Sports Briefs: Sundhage to coach U.S. soccer team through Olympics

CHICAGO -- The U.S. Soccer Federation gave Pia Sundhage a four-year contract extension to continue as coach of the U.S. Women's National team through the 2012 Olympics.

Sundhage coached the Americans to the gold medal at this year's Beijing Games.

"Pia has demonstrated the qualities of a great leader, a great soccer tactician, and she is a winner," Sunil Gulati, USSF's president, said in a statement yesterday.

Under Sundhage -- who replaced Greg Ryan last November after his team finished third at the 2007 World Cup -- the U.S. team has gone 33-1-1, including a penalty-kicks victory over Canada in the final of Olympics qualifying in the North and Central American and Caribbean region. The U.S. team won its third Olympics gold medal, defeating Brazil 1-0 in the final on Carli Lloyd's goal.

"We've done so many things in a short amount of time and been successful so far," Sundhage said. "The reason it is so exciting to continue with this team is that I can see the potential…."

More soccer

■ Players from ACC teams accounted for five of the 11 spots on the first team when College Soccer News announced its All-America selections yesterday. They were: Ike Opara, Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy of Wake Forest, Mike Grella of Duke and Jeremy Hall of national champion Maryland

Also, Corben Bone and Cody Arnoux of Wake Forest made the second team, along with Omar Gonzalez of Maryland and Alejandro Bedoya of Boston College, and Chris Salvaggione of UNC Charlotte was a third-team pick.

Baseball

■ Jamie Moyer agreed yesterday to a two-year contract that keeps him with the World Series champion Phillies.

Philadelphia also confirmed it has a preliminary agreement with Chan Ho Park. Also, second baseman Chase Utley said he is recovering well from hip surgery and hopes to be ready for opening day.

Moyer, 46, went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA in 33 starts last season and pitched six strong innings as the Phillies won Game of the World Series. He is 35-21 with a 4.33 ERA in 74 starts since the Phillies acquired him from Seattle in August 2006, and the Souderton, Pa., native has 246 career wins.

Park was quoted by the Korea Times as saying the Phillies considered him a starter. Park, 35, went 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA in 54 appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season, going 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA in five starts. He could compete with Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ and prospect Carlos Carrasco for the fifth spot in the rotation.

■ Shortstop Adam Everett and the Detroit Tigers signed a one-year contract yesterday worth about $1 million. Everett batted just .213 with two home runs and 20 RBIs in 48 games for the Minnesota Twins last season, when he was slowed by a sore shoulder.

However, the Tigers think that Everett can help with his defense. Everett is expected to replace Edgar Renteria, who became a free agent after the Tigers declined his 2009 option.

■ Outfielder Jason Michaels and the Houston Astros agreed yesterday to a $750,000, one-year contract.

Michaels hit .224 with eight home runs and 53 RBIs in 123 games with Cleveland and Pittsburgh last season. He was 9 for 45 (.200) as pinch-hitter with 13 RBIs, third-most in the major leagues.

Michaels, 32, played all three outfield positions last season.

■ Pitcher Doug Mathis stayed with the Texas Rangers, agreeing yesterday to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Mathis, a 25-year-old right-hander, went 2-1 with a 6.85 ERA in four starts and four seasons with Texas last season, cut short because of right-shoulder inflammation.

He was 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 10 games for Class AAA Oklahoma.

Recruiting

■ Infielder Olivia Poplin of Ledford has signed to play softball at Mount Olive, Coach Jaime Kylis-Higginbotham announced yesterday in a release from the college. Poplin is a two-time All-Central Carolina 2-A selection and played in the State Games of North Carolina last summer.

"I had the pleasure of working with Olivia during a camp this summer and I was just so impressed with her work ethic and overall versatility," Kylis-Higginbotham said. "I was sure she would go Division I, so when she called to express her interest in (Mount Olive), I knew that she could help take us to the next level."

Golf

■ O.D. Vincent has retired as the men's golf coach at Duke, and Ryan Ressa has taken over the day-to-day coaching responsibilities. Vincent will become a senior associate athletics director at his alma mater, Washington. Ressa came to Duke as an assistant in 2006.

Duke announced that it will start at national search to fill the position permanently.

■ Tiger Woods said yesterday that he was disappointed by his caddie's disparaging comments in New Zealand newspapers about Phil Mickelson, whom Woods referred to as a "player I respect."

Steve Williams was quoted in the Taranki Daily News as saying he wouldn't call Mickelson a great player "because I think he's a (expletive)." Contacted by the Sunday Star Times, Williams confirmed making the comment.

"I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect," Woods said in a statement. "It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with."

Williams began working with Woods in the spring of 1999 and has been on his bag for 13 of his 14 majors.

Miscellaneous

■ Utah has suspended guard Luka Drca for two games for an intentional foul committed in a loss to No. 4 Oklahoma.

Drca tripped Blake Griffin as the Sooners were on a fast break with a 14-point lead early in the second half of Saturday's game. Oklahoma's Willie Warren was called for a technical for jawing with Drca, who was whistled for an intentional foul.

Utah coach Jim Boylen said in a release Monday that he was suspending Drca for two games.

■ Susie Rowe of Maryland won the Honda Award as the nation's top female field-hockey player.

Rowe is a three-time, first-team All-America who led the Terrapins to their sixth national title this season, scoring the winning goal to top off her record 28-goal, 74-point season.

Other nominees were Iowa's Laurie Pfeiffer, Syracuse's Shannon Taylor and Penn State's Jennifer Long.

■ Hugh McCutcheon yesterday agreed to coach the U.S. women's volleyball team through the 2012 Olympics, passing up offers that would have taken him and his family overseas. He replaces Jenny Lang Ping, who didn't seek a contract renewal after the U.S. women won the silver medal in Beijing.

McCutcheon's wife is former Olympian Elisabeth "Wiz" Bachman, and she and her parents, Todd and Barbara Bachman, were attacked as they visited a popular Beijing tourist site a few hours after the opening ceremonies. Todd Bachman was stabbed to death, and Barbara Bachman was badly wounded.

Barbara Bachman eventually returned to her home in Minnesota, and McCutcheon said she is doing "much better."

■ Vitaly Klitschko is set to defend his WBC heavyweight title against David Haye in June in London.

A deal for the fight was agreed to after Haye watched the Klitschko's brother, Wladimir, retain his IBF and WBO heavyweight belts by stopping Hasim Rahman in the seventh round Saturday.

■ Adidas canceled its contract with the German swimming federation yesterday after athletes complained that its suits were not competitive.

German swimmers, seeking the freedom to choose a supplier, have complained since the Beijing Olympic that their Adidas suits were inferior to Speedo's LZR Racer, which increases buoyancy.