Dynamo breaks ground on new stadium

HOUSTON (AP): Houston Dynamo minority owner and boxing great Oscar De La Hoya joined city and county officials Saturday at the groundbreaking for the team's $95 million, purpose-built football stadium.

The 22,000-seat venue will sit near downtown, within walking distance of Minute Maid Park, the Toyota Center and the city's massive convention center. Besides being home to the Dynamo, it also will host international football matches, Texas Southern University football games, concerts and boxing matches.

The Dynamo have been sharing Robertson Stadium, home of the University of Houston Cougars football team, since moving to Houston from San Jose in 2005.

  

Injured Davies working out with DC United in comeback bid

FORT LAUDERDALE (Florida): Charlie Davies, battling back from injuries after a 2009 car crash that nearly claimed his life, is working out with DC United of Major League Soccer in hopes of making a comeback.

Davies had just helped the United States qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was preparing for a friendly in October of 2009 when he was involved in a crash near Washington that killed one passenger.

Davies suffered two broken right leg bones, a broken eye socket and nose, a ruptured bladder and dislocated left elbow. He missed his chance to play in the World Cup while trying to battle back and play for French club Sochaux.

The team, which a contract for his rights for another 2½, is set to loan him to the US league for a year and he is on a tryout with DC United, ready for a fresh start to his football career.

“Physically I feel great,” Davies said. “I’ve come a long way and it feels good to finally feel physically right. I’ve done everything I needed to do to get back to where I needed to be to be successful.

“So now it’s about playing matches, getting match fit and progressing with my confidence and I think I’m on the right path.”

A scar on his head to relieve bleeding in the brain and another on his stomach are grim reminders of what might have been.

“There have always been bits and flashes in training where I’m like, ‘Oh, that was me,“‘ he said.

“That’s what really helped me get back to being physically back to where I need to be.

“The whole time I knew I would get back. You have to have that confidence.” 

  

New York Red Bulls thrilled to get Rooney

BALTIMORE (Maryland): New York Red Bulls said they never expected John Rooney, the brother of Man­chester United star Wayne, to still be available when it came time for them to pick in the second round of Thurs­day’s Major League Soccer (MLS) entry draft.

Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said they were surprised the younger brother of the England striker went unpicked through the first round because the Red Bulls had him rated as one of the top three midfielders in the draft.

“He’s a box to box player, he has a good understanding of the game and he’s an excellent passer of the ball,” Backe said of Rooney. “I rated him very highly.”

Rooney had featured for unheralded English Third Division side Macclesfield Town but now the 20-year-old attacker will play in America’s MLS alongside French star Thierry Henry.

The 2011 MLS season starts in March.