The top of Major League Soccer’s Western Conference resembles Los Angeles’ rush hour at the midway point of the season, with six of the seven teams separated by only three points. When the two clubs leading the traffic jam square off on Thursday night at the Home Depot Center, expect some 405-style road rage.

Because even though the battle for the top spot in the West will add some extra spice to the showdown between Chivas USA and the Los Angeles Galaxy (both at 21 points with a 6-6-3 record), the prize of SoCal bragging rights will really get their blood boiling.

The two teams are drastically different in image, financial clout and fan base. Yet they share a strong mutual dislike that rears its head every time they play and is actually a major positive for the league.

Local derbies are a staple of all big soccer leagues, and they add color and spice to the season. The Super Clasico is the only genuine same-city derby in MLS, and the way it has developed – and continues to do so – is pleasing.

Of course, the limited history of the rivalry (Chivas only joined MLS in 2005) means it is foolish to compare it with similar clashes in Manchester, Milan or Buenos Aires. However, the depth of antipathy the clubs share makes these games compulsive viewing.

Thursday’s contest, which will be televised nationally on ESPN2, should be no different.

“Derbies are the first games that you always look for when the schedules come out,” said Galaxy midfielder David Beckham, who has taken part in some of the world’s biggest intracity rivalry games during his time with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

“We know it is important we play well against Chivas because there is a lot of passion and a lot of spirit – and rightly so. – When you do come up against rivals you can see the rivalry that is there between the players, between the teams and between the fans.”

L.A. hasn’t forgotten the two 3-0 hammerings by Chivas last season, bad losses that piled even more embarrassment on to an already woeful campaign. A 5-2 victory in April did little to sate the Galaxy’s appetite for success over their local foes, but it has given extra motivation for Chivas, which was infuriated by Landon Donovan’s antagonizing of coach Preki while celebrating one of his three goals.

Everything points towards another fiery encounter. Chivas was unable to cope defensively with the Beckham/Donovan connection last time around and may try to exert a more physical presence. Beckham, in particular, does not like being pushed around, as evidenced by his furious charge towards Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch following a rough tackle.

“We did well against them the last game obviously,” Beckham said. “I think the score flattered us because we played really well and we deserved to win, but we got a few goals at the end of the game and Chivas didn’t play that badly on the day. We know it is going to be tough but hopefully we will beat them again.”

Chivas striker Ante Razov played his part in stirring things up this week when he insisted he welcomes the noisy attention he gets from Galaxy supporters.

“That (booing) comes from fear,” Razov said. “They must fear something I do to them. They don’t boo bad players usually. They boo guys who they fear might do damage to their team.”

100. Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic)
99. Alexandre Pato (AC Milan)
98. Maicon (Inter Milan)
97. Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
96. Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid)
95. Nery Castillo (Shakhtar Donetsk)
94. Javier Macherano (Liverpool)
93. Adrian Mutu (Fiorentina)
92. Kim Kallstrom (Lyon)
91. Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan)
90. Javier Zanetti (Inter Milan)
89. Eduardo Da Silva (Arsenal)
88. Fabio Quagliarelli (Udinese)
87. Diego Milito (Real Zaragoza)
86. Gabriel Milito (Barcelona)
85. Gary Neville (Manchester United)
84. Juninho Pernambucano (Lyon)
83. Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg)
82. Robin Van Persie (Arsenal)
81. Samir Nasri (Marseille)
80. Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)

