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Akers rejoins national women's team European trip will test veteran's injured shoulder

By Peter Brewington and Jose Alfredo Flores (contributing)
USA TODAY

Legendary 34-year-old midfielder Michelle Akers is back with the U.S. national team when it leaves today for a trip to Europe.

She is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder but expects to play sometime during the five-game tour in Germany and Norway. The USA plays Norway on Sunday in Osnabruck, Germany; China on July 19 and Germany on July 22. The USA plays Norway again July 27 and July 30 in Norway.

It's a big trip for Akers. The precious Summer Olympics roster spot that would be hers if she was healthy hangs in the balance.

''Right now, I couldn't fend off my cat with my right arm, much less a Norwegian defender,'' she said Monday.

Coach April Heinrichs will name the 18-player Olympic roster in early August and is using the European tour to test the readiness of Akers and two other injured starters from the 1999 Women's World Cup: goalkeeper Briana Scurry and defender and team captain Carla Overbeck.

''This is my tryout. That's how I'm treating it,'' Akers says.

Akers, who has been rehabbing her injury and coaching at soccer camps, is confident she will heal.

MLS player of the week: San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon is the MLS player of the week.

Cannon set an Earthquakes record with 12 saves in a 1-0 win July 8 against Colorado.

On July 4, he extended San Jose's home unbeaten streak to 15 games in a 0-0 tie vs. Kansas City. . . .

Tonight, Tampa Bay stars Carlos Valderrama and Mamadou Diallo could break MLS milestones against D.C. United.

Valderrama is the league leader in assists and needs one to break Marco Etcheverry's season record of 19. He can also reach the 10,000-minute mark in MLS with 90 minutes against United and 28 at Chicago.

Diallo, who is MLS' leading scorer (35 points), is close to reaching the team's record for shots and shots on goal.

He is five away from Mauricio Ramos' shots record of 95 and two away from Roy Lassiter's shots on goal record of 48.

Playoff battle: Tonight's other matchup features teams battling it out for the eighth and final playoff spot with 10 games to go in the season.

New England (7-7-5, 26 points), which owns that last spot and leads the Crew by a point, travels to Columbus (7-10-4, 25 points).

This match could feature the MLS debut of Spanish striker Jose Luis Morales, who signed with the Revs on Monday.

Mozambique international Manuel Bucuane might also make his MLS debut as a running mate with Diallo or as a substitute.

World Cup voting: Following the vote last week that gave the 2006 World Cup to Germany instead of South Africa, FIFA will discuss a way to ensure the competition goes to different continents.

President Sepp Blatter stressed in a letter to the 24-member ruling executive committee ''the importance that FIFA should not repeatedly grant the World Cup to the same continents but, on the contrary, should be entrusting its flagship competition to different confederations.''

The executive committee will hold an ''open discussion'' when it meets Aug. 3, FIFA said.

Possibilities listed by Blatter included rotating the tournament from continent to continent, limiting the number of candidates per continent, or simultaneously designating the organizers of two consecutive World Cups.

The African Football Confederation asked FIFA to establish a rotation system following the 12-11 vote that gave the Cup to Germany. It will be Europe's 10th World Cup. Africa has yet to host.