3-1 win over Thailand bodes well for 2012 LondonSouth Korea’s U23 team manager Hong Myung-bo expressed confidence about the team’s 2012 London Olympics qualification after a 3-1 victory over Thailand in the King’s Cup tournament Sunday.With a decisive match against Saudi Arabia in the Olympics qualifiers next month, Hong included several first choice players in the lineup against Thailand, including Gwangju FC striker Kim Dong-sub.Thailand started confidently, narrowly missing early chances, whi

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Paul Scholes scored his first goal since ending his short-lived retirement to help Manchester United to a 3-0 Premier League win over Bolton on Saturday.In the second match of his comeback, Scholes turned in Wayne Rooney’s cross in the 45th minute for his first goal since August 2010. Scholes’ 151st league goal helped United pull two points ahead of third-place Tottenham, which drew 1-1 with relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers.United trails City on goal diffe

MLS looks to broaden appeal at home and abroadEurope may be the undisputed center of global football affairs, but 2012 may show North America that getting closer to the world’s biggest continent can reap rewards both on and off the field.Major League Soccer has more in common with growing East Asian leagues such as Japan, China and South Korea ― all relatively new and competing against other established sports for attention and fans ― than the traditional powers of England, Spain and Germany.Imp

MADRID (AP) ― Real Madrid advanced to a likely Copa del Rey quarterfinal matchup against Barcelona after Malaga goalkeeper Willy Caballero’s error gave the defending champions a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.Caballero’s standout performance was spoiled when he tried to hold Karim Benzema’s low shot but let it slip through his arms and between his legs in the 72nd minute, sending Madrid through 4-2 on aggregate.Caballero slammed his hands on the ground in frustration after the goal, which was Benzema’s

ZURICH (AP) ― Already considered one of soccer’s greats at age 24, Lionel Messi became the first person to win FIFA player of the year three times in a row.The Barcelona and Argentina forward received the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for 2011, winning out over club teammate Xavi Hernandez and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo for the sport’s top individual honor.“It’s a huge pleasure for me,” Messi said, after accepting the trophy from another three-time winner, retired Brazilian forward Ronaldo. “It’s

MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Manchester United held off 10-man Manchester City in the second half Sunday, ousting the defending champions from the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory in which Paul Scholes surprisingly come out of retirement.The third-round victory allowed United to exact a measure of revenge on City for a 6-1 rout in the Premier League this season and for a loss to its crosstown rival in last season’s FA Cup semifinals.Wayne Rooney headed in two goals and Danny Welbeck struck on a volley in

The local governing body of football on Thursday named four assistant coaches for the senior national team.The Korea Football Association said Choi Duck-joo, the former head coach of the women’s U17 team, will be the senior assistant alongside head coach Choi Kang-hee.Two assistants will be Shin Hong-ki, formerly with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the domestic K-League, and Park Choong-kyun, the ex-coach of the K-League’s Ulsan Hyundai FC.The KFA said Kim Pung-ju, once a goalkeeper coach for the men

Sunderland takes care of Wigan 4-1LONDON (AP) ― Sergio Aguero scored on an early blunder by goalkeeper Pepe Reina, Yaya Toure and James Milner added goals, and Manchester City defeated Liverpool 3-0 Tuesday night to open a three-point lead in the English Premier League.On a night of heavy rain, Aguero put City ahead in the 10th minute with a shot that took a slight deflection and bounced past Reina, who dived but missed the ball entirely. Toure doubled the lead in the 33rd with a header and Miln

The Korea Open set to offer $1 million total purseKorean badminton duo Lee Yong-dae and Jung Jae-sung are ready to kick off the 2012 season, looking to defend their Korea Open title on Sunday.The world No. 2 and defending champion Lee-Jung pair is competing at the Victor Korea Open Super Series, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday in Seoul.The Korea Open, the first of the 12 Super Series events, is the most lucrative badminton tournament, offering a $1 million total purse. The winners of th

Winter is usually a time of rest for the country’s football league, but for the national team this winter is crucial. With New Year’s celebrations at an end, the Korean national team and U23 team are gearing up for crucial matches next month: manager Choi Kwang-hee’s national team face Kuwait on Feb. 29 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier and Hong Myung-bo’s U23 team play Saudi Arabia on Feb. 5, followed by Oman on Feb. 22 in a London Olympics qualifier.“This year is an important year for Korean footb