Donovan, back six weeks after a break, scored a goal and set up two others for reigning Major League Soccer champion Los Angeles Galaxy in a 4-1 victory this week at Philadelphia Union, saying: "I felt like I was back to my old self."

But he is not back to his spot on the roster for the Americans, which go with Tottenham's Clint Dempsey, AZ Alkmaar's Jozy Altidore, Seattle's Eddie Johnson and Herculez Gomez of Mexico's Santos as attacking options instead.

"We are very excited about the group we have put together," Klinsmann said. "The players understand more how we're working, what we're looking for, the way we want to play and the way we want to challenge big nations eye-to-eye."

The Americans will have that chance once players gather May 26 at Cleveland, where it hosts Belgium three days later. Then comes a June 2 friendly at Washington against a Germany side likely to lack most of its top stars.

North American World Cup 2014 qualifying resumes for the US side on June 7 at Jamaica with the Americans returning home to Seattle on June 11 to entertain Panama and to Salt Lake City to face Honduras on June 18.

"As we go into this stretch... we want to see more consistent performances," Klinsmann said. "There is a huge opportunity to pick up a lot of points and put ourselves in a good position to qualify for Brazil."

The US is third on the qualifying table after three of 10 matches, with only the top three clinching berths in Brazil next year. The fourth-place team will play a two-game series against New Zealand for a trip to Brazil.

Panama tops the table on five points with Costa Rica, United States and Honduras all on four points, separated only by goal difference, and favoured Mexico on three points after three draws, including 0-0 at home with the Americans.

The US side is on a run of 21-0 with two drawn at home in World Cup qualifying.

The American is currently being investigated over allegations of fraud within CONCACAF, which governs the sport in North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Former CONCACAF president Jack Warner is also under investigation.

A statement from FIFA read: "The decision (to ban Blazer) was taken following a request made by the acting deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee, Robert Torres, based on the fact that various breaches of the FIFA Code of Ethics appear to have been committed by Chuck Blazer and that a decision on the main issue could not be taken early enough.

"The investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee previously opened investigation proceedings against Chuck Blazer in response to the final report of the CONCACAF Integrity Committee."

Blazer, the former general secretary of the CONCACAF federation, became known as the 'whistleblower' after making bribery allegations against Warner and then Asian Football Confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam in the run-up to FIFA's presidential election in June 2011.

The 35-year-old Fluminense player now faces an automatic 30-day ban although he plans to fight against a suspension, claiming the positive test is the result of a contaminated vitamin supplement.

Deco was tested after Fluminense's 2-0 win over Boavista on March 30, and his sample contained traces of furosemide, a diuretic which can be used to mask other substances.

In a statement on its website, Fluminense said the player had hired his own legal team to represent him in the case while the club was also retaining its own lawyers.

Mauro Obolo got his side off the mark in the 35th minute and Gonzalo Castellani doubled the advantage moments before half-time.

Nicolas Sanchez's 82nd minute goal made sure of the points.

San Lorenzo came from behind to win 2-1 away from home against Quilmes, moving level on points with its opponent in seventh place in the process.

Fernando Elizari put Quilmes in front in the 17th minute but Julio Buffarini levelled four minutes into the second half before Gonzalo Veron struck the winner.

After a goalless first leg, Monterrey fell two goals behind at home but scored four times in the final 30 minutes, with two goals by Aldo de Nigris.

De Nigris got Monterrey going with a left-footed 12-metre shot that made it 2-1. Neri Cardozo tied the game in the 84th minute before De Nigiris made it 3-2 on 87 minutes.

"When we were behind 2-0 against a great team like Santos, you can't imagine rallying like this," De Nigris said. "Now we are a team that has proven ourselves and made some history."

Santos had goals from Carlos Darwin Quintero in the 38th minute and Felipe Baloy 12 minutes later. But, once Monterrey found the net, Santos couldn't stop the host.

"This is an extraordinary achievement that the boys have done," coach Victor Manuel Vucetich said.

"It's a credit to them and one of great satisfaction for this group that worked so hard."

Warner claims his May 1998 deal with then-FIFA President Joao Havelange ensured total backing from the CONCACAF region for Blatter in his tight contest against Lennart Johansson weeks later.

Warner has published letters apparently showing Havelange agreed to convert FIFA's loan into a personal donation.

Without 30 CONCACAF's votes, Warner claims "Blatter would never have seen the light of day as President of FIFA."

Warner's controversial ownership of the Trinidad centre, now valued at $22.5 million and named after Havelange, led a CONCACAF-appointed integrity panel last week to accuse him of fraudulently managing the regional body.

Warner has produced letters from Blatter's predecessor Joao Havelange confirming the US$6 million ($5.84 million) FIFA loan for the centre, built on land owned by Warner, had been converted into a grant.

In return Warner says he delivered the 30 votes needed for Blatter - at the time 'the most hated FIFA official' in Warner's words - to beat Lennart Johansson for the FIFA presidency in 1998 and named the centre after Havelange.

Warner, who quit football last year after corruption allegations and this week resigned from the Trinidad government after an audit by the CONCACAF confederation raised questions about the centre of excellence, admits that he manipulated at least one vote by getting an official's girlfriend to stand in for an absent association president.

He released a statement which read: "Blatter was Havelange's candidate to succeed him for the FIFA presidency. Blatter had been at this time the most hated FIFA official by both the European and African confederations and without my CONCACAF support at the FIFA elections, Blatter would never have seen the light of day as president of FIFA.

"I told Havelange that, through him, Blatter will get CONCACAF's total support."

Warner delivered 30 CONCACAF votes for Blatter in a block - and he beat Johansson by 111 votes to 80.

Warner added: "An interesting development at that Congress was that Haiti was absent and with Blatter's permission, I got Captain Horace Burrell's (of Jamaica) girlfriend to vote as the Haitian delegate by saying, "Oui!" when Haiti's name was called."

He also insists the centre of excellence was never a CONCACAF asset but had been 'a gift for the Caribbean and Jack Warner'.

"So there was no ambiguity," said Warner.

"There was no uncertainty. There was no secret in my dealings towards and with Dr Havelange and the Centre of Excellence. So the Centre of Excellence was built, first by a loan that was given to Jack Warner that was converted into a grant and by further assistance from Dr Havelange after whom I named the Centre."

"We still have a lot of work to do... We know that we're not ready, everyone knows it," he added following the 2-2 draw against Chile in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday (Thursday AEST).

The five-time world champion - which qualifies automatically as host for next year's showpiece event - was without its European-based stars for the match but did have Ronaldinho, Neymar and Alexandre Pato in its line-up.

About 53,000 people watched the game at the venue, which was opened in December last year and will host matches in the Confederation Cup tournament from June 15-30.

The result - the Selecao's third draw in five games since Scolari took over in November last year - was met with whistles from the crowd.

The man nicknamed "Big Phil" was the last Brazil coach to take the country to World Cup glory in 2002 and hopes have been high that he can repeat the feat next year.

Brazil has fallen to 19th in the FIFA world rankings - its lowest-ever position - although the world governing body awards fewer points for friendlies than competitive qualifying matches.

Brazil has two further friendlies before the Confederations Cup.

On June 2, Brazil plays England in the inaugural match at the revamped Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, then takes on France on June 9 in Porto Alegre in the southeast of the country.

A member of the last three American World Cup squads, the 31-year-old Donovan returned for the Los Angeles Galaxy on March 30 following a sabbatical of nearly four months.

The US has friendlies against Belgium on May 29 and Germany on June 2 ahead of three World Cup qualifiers against Jamaica and Honduras from June 7-18.

Klinsmann said on Wednesday "there are players clearly ahead of Landon Donovan right now".

Klinsmann left open the possibility that midfielder Stuart Holden could make the CONCACAF Gold Cup squad.

Holden returned in February following a knee injury that limited him to one game in nearly two years.

The visitor took an early lead as midfielder Cesar Cortes' header was saved by Diego Cavalieri and Marc Gonzalez converted the rebound.

Brazil almost levelled in the 15th minute, but Jadson's long-range shot hit the crossbar, with Ronaldinho's rebound effort saved by Johnny Herrera, but it did get the equaliser when Rever headed home Neymar's corner.

During the second half, substitute Alexandre Pato assisted Neymar, who only had to push the ball into the goal to fire Brazil ahead, but Eduardo Vargas fired his side level in the 64th minute with a superb long-range shot.

In injury time, Brazil's Braulio Leal fouled Fernando Meneses and was sent off.

The 84-year-old Paraguayan had been the head of COMBEBOL, the South American football confederation, since 1986 and been a FIFA executive member since 1998.

Leoz's resignation comes in the same week FIFA is expected to make an announcement on the outcome of an ethics committee investigation into the ISL scandal - the payment of kickbacks to FIFA officials by the now defunct marketing company.

A FIFA statement read: "FIFA has taken note of the formal resignation of Nicolas Leoz as a member of the FIFA Executive Committee and as President of CONMEBOL for health and personal reasons. Nicolas Leoz informed FIFA of his decision to resign today by letter."

FIFA said CONMBOL will now have to decide on Leoz's replacement on the executive committee for the remaining period of office.

Felipe Baloy's 16th-minute goal proved enough to lift the Green and Whites above Atlas and Club America, to within a point of pacesetter Tigres Monterrey.

In the other match played, Leon came from two goals down to draw at Jaguares.

Leiton Jimenez and Luis Rey netted within the space of eight second-half minutes to have the host in control but Carlos Pena pulled a goal back three minutes later and Edwin Hernandez's late goal - only Leon's 12th in 15 matches - moved them off the bottom and to within four points of its opponent.

Martin Tonso gave Newell's a 20th-minute lead but Ezequiel Rescaldani equalised 12 minutes into the second half.

However, Marcos Caceres regained the lead within six minutes and Maximiliano Urruti made it 3-1, 14 minutes from time.

The result puts the club from Rosario a point clear of Lanus at the top of the table.

In the other match played on Friday, Racing Club and Colon Santa Fe drew 1-1.

Racing Club was poised to go third in the table when Claudio Corvalan gave it the lead midway through the second half - but substitute Ivan Moreno y Fabianesi earned the visitor a point with a goal four minutes from time.

The altercation began after the 1-1 result in Talcahuano, Chile, eliminated the host from the group stage and allowed Gremio to advance.

The Chilean club accused Gremio coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo of provoking them after the final whistle.

Huachipato coach Jorge Pellicer and several players charged after Luxemburgo, who tried to run away but was not able to make it to the changing room in time.

The former Real Madrid coach turned around and raised his arms to try to defend himself, then slipped and fell to the ground as at least two players went after him.

Toluca led through Lucas Silva's first-half goal but the host responded with two goals in six second-half minutes from Cesar Ibanez Jimenez and Oribe Peralta.

It trails second-placed Atlas by one point and leader Tigres Monterrey by three, with both teams playing away from home on Monday.

Morelia moved fifth, at least temporarily, with a 1-0 win over Queretaro thanks to Hector Mancilla's 77th-minute goal.

Aleman was introduced in the 76th minute and took just five minutes to cancel out Daniel Montenegro's first-half opener and earn his side a 1-1 draw.

In another game, Argentinos Juniors and Atletico Rafaela played out a goalless draw.

Allegations swirl around Jose Maria Marin, who has denied any wrongdoing and doesn't plan on resigning.

Congressmen, former players, fans and local media have shown growing discontent with Marin, pointing to his alleged link to the country's dictatorship era, to his inefficiency as head of the federation, and to accusations of unethical behavior.

The 80-year-old Marin is also the president of the local 2014 World Cup organising committee.

"The LOC does not comment on speculations," the committee announced in a statement to The Associated Press.

"The entire LOC team is focused on the delivery of the Confederations Cup and we have the full involvement of president Jose Maria Marin in the event's preparations."

Congressman Romario has been spearheading the campaign against Marin, and fellow former player Ronaldo, a member of the local organising committee and the face of the World Cup in Brazil, also is in favor of changes in the Brazilian federation, or CBF.

"What they want I also want, which is to shake up Brazilian football," Ronaldo told the O Globo newspaper.

"There are a lot of things that we don't want to see anymore ... lack of transparency, poor calendars, fan violence. If Marin can't do that, we need to make a change. CBF needs to move forward. Football needs young and dynamic people with new ideas."

Ronaldo is seen as one of the possible candidates to replace Marin, according to local media, along with former Corinthians president and CBF director Andres Sanchez and former Brazil player and Paris Saint-Germain director Leonardo.

Teixeira resigned from the CBF citing medical reasons in 2012, though under a cloud of allegations of corruption and irregularities in his administration. Swiss court documents later linked him to receiving kickbacks worth millions of dollars from World Cup broadcasting deals.