79. Carlos Puyol (Barcelona)
78. Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United)
77. Maxi Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)
76. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich)
75. Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona)
74. Torsten Frings (Werder Bremen)
73. Pavel Nedved (Juventus)
72. Fredi Kanoute (Sevilla)
71. Kolo Toure (Arsenal)
70. Vicente (Valencia)
69. Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid)
68. Michael Owen (Newcastle United)
67. William Gallas (Arsenal)
66. Ze Roberto (Bayern Munich)
65. Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich)
64. Andriy Shevchenko (Chelsea)
63. Patrick Viera (Inter Milan)
62. Diego (Werder Bremen)
61. Simao Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid)
60. Arjen Robben (Chelsea)
59. Robinho (Real Madrid)
58. Joe Cole (Chelsea)
57. Miroslav Klose (Bayern Munich)
56. Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
55. Luca Toni (Bayern Munich)
54. Alex (Chelsea)
53. Hernan Crespo (Inter Milan)
52. Owen Hargreaves (Manchester United)
51. Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid)
50. Ronaldo (AC Milan)
49. David Silva (Valencia)
48. Andres Iniesta (Barcelona)
47. Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan)
46. Clarence Seedorf (AC Milan)
45. Florent Malouda (Chelsea)
44. Carlos Tevez (Manchester United)
43. David Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy)
42. Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma)
41. Michael Ballack (Chelsea)
40. Lucio (Bayern Munich)
39. David Suazo (Inter Milan)
38. Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham Hotspur)
37. David Albelda (Valencia)
36. Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan)
35. Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)
34. Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
33. Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
32. Xavi Hernandes (Barcelona)
31. Juan Roman Riquelme (Villareal)
30. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
29. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
28. Paolo Maldini (AC Milan)
27. Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
26. Gino Gattuso (AC Milan)
25. Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
24. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
23. Deco (Barcelona)
22. John Terry (Chelsea)
21. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan)
20. Michael Essien (Chelsea)
19. David Villa (David Villa)
18. Francesco Totti (Roma)
17. Paul Scholes (Manchester United)
16. Roberto Ayala (Real Zaragoza)
15. Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)
14. Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan)
13. Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
12. Daniel Alves (Sevilla)
11. Petr Cech (Chelsea)
10. Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid)
9. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus)
8. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
7. Samuel Eto’o (Barcelona)
6. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
5. Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
4. Thierry Henry (Barcelona)
3. Ronaldinho (Barcelona)
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
1. Kaka (AC Milan)

Kyle Busch: In any other year, the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers would be an easy choice at Lowes Motor Speedway. However, it has not been a typical year. So I’m favoring the three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers this week. All year, they have demonstrated their ability to win, regardless of the track size or length of race. Kyle Busch was fast enough last Saturday night in the All-Star Race to lead comfortably before losing an engine. Barring a similar failure, I don’t see him getting beat Sunday night. – Ricky Craven

Tony Stewart: Joe Gibbs Racing has been the team to beat all season, and that won’t change this weekend when Tony Stewart finally gets into the win column. With JGR’s engine power and his own savvy, Smoke will win on Indy day, just not in Indianapolis. – Jay Hart

Craven’s Keys to Victory

1. Running in the end: This is the longest event of the season and is an endurance race, not only for the drivers, but perhaps more for the car and mechanics. Over the years, several potential 600 winners have been eliminated with mechanical failures in the final 100 miles.

2. Attitude adjustments: The Coca Cola 600 has a completely different look and feel for the drivers between its start and finish. The race begins around 6 pm, but the track will be much cooler when it ends under the lights, roughly four hours later. Keeping up with the changing track conditions with aggressive adjustments throughout the race will be critical.

3. Gas ‘n go: Last year’s race was determined by fuel mileage as Casey Mears out lasted several competitors by going further on fuel at the end. Kasey Kahne won last week’s All-Star race without replacing tires for the final segment, suggesting the race could be decided by a late-race, long green-flag run.

Top Storyline

• Will the Coca-Cola 600 be another snoozer just like we saw in last Saturday’s Sprint All-Star Race? – Jerry Bonkowski

• Can Kasey Kahne back up his upset win in last week’s All-Star Race? Kahne won this race two years ago and carries plenty of momentum and confidence on the heels of his victory. In a year considered a struggle for most Dodge teams, Kahne’s win last week was perfectly timed. – Ricky Craven

• If the All-Star race is any indication, it’ll be a boring night for everyone on Sunday. Notice I didn’t say a long night, but a boring one. Don’t expect too many cautions as there won’t be a whole lot of racing going on. Most of the cautions will be for debris. – Bob Margolis

• What will Jimmie do? Because Jimmie Johnson has dominated Lowe’s Motor Speedway, great things are expected. It would be a cause for concern at Hendrick Motorsports if he doesn’t show well Sunday. – Jay Hart

The United States lost 2-0 Thursday to Sweden, which advanced to the World Team Cup final in the Red Group.

