South Korea fell to Costa Rica 3-1 in their football friendly match on Tuesday, unable to contain the FIFA World Cup quarterfinalists in its final contest at home this year. (Yonhap)Midfielder Celso Borges scored twice and defender Oscar Duarte had another for the visitors, while forward Lee Dong-gook netted one for the home side before some 39,000 fans at Seoul World Cup Stadium.This was South Korean head coach Uli Stielike's second match; South Korea defeated Paraguay 2-0 in his debut here las

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ― Ned Yost has the revved-up Kansas City Royals on track for their first World Series trip in 29 years. Still, in his first postseason as a manager, every choice he’s made has been dissected ― and, in many cases, flat-out destroyed.Bruce Bochy has the San Francisco Giants positioned for a third trip to the Fall Classic in five years. Yet before and after games, he’s had to justify all sorts of decisions.That’s playoff baseball. Every move is magnified, and the scrutiny is rele

 INCHEON (Yonhap) ― Even as she’s breathing down the neck of the world’s best golfers, LPGA Tour phenom Lydia Ko, currently ranked No. 3, said Tuesday she isn’t thinking about taking over the top spot yet.The 17-year-old New Zealander is in the land of her birth this week for the $2 million LPGA KEB-HanaBank Championship, the only LPGA Tour stop in South Korea each year. It will be Ko’s first appearance at a tournament held in South Korea.“I think it’s going to be an awesome week, and I can’t wa

Netherlands, Italy and Belgium struggle in European qualifying

On paper, South Korea, ranked 63rd in the world, will be overmatched against the 15th-ranked Costa Rica in its football friendly scheduled for Tuesday in Seoul.Yet Uli Stielike, head coach for the home side, said on the eve of the match that he has confidence in his players to come through against the favored opponents.“Based on FIFA rankings, it may seem easy to see who will win this match,” Stielike said at a pre-match press conference Monday at Seoul World Cup Stadium, the venue for the match

Bae Sang-moon wins PGA Tour opener at Silverado

ST. LOUIS (AP) ― Kolten Wong and the St. Louis Cardinals rallied again with their latest postseason power show, tying the NL Championship Series at a game apiece.After the final party at home plate, reality set in: They might be without Yadier Molina the rest of the way.Wong hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning and the resilient Cardinals beat the San Francisco Giants 5-4 Sunday night.The Cardinals came back after losing Molina to a strained oblique muscle in the sixth. The A

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Following another successful road show, the Royals are heading back to Kansas City with momentum and history on their side in the AL Championship Series.Alcides Escobar doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth inning, Mike Moustakas extended his home run-binge and the Royals remained perfect in the playoffs, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 Saturday for a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.Lorenzo Cain had four hits, scored twice and drove in a run for the wild-card Royals,

KUALA LUMPUR (AP) ― China’s Shanshan Feng rallied to win the LPGA Malaysia on Sunday for her fourth LPGA Tour title, playing a six-hole stretch on the back nine in 6 under.The 25-year-old Feng, four strokes behind Thailand’s Pornanong Phatlum entering the round, closed with a bogey-free 8-under 63 for a three-stroke victory over Phatlum. Feng birdied Nos. 11-14 to tie Phatlum at 16 under and pulled away with a four-stroke swing when she holed a 10-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th and Phatlum ma

North Korean veteran Ri Se-gwang won his first ever global title Sunday in the men’s vault as South Korea’s defending champion and Olympic gold medalist Yang Hak-seon fell on landing twice. Ri’s triumph followed his compatriot Hong Un-jong’s victory in the women’s vault Saturday at the worlds in Nanning, China. The 29-year-old Ri displayed two technically demanding vaults to collect 15.416 points. (Xinhua-Yonhap)

BALTIMORE (AP) ― Speed versus power. The surprising Kansas City Royals and unflappable Baltimore Orioles are extremely similar with one significant exception: the fashion in which they score runs. The team that best utilizes its standard method of offense will likely win the best-of-seven AL Championship Series, which begins Friday night.Get ready for small ball versus long ball.Back in April, few could have predicted these two teams would be the last standing in the American League. But the fas