The biggest complaint against Marin is his connection to the country's military dictatorship. He belonged to the party that supported the regime which ruled Brazil from 1964-85. A group led by Romario wants Marin investigated for his possible indirect connection to the torture and killing of a prominent Brazilian journalist in 1975.

FIFA has tried to distance itself from the allegations against Marin, saying it's a local issue.

FIFA confirmed to Press Association Sport it is looking into the incident in which the Liverpool star Suarez allegedly punched Chile defender Gonzalo Jara during a World Cup qualifier last month.

"Suarez is being persecuted by different football leagues, mainly the English, and we think this is unjust because it's a normal action in football," Uruguay FA president Sebastian Bauza is quoted as saying on South American governing body CONMEBOL's website.

"We will defend him very strongly. We are working with all the videos and pictures showing Suarez reacted to an initial aggression from Jara."

Uruguay has until April 17 to present their response to FIFA.

The top three were unchanged with world champion Spain at number one followed by Germany and Brazil's arch South American foe, Argentina.

Croatia owes its sharp climb largely to their recent 2-0 "derby" win over Serbia to sit above Portugal (+2), Colombia, England, Italy (-3), Holland (-1) and Ecuador (+1), who complete the top 10.

Brazil, on a diet of friendlies ahead of staging next year's World Cup, registered a brace of draws in March - 1-1 against Russia and 2-2 with Italy - before seeing off Bolivia 4-0.

The South American giant - five-time winner of football's biggest prize - dropped in the rankings because FIFA's list awards more points for qualifying matches than friendlies.

England dropped three places to seventh after the 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw in Montenegro, which came after an 8-0 victory against minnow San Marino.

Wales leapt an astonishing 22 places from 71st to 49th, with their 2-1 win in Scotland followed by a 2-1 defeat in Croatia.

Australia dropped seven spots to 46th as the third-ranked Asian team behind Japan (26) and Korea Republic (42).

Cote d'Ivoire is the highest-ranked African team, moving up a place to 12th.

Estudiantes had Leonardo Jara sent off before half-time but the only goal came from substitute Martin Rolle, a 70th-minute introduction, with two minutes remaining.

The win left Arsenal fourth in the table, three points off the summit with four wins and only one defeat from eight games to date. The rock-bottom visitor has only three points to its name.

With just one win in its opening seven games of the Argentinian Clausura, it looked a stiff task facing the visitors against a team jostling for first place.

However it went ahead after 52 minutes when Gigliotti met a free-kick by controlling the ball with his knees and shooting from eight yards, firing the ball into the ground in such a way that it bounced high off the turf and beyond goalkeeper Sebastian Peratta.

For his second goal in the 56th minute Gigliotti got in front of his marker to meet a flick-on from a throw-in and head powerfully into the right corner.

Newell's pulled a goal back two minutes later through Horacio Orzan who applied a slick low finish to an intricate team move that tore through the Colon Santa Fe defence, but they could not find another goal.

A Newell's victory would have sent them top, as leaders Lanus was held to a goalless draw by Boca Juniors. Lanus has a two-point cushion at the top over Newell's and River Plate, who claimed a fifth win in eight games, this one at the expense of Racing Club.

Hosts Racing Club was chasing the game from the early stages, with Leandro Gonzalez putting River Plate ahead in the 12th minute. River Plate clinched a 2-0 win, with Manuel Lanzini netting its second goal a minute from time.

Atlas could not capitalise on Leon holding leader Tigres Monterrey 0-0 as it too played out a goalless draw with Morelia at home to stay two points off the summit.

Club America is two points further back after a 1-1 draw with Puebla, needing Miguel Layun's 71st minute equaliser after falling behind to a Felix Borja strike shortly after the hour mark.

A further two points back are Santos Laguna, which drew 0-0 at Tijuana.

Unam Pumas moved to within three points of the top four by beating Pachuca 2-1 away from home.

Javier Cortes struck seven minutes from time after Pachuca's Paulo Da Silva had cancelled out Efrain Valerde's opener.

Cruz Azul came from behind to win 2-1 at Queretaro.

The host took the lead through Diego De La Torre after 11 minutes, but Nicolas Bertolo levelled early in the second half before substitute Javier Orozco Penuelas won it 18 minuts from time.

The match was arranged to raise money for the family of Kevin Spada, a 14-year-old who was killed by a projectile during a Copa Libertadores match between Bolivian side San Jose and Brazil's Corinthians.

The players stood with a large banner carrying the slogan "A match for peace and friendship in stadiums" before kick-off.

Leandro Damiao put Brazil ahead after three minutes with a sharp finish and Neymar made it 3-0 by the interval, scoring his first after smartly linking up with Ronaldinho to clip the ball home and his second from a low cross delivered from the right by Jadson.

Substitute Leandro fired Brazil's fourth goal in the second half after an intricate build-up.

The teams were made up of home-based players, with overseas stars unavailable.

Velez consolidated its Group Four lead after defender Sebastian Dominguez opened the scoring early in the 7th minute.

Lucas Romero doubled the lead after 19 minutes with a shot form distance.

Iquique reduced the deficit through Manuel Villalobos in the 39th minute, but Colombian forward Jonathan Copete made it 3-1 for Velez five minutes after the interval.

Velez keeper Sebastian Sosa also saved a Rodrigo Diaz penalty during the first half.

Romero told Fox Sports it was "a very hard match".

He added: "We knew it was a must-win game for us in order to get the qualification so we are very happy with this result.

"We are relaxed in the Copa Libertadores ahead of the last group game because we are already qualified. Now, it is time to focus on the local league."

Ecuador's Emelec went up to second in the group on nine points, three behind Velez, thanks to a 2-0 home win over Uruguayan giant Penarol, which remains third on six.

With only nine minutes to go, Argentine defender Cristian Nasuti headed a free-kick into the back of the net, while Fernando Gaibor extended the lead with a goal from a free-kick in injury time.

Emelec need a draw against Velez Sarsfield in their next game to progress.

Penarol, meanwhile, takes on already-eliminated Iquique in Montevideo and will keep an eye on Emelec's result as it effects its qualification hopes.

Colombian side Tolima did not feel the effects of altitude as it beat Peru's Real Garcilaso 3-0 at 3300 metres above sea level.

Paraguayan forward Rogerio Leichtweis netted a hat-trick, scoring in the 54th, 66th and 84th minutes to put his side second in Group Six.

Only goal average places Tolima above Real Garcilaso, with both sides even on seven points.

Colombian side Santa Fe leads Group Six after beating Paraguayan outfit Cerro Porteno 1-0 in Bogota to reach the eight point mark.

Jefferson Cuero gave Santa Fe the win after 23 minutes as he chested down a Yulian Anchico cross into the back of the net.

With 15 minutes remaining, Santa Fe defender Carlos Valdes and Cerro Porteno midfielder Fidencio Oviedo were both shown a red card.

Following the defeat Cerro Porteno has no chance to make it into the next round.

Brazilian giant Palmeiras saw off Argentina's Tigre 2-0 at home to climb up to second in the Group Two standings.

Caio opened the scoring after 20 minutes, after being set up by Vinicius, and Charles added a second early in the second half.

Palmeiras has collected six points so far, two less than Paraguayan side Libertad and one more than Peru's Sporting Cristal. Tigre lies bottom of the group on three points.

The Mexican side went ahead in the tie thanks to a 53rd-minute strike by striker Herculez Gomez, a United States international who once had a loan spell with Seattle.

The second leg takes place next Tuesday in Torreon.

Rodriguez scored eight minutes before half-time to seal a result which took Newell's to 16 points from seven games.

Lanus face Quilmes on Monday (Tuesday AEDT).

Godoy Cruz stayed hot on Newell's heels as Mauro Obolo scored twice to lift it to a 3-2 win at San Martin de San Juan.

Obolo netted after 10 minutes, but Godoy Cruz found themselves 2-1 down before the break thanks to a Nicolas Sanchez own goal in the 21st minute and Damian Ledesma's strike just after the half-hour.

Substitute David Ramirez levelled in the 63rd minute, just moments after coming off the bench, and Obolo grabbed his second eight minutes from time to seal the win.

Morel Rodriguez netted in the 63rd minute to salvage a 1-1 draw for Independiente against Boca Juniors, who played nearly the whole game with 10 men.

Christian Cellay was sent off in the 16th minute, but Santiago Silva netted six minutes before the break - a lead which Boca held until Rodriguez struck.

Diego Vera's 31st-minute goal gave Atletico Rafaela a 1-0 win over Union Santa Fe.

Luis Garcia Fernandez put Tigres ahead in the 32nd minute, but DaMarcus Beasley equalised just before the hour mark.

Pulido then grabbed the winner just five minutes after stepping off the bench, taking his side back above Atlas at the summit.

Raul Jimenez bagged a double to fire Club America to a 2-0 win at 10-man Guadalajara.

Sergio Perez saw red after 35 minutes and Jimenez took full advantage after the break, netting in the 51st and 79th minutes to seal the points for the visitors, putting them third.

Bieler opened the scoring after five minutes but Sporting had to wait until 10 minutes from the end to add a second through Zusi.

The win took Sporting to within four points of the Eastern Conference-leading Impact.

In the West, leaders FC Dallas edged to a 1-0 victory at the New England Revolution for its fourth win in five.

Substitute Blas Perez scored the only goal three minutes from time.

Chivas USA held on to beat Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1.

Chivas took the lead when Jun Marques Davidson scored an own goal in the 12th minute and Eric Avila doubled the lead 10 minutes after the break, before Kenny Miller pulled one back in the 64th minute.

Two second-half goals from Will Johnson helped Portland Timbers come from behind to claim a 2-2 draw at Colorado Rapids, which had established a two-goal lead through Dillon Powers and Hendry Thomas.

Dax McCarty and Thierry Henry netted, sandwiching a reply from Conor Casey, as New York Red Bulls beat Philadelphia Union 2-1.

Elsewhere, Toronto FC and Los Angeles Galaxy drew 2-2, Houston Dynamo beat San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 and Real Salt Lake saw off Seattle Sounders 2-1.

Luis Ramos netted the first after 38 minutes but Israel Castro levelled six minutes into the second period.

Parity lasted just three minutes, though, before Matias Vuoso sealed the points for Atlas, which overtook Tigres Monterrey at the top of the table.

Santos Laguna slipped up in its pursuit of the top two as an own goal from Felipe Baloy in the last minute handed 10-man Queretaro a 1-1 draw.

Oribe Peralta had put Santos ahead from the spot in the 37th minute but, despite the 76th-minute dismissal of Mario Osuna, it could not hold on.

Toluca claimed a 1-0 win over 10-man Tijuana, sealing revenge for it defeat in the Apertura final.

Wilson Mathias scored the only goal after seven minutes, and Fidel Martinez saw red two minutes later.

Leon and Pachuca played out a 0-0 draw in a match which with three sendings-off - Nelson Rosano and Luis Montes seeing red in the first half for the host and Hector Herrera following suit for the visitors after the break.

Carlos Ochoa scored twice in Morelia's 4-0 win over Atlante, while San Luis saw off Jaguares 3-0 and Monterrey beat Unam Pumas by the same scoreline.

Anangono struck five minutes into the second half to seal a result which took it out of the bottom three ahead of Monday's (AEDT) games.

River Plate missed the chance to go second as a goalless draw with Velez Sarsfield put it third in the table, while Javier Campora's strike two minutes from time gave Racing Club a 1-0 win at Estudiantes, which went bottom.

It could have been worse for Arsenal as it fell behind in the 36th minute thanks to Luciano Lollo's effort.

Diego Braghieri levelled in the 63rd minute, but Arsenal could not find a winner so had to be content with being third ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures.

Emmanuel Gigliotti struck three minutes from the end to give Colon Santa Fe its first Clausura win, 3-2 over Tigre, after it had surrendered a two-goal lead in a match which saw both teams end with 10 men.

Colon raced into a 2-0 lead through goals from Facundo Curuchet (11') and Sebastian Prediger (18'), but Ezequiel Maggiolo bagged a quickfire double, striking after 23 and 28 minutes, to level.

Both sides then had a men sent off, with Mauricio Romero (65') seeing red for Colon and Angel Diaz (84') following suit for Tigre, before Gigliotti struck the winner late on.

Italian forward Marco Di Vaio grabbed the game's only goal after 14 minutes, latching onto Patrice Bernier's pass and firing past visiting goalkeeper Luis Robles to secure his side's fourth win in four games.

Red Bulls emerged for the second half looking positive, despite the absences of Frenchman Thierry Henry (injury) and Australia's Tim Cahill (international duty).

But they could not find an equaliser and saw their dwindling hopes of picking up any points at Olympic Stadium further dented by Brandon Barklage's 74th-minute red card for a second bookable offence.

Columbus Crew remained second in the EC, five points behind Montreal, after Ben Speas's first MLS goal earned it a 2-1 victory at DC United.