James Blake lost 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 to undefeated Robin Soderling and Thomas Johansson stopped Bobby Reynolds 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.

Also in the Red Group, Argentina and the Czech Republic are tied 1-1. In the Blue Group, Russia leads Germany 1-0 and Spain leads Italy 1-0.

The winner of the Blue Group will face Sweden in Saturday’s final.

Blake, ranked No. 8, tried to remain upbeat heading into the French Open, which starts Sunday.

“Hopefully this match will not affect me,” Blake said of his second loss in three matches. “I’ll put these last couple of sets out of my mind and get ready for Paris. Maybe it’s easier to go there that way, than going down with a real tight one and thinking I can’t close out matches.”

Tomas Berdych defeated Guillermo Canas 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 to give the Czechs an early lead before Juan Ignacio Chela stopped Michal Tabara 6-0, 6-4.

Spain got its point from David Ferrer, who defeated Potito Starace of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. Igor Andreev put Russia ahead of Germany by defeating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-4, 6-3.

Landon Donovan knows better than anyone that his steps into the history books of the United States national team on Wednesday will do nothing to silence his detractors.

Barring unexpected incident, the 26-year-old will claim his 100th international cap at the sport’s most famous venue, the modern incarnation of the hallowed site that is Wembley Stadium. It will be a fitting reward for a player who has served his country with pride and productivity since 2000 and who tops the all-time national goal-scoring charts with 35.

Yet there are many who are unprepared to give Donovan any credit, preferring to pillory him with accusations that he fails to deliver on the big occasion.

The main sticking point for many U.S. fans is his performance in the 2006 World Cup, which ended in shattered hopes and a winless record for a United States team of which much was anticipated. Donovan carried the burden of responsibility in the eyes of many, who expected a repeat of his outstanding efforts in Japan and South Korea four years earlier when the Americans qualified for the quarterfinals.

A worse crime in the eyes of Donovan’s critics was his failure to become a major star in Europe after joining German Bundesliga team Bayer Leverkusen at the age of 17. He returned to California on loan after two years and failed to hold down a starting role in a final attempt to succeed in Germany during the 2004-05 season.

So is he arguably the finest player in the history of the U.S. national team, or North American soccer’s greatest underachiever?

That can’t properly be answered until much nearer the end of his career. Donovan has at least two World Cups left in him, and given how his reputation was sullied in 2006, it is not unreasonable to suggest his legacy could be revived or destroyed depending on his efforts in South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014.

At the club level, personal factors – his actress wife Bianca’s work commitments are in California – mean a move back to Europe is unlikely in the short term. However, if he and David Beckham can revive the fortunes of the Los Angeles Galaxy and turn that team into the dominant force in Major League Soccer, then it will be hard to question his career choices.

Either way, Donovan is in no mood to question himself just now and can barely wait to reach three figures for Bob Bradley’s team.

“I am able to enjoy this one a little bit more because it is a friendly,” Donovan said. “If it was a competitive game, my mind would be on other things. Even so, I am not coming here to celebrate and we want to come and win the game and show we can do well against a team like England.

“It will be exciting to reach 100 caps. I still can’t quite believe it. It is something to be proud of, but there is still a lot I want to achieve in my international career and I have high hopes for this team.”

Whatever is said on the outside, Bradley is one man who you will never hear utter a bad word about Donovan. He values the influence Donovan has on the squad, especially on teams where the roster is primarily made up of younger, U.S.-based players.

