishment for stopping a game in protest after racist abuse was apparently directed at team captain Marcus Coffie "a slap in the face." Hamburg-based Teutonia Ottensen was leading 2-1 at Bremer SV in the fourth-division game on Saturday when Coffie said he was racially abused by an opposing player. Coffie is Black. Coffie's teammates reacted by walking off the field and the game was abandoned before halftime. The federation has said it has no evidence that Coffie had been racially abused. It awarded Bremer SV a 5-0 victory and questioned "whether when such an accusation justifies calling off a game or not continuing it."

Doping ban appeal of Bulgaria soccer player Yomov goes to sports court in June

The doping case of CSKA Sofia winger Georgi Yomov will be heard at the Court of Arbitration for Sport next month. CAS says it set June 28 to hear the Bulgarian's appeal against UEFA. The 25-year-old player is challenging a four-year ban for a positive doping test during the Europa Conference League qualifying rounds this season. Yomov reportedly tested positive for traces of the anabolic steroid Turinabol. It's best known for widespread use in the 1980s sports doping program in East Germany. UEFA says it does not comment on doping cases until any legal process ends. Yomov has played 10 times for Bulgaria.

Marseille defender Chancel Mbemba wins French league's African player of the year award

Congolese stopper Chancel Mbemba has been named the French league's African player of the year. It's the first time the award has gone to a defender. The Marseille player won the Marc-Vivien Foe prize ahead of Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana who plays for Lens and Nigeria striker Terem Moffi who plays for Nice. Mbemba was born in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He moved to Europe at the age of 17 to Belgian club Anderlecht. He also played for Newcastle and Porto before joining Marseille last summer. The award is decided by a panel of journalists specializing in French and African soccer.

Post-soccer match brawl in Germany leaves teen with life-threatening injuries; 16-year-old detained

A 15-year-old soccer player has been hospitalized with life-threatening brain injuries after being struck by an opposing player in a post-match fight during an international youth tournament in Germany. A 16-year-old from a French team was jailed pending further investigation by a judge in Frankfurt, where the match with a team from Berlin took place on Sunday. Frankfurt police said in a statement Tuesday that a scuffle broke out between players after the final whistle and escalated into punches being thrown.

Van der Sar quits as Ajax director general after club finishes 3rd in Dutch league

Edwin van der Sar is stepping down as director general of Ajax after the team finished third in the Dutch league and missed out on a Champions League berth for next season. Van der Sar is a former goalkeeper who played for Ajax, Manchester United and the Netherlands. He had been a member of the board of the Amsterdam club since late 2012 and director general since 2016. His contract ran until mid-2025. Van der Sar says after nearly 11 years on the board he is "exhausted." The club says the supervisory board has asked Van der Sar to continue work until August.

LA Galaxy take road losing streak into game against Real Salt Lake

The LA Galaxy visit Real Salt Lake looking to break a four-game road slide.