Josh Williams had put the visitor ahead in the 15th minute at RFK Stadium only for Rafael to equalise with a superb half-volley seven minutes later.

But Speas restored Crew's lead 11 minutes into the second half, smashing into an empty net after defender Brandon McDonald had slipped while attempting to clear the ball after DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid had spilled Federico Higuain's curling free-kick.

FC Dallas claimed sole possession of first place in the Western Conference with a 2-0 home triumph over Real Salt Lake.

Fabian Castillo opened the scoring in the 70th minute with a fierce effort and Jackson doubled Dallas's advantage 11 minutes later when he capitalised on RSL goalkeeper Josh Saunders's failure to deal with a tricky back-pass.

The visitor's miserable night continued when midfielder Yordany Alvarez was shown a second yellow card for diving.

Colorado Rapids paid the price for a moment of madness from Drew Moor as Mike Magee's penalty five minutes into the second half earned Los Angeles Galaxy a 1-0 victory over the 10-man visitor at Home Depot Center.

Moor saw red for an off-the-ball elbow on Marcelo Sarvas in the penalty area and Magee coolly despatched the resulting spot-kick for the game's only goal.

Chris Wondolowski's strike on the stroke of half-time handed San Jose Earthquakes a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.

Houston Dynamo overcame a half-time deficit to defeat Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1.

Darren Mattocks had given the Whitecaps a first-half lead but Giles Barnes and Warren Creavalle turned the game on its head after the interval - with their first MLS goals - to extend Dynamo's home winning streak to 33 games.

Finally, New England Revolution and Sporting Kansas City battled out a goalless draw at a windswept Gillette Stadium.

The report on Tuesday says 11 players in the US national team pool and 11 others connected to the program, none of them identified by name, say there are major rifts within the team and confidence and faith is dimming in Klinsmann.

"Things are boiling over," one source told Sporting News. "The feeling now is that this is (Klinsmann's) last chance against Costa Rica."

Much of the criticism is aimed at the former German national team coach, who was hired to take over the US program in July of 2011 and will field his 24th different line-up in as many games when the Americans face Costa Rica at Denver.

"We do all this stuff. OK, it's good for us and it's scientifically proven," a US player said. "But in the end it's a round ball. The Peles and the Maradonas in the world weren't doing all these things.

"We spend more time worrying about gyms and nutrition, and we don't do enough of what we need to do on the field."

A 2-1 loss last month at Honduras in the North American final round 2014 World Cup qualifying opener brought issues to a boiling point, the story said, because captain Carlos Bocanegra was benched, and Klinsmann slighted Bocanegra in telling players the veteran was being relegated to a reserve role.

"He already broke Carlos's heart. Why drive the knife in and twist it?" a source said in the report.

Bocanegra, not on the roster for the US matches on Friday and next Tuesday at arch-rival Mexico, expressed his feelings in a diplomatic posting on his Facebook page Tuesday night.

"During the last 18 months Jurgen has introduced a lot of new ideas to the team and has a vision of how he wants to grow the program," Bocanegra wrote.

"Every coach around the world has his own style and methods. He has always been up front with players about where they stand and where he sees them going. Not every player is going to be happy with all of the decisions and methods, but he will tell you to your face where you stand.

"From a coach, that is the best thing you could ask for. One of the greatest strengths of this team has always been our unity and spirit, and we all remain committed to the cause of qualifying for the World Cup."

Klinsmann spoke to Sporting News about the criticism uncovered for the story and defended taking players out of a comfort zone and keeping them in the dark about if they will start or who they might be partnered with, saying it makes players better.

"All those elements we throw at them now, because if we don't do it, it's too late in the World Cup," Klinsmann said.

"I take this conversation as a positive also with the players, talking more about this process to them ... The only way we get them to that next level is to run them through this uncomfortable period, and they have to learn and they have to swim in the cold water. And we're going to convince the world later."

Players said they found the last-minute ousting of Bocanegra "a bit disturbing" and "to not have him in a game like that was really peculiar".

"It was just everyone on their own terms. Everyone was doing their own thing. And it showed."

A player said that, "sometimes a coach's biggest mistake is trying to get in who he sees as the best 11 players on the field. But they don't have to be. You have to have 11 players on the field who are going to work well with each other and be good for each other."

One player called Klinsmann "scatterbrained" while another said "certain players aren't in the same situation and on the same page on the field. It's frustrating."

Some players were critical of the role played by German-born sons of US soldiers within the team and one player said Klinsmann was trying to turn a scrappy US side into a technical side like Germany, Brazil or Spain.

"We work hard, we fight and we compete," the player said. "We have great athletes, and we're a good counter-attacking team. Maybe we need to go back to what we're good at."

Atlante faced an uphill struggle when Joe Bizera was sent off in the 27th minute, and Pavone took full advantage to put his side ahead two minutes before the break.

He bagged his second 10 minutes into the second half, and the scoring was rounded off when Diego Jimenez scored an own goal nine minutes from the end.

In the day's other game, Unam Pumas were held to a goalless draw by struggling Leon.

Guadalajara took the lead after 34 minutes but Tigres levelled three minutes into the second half through Damian Alvarez.

The visitor then had Patricio Araujo sent off in the 69th minute, but Tigres could not take advantage.

Despite that, though, it extended its lead to two points as Santos Laguna scored two late goals to come from behind and win 2-1 at Atlas.

The host took the lead from the spot in the 63rd minute, but strikes from Rodolfo Salinas (79) and Carlos Quintero (88) turned the game around.

That put Santos level on points with third-placed Club America, which also failed to win as it succumbed to a last-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with San Luis.

It appeared to be heading for victory courtesy of Juan Carlos Medina's 40th-minute goal, but it all fell apart in the dying seconds as Diego Reyes was sent off and Juan Cuevas equalised from the penalty spot.

Goals in the last two minutes from Abraham Carreno and Angel Reyna saw Pachuca come from behind to snatch a dramatic 2-1 win over Puebla.

Diego De Buen had put the visitor ahead in the 26th minute.

An own goal from Diego Novaretti gave Queretaro a 1-0 win over Toluca, while Duvier Riascos' 87th-minute strike earned Tijuana a 2-2 draw against Monterrey.

Fidel Martinez had put Tijuana ahead in the 27th minute, but the lead lasted just four minutes before Aldo De Nigris levelled and Humberto Suazo made it 2-1 three minutes later.

Impact was two goals up at the break thanks to Patrice Bernier's penalty in the 34th minute and Marco Di Vaio's effort on the stroke of half-time.

Robbie Earnshaw pulled one back from the spot in the 68th minute but Toronto could not find an equaliser.

Philadelphia Union edged to a 1-0 win over New England Revolution to stay three points behind Montreal in the Eastern Conference.

Jack McInerney grabbed the only goal of the game 14 minutes from time.

The rest of the day's games ended in draws.

Substitute Rodney Wallace netted in the last minute to earn a 1-1 draw for Portland Timbers at Seattle Sounders.

Eddie Johnson scored for Seattle in the 13th minute.

Columbus Crew was held to a 1-1 draw by San Jose Earthquakes, which equalised through Justin Morrow (74) six minutes after Berti Glauber had given the home side the lead.

Alvaro Saborio salvaged a point for Real Salt Lake, scoring 10 minutes from time to cancel out Colorado Rapids' opener, which came through Deshorn Brown (37), in another game which finished 1-1.

The other two games - New York Red Bulls v DC United and Sporting Kansas City v Chicago Fire - finished goalless.

The host could have joined Lanus on 13 points with a win ahead of the rest of the weekend's fixtures but it could not find a way past the Independiente defence.

In the day's other game, an own goal from Ruben Ramirez 15 minutes from the end gave San Lorenzo a 1-0 win at Colon Santa Fe.

San Lorenzo played nearly an hour with 10 men after Mauro Cetto was sent off in the 33rd minute.

Neither Atlante nor Atlas were able to get the ball into the back of the net in regulation time of their contest on Wednesday, but the Cancun-based club one-upped its Guadalajara rival 3-2 on penalties.

Atlante converted three tries and failed on their two other attempts, while Atlas scored on two of their five penalty kicks.

Sergio Napoles, Diego Jimenez and Francisco Fonseca scored for Atlante, while Carlos Gutierrez and Luis Robles netted for Atlas.

Puebla, meanwhile, won its penalty shootout against Pachuca 5-3 after the teams were knotted at 1-1 at the end of regulation.

American DaMarcus Beasley scored for Puebla in the 55th minute of Wednesday's contest before Abraham Carreo got the equaliser in the 79th minute.

Luis Miguel Noriega, Diego de Buen, Isaac Romo, Ecuadorian Segundo Castillo and Uruguay's Jonathan Lacerda converted penalty tries for Puebla, while Carreo, Hector Herrera and Argentina's Fernando Cavenaghi found the back of the net for Pachuca in the shootout.

FIFA says the Guatemala FA must show by Monday that the court won't interfere in a football decision.

Missing the deadline will lead FIFA 'to take the appropriate measures, which could include a suspension'.

FIFA statutes require its 209 members to protect their independence from third parties, including courts and governments.

The Guatemala FA banned Guillermo Ramirez, Gustavo Cabrera and Yoni Flores for life last September. FIFA then applied the expulsions worldwide.

Ramirez and Cabrera both played 100 times for the national team.

Guatemala's top football official, Rafael Salguero who represents CONCACAF on FIFA's executive board, is unlikely to be affected by possible sanctions.

The host was 2-0 up by half-time thanks to strikes from Ismael Blanco (27) and Silvio Romero (41).

Arsenal, who could have leapfrogged its opponent with a win, got on the board seven minutes from time through Milton Celiz but could not find an equaliser.

Quilmes lifted itself into fourth with a 3-1 win at rock-bottom Argentinos Juniors.

Goals either side of half-time from Sebastian Romero (33) and Wilfredo Olivera (55) put the visitor in control, before Matias Martinez pulled one back in the 65th minute.

Jacobo Mansilla struck in the 77th minute to re-establish the two-goal cushion and leave Argentinos without a win in its five Clausura games.

Earnshaw scored after three and 20 minutes with the Sporting consolation coming from Claudio Bieler with 13 minutes remaining.

Daigo Kobayashi and Kenny Miller scored as Vancouver Whitecaps beat Columbus Crew 2-1.

Kobayashi put the Whitecaps ahead after six minutes only for Jairo Arrieta to equalise a minute into the second half.

But Miller wrapped up the points 11 minutes later.

Hassoun Camara and Felipe Martins earned Montreal Impact a 2-1 win away to Portland Timbers who replied through Ryan Johnson.

Jerry Bengtson scored the only goal after 62 minutes as New England Revolution won 1-0 away to Chicago Fire.

DC United beat Real Salt Lake 1-0 with a goal from Lionard Pajoy.

Duvan Zapata opened the scoring for the home side with a penalty after 33 minutes but Rinaldo Cruzado drew Newell's level a minute before half-time.

Zapata got his second two minutes into the second half before Fabian Munoz (58), Victor Figueroa (63) and Ignacio Scocco's 84th-minute penalty secured victory for the visitor.

Estudiantes, which remains in the bottom three, had Jonathan Schunke sent off in the closing stages.

Goals from Bruno Zuculini, Luciano Vietto and Rodrigo De Paul earned Racing Club a 3-0 win away to San Martin San Juan.

Union Santa Fe and All Boys drew 1-1 in a game which saw the visitor finish the game with 10 men.

Ivan Borghello gave All Boys the lead after seven minutes but Guillermo Cosaro equalised for Union Santa Fe eight minutes into the second half.

All Boys had to play the last half hour with 10 men after Maximiliano Coronel was dismissed.

The jury of five women and two men found Bruno guilty of ordering the killing of model Eliza Samudio, whose body has never been found amid allegations that she was dismembered and her remains were fed to dogs.

Bruno was also convicted of holding hostage the young son that Samudio had with her.

The goalkeeper had already been convicted of kidnapping Samudio and forcing her to terminate her pregnancy.

The 28-year-old was captain of the Flamengo team that won the Brazilian league title in 2009.

Corinthians says the confederation decided it will keep the club's supporters from attending away matches for the next 18 months but dismissed the 60-day suspension for home matches. Corinthians said it was also fined in $US200,000 ($195,838).

Corinthians had to play against Millonarios of Colombia in an empty stadium late last month.

Kevin Beltran Espada was killed after being hit by a flare allegedly set off by someone in the Corinthians fan section in the match against San Jose.

Twelve Corinthians were detained in Bolivia and remain in custody.

Prass had to be treated for cuts to his head and ear but no one was seriously hurt in the altercation before the team's return to Brazil.

Palmeiras said three fans of the Brazilian club were detained in Argentina but were later released.

The supporters, wearing jerseys from the team's biggest fan group, faced the players while they were waiting to board their flight back to Sao Paulo after the loss to the Argentine side.