“It is amazing that Landon has so many caps at this stage of his career,” Bradley said. “He means a lot to our group and I very much hope that he has many more internationals to come.

“He is a high-quality player who continues to be important for us. It promises to be a big night for him and we hope to mark it with a victory.”

Warming up before Game 4, Tim Duncan decided to have a little fun. He threw the ball behind his back and between his legs, then went up for the lay-in.

Yep, it was going to be that easy.

Duncan had his best game of the series against New Orleans—22 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks—to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 100-80 victory over the Hornets on Sunday.

“I’m just trying to do my part,” Duncan said. “It’s just that. You’ve got to step up at playoff time. It’s win or go home. So you’ve got to step up and make plays.”

The Spurs have stormed back from an 0-2 deficit that looked as if it would be tough to overcome, especially after the losses in Games 1 and 2 were each by nearly 20 points.

Now the Spurs, the old guard and defending champions, and Hornets, this year’s youthful surprise success story, are even at 2-2 in the Western Conference semifinals.

Tony Parker added 21 points for the Spurs, who are assured of a Game 6 back in San Antonio. Game 5 is Tuesday in New Orleans.

“We’ve got to play Game 5 the same way we approached Game 3 and 4,” San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili said. “That is going to be huge, so we don’t have to have any satisfaction with what we just accomplished. We are the same way we started.”

The Spurs led by as many as 27 and were ahead nearly the entire game. They shot 51 percent (39-of-76), while the Hornets were cold when it counted. They shot 37 percent through three quarters and finished 33-of-82 (40 percent) from the field.

Chris Paul led the Hornets with 23 points.

“Our intensity was terrible. From Game 1 to Game 4, ours has gotten worse and theirs has gotten better,” Hornets coach Byron Scott said. “And that’s been the difference. They’re just kicking our butts right now. Is that simple enough?”

San Antonio scored 40 points in the paint. New Orleans’ plan to keep Parker out of the lane didn’t work, as he knifed his way through heavy traffic or found openings to get to the rim, and hit jumpers.

Ginobili, who also got to the rim at will in Game 3, wasn’t as successful in Game 4. But he hit jumpers and two 3-pointers, finishing with 15 points. Parker and Ginobili each had eight of the Spurs’ 27 assists. The Hornets had 12 assists — five from Paul.

The Spurs outrebounded the Hornets 45-36 and outscored them 30-19 in the decisive third quarter.

New Orleans’ David West had three blocks but was held to 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting and was visibly frustrated. Reserve Jannero Pargo scored 11 for the Hornets.

“We’ve just got to make sure we’re responding. That’s the key,” West said. “We have to respond to what they’re trying to do. If we’re not able to do that, we’re going to find ourselves in some trouble.”

The Hornets were hoping to return to New Orleans with a commanding 3-1 series lead, but allowed Duncan and Parker to shoot a combined 18-of-25 from the field. The only area where the duo struggled was its free-throw shooting. Duncan was 2-of-5 and Parker 5-of-8.

“I really can’t explain this one,” Paul said. “We just looked pretty bad out there tonight. We’ve got to bounce back. We came out here to try and get a win here and we came up short. But the good thing about it is it’s just 2 to 2 now. Now it’s a three-game series. First one to win two games wins it; there’s no time to panic.”

Paul said that after the Game 3 loss, too. And the Spurs will still need to win one the Hornets’ court. So far that’s been a tough task, with only one team losing at home in the second round of the playoffs.

The Spurs were ahead for all but 3:24 in the first half, taking the lead for good after Parker’s layup with 8:36 to play in the first quarter broke a 4-all tie.

San Antonio shot 57.5 percent in the first half, led by Parker and Duncan, who each hit 7-of-10 from the field. Parker had no problem getting to the rim early to lead the Spurs with 18 points at the break.

“Our defense was solid tonight,” Parker said. “We are trying to do a better job on Chris Paul and David West but our help defense was great tonight and so we have to play the same defense on the road now.”

