PHILADELPHIA — With just one regular in the starting lineup, the United States rallied past Panama into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Kenny Cooper converted a penalty kick in the 105th minute, giving the two-time defending champions a 2-1 victory and a semifinal berth against Honduras, which beat Canada 1-0 in the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Blas Perez put Panama ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Kyle Beckerman tied the score in the 49th.
In today’s quarterfinal doubleheader, Guadeloupe meets Costa Rica and Mexico faces Haiti in the first sporting event at the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington, Texas. The semifinals are Thursday in Chicago.
Gatti’s autopsy is inconlusive
SÃO PAULO — An autopsy indicates former boxing champion Arturo Gatti may have committed suicide, been accidentally killed or murdered, according to a Brazilian newspaper that said it obtained a copy of the coroner’s initial findings.
Police have said they are certain Gatti’s 23-year-old wife strangled the boxer with her purse strap as he drunkenly slept July 11, but the autopsy report raises some doubts.
• Highly touted Amir Khan (21-1) finally lived up to lofty expectations, earning a unanimous decision over Andreas Kotelnik (31-3-1) to capture the WBA junior welterweight title in Manchester, England.
The 22-year-old’s victory came five years after a career-launching Olympic silver medal.
Mercury prevails in overtime
PHOENIX — Le’Coe Willingham scored six points in overtime, including two free throws with 7.1 seconds left, as the Phoenix Mercury defeated the Detroit Shock 97-90 in the WNBA.
Cappie Pondexter had 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Phoenix, which has won six straight games.
• Lindsey Harding scored 23 points, including two free throws with 8.2 seconds left, to lead the Washington Mystics to a 68-67 victory over the New York Liberty.
U.S. divers defeated
ROME — Olympic champions Qin Kai and Wang Feng of China defended their world championship title in 3-meter synchronized diving, beating Troy Dumais and Kristian Ipsen of the U.S. in the six-dive final.
Qin and Wang compiled 467.94 points to win the gold medal on the second day of the championships.
Dumais and Ipsen took silver with 445.59 points and Alexandre Despatie and Reuben Ross of Canada were third with 428.64.
U.S. softball team whips Japan
OKLAHOMA CITY — Alissa Haber and Andrea Duran homered as the U.S. exacted a measure of revenge for its loss in the Olympic gold medal game, defeating Japan 6-1 at the World Cup of Softball.
Haber smashed the first pitch thrown by reliever Naho Emoto the opposite way over the left-field wall to put the U.S. ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
The Associated Press
