The Austin Lightning gave up six second-half goals to the first-place El Paso Patriots to squander a 2-0 halftime lead, and a chance to move into second place in the PDL Midsouth. They get another shot this weekend in their next-to-last home game of the season, hosting the Nashville Metros, Sat., July 2, 7:30pm at Williamson Co. Park, north of Highway 1431 and Sam Bass Road in Cedar Park, 512/386-6808. www.austinlightningsoccer.com.
Brazil-Argentina: The best rivalry in international sport was renewed this week on three different fronts, with Brazil coming out on top in two out of three. On the club level, São Paulo beat River Plate, 2-0, in the first leg of their Copa Libertadores semifinal, as Argentine fans had their buses stoned outside the stadium and were beaten by police inside. The return leg this week in Buenos Aires should be charming. The Argentine Under-20s evened the score on Tuesday, beating Brazil 2-1 in the semifinals of the FIFA World Youth Championships (they face Nigeria in the final on Saturday, July 2). And on Wednesday, at the full international level, Brazil beat Argentina 4-1 in the Confederations Cup final, answering Argentina’s 3-1 win earlier this month in World Cup qualifying.
This article appears in July 1 • 2005.