Parker had two layups as part of a 13-2 Spurs run, and his jumper capped the burst with 5:27 left in the second quarter to put the Spurs up 45-28.

Duncan had 15 points and three blocks at the half. He started the series with a miserable five points and three rebounds in Game 1. After suffering from flu-like symptoms and running a fever earlier in the series—something he was loath to discuss—he said the day before Game 4 that he was feeling good.

His spin move on Tyson Chandler for an easy layup put San Antonio up 47-33 with four minutes left in the half.

Paul had 14 points at halftime, but the Hornets were down 55-42 at the break. West was struggling as he was harassed by the Spurs but also missed a couple of open shots, including an airball to start the second quarter.

In the third quarter, when the Hornets were so dominant in the first two games, the Spurs kept up their hot shooting and New Orleans got worse.

Chandler had to sit with 8:39 to play after picking up his fourth and fifth fouls in quick succession. He finished with just two points—a pair of free throws—and four rebounds.

Ginobili’s floating jumper with 7:19 left and ensuing foul shot put the Spurs up 69-48, and the Spurs would finish the quarter with a 7-0 run and their biggest lead of the night to that point, 85-61.

Scott emptied his bench to start the fourth. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich soon did the same.

“What we have to do is get the level of intensity back,” Scott said. “That’s the bottom line. We’ve got to compete. And I don’t think we competed tonight.”

Notes

Paul’s mother and Hornets F Julian Wright’s mother were in attendance … The Hornets switched to their teal uniforms on Sunday from the gold they wore in Game 3. … Parker’s wife, Eva Longoria Parker, was at the game. She missed her own TV show, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” which was on during the game. … Actor Tommy Lee Jones and country singer George Strait also were in the crowd. … Spurs F Robert Horry played in his 237th playoff game Sunday, tying Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA record. Horry called tying Abdul-Jabbar’s record “a dream come true.” … Ime Udoka scored 15 for the Spurs. Michael Finley had 12.

For months now, maybe the man most responsible for Los Angeles’ championship run has been ripped over the Pau Gasol trade. The mere mention of suspicions over Memphis’ motives gets the Grizzlies owner’s voice rising on the telephone, gets him going on the gossip that suggests something unseemly happened on the way to a Lakers renaissance.

Michael Heisley starts to ask, well, who is ripping Minnesota for the Kevin Garnett trade?

How about Seattle and Ray Allen?

“Is anybody jumping on Popovich in San Antonio because he traded that center to Houston for virtually nothing?” Heisley wondered.

Heisley was talking about Luis Scola, the forward, whom had been a long-ago draft pick of the Spurs. Only problem was, Scola never played a minute for the four-time champions. Gasol was the Grizzlies’ franchise player, and it was Spurs coach Gregg Popovich saying on the record what most of his peers had only the guts to say without attribution: What in the world was Memphis management thinking on the Gasol trade?

When much of the league was determined to make a serious bid for the 7-footer, how could Memphis settle so long before the February trade deadline for such a paltry offer out of the Lakers?

For the first time, even Heisley wondered whether his general manager, Chris Wallace, blew it by caving so soon to the Lakers.

“I don’t know if I got the most value,” Heisley confessed. “Maybe our people should’ve shopped (Gasol) more and maybe we would’ve gotten more, done a better deal. Maybe Chris did call every team in the league. I don’t think he did, but maybe he should’ve…”

Around the league, nothing will change this belief: Whatever the reasoning, this was one of the NBA’s worst trades in years. Most of all, rival executives wonder why they never had a chance to submit a best offer. For Gasol, the 7-footer who transformed the Lakers in the absence of Andrew Bynum, the Grizzlies were willing to take back the expiring contract of Kwame Brown, rookie point guard Javaris Crittenton, two future No. 1 picks and the draft rights to Gasol’s brother, Marc.