The small group of fans tried to attack the players and security guards had to intervene, according to Brazilian media with the team.

Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia had to hide near the airport's bathroom, surrounded by security guards.

Brazilian media reported that Valdivia had been criticised by fans during the team's warm-up at the stadium and allegedly retaliated with obscene gestures.

Midfielder Wesley also was targeted by the supporters at the airport.

"They threw a cup at Valdivia and it hit me," Prass said through his Twitter account. "I got three stitches in the head and a cut in my ear."

Prass had to stay in Argentina because of the injuries and didn't immediately return with the rest of the squad.

The famous old stadium in Rio that hosted the final match of the 1950 World Cup has been undergoing a makeover since December 2012.

There had been concern reconstruction was falling behind schedule, particularly after heavy rains in the city that left parts of the site flooded and forcing a planned FIFA inspection on Wednesday to be shelved.

But Valcke took to his Twitter account to allay concerns.

"Delighted that Rio's governor, (Sergio) Cabral, reconfirmed in our meeting that the Maracana will be opened on April 27, 2013," he wrote on @jeromevalcke.

The Brazilian government claims 87 per cent of the rebuilding work has been completed and the stadium remains on course to host matches not just at the Confederations Cup later this year but also the World Cup in 2014.

The official presentation of the Maracana to FIFA was supposed to take place in February but had to be postponed until 24 May, some three weeks before the start of the Confederations Cup on 15 June when Brazil plays Asian champion Japan in Brasilia.

The first match in the Maracana will be a friendly between Brazil and England on 2 June while the first Confederations Cup match to be held there will be on 16 June between Mexico and Italy.

Three months out from the tournament, Valcke began a three-day visit to inspect host cities on and noted his biggest concern was related to the famed stadium in Rio de Janeiro, which will host the final on June 30.

"The city which I will be visiting in two days is the one that worries me the most," Valcke told Brazilian media accompanying his visit to the north-eastern city of Recife.

Valcke will be in Rio to end his trip on Thursday, when he will also participate in a board meeting of the local FIFA World Cup organising committee.

Maracana, which will also host the World Cup final in 2014, was one of the stadiums not delivered in December as FIFA originally wanted.

All six Confederations Cup venues now have an April 15 deadline to be ready.

Recife also wasn't able to finish the Arena Pernambuco by December, but Valcke said he was satisfied with the work at the venue ahead of the warm-up tournament.

"We have seen a huge effort to deliver the arena by the end of March. This is great," Valcke said.

"We want Recife to organise test events before the Confederations Cup. It is for the best interest of all, Brazil, the competition and FIFA."

On Wednesday, Valcke will be in Belo Horizonte, which faced problems at the inauguration of the Mineirao Stadium this year, including a faulty field.

The board meeting in Rio will mark 100 days before the Confederations Cup.

The opener will be in Brasilia, Brazil's capital, on June 15.

The tournament of continental champions will also be played in Salvador and Fortaleza.

Recife was one of the cities which were in danger of not making it as a Confederations Cup host city, along with Salvador.

They were confirmed just before the tournament's draw last year.

"Even those who did not believe we could make it have helped us," Pernambuco state Governor Eduardo Campos said.

"Their disbelief made us stronger to work even harder to deliver the arena."

Only Mineirao and Arena Castelao in Fortaleza have been delivered so far, with the other four venues racing to finish.

Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador was expected to be completed last week, but local authorities were forced to delay its opening from March 29 to April 7.

Brazil's Sports Ministry says all stadiums will be ready for the Confederations Cup.

Guillermo Marino broke the deadlock and Charles Aranguiz extended the advantage from the spot before Ignacio Scocco pulled a goal back for Gerardo Martino's side.

"This defeat does not change anything as to progress we have to win the next game. Our chances to advance are few, but they still exit. It depends on us," said Martino.

Universidad de Chile lies two points above Paraguayans Olimpia and Venezuelan team Deportivo Lara and three above Newell's.

In the other group game Lara recovered from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw away to Olimpia.

Freddy Bareiro's brace in the first half made the home fans in the Defensores del Chaco stadium happy, but Marlon Fernandez's goal gave the visitor some hope.

With four minutes to go Lara equalised with Jose Torrealba's superb volley.

In Porto Alegre, Brazilian side Gremio beat Venezuelan outfit Caracas 4-1 in a Group 8 game.

Forward Hernan Barcos broke the deadlock and Werley's header doubled the advantage before half-time.

Ze Roberto beat goalkeeper Alain Baroja for the third but Elionai Sanchez pulled one back with a header. Ze Roberto netted his second to complete the scoring.

"I am more than happy. We needed to win and did it very well to make our fans happy too. I believe that we played a great match and we are in a great shape," said defender Werley.

Vanderley Luxemburgo's side shares top spot with fellow Brazilian side Fluminense, with Caracas and Chilean outfit Huachipato completing the group.

In Bogota Colombian side Millonarios beat Bolivian side San Jose 2-1 in a Group 5 match.

Pedro Franco fired the host ahead but Carlos Saucedo equalised from a counter-attack.

Wason Renteria netted the winner with 10 minutes to go.

Millonarios moved into third place above San Jose, with Mexican side Tijuana and reining champion Corinthians leading the way.

In Group 4 Ecuadorian giant Emelec defeated 10-man Chilean outfit Iquique 2-1.

Marlon De Jesus connected with a Pedro Quinonez corner to open the scoring.

Visiting defender Cristian Grabinski was then sent off for fouling De Jesus.

Home striker Vinicio Angulo extended the advantage when he beat keeper Rodrigo Naranjo.

Manuel Villalobos scored for Iquique after going one-on-one with keeper Esteban Dreer.

Emelec joined Argentinians Velez and Uruguay's Penarol at the top of the group after the win.

The Brazilian forward reiterated that he is happy at Santos but said he may leave any time he wants. He said all the talk about his future is being made by people "who don't know anything" about his life.

"If I feel that it's time to leave, I'll leave," Neymar said after Santos' match in the Sao Paulo state championship on Sunday (Monday AEDT).

"If I feel it's the right thing to do, why not? This is personal. I will make this decision, nobody else."

Until now, Neymar had constantly said he will not move to Europe before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, dismissing constant reports in Brazil and abroad of his impending transfer.

Brazil teammate Daniel Alves recently told Spanish media that the striker has already reached a deal to join him at Barcelona later this year, but Neymar downplayed the statements as rumours.

"What if I say that (Lionel) Messi is coming to Santos?" Neymar joked. "I thank Daniel for what he said, he is a good friend, but I'm happy at Santos right now."

Many in Brazil have been saying that Neymar needs to move to European football to gain experience and reach his full potential.

Among those favouring his transfer are assistant Brazil coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, former Brazil star Zico and former Brazil coach Mano Menezes.

But the player said he is happiest when playing at home, close to his relatives and friends. The 21-year-old Neymar has a young son in Brazil, although he is not married.

Neymar has been struggling in recent matches and had another lacklustre performance in Santos' 0-0 draw with rival Corinthians on Sunday. He was not a factor throughout the match, making several mistakes and receiving a yellow card that suspended him from the next match.

"It wasn't good," he said briefly of his performance, while being mobbed by journalists after the final whistle.

Neymar is touted as the future of Brazilian football but has been criticised for disappointing performances in key matches with Santos and Brazil. He was attacked by critics in Brazil and abroad after playing poorly in Brazil's 2-1 loss to England in a recent friendly.

He is a celebrity in Brazil and some local media have linked his poor play to the recent announcement that he is dating a local soap opera star.

Dynamo, who was beaten by Los Angeles Galaxy back in December, looked set to open up with a stalemate until James Riley put the ball into his own net 10 minutes from the end.

Ricardo Clark then added a second in the 89th minute.

Graham Zusi, Oriol Rosell and Claudio Bieler scored as Sporting Kansas City came from behind to win 3-1 at Philadelphia Union.

Sebastien Le Toux opened the scoring after 17 minutes, but Zusi levelled four minutes before the break and KC pulled away after the restart.

Second-half goals from Federico Higuain (51'), Josh Williams (88') and Domenic Oduro (90') ensured Columbus Crew got off to a positive start, winning 3-0 at Chivas USA.

Goncalves Jackson netted after 11 minutes to give FC Dallas a 1-0 win over Colorado Rapids, Davy Arnaud's 35th-minute strike saw Montreal Impact win at Seattle Sounders by the same scoreline and Vancouver Whitecaps was also a 1-0 winner, over Toronto FC, thanks to Gershon Koffie's 59th-minute effort.

Gomez bagged the first after 13 minutes, but Luis Rey levelled three minutes later.

Parity lasted barely a minute, though, before Oribe Peralta put the visitor ahead again and Gomez grabbed his second in the 20th minute.

The match was goalless at half-time but strikes from Juan Eluchans (48) and German Rodriguez (66) put the visitor two up before Cristian Menendez pulled one back a minute later.

Eduardo Dominguez scored for Atletico after 74 minutes but again the two-goal cushion lasted just a minute as substitute Martin Cauteruccio netted and the comeback was complete when Fabricio Fontanini put the ball in his own net three minutes from time.

That left Quilmes on seven points, two behind the leader, and Newell's Old Boys joined it as it beat Belgrano Cordoba 2-0 thanks to goals from Ignacio Scocco (30) and Maximiliano Urruti (90).

The deadline for the completion of one venue has been delayed again this week. The few stadiums opened have revealed problems, including a faulty pitch, while the recent threat of a workers' strike at Maracana stadium is also causing concern.

Local organisers have guaranteed the country will be ready but only two of the six stadiums were finalised by December as originally expected by FIFA. The recent glitches raise doubts about whether they will be ready by the new mid-April deadline established by football's governing body.

"We are certainly on a very tight schedule with a few of the stadia," FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke wrote in his regular online column.

"But we trust in the commitment made by the federal government and the governors and mayors responsible that they will fulfill the guarantees they provided."

The Arena Fonte Nova in the city of Salvador would have been the third venue completed, but local authorities said Friday that constructors were unable to finish it Thursday as scheduled for its opening on March 29.

The stadium will now be officially opened on April 7, with organisers saying they need the extra time to conduct operational tests and make final adjustments, including to the pitch, despite being 95 percent completed by the end of January.

"In March there will be a transition phase to start testing all the equipment, keeping pace with the timetable established for the upcoming international events it will host," the Bahia state government revealed in a statement.

The 50,000-capacity Fonte Nova will host three Confederations Cup matches, including between Brazil and Italy on June 22. It will also host six World Cup matches in 2014.

FIFA usually wants venues ready at least six months before events, but it was forced to make an exception because of delays in construction.

Valcke, who will be in Brazil next week to inspect some of the venues, said the country will be entering "the final lap of preparations" when the 100-day mark to the tournament's opener is reached next week.

The 37-year-old English midfielder, who is now playing for Paris Saint-Germain in France, helped Los Angeles Galaxy capture its second MLS crown in a row last December in the final game of his six-season stay in South California.

MLS expanded from 12 to 19 clubs during Beckham's US stint and many existing teams were given a boost with the construction of new stadiums that brought more revenue and stability.

Attendance hit a record average of 18,807 spectators last season, up 3300 a game since Beckham signed his $32.5 million five-year deal in early 2007 and replicas of Beckham's Galaxy jersey were runaway best-sellers.

Now MLS commissioner Don Garber hopes his league can take major steps without Beckham's star power.

"We're going to take it higher and not look back," Garber said. "Consistency will be the theme for us in 2013, something we have strived to achieve over the last couple of years."

As Garber put it last December, "We needed David Beckham in 2007 to help drive our credibility. We don't need anything today."

Galaxy will open at home on Sunday against Chicago in quest of an unprecedented third consecutive title without Beckham and Landon Donovan, the star US striker on a break that Galaxy coach Bruce Arena says will end in late March.

"This young guy has been holding the responsibility as the leader of the sport on the field since he was 15," Garber said. "None of us have had to do what Landon has had to do."

Ireland's Robbie Keane, who scored 23 goals last season in all competitions, has taken the captain's armband for Galaxy.

"He's a quality player. He's a quality leader," Arena said. "Robbie is prepared to lead this team."

But Beckham's crossing passes and ever-bending set-piece kicks will be missed.

"There's no David Beckham out there replacing the last David Beckham," said Arena.

"Not having David, we lose one of the best passers in the history of the game. We're not going to change that.

"We won't pass as well. We won't be as dangerous in some ways when the ball turns over in our favor, but maybe collectively we can be better. That's all we can hope to do."

Frenchman Thierry Henry of New York Red Bulls takes over as the biggest global name in MLS, although Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard of England had been named last month in reports linking him to a possible MLS move.

And for Australian football fans, all eyes will be on Tim Cahill as he prepares for his first full season with Red Bulls.

