After beating Costa Rica in its first international football match of the year, South Korean men's national football team received its first full day off during its ongoing training camp in the U.S. on Sunday.South Koreans edged out Costa Rica 1-0 in Los Angeles on Saturday on an early goal by striker Kim Shin-wook. Head coach Hong Myung-bo gave his charge well-deserved rest, with a match against Mexico in San Antonio scheduled for Wednesday.South Korea set up its pre-World Cup camp in Brazil, t

SoccerJan. 27, 2014

After letting the distraction of Rafael Nadal's painful back problems cost him a set, Stan Wawrinka regained his composure to win his first Grand Slam title with a 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory Sunday in the Australian Open final.The 28-year-old Swiss player had never taken a set off Nadal in 12 previous meetings, but attacked from the start against the 13-time major winner.“It's really not the way you want to win a tennis match, but in a Grand Slam final I'll take it,” Wawrinka said.Nadal appeared

More SportsJan. 26, 2014

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ― Choi Na-yeon shot a 7-under 66 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic, chipping to a foot to set up a birdie on the par-5 18th hole.The seventh-ranked Choi, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour, birdied three of the last four holes in her bogey-free round to reach 15 under on Atlantis Resort’s Ocean Club course.“I think the last three rounds I had a really good swing,” Choi said. “I had so many good shots. But I still have

GolfJan. 26, 2014

South Korea defeated Costa Rica 1-0 thanks to an early goal in their pre-World Cup tune-up match in Los Angeles on Saturday.Striker Kim Shin-wook's goal in the 10th minute stood as the winner at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as South Korea enjoyed an encouraging start to its preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.South Korea's record improved to four wins, four losses and three draws under head coach Hong Myung-bo.This was the first international match of 2014 for South Korea and

SoccerJan. 26, 2014

The southern port city of Busan will soon reach an agreement with the national governing body of professional baseball to build the sport's Hall of Fame, officials said on Saturday.They said Busan, the nation's second-largest city, will sign a deal next month with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the county of Kijang within the city to open the Hall of Fame by 2016.Building the commemorative hall is part of the KBO's project to celebrate more than 100 years of baseball and 30-plus years

BaseballJan. 25, 2014

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) ― New Zealand teen Lydia Ko took a share of the lead in her first start as a U.S. LPGA Tour member, matching Meena Lee with a 5-under 68 in the season-opening Bahamas LPGA Classic on Thursday. The 16-year-old Ko turned pro late last year. She won the Canadian Women’s Open in the last two years as an amateur and closed last season with a victory in a non-tour event in Taiwan in her second pro start. Ranked No. 4 in the world, she had six birdies and a bogey on Atlant

GolfJan. 24, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) ― Stephen Curry, Kevin Love, Paul George and Kyrie Irving have all been voted NBA All-Stars, putting four first-time starters in the Feb. 16 game in New Orleans. Kobe Bryant was elected by fans to his 16th All-Star game, second-most in NBA history, but this one is shaping up as a game for the next generation. Curry will join him in the Western Conference backcourt, with Love in the frontcourt along with Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin. LeBro

More SportsJan. 24, 2014

LONDON (AP) ― West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka will face an English Football Association disciplinary hearing after formally denying a racism charge for celebrating a goal with a gesture deemed anti-Semitic. Anelka has repeatedly insisted that his use of the gesture, which is known in France as a “quenelle” and has been described as an “inverted Nazi salute,” was not anti-Semitic. The former France international faces a minimum five-match ban if he is found guilty. The FA said Anelka

SoccerJan. 24, 2014

South Korean athletes on Thursday reaffirmed their drive to put in a strong showing at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia.Dozens of athletes and officials assembled at the National Training Center in Seoul for their team inauguration ceremony ahead of the Feb. 7-23 Sochi Winter Olympics.Earlier in the day, the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) announced the final list of 64 athletes and 49 officials for Sochi.It will be the country's largest-ever delegation for a Winter Games.At the Vancouver W

Olympic GamesJan. 23, 2014

South Korean pitcher Oh Seung-hwan said Thursday he hopes to keep his mistakes to a minimum as he prepares for his first season in Japan.The new Hanshin Tigers closer left Seoul to join the Nippon Professional Baseball club on Thursday, after spending one day at home to handle administrative matters.Oh, the all-time leader with 277 career saves in the Korea Baseball Organization here, signed a two-year deal with the Tigers in November.Looking tanned and visibly slimmer, the 31-year-old right-han

BaseballJan. 23, 2014

LOS ANGELES (Yonhap News) ― Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, reiterated on Wednesday that he still hopes to speak to former captain Park Ji-sung about coming back for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, despite recent developments that put his return in doubt.South Korea is training in Los Angeles this week in preparation for three tune-up matches in the United States: first against Costa Rica in LA on Saturday, then Mexico in San Antonio next Wednesday an

SoccerJan. 23, 2014