There were few surprises as South Korea on Monday announced its 23-man roster for the AFC Asian Cup, the continent’s largest soccer tournament scheduled to kick off next month in Australia.Head coach Uli Stielike, who once said he could make some picks that could catch people off guard, instead took the safer route, assigning some familiar faces the task of ending South Korea’s 55-year drought at the Asian Cup.There will be 16 nations at the Asian Cup, divided into four groups of four. South Kor

LONDON (AP) ― Liverpool is starting to produce the kind of fluid attacking that led to a second-place finish in the English Premier League last season. Now the Reds need a striker to finish their chances.Liverpool outplayed Arsenal at Anfield on Sunday, yet needed a goal deep into stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw. Arsenal is four points behind in qualifying for the Champions League. Liverpool is nine points from the top four with almost half the season gone.The rest of Europe’s leagues are cl

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) ― Real Madrid outclassed San Lorenzo of Argentina 2-0 in the Club World Cup final on Saturday to put a crown on its status as the best club in world football.The cup added to Madrid’s 2014 trophy haul of Champions League, Copa del Rey, and European Super Cup, and it will carry a 22-game winning streak into 2015.Sergio Ramos made the breakthrough, leaping up and heading in Toni Kroos’ sweetly stuck corner after 37 minutes. Ramos also got Madrid off the mark in its 4-0 vict

LONDON (AP) ― David Silva scored twice as defending champion Manchester City continued to fight for its title, beating Crystal Palace 3-0 Saturday to draw level provisionally with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League.Playing without a recognized striker, City reeled off its sixth league win in succession and eighth in all competitions, one short of equaling the club record.It was a performance that made clear Chelsea faces a mounting challenge to stay on top as the league heads into its trad

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AFP) ― FIFA will release an “appropriate” version of a report into alleged corruption surrounding the 2018 and 2022 World Cups but president Sepp Blatter on Friday ruled out moving the tournaments from Russia and Qatar.The wealthy Gulf state of Qatar has faced a storm of controversy over its successful bid for the 2022 tournament. But Blatter said: “It would really need an earthquake, extremely important new elements to go back on this World Cup in Qatar.”The president of foo

South Korean shortstop Kang Jung-ho, about to enter contract talks with a Major League Baseball club, said Sunday he wants to “shatter stereotypes” about Asian position players in the big leagues.Kang met the local media for the first time since his Korea Baseball Organization club, the Nexen Heroes, accepted a $5 million bid for the posted shortstop a day earlier. Though the identity of the bid winner has not been disclosed, the team will have exclusive rights to negotiate a contract with Kang

If one ripple from the thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations means baseball prospects get off the island and into the major leagues without payoffs to smugglers and threats from kidnappers, it’s hard to see the downside.Just don’t expect too much, too soon. Barely two hours after President Barack Obama’s dramatic announcement Wednesday in Washington, both MLB and its players’ union acknowledged as much in statements.“We will keep our clubs informed if this different direction may impact the manner in whic

BOSTON (AP) ― The Celtics traded point guard Rajon Rondo to Dallas on Thursday night, cutting ties with the last remnant of Boston’s last NBA championship while giving Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks a chance at another title.The Celtics will send Rondo and forward Dwight Powell to Dallas for Jae Crowder, Brandan Wright, Jameer Nelson and two draft picks, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade was not official yet. New M