Real Salt Lake offers Costa Rican striker Alvaro Saborio and Robbie Findley on attack while former Liverpool defender Djimi Traore joins Seattle Sounders, ex-Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre arrives in Portland and English midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker joins Vancouver Whitecaps.

Houston, which lost the MLS final to Galaxy, offers Honduran standout Oscar Garcia at midfield and Brad Davis as a set-up man.

Guatemalan all-time goals leader Carlos Ruiz adds spark to DC United while former New Zealand national teamer Ryan Nelsen takes over as coach of Toronto FC hoping to push the Canadian club into the playoffs.

Only four fans witnessed Corinthians's 2-0 victory over Colombian side Millonarios at Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo in midweek.

The four went to court over the ban imposed by the South American Football Confederation after a 14-year-old was killed by a flare launched by a Corinthians fan during the side's away game against San Jose in the Bolivian town of Oruro last week.

A court ruling granted the four fans access to the Pacaembu arena, where normally at least 20,000 supporters cheer their beloved team.

The decision caused widespread consternation in this football-mad Brazilian metropolis, where Corinthians, which won the Libertadores Cup for the first time last year, enjoys broad support.

But rumours that irate fans would stage a protest outside Pacaembu during the Libertadores match between Corinthians and Millonarios did not materialise.

Gavioes da Fiel, Corinthians' main fan club, told its more than 96,000 members to comply with the decision and stay away from the stadium to avoid any trouble.

Outside the stadium, which was sealed off, about 100 young fans turned up to noisily express their support as police in cars and on horseback kept watch and a helicopter circled overhead.

"What happened in Bolivia was a tragedy but we had nothing to do with it," said 38-year-old Leonardo Guimaraes, a member of Gavioes da Fiel.

"It is unfair to punish us when those responsible are the youth who fired the flare and Bolivian security, which did not do its job," he said.

Shots were fired during a dispute over ticket and shirts sales before last weekend's game between Tigre and River Plate.

The 40-year-old man was one of 13 people hospitalised after the fighting, most of them with bullet wounds.

Argentine domestic football has been plagued by bloodshed with the Save Football group claiming 165 fans have died in football-related violence since 1979.

CONMEBOL said in a statement on Tuesday that it was upholding the decision it made last week in imposing the 60-day penalty.

Kevin Beltran Espada died last week with head injuries caused by a flare thrown from the Corinthians fans section.

A 17-year-old Corinthians fan has turned himself in to police after telling Brazilian television he launched the device.

The incident took place at a Copa Libertadores match at Bolivian club San Jose.

In an interview aired on Brazil's Globo TV late Sunday, the 17-year-old took responsibility for the death of 14-year-old Kevin Espada during last week's 1-1 draw between Corinthians and San Jose in the Bolivian city of Oruro.

In the wake of the incident, Bolivian police detained 12 other travelling Corinthians fans.

"We were celebrating the (Corinthians) goal. I took the flare from my bag, pulled on the cord, didn't quite know how to use it. It took off in the direction of the Bolivian fans," said the adolescent, who had his face hidden and was accompanied by his mother.

Saying he only learnt of the accidental death after the game, the youth asked for forgiveness from the victim's family and from those of the detained Brazilian fans.

CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body, has meanwhile ordered Corinthians to play its home Copa Libertadores matches behind closed doors until further notice.

Fans of the Sao Paulo club will also be prevented from buying tickets for away matches.

Ricardo Cabral, a lawyer for Gavioes da Fiel, Corinthians's biggest organised fan club, said the youth, identified only as H.A.M, would turn himself in to Brazilian authorities later Monday.

Corinthians won the Libertadores Cup for the first time last July and went on to beat Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup in Japan in December.

Jaguares took the lead through Luis Rey in the 19th minute but was pegged back by replies from Lucas Silva and Flavio Santos in the second half.

Guadalajara grabbed a second win of the campaign with a 2-1 success over Leon.

Jhonfai Fabian scored both his side's goals, either side of a Matias Britos effort.

"I am very worried by the Brazilian side," Pele said in an interview with Estado de Sao Paulo daily.

"We had three years with (coach) Mano Menezes and did not obtain any benefit from those three years."

Pele, 72, reserved some of his toughest criticism for Neymar, touted as Brazil's big star of the future.

"Neymar, every time he plays for the Selecao, he becomes an ordinary player," Pele said.

"In all the games abroad he played badly. They all think he can solve the Selecao's problems (but) Neymar is not ready to shoulder this pressure. He does not play abroad. European football is different from the Latin American game.

"We from Santos say he is the best in the world, but he is aready more concerned with media appearances than playing for the team. He is preoccupied with changing his style, his haircut.

Pele further observed after watching recent Brazil games on television that, in his view the team, had "no structure, no harmony".

Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led Brazil to the 2002 FIFA World Cup, returned in early December after Menezes's sacking to work alongside another former coach in Carlos Alberto Parreira.

Scolari has, in Pele's view "already radically changed the team".

"But the experience has to be undertaken with new players. We already know how the experienced ones, such as (the recalled) Ronaldinho play."

Silvio Romero opened the scoring after 14 minutes and an own goal from Marcos Caceres three minutes before the break made it 2-1 at half-time.

Mario Regueiro added a third from the spot four minutes after the restart, meaning Lanus has scored seven goals and is yet to concede in its first two Clausura outings.

River Plate also made it two wins out of two with a 1-0 victory over Estudiantes thanks to David Trezeguet's 32nd-minute strike.

Goals from Juan Cobo and Jacobo Mansilla gave Quilmes a 2-1 win over All Boys, which pulled one back through Oscar Ahumada (84) before having Francisco Martinez (87) sent off.

The day's other game between Tigre and Boca Juniors ended goalless.

Luis Landin's strike in the 67th minute appeared to have sealed the points for the visitor until Bizera's late intervention.

Puebla and Guadalajara also played out a 1-1 draw with Felix Borja scoring for the host in the 52nd minute and Jhonfai Fabian levelling two minutes later.

Efrain Velarde's 65th-minute strike gave Unam Pumas a 1-0 win over Morelia.

Vietto put Racing ahead in the 34th minute and Pelletieri wrapped up the win 15 minutes from the end.

The defeat leaves the visitor without a point from two outings.

Goals in the sixth and ninth minutes from Wilfredo Olivera and Cristian Menendez respectively left the Argentine giant stunned although it managed to halve the deficit just before half-time through Walter Erviti.

Guillermo Burdisso then levelled proceedings in the 68th minute and completed Boca's comeback nine minutes from time - mere moments after it had been reduced to 10 men when Matias Caruzzo was sent off.

Tigre also had to come from behind to win 3-1 at Estudiantes.

The host took a ninth-minute lead through Marcos Gelabert but Ruben Botta equalised after 28 minutes before Alejandro Donatti put Tigre ahead on the stroke of half-time.

Gabriel Penalba ensured there was no way back for Estudiantes with his strike 14 minutes from time.

Oscar Ahumada's 77th-minute strike rescued a 1-1 draw for All Boys against Godoy Cruz, who had taken the lead through Facundo Castillon just before the interval, while San Lorenzo was held to a goalless draw at San Martin San Juan.

Cesc Fabregas' early goal was cancelled out by Cristian Rodriguez, but a double from Pedro Rodriguez in the second half meant that Spain left the pitch with the victory.

But despite the goals being scored by more experienced members of the squad, the Spain coach had a special mention for the players making their debuts.

"They are all players who are going to increase the quality of our squad, and they have adapted to the group very easily, with no problems at all," said Del Bosque of Azpilicueta, who started the game at right-back and completed the 90 minutes, plus Isco and Suarez, who came on as second-half substitutes.

"They did what was asked of them, and they were showed the characteristics which made us call them up to the squad in the first place," he added.

Del Bosque also praised goalscorer Pedro, who has netted nine times in his last six games for La Roja.

"He's a dynamic player, who knows exactly what he needs to do on the pitch, and he's got this incredible pace, which is vitally important in the modern game," he said of the Barcelona forward.

"We played some good football for some moments in the game and in the first half we lacked a bit of attacking depth, but Pedro gave us some speed."

Overall, Del Bosque was pleased with his side's performance but was wary that Uruguay had tested it.

"I think we had some good moments, but they showed their strengths. They were difficult to break down in defence and they were strong on the counter-attack, and we had to be careful of their attacking midfielders. They threatened us and were dangerous," he said.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said the match benefited his players, even though it was unable to get a positive result.

"It's good for the team to play matches like these, against the world and European champions," he said.

However, Tabarez stressed that the most important thing was for his team to focus on gaining ground in its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, in which it needs to drastically improve on recent results if it is to earn a place in Brazil.

He said: "We have two difficult games against Paraguay and Chile, then we have to go to Venezuela and then we have a friendly against France. We have earned the right to play these types of games [with European sides] but the most important thing is World Cup qualification.

"We have had some awful past few months and we've lost our footing in the qualifying group, and now we have to improve and recover our form.

"But we have a good squad, and that is positive."

Argentina took the lead as early as the third minute when Mikael Lustig steered Gonzalo Higuain’s shot into his own net but Sweden equalised when Jonas Olsson headed home Kim Kallstrom’s corner after 17 minutes.

Sergio Aguero restored Argentina’s lead almost immediately with a deft chip and the South American side went 3-1 up in the 23rd minute when Higuain was on hand to fire home after Andreas Isaksson could only parry Messi’s powerful shot.

Rasmus Elm claimed a late consolation in added time for the Swedes as they fell to their first defeat at the Friends Arena, firing a thundering free kick into the top corner with what was almost the last kick of the game.

Russia, which boasts arguably the most impressive record so far from a European side in World Cup qualifying with four wins from four and no goals conceded, was also victorious with a 2-0 win over Finland.

Russia's Group F rival Portugal did not have such a successful evening as it was beaten 3-2 by Ecuador in Guimaraes.

Ecuador, which is second behind Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifying group, went ahead after just two minutes through Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia but Portugal hit back with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Helder Postiga to lead 2-1 heading into the final half-hour.

Postiga's 58th-minute effort was cancelled out almost immediately by a Joao Pereira own goal, though, and former Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo netted what would turn out to be the winning goal for Ecuador 20 minutes from time.

Croatia captain Darijo Srna marked his 100th cap by scoring in a 4-0 friendly international win against Korea Republic.

The 30-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk stalwart curled in a 41st minute shot to follow an earlier header by Mario Mandzukic.

Nikica Jelavic then came off the bench to add a third goal before Mladen Petric completed the scoring on his Fulham home ground.

Two early goals helped Czech Republic heap more problems on struggling Turkey with a 2-0 friendly win at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Ladislav Krejci opened the scoring in the fourth minute and David Lafata added a second in the 28th minute as Czech Republic took the honours.

For Turkey, the defeat is the latest in a series of disappointing results which has seen the EURO 2008 semi-finalist win just one of its last seven matches.

It has earned just three points from its opening four 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and is nine points behind Group D leader Netherlands heading into March's double-header against Andorra and Hungary.

Czech Republic resumes its bid to reach Brazil 2014 next month against a Denmark side which has yet to win in three Group B matches and crashed to a 3-0 friendly defeat to FYR Macedonia, all three goals coming in the opening half-hour.

In other early kick-offs, Ukraine was a 2-0 victor over Norway, Azerbaijan downed Liechtenstein 1-0, Malta drew 0-0 with Northern Ireland and Hungary tied 1-1 with Belarus.

Elsewhere, Wales saw off Austria 2-1, Scotland downed Estonia 1-0, Republic of Ireland was a 2-0 victor over Poland, Japan beat Latvia 3-0, Greece drew 0-0 with Switzerland and Georgia defeated Albania 2-1.

Cesc Fabregas gave the European and world champion the lead after 15 minutes at the Khalifa Stadium but Cristian Rodriguez levelled for Oscar Tabarez's side on the half-hour mark.

Pedro Rodriguez restored Spain's lead just after half-time and then secured the victory with a close-range finish with 15 minutes to go.

The game was coach Vicente del Bosque's 68th game in charge of the national side, which took him level with Ladislao Kubala as the man who has coached Spain for the most games.

The match also saw centre-back Carles Puyol make his 100th appearance for Spain and he captained the side to mark the occasion, while Cesar Azpilicueta, Isco and Mario Suarez all made their international debuts.

Spain started the brighter of the two sides but took the lead in fortuitous fashion. Fabregas received the ball in plenty of space from Juan Mata and tried his luck from 30 yards out, but was amazed to see his shot go through the hands of Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and drop into the net.

Uruguay responded well and put pressure on Spain immediately, with Victor Valdes and Jordi Alba having to react quickly on different occasions to clear the danger.

But Cristian Rodriguez eventually made the pressure count and grabbed the equaliser, receiving a throughball by Martin Caceres and using his strength to turn Puyol and then shoot past Valdes.