Crittenton is nothing special, and those draft picks in 2008 and 2010 will be near, if not at the end of, the first round. Gasol had demanded a trade out of Memphis, had been moping around, giving less than his best. Yes, he had to go, but you don’t trade your franchise player without getting back a minimum of a sure-thing young star and/or two solid young starters. For Memphis, salary-cap space will probably turn out to be money that’ll never make it back into the roster.

The one-sided nature of the trade inspired a lot of people to believe that retired Memphis GM, Jerry West, a Lakers’ legend, played a part in facilitating the deal. West was instrumental recruiting Wallace as his replacement in Memphis and still holds a close relationship with Heisley. His history in Los Angeles, especially his bond with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and star Kobe Bryant, made even the fair-minded cynical about the scenario.

Several sources close to the process insist West played no part, and Heisley swears, “Jerry didn’t know about the trade until after it was done.”

Still, it hasn’t stopped a rampant anger around the league that this wasn’t so much of a trade, as much as it was the word that Bryant himself used: a “donation.” Privately, the Lakers were thrilled that they were able to keep negotiations with the Grizzlies quiet because Los Angeles officials were blown away that they could get Gasol for so little.

One source with knowledge of the process said the Bulls had made the most credible offer. For Gasol and Memphis’ Hakim Warrick, the Bulls were willing to part with Andres Nocioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, possibly Adrian Griffin and draft picks.

Heisley didn’t offer up those names, but insisted, “Chicago wouldn’t offer us any of their good, core players,” he said. “Our people told me that we weren’t able to get equal trade value for Gasol and that we needed to do a deal that would give us cap space and draft picks. It was no secret in the league that we were considering offers for him, but the Lakers were the one team that stepped up.”

Heisley has been losing money in Memphis, a small market where the franchise has come to flounder. He tried to sell the team, but no one has reached his asking price. Around the league there are those who believe that Wallace was forced to turn the Gasol trade into a salary dump, and there are league officials, including a close friend, who believe, “There is no way that Chris ever would’ve made that trade on his own.”

“I have no buyer’s remorse,” Heisley said. “Listen, I can’t tell you how many people would tell me, wherever I went in Memphis, ‘Get rid of Gasol. …Trade Gasol.’ And then some of the same people are booing us because we traded him. But I don’t mind that. I’m a big boy. I can take it.”

He could live with watching Gasol playing an immense part in bringing the Lakers to the Finals, but he just wonders: When do we get our just reward for gutting this roster, for relentless futility? He keeps watching teams with better records get the luck of the bouncing balls in the draft lottery and the Grizzlies never get that transcendent player to save the franchise’s fortunes. Memphis missed on LeBron James and just one year ago, with the worst record in the sport, they still didn’t get a top two pick to take Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

“We’ve been in the lottery more than anyone in the NBA, and we’ve definitely had the worst record twice as much as anyone else,” Heisley said. “This is sure a fantastic system we have – isn’t it? – where we’ve never gotten the No. 1 pick. Our ticket sales just stopped last year when we didn’t get one of the top picks. What’s the sense in of all this?”

The Grizzlies have been waiting for something, for someone to save them – maybe the bouncing the ball, maybe dumb luck – but they’ve done little to help themselves. The owner of the Memphis Grizzlies says, yes, come to him with criticism for the Gasol trade because he had the power to stop it. Now, he’s watched the Lakers rush to the NBA Finals, the immense impact Gasol has had with Bryant, and he’s asking the same question the rest of the league hasn’t stopped grumbling for months.

Did the Grizzlies get the best value possible for Pau Gasol?

“I don’t know if I got the most value,” he said.

Even so, you get the idea that, yes, the man most responsible for the Lakers’ championship run does know now.

Between February and now, that truth hasn’t changed. The answer’s still the same.

No way.

Not even close.

Lionel Messi has repeatedly said he will never be able to emulate Maradona but he is giving it his best shot, managing near carbon copies of Maradona´s most famous and infamous goals in the same season.

First was the run from the halfway line, on the right, skipping past defenders to score against Getafe, then Saturday´s “hand of god” copy against Espanyol, getting his small frame