Soccer Watch

The University of Portland won the NCAA Women's championship Sunday in College Station, with a 4-0 dismantling of a UCLA team that had only given up eight goals all season. Once again, Canadian national team star Christine Sinclair was the engine for the Pilots, scoring two and being named tournament MVP. This weekend it's the Men's turn in Cary, N.C. – again with a Texas flavor, as unseeded SMU, who've already knocked off two top-five squads in UCLA and North Carolina, take on top-ranked Maryland, and Clemson faces No. 2 New Mexico. The final is Sunday, Dec. 11, at 1pm on ESPN2.

Manchester United got bounced out of the European Champions League with an embarrassingly lackluster loss to Portugal's Benfica as group play concluded this week. Overall, England, Spain, and Italy shared honors with three teams each in the final 16, while Glasgow Rangers became the first Scottish club ever to make it that far. Full results at "Soccer Watch Online"; knockout stages begin in February.

The seedings for the 2006 World Cup were announced Tuesday, with the final draw to follow this Friday, Dec. 9. Along with host Germany and top-rated and defending champ Brazil, top seeds went to England, Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina, and Italy. The United States barely missed the cut, placing ninth in FIFA's rating system, a slim point back of Italy and Argentina.