The Copa America holder could even have taken the lead before half-time but Sergio Ramos made an important tackle on the edge of the area to deny Edinson Cavani a clean run on goal.

Puyol was replaced by Barca team-mate Gerard Pique at half-time and the substitute had the desired impact within little more than five minutes of coming on, providing a pass from the edge of the area to Pedro who shot past Muslera into the far corner to put Spain in front again.

Tabarez's side's best chance to equalise came when Cavani fired a shot at goal from just inside the area, but Valdes tipped the ball away for a corner.

With half-an-hour remaining the lively Andres Iniesta made way to allow 20-year-old Isco to make his first appearance for his country, and the Malaga midfielder showed he has plenty to offer in the future as his energy and skill meant Spain was no less dangerous without Iniesta.

Spain rounded off the victory with a goal to saviour with 15 minutes remaining. Substitute David Villa received the ball from outside the area and passed to Fabregas on the left-hand side. The former Arsenal man was under pressure from a defender but swung in a perfect cross to the back post which was met by Pedro, who could not miss from barely five yards out.

Villa missed a chance to increase the lead in stoppage-time when his close-range effort was saved by Muslera, but Spain will have been more than satisfied with its performance and the result.

After a goalless first period, Jose Fonseca broke the deadlock two minutes after half-time, before strikes from Cristian Maidana (71) and Esteban Paredes (76) made the scoreline more comfortable.

Aldo De Nigris pulled one back eight minutes from the end but it was not enough for Monterrey.

Puebla beat Morelia by the same scoreline in a match in which the visitors ended up with nine men.

The hosts got a little bit of help as Joel Huiqui Andrade's own goal put them ahead in the 15th minute, then, after Hector Mancilla (21) had equalised, Felix Borja (26) re-established the advantage.

In a dramatic last couple of minutes, Carlos Morales and Mancilla were sent off for Morelia, and Matias Alustiza scored to pad Puebla's lead.

Elsewhere, Guadalajara and San Luis drew 1-1, courtesy of goals from Marco Fabian (23) and Mauro Matos (54) respectively, while Unam Pumas and Santos Laguna played a goalless draw.

Isaac Brizuela put the visitor ahead after 10 minutes and substitute Jahir Barraza doubled the advantage eight minutes from the end.

Luis Rey pulled one back from the spot with two minutes to play but it was not enough for Jaguares, which has one point to its name after five games.

The 33-year-old Brazilian, whose last match for the Reds came on the final day of the 2011/12 season in May, has not featured in any squad since.

Liverpool, who refused to comment on Doni's revelation, said it was for personal reasons but, after securing a deadline-day move back to his homeland to join Botafogo, the goalkeeper has explained the circumstances, which began while he was undergoing medical tests at the club.

"I almost... I almost ended up on the other side. I had a heart attack for about 25 seconds," the former Roma player told calciomercato.com in Italy.

"I've been to one of the best doctors in Europe who looked at me carefully. He's asked me to stop for a few months.

"Now I have to stay put until April, then I can return to the field, I want to play in the 2014 Paulista championship."

Doni also told Brazilian broadcaster Globo: "I always had an arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) and during some tests in Liverpool suffered a cardiac arrest.

"I carried out checks across Europe and I had to extend my period of absence from the field."

Maradona had been banned from entering Italy, where he played for Napoli, because he allegedly owed 37.2 million euros in tax plus 23.5 million euros in accrued interest.

However Maradona's lawyer, Angelo Pisani, told the Italian news agency ANSA that Maradona "can now return to Italy as a free man".

Rodolfo Salinas and Oribe Peralta scored in either half as Santos Laguna moved to seven points, two behind early pace-setters Club America, Tigres Monterrey and Tijuana.

The sending-off of Kristian Alvarez proved costly as Guadalajara were pegged back to draw 1-1 with Morelia.

Alvarez was shown a straight red card four minutes after Rafael Marquez Lugo's 52nd-minute opener, and Joao Rojas equalised for the hosts in the last minute.

The 26-year-old midfielder was introduced as an Osasuna player on Wednesday after taking his first training sessions with his new team-mates.

"It's my first experience in European football and I have to adapt as quickly as possible, because time is short and I hope to make the most of it," he said on the club's website.

"I have come here eager to do well because I want to make a good impression and be here for more than just these six months."

Although admitting he was a little tired from his journey, Silva insisted he would be ready for this weekend's trip to Barcelona if required.

"I'm fine," he said. "In Chile it was the pre-season but I have played enough in our friendly games. You always look forward to your debut. If it comes I will welcome to it. Otherwise I will wait for the opportunity."

Jesus Molina Granados opened the scoring after 11 minutes and Jimenez's double, after 30 and 37 minutes, made it 3-0 at half-time.

Christian Benitez then rounded off the scoring 10 minutes from the end to put America on top of the table.

Just behind them was Tigres Monterrey, which also kept up its 100 per cent record by beating Atlas 1-0.

Emanuel Villa scored the only goal of the game after 36 minutes.

Ten-man Morelia got the first win of its Clausura campaign as it came from behind to beat San Luis 2-1.

Moises Velasco put the host ahead in the 20th minute but, after Joel Huiqui Andrade was sent off on the half-hour mark, Enrique Perez levelled six minutes before the break and Rodrigo Salinas completed the turnaround from the spot 10 minutes into the second period.

Finally, Pachuca drew 1-1 with Queretaro in a game which ended up 10 men against nine.

Luis Landin opened the scoring for Queretaro in the sixth minute and, despite having Paulo Da Silva sent off (12), Abraham Carreno levelled for the host in the 18th minute.

That was the end of the scoring but not the cards, as Dionicio Escalante saw red for the visitor two minutes before the break and team-mate Juan Carlos Marino followed suit two minutes from time.

A finalist in the Apertura play-offs, Toluca had drawn its first two Clausura games but got off to a good start when Edgar Benitez put it ahead in the 16th minute.

Matias Britos levelled 20 minutes later but Lucas Silva netted 14 minutes from the end to ensure the visitor took all three points.

Franco Arizala scored 13 minutes from time to ensure Jaguares claimed its first point with a 1-1 draw against Monterrey, which had opened the scoring through Aldo De Nigris (14).

Host Jaguares also had Jorge Rodriguez sent off in the closing moments.

Second-half strikes from Christian Gimenez cancelled out Santiago Trellez's opener three minutes after the restart.

Queretaro also came from behind as it beat Unam Pumas 2-1, which had Marco Palacios sent off after 35 minutes.

Despite going down to 10 men, Javier Cortes put the visitor ahead after 52 minutes, before Amaury Escoto and then Gonzalo Pineda found the target.

A 35th minute penalty from Omar Bravo and a strike from Omar Bravo after 65 minutes saw Atlas to a 2-0 win at home to Pachuca.

Each side had a player sent off with Daniel Luduena seeing red four minutes into the second half, while Oscar Razo was given his marching orders after 86 minutes.

Neri Cardozo 's goal after just even minutes was enough for Monterrey to beat Morella 1-0, while Alfredo Moreno's sixth minute effort earned Tijuana the three points against Leon.

Press Association Sport understands the 30-year-old Argentina international has not submitted a formal transfer request, but has indicated his desire to return to South America for personal reasons.

That has alerted the likes of San Lorenzo, who upped the stakes when president Matias Lammens told ESPN Radio Rivadavia: "Time is running out for the signing.

"When you go for a class A defender, the timings are a bit different, but if in the next week we don't have a response then we will have to go for another option."

Lammens' comments will infuriate the Magpies as they attempt to persuade Coloccini, who signed a four-year contract extension in March last year, that his future remains at St James' Park.

The club has not commented on rumours that Coloccini wants to leave after they resurfaced.

His father Osvaldo revealed San Lorenzo's interest in the player several days ago, and it has made little secret of its intent to sign him despite admitting it cannot afford to buy him.

Lammens added: "Coloccini's arrival is very difficult. We can't go out and buy him; we have always said that we depended on the desire of the player to rescind [his deal].

"We can offer him a very good contract in the case of him rescinding, but San Lorenzo have nothing left to do with regards to the negotiating."

Coloccini cost Newcastle £10.3 million when it signed him from Deportivo la Coruna in mid-2008.

He struggled initially to settle into English football and was part of the squad which was relegated at the end of his first season.

However, he has since rebuilt his reputation to the extent that he was handed the armband by manager Alan Pardew after Kevin Nolan's departure for West Ham and led the club to fifth place in last season's English Premier League.

Coloccini's form has been patchy in recent weeks amid a run which has seen the Magpies lose 11 of their past 14 games in all competitions to slide towards the relegation zone and out of the FA Cup.

Speaking about the FA Cup loss to Brighton, Pardew said: "It was a difficult situation. It was a really horrible day for the players and fans and more importantly the staff, but we have to lick our wounds.

"We are much stronger this week and that is much better for us."

Despite more frustration in his search for a striker to replace the departed Demba Ba, Pardew has had some welcome good news with the arrival of French full-back Mathieu Debuchy and the return to fitness of Papiss Cisse and Yohan Cabaye.

Pardew knows his big names will be needed to end a dismal run of just four points from 10 away league games this season.

The latest incident occured just a month after the shocking death of a assistant referee Richard Nieuwenhuizen after being beaten to death after a game in the Netherlands.

The final between Baquedano and Pablo Lizama was in extra time when a decision by the referee resulted in chaos.

A player took particular exception and while at first sanity prevailed and the situation appeared to be under control - with the help of some other players - a player kicks out at an assistant referee before he is set upon while on the ground.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

Despite the majority of players and fans trying to prevent the violence the official is left badly beaten while the referee was also attacked.

The melee, involving men and women, leaves the referee barely conscious while his assistant suffered bleeding to the face and a few missing teeth.

in December, Nieuwenhuizen was killed by three teens after a youth match.

The trio have been charged with manslaughter, assault and public violence after the atrocious attack that shocked the country.

The Brazilian striker has been the subject of a bid reported to be worth approximately 15 million euros ($19 million) and the first stages of the negotiating process took place on Wednesday.

Speaking to the Corriere dello Sport, Galliani was brief, describing the talks as "positive", but Corinthians director Duilio Monteiro Alves was keen to elaborate further.

He told Radio Estadao ESPN: "We are very optimistic - it was a positive conversation.

"We have to avoid fostering too much expectation among the fans but we felt confident coming out of our meeting with Galliani today.

"I can tell you that there are some very complicated negotiations under way, with large amounts of money involved. The first steps have been taken.

"Corinthians want Pato and we are negotiating over the fee.

"Our medical department and physiotherapists have been monitoring this guy for a long time, and there will be no problems. Pato is a champion."

The 23-year-old, who has 18 months remaining on his contract in Milan, has struggled to cement a first-team place this season, making only four appearances in Serie A and scoring just two goals - both in UEFA Champions League games.

Pato's countryman and fellow Rossoneri striker Robinho is reported to be closing in on a move back to the Campeonato Brasileiro, with Santos and Atletico Mineiro among the interested parties.

Speaking to Globoesporte in Rio de Janeiro, Galliani added: "I'd bet on Santos when it comes to Robinho."

Tigre refused to emerge for the second half in the second leg tie against Sao Paulo late Wednesday with the game abandoned and the title awarded to the Brazilian team.

Tigre defender Lucas Orban said police barged into its dressing room and threatened one of the club's players with a gun.

"Sao Paulo's security agents came in, they hit us with batons, took out a revolver and pointed it at the goalkeeper Damian Albil. Then the police came in and began to hit us again," he reported.

But the Tigre players' claims were denied by a Brazilian military policeman.

"No one was armed," commander Gonzaga told Brazilian media.

Tigre blasted Chilean referee Enrique Osses and the South American football Confederation (CONMEBOL) over the reported fracas.

Sergio Massa, mayor of the city of Tigre, said that what happened in Sao Paulo "merits a sanction" against the Brazilian side.

He said the Chilean referee "did not have the stature to handle this game".

Tigre president Rodrigo Molinos meanwhile said his side would file a complaint with CONMEBOL because security conditions were not adequate to play the second half after the locker room incidents.

And the Argentine Football Association AFA said it was assessing the situation.

"We were not there. We are collecting information and surely in the next few hours, AFA will make its position known," spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo said.

The astonishing Argentine claims came just two weeks after the draw was held for the 2013 Confederations Cup and in the country that is hosting the 2014 World Cup.

Tigre midfielder Martin Galmarini reported that "everyone was armed" in reference to the locker room interventions.

Commenting on the incidents on his Twitter page Thursday, former Brazil star Ronaldo slammed the behaviour of the Tigre side, saying the players should be banned from continental competitions for 10 years.

"Now to serve as an example, there should be very severe punishment of Tigre. A 10-year-ban from South American competitions," said Ronaldo, a member of Brazil's organising committee of the 2014 World Cup.

Ronaldo, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, also criticised the Sao Paulo managers and substitute players as well as the reporters who invaded the pitch when Tigre refused to return for the second half.

The match had already been marred by scuffles between the two sides in the first half triggered by a foul on Sao Paulo's Lucas Moura.

The Mexican, 33, joined the club from the La Liga side in 2010 and has played 44 regular-season games for the club.

"This decision has been made in the best interests of both parties concerned," Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh told the club website.

"Rafa has accomplished a great deal during his career and is a top quality player. We want to thank him for his service to the Red Bulls and wish him the best of luck in the next stage of his career."

Calero suffered a stroke last week and was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Mexico City, but failed to recover from his injuries.

A statement from the Colombian FA read: "The Executive Committee, affiliated clubs and leagues, coaches, players and employees of the Colombian Football Federation deeply regret the death of Colombian goalkeeper Miguel Angel Calero.

"He will be forever present in the history of the national football team because of his immense achievements on the pitch and his unquestionable humanity, which always left a mark on each person who shared their life with him.

"We want to express our deepest sympathy and support at this difficult time to his family, close friends and all the people who, one way or another, were part of the life of this great man."

Calero, who won league titles in his homeland with Deportivo Cali and Nacional, retired as a player in October 2011 after spending 11 seasons with Mexican club Pachuca.

During his time there, he won one Apertura, two Clausura trophies and the Copa Sudamericana in 2006.

He also won 50 caps for his country and scored four goals at club level.

Sampaoli, 52, has been tasked with securing Chile's place at the 2014 World Cup which sees it lying in sixth place in the qualifying table after it failed to build on a bright start to the qualifiers and lost three in a row.

"I take this job on with a huge responsibility and obligation hanging over me to take Chile to Brazil," said Sampaoli.

Sampaoli got the job on the back of guiding Chilean outfit Universidad de Chile to three national titles and the South American Cup in 2011.

His task is not insurmountable as while Chile is sixth after nine games, the top four qualifies automatically while the fifth can still make it through a play-off, it only trails fourth-placed Venezuela on goal difference.

Victory leaves it three points behind leader Velez Sarsfield and one behind Lanus in second, though both have played a game fewer.

Luis Farina (22), Mauro Camoranesi (24) and Diego Villar (88) were all on target for Racing, with Fernando Sanchez grabbing the consolation six minutes into the second half.

Colon Santa Fe defeated visiting Argentinos Juniors by the same scoreline.

Maximiliano Pellegrino and Pablo Barzola (penalty) traded goals to make it 1-1 after 32 minutes, with Ivan Moreno y Fabianesi (42) and Emmanuel Gigliotti (81) sealing the points for the home side.

Godoy Cruz drew 0-0 at home to Quilmes, who had German Mandarino sent off in the last minute.

The system allows private investors to come on board to help with the costs of training and accommodation. They only receive a return on investment if the resale value of a player rises ahead of a transfer.

Co-ownership is a frequent practice in Brazil where clubs are often not sufficiently solvent to pay transfer fees to own the rights to stars in the first place.

"Neymar, Lucas, Oscar, Leandro, Damiao, Dede or Wellington Nem are examples of players whose rights are spread between clubs and investors and many of them stay in Brazil thanks to the participation of these third parties," explains Rio-based lawyer Marcos Motta, a specialist in sports law.

Yet the rules of such co-ownership are somewhat opaque as it is difficult to fix their limits.

FIFA wants to prevent private investors having an influence on club matters - and that desire is enshrined in the governing body's own statutes. Yet the rules are open to interpretation.

"We are far from having a solution," says Omar Ongaro, responsible for the status of players within FIFA.

"We want to see a global solution with the same rules governing all parties. We are keeping an eye out for the security of sport and the players so they can control their careers," he explains.

He says there are those within FIFA who would like to see the co-ownership arrangements banned - even though defenders of the system say investors do not have an interest in influencing club policy.

Sometimes "they do not even know the players" as it is just a "purely commercial" enterprise says super-agent Pini Zahavi.

European governing body UEFA last week announced it would tighten rules on co-ownership under pressure to do so from the English and French leagues, to date the only countries to ban the practice in Europe.

Daniel Lorrenz, legal affairs director at FC Porto, says he is "concerned" at the possibility FIFA may intervene and ban players recruited with help from third parties from tournaments such as the UEFA Champions League.

"We have used this tool with success for some years," says Lorrenz.

"Without it we could not have recruited many of the good players we have had at our club - as was the case in 2005 with Argentinians Lucho Gonzalez and Lisandro Lopez and Brazilian Hulk," now with Zenit St Petersburg after his summer move to Russia, at the cost of 60 million euros ($75.24 million).

For Daniel Cravo, lawyer for Brazilian sides Fluminense and International, if restrictions or an outright ban come in that would "reduce the exploitation of (clubs') economic rights".

Zahavi says that "the world's biggest clubs do not need investors. But many clubs cannot survive without them".

He adds that only the biggest clubs can buy top stars outright these days - and then only after being bought out by their own owner-investors, usually Russian and Middle Eastern groups.

River Plate explained in a statement that Diaz would sign a contract.

Diaz has strong connections to River Plate, where he was a striker in his playing days. He also coached River Plate a decade ago and has coached Argentine clubs San Lorenzo and Independiente.

River Plate, with a record 33 league titles, is struggling near the middle of the Argentine first-division standings and is concerned about possible relegation. In June 2011 the famous Buenos Aires club was demoted to the second division for the first time in its history.

But when the former England midfielder and 21 others take to the field at the Home Depot Center on Saturday (8.30am Sunday AEDT), they will do so with the MLS title on the line.

Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy defends its title in a repeat of last year's final against Houston Dynamo, when Landon Donovan scored the only goal after a build-up involving Beckham and Republic of Ireland striker Robbie Keane.

And as he gears up for a repeat performance, Beckham told lagalaxy.com: "It's exciting.

"There's an excitement around the team and around the club, so this week has been about preparing for Houston, preparing for the game on Saturday. It's been an enjoyable week."

It will be the third grand final appearance of Beckham's six years in MLS, having also featured in 2009's penalty shoot-out defeat to Real Salt Lake.

And he paid tribute to coach Bruce Arena for helping him to such success.

"The first year, year and a half was very unsettling and it wasn't a great place to be and then Bruce came in, settled everything down and that's the reason we've had the success that we had in the last four years," he said.

"He's a great man manager, he's strong and harsh when he needs to be but he also puts his arm around you and has a joke with you when you need that."

Arena's main selection decision concerns his defence, where AJ DeLaGarza claims to be "about 90" per cent fit after a knee injury.

Rookie Tommy Meyer has deputised impressively for the United States international and said: "I try not to think about it at all. It's up to Bruce and practice, and you just kind of go about it the same way you prepare for every game.

"That's what I've been doing the whole week, and I think that's probably what AJ's been doing too."

Up against that Galaxy defence will be Houston forward Calen Carr, who has recovered from a hamstring injury to take his place in the line-up along with stalwart midfielder Ricardo Clark (thigh).

"To be here on Sunday and have a full, normal week of training is going to serve me really well," Carr said. "I should be available no problems for Saturday."

Houston's Andre Hainault headed the winner as his team triumphed 2-1 in this season's only previous meeting between the sides.

Their previous play-off clash saw Galaxy win 2-0 en route to the 2009 final, Donovan and Gregg Berhalter scoring extra-time goals to settle a game twice disrupted by power failures.

The home side won 2-1 with all three goals coming in a busy first half.

Fidel Martinez opened the scoring in the 23rd minute only for Toluca's Edgar Benitez to level within three minutes.

Pablo Aguilar restored the lead six minutes before the interval, with neither side adding to the scoring in the second period.

The sides fought out a goalless stalemate in Argentina in the first leg, meaning a 1-1 draw was good enough for Tigre.

It almost went one better, Mariano Echeverria putting the visitor ahead in the 65th minute only for Jorge Perlaza to snatch a last-minute draw for Millonarios.

Brazil's Sao Paulo awaits Tigre in the final.

The Brazilian football federation said Scolari has been hired to lead the team through the 2014 World Cup at home.

He replaces Mano Menezes, who was fired last week because the federation didn't like his methods.

Scolari, a former Chelsea and Portugal coach, has been without a job since leaving Brazilian club Palmeiras. He led Brazil to its fifth World Cup title at the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan.

Fans loudly called for the popular coach's return after Menezes left, chanting his name in recent matches the national team played in Brazil.

The move keeps Brazil from being without a coach at the Confederations Cup draw on Saturday, when the host will find out against which team it will play in the competition's opener in June.

The federation also revealed that Carlos Alberto Parreira, who led Brazil to the 1994 World Cup title in the United States, will be the national team's coordinator. Parreira also coached Brazil in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The winning duo will lead a team with few experienced players but filled with young promising stars such as Neymar, Oscar and Lucas.

"I wish a lot of luck to my friend Parreira and to Felipao," former Brazil striker Romario said. "We know that now we will have the best players picked for the team."

Scolari had recently turned down jobs with Russia's national team and Brazilian clubs Gremio and Cruzeiro. He had been with Palmeiras since 2010 and succeeded in leading the team to the Brazilian Cup title earlier this year. But he couldn't keep Palmeiras from struggling in the Brazilian league and admitted he was partly responsible for its recent relegation.

The 64-year-old Scolari had said his goal was to end his career by coaching a national team during the World Cup in Brazil, and never dismissed the prospect of a return to the national team.

"He was extremely victorious ahead of Brazil. He is a great name to lead the national team at the World Cup here," former Brazil great Zico said.

The outspoken Scolari took over Brazil the first time just a year before the 2002 World Cup, where he coached a team led by Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho to the title after seven straight wins.

He coached Brazil in 26 matches in total, winning 19, drawing one and losing six.

In 2003, Scolari accepted a job with the Portuguese national team, which reached the final of the 2004 European Championship and the semi-finals of the World Cup two years later. He left after elimination in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008, taking over at Chelsea.

Scolari didn't thrive at the English club, though, complaining of difficulties dealing with some of the players, especially striker Didier Drogba. He was fired less than a year later.

Scolari, who has a deal with Brazil's sports ministry to work as a volunteer to help promote the 2014 World Cup, also coached Uzbek club Bunyodkor before returning to Palmeiras in July 2010.

He will be taking over a national team revamped by Menezes after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, when Brazil lost in the quarter-finals under coach Dunga. Menezes led Brazil to a 21-6-6 record but there were disappointing results against traditional rivals Germany, France, Argentina and the Netherlands.

He also failed to guide the team to the Copa America title or bring home the Olympic gold, which is the only football trophy the five-time world champion hasn't won.

Federation director Andres Sanchez, who opposed Menezes' dismissal, resigned from his post and was likely to become an opposing force to president Jose Maria Marin, the 80-year-old official who replaced Ricardo Teixeira earlier this year. Teixeira left citing health reasons amid a series of accusations of wrongdoing in his administration.

The Brazilian federation, hosting this year's final inspection visit by FIFA at the World Cup cities, began the week having to deal with news that vice-president Marco Polo del Nero, a member of FIFA's executive committee, was questioned by police in a nationwide investigation targeting financial crimes and the sale of confidential information. Del Nero has not been charged and denies any wrongdoing.

With 2012 marking the 100th year of FIFA-recognised football in the United States, Garber said the professional league that began in 1996 enjoyed its most successful season to date, with burgeoning attendance, increased television exposure and improved quality of play.

Former England midfielder Beckham will play his final MLS match on Saturday, when his Los Angeles Galaxy attempts to repeat as MLS Cup champion.

Garber said he had no regrets about any aspect of the $US32.5 million ($A31.14 million), five-year contract Beckham signed when he originally departed Real Madrid for a US league that was lightly regarded in global football circles.

Garber said Beckham "over-delivered" on all of his stated aims - to win, and to increase the league's profile at home and abroad.

"There's arguably not a soccer fan on this planet that doesn't know the LA Galaxy and Major League Soccer, and David played a significant role in helping us make that happen," Garber said.

Also crucial for the game's profile in the United States is success on the international stage.

Jurgen Klinsmann's United States scrambled into the final, six-nation round of regional qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.

Garber has admitted a failure of the US to reach the finals in Brazil would be a blow for the game, and said this week that MLS will "do everything possible not to schedule games again during World Cup qualifying dates".

The league also plans a lighter schedule during the CONCACAF Gold Cup in July.

Next season, the league will press ahead with its pursuit of putting a 20th team in New York, with the focus now on gaining approval for a stadium in Queens, near the current home of the US Open Tennis Championships.

Garber insisted the creation of a second team in the city, along with the New Jersey-based Red Bulls, would provide a regional rivalry valuable to both.

"We believe that a second team in New York will help create an opportunity to break through the clutter in this market," Garber said.

"There are 13 million people in this city. We need to give them all an opportunity to stop for a moment and pay attention to Major League Soccer."

The name - a combination of the Portuguese words for football (futebol) and ecology (ecologia) - came out top with more than 48 per cent of the 1.7 million Brazilians who voted in a poll.

The other options Zuzeco (31 per cent) and Amijubi (21 per cent) came up short according to the numbers on fifa.com.

The three-banded armadillo, which is indigenous to Brazil and known as the tatu-bola, is an endangered species. Its cartoon likeness wears a white Brazil 2014 T-shirt and green shorts, has its own song and website, mascot.fifa.com.

Fuleco was chosen after organisers analysed 47 designs from six Brazilian agencies and researched how they were received by the main target audience of children aged five to 12.

One of the tournament's main aims is to raise awareness about the environment and ecology.

World Cup mascots of previous tournaments include a cuddly lion, World Cup Willie, for the 1966 edition in England, Zakumi the leopard for South Africa 2010 and Naranjito the cartoon orange for Spain 1982.

Garrincha, nicknamed O Anjo de Pernas Tortas (The Angel With Bent Legs) owing to a spine deformity and a left leg which was shorter than his right, gave the interview in 1981, 18 months before his death, to Argentine reporter Carlos Bikic.

Only an abridged version ever saw the light of day - in Japan - and it is only now it has been published in Brazil in a report by ESPN magazine.

Asked if Pele was the best ever, Garrincha, who struggled first for recognition owing to his deformity and then with alcoholism, said - with certain understatement: "He was a good player (but) he was lucky. He scored goals and was lucky as he also had good people alongside him to pass him the ball."

Garrincha, who starred with Pele in Brazil's first World Cup victory in 1958, suffered from alcoholism and died aged just 49 but is recognised as a past master of the dribble.

At the time of his interview he said he had worked on beating his drink problem drinking "a lot of coffee" and guarana juice.

"For a while I had a hell of a pain in the stomach. To get a bit better I lay face down on the cold concrete. The doctor told me I couldn't drink again and now I only drink guarana."

Garrincha's father also had a drink problem and the star said: "If I see someone drinking cachaca (a popular Brazilian liquor) I yell at him `that's drinking poison'."

He convinced himself that "I am not addicted" to drink - but died of cirrhosis of the liver on January 19, 1983, after falling into an alcoholic coma.

Garrincha, believed to have fathered at least 14 children, spent his later years coaching disadvantaged children and drew a stipend from the Brazilian Football Confederation.

Brazil won the first leg of the Superclasico, played between the two biggest national teams in South America and featuring only players who play in the domestic leagues, 2-1 in Goiania in September.

In the return leg, two goals in the last 10 minutes from Ignacio Scocco that sandwiched a reply from Fred, gave Argentina the victory.

However, Brazil edged the shoot-out 4-2 to take the title.

At Boca Juniors' La Bombonera stadium, Brazil dominated the early possession, but it was Argentina forward Juan-Manuel Martinez who had the first big chance as his bicycle kick slipped past the right post in the 24th minute.

Four minutes later, Paulinho's right-foot shot was turned behind by Argentina keeper Agustin Orion.

The second half saw Argentina take a surprise lead after a foul by Jean on Martinez in the area, with Scocco beating Brazil keeper Diego Cavalieri from the penalty spot in the 81st minute.

Only two minutes later, Fred equalised by deflecting the ball after an attempt by Jean.

Argentine fans thought Brazil was about to take the crown back home, but Walter Montillo started a counter-attack and passed the ball to Scocco, who netted his second goal in the last minute of the game.

That goal meant the match went to penalties but Argentina never recovered after Martinez and Montillo failed with their opening two spot-kicks.

Brazil star Neymar finally gave the Selecao the title to complete two Superclasico trophies out of two.

"To win this title if very important because Argentina have great players, great talent. We are very happy," Neymar told Argentina's Channel 7.

"He (Biancucchi) has sent a letter and all the documents which FIFA will receive on Thursday," lawyer Ricardo Scarone told radio 970 AM in the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.

Olimpia striker Biancucchia, a cousin of Barcelona star Lionel Messi, has accused Recanate of calling him a 'black dwarf' and being a 'disrespectful and irreverent Argentine'.

Recanate also allegedly insulted Biancucchi's Brazilian agent Marques Regis.

The Olimpia president was reportedly angered by negotiations conducted by Biancucchi's agent for a transfer to Qatar, and in retaliation announced that Biancucchi would not play for Olimpia until the end of his contract on 31 December.

"Biancucchi is severely affected by the words of Marcelo (Recanate). He is seeing out his contract for love of the fans," his lawyer said.

Recanate was suspended for four months by the Paraguay Football Association in August after racially insulting a colleague.

Scarone added that his client was looking for Recanate to be banned from holding office for 10 years and a 30,000 Swiss Francs ($30,716) fine.

It began on Monday with courtroom arguments that caused two lawyers to abandon the case, and with a tearful plea for justice from the victim's mother.

The case of former Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno Fernandes, known in Brazil just as Bruno, has riveted the country and shocked the world of football.

Fernandes' accomplices allegedly held his former girlfriend, model Eliza Samudio, before killing her, quartering her, and feeding her remains to dogs.

As captain, Bruno led his team to the Brazilian championship in 2009.

That same year, Samudio made the first allegations to police that she was pregnant with Fernandes' child, and that the players and others kidnapped her and tried to force her to terminate the pregnancy.

She refused. The child was born healthy, and named Bruno as well.

The model disappeared soon afterward, in June 2010.

In December 2010, Fernandes was found guilty of Samudio's initial accusations and is serving a prison sentence of four years and six months in that case.

After a court dispute, Samudio's mother was named the child's guardian.

Bruno now faces a second trial, on charges he ordered his ex-girlfriend's grisly death.

Investigators said the player was behind a scheme that lured the 25-year-old woman from Rio de Janeiro to a ranch in the neighbouring state of Minas Gerais with the promise that Fernandes would recognise the child as his and give her an apartment.

There she was allegedly held against her will by Fernandes' accomplices, killed and her remains were fed to dogs who roamed the property.

The first day of the murder trial in Minas Gerais was marked by high drama, with attorneys for two of Fernandes' alleged accomplices who are also facing murder charges - the former police officer, Marcos dos Santos, and the player's right-hand man, Luiz Romao - walking out on the case after arguing with the judge over access to videos of witness testimony.

"We would like to leave clear to the jury that it is impossible to carry out a fair trial," Ercio Quaresmo, the attorney for Santos, said in court according to O Globo newspaper.

Others also charged with Samudio's kidnapping, murder and the hiding of her body are Dayanne Rodrigues, Fernandes' wife, and Fernanda Castro, a lover. All those charged with the death have pleaded innocent, including Fernandes.

The attorney for the player said he remained confident that his client would walk out a free man.

"Bruno is tired of being in prison," said attorney Rui Pimenta to O Globo outside court in the town of Contagem.

"He is ready to walk out and go eat some rare barbecue."

The defence's argument is that there can be no murder charges because Samudio is, in fact, alive. The lawyer Pimenta says he will produce proof that Samudio is living in Eastern Europe.

Samudio's mother, Sonia Moura, told the news website G1 that she trusted justice would be done and dared the player to look her in the eyes in court.

"I believe in justice, and in the condemnation of all the accused," she said.

"I want my daughter's mortal remains."

LA lost 2-1 to Seattle in the second leg of the Western conference final, but advanced 4-2 on aggregate after winning the first leg 3-0.

The reigning champion will again face Houston Dynamo in the decider, after it also won through 4-2 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw with DC United in the second leg of the Eastern Conference final.

Despite denials from the man himself, Beckham has been linked with a possible guest stint in the A-League, though any negotiations will likely have to wait until after the MLS season.

LA was in a dominant position after the first leg but Seattle made it clear early it didn't intend to go quietly.

Twelve minutes into the contest, Eddie Johnson held off Galaxy defender Omar Gonzalez and slipped a shot past Los Angeles keeper Josh Saunders and when Zach Scott made it 2-0 in the 57th minute, LA's aggregate lead was down to just one goal.

Ten minutes later however referee Mark Geiger awarded Los Angeles a penalty when Ireland international Robbie Keane's attempted cross was blocked by the outstretched arm of Adam Johansson.

Keane calmly converted the penalty in the 68th minute - giving the California side breathing room with what proved to be the final goal of the night.

Leon trailed 2-1 from the first leg but Matias Britos' first-half brace turned the tie on its head.

Cruz Azul's efforts to level it suffered a blow with Mariano Pavone's 79th minute red card for a second bookable offence, and Luis Delgado finished them off late on.

Morelia scored an away win over Club America, but the 2-1 victory was not enough to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit as it went out 3-2.

Joao Rojas puts the visitor in front just seconds into the game and although Raul Jimenez levelled in the 39th minute, Morelia again scored almost immediately after the restart with Miguel Sabah restoring its advantage.

But it could not find a third as Club America scraped through.

Beckham signed a new two-year contract with Galaxy in January but has previously had two loan spells with AC Milan in Major League Soccer off-seasons.

When asked about a possible guest spell in the A-League, with Western Sydney Wanderers mentioned, the 37-year-old laughed off the speculation, joking that Galaxy coach Bruce Arena has just mentioned it to him.

"It's the first I've heard about it. No, definitely, not true," Beckham said.

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Football Federation Australia (FFA) released a statement in which it said it had been approached by the Beckham camp with a view to the player spending a short stint in the A-League.

A Beckham spokesman was quick to refute the claim, however, describing it as "rubbish" before adding in a statement: "There is always enormous interest from clubs across the world in signing David as a player.

"There are absolutely no plans to play in Australia, David is completely focused on the MLS playoffs and winning another championship with Galaxy."

At the same time of the denial, FFA chief executive David Gallop was appearing live on Fox Sports to confirm an approach had been received by Beckham's management about a guest stint in the A-League this season.

The statement from Beckham's people contradicted the promising news Gallop was simultaneously trumpeting.

The game's new boss said the FFA wanted to help clubs attract Beckham, but would not be responsible for recruiting the global superstar.

Gallop emphasised it would be up to clubs to be "the first point of contact" with Beckham.

"I spoke to the player's agent today and said to him that it would be fantastic. Of course it would be fantastic but there's some hoops that would have to be jumped through," said Gallop.

"The league doesn't employ players so the clubs need to come forward and be the first point of contact.

"The league can certainly assist in some respects but I think what we're talking about at this stage is a guest stint ... we're not getting ahead of ourselves at this point."

Beckham, 37, will play for Los Angeles Galaxy in its Major League Soccer Western Conference final second leg against Seattle Sounders on Monday (AEDT) and may be involved in the MLS final on Monday 3 December should his team, which holds a 3-1 advantage, progress.

In that event, he would be not be available to link up with an A-League club until at least Week 10 of the competition, which begins with Adelaide United's match against Melbourne Victory on Friday 7 December.

Any move is subject to financial backing by Football Federation Australia (FFA), with chief executive David Gallop required to sign off on a deal.

FFA confirmed it has received an approach by an agent representing Beckham's management with discussions at an early stage and the governing body exploring the options available.

"The approach from David Beckham's people is another sign of how much the Hyundai A-League has grown in stature on a global basis," an FFA spokesman said.

"Beckham is a superstar on the world stage and he would be another massive signing for the A-League after the arrivals of Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono. But this approach remains at a very preliminary stage."

Beckham is the third-highest earner in the MLS at $A3.9 million per season.

It has been claimed the England star would be happy to take a significant pay cut to play in the A-League but it won't be at Melbourne Victory.

"That's great if he is coming," Victory coach Ange Postecoglou said. "Would we be interested? Nah".

Western Sydney Wanderers executive chairman Lyall Gorman told Fairfax: "No one has approached us about it.

"If we were to be approached, we would go through the normal process. We've had no approaches at all and we don’t speculate on those things until they come across our table."

Perth Glory was recently linked with a move to sign Harry Kewell but its chief executive Paul Kelly said the club hadn't been contacted by Beckham's people.

"I don't know anything about it. I know he's being touted around, but there's been no conversation," Kelly said.

"We are always happy to speak to players of the calibre of David Beckham, who would be great for the A-League as illustrated by the effect of Alessandro Del Piero, Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono. "At the end of the day it's the coach, Ian Ferguson who makes these decisions and we as a club, have a process that we follow when recruiting players. "But we would be mad not to seriously consider David Beckham."

Sydney FC, Western Sydney, Melbourne Heart and possibly Brisbane Roar are considered the most likely destinations for the international football icon.

Beckham has spent two MLS off-seasons in Italy's Serie A with AC Milan and has previously played against Sydney FC, Newcastle Jets, Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix in exhibition games with Galaxy since his first visit to Australia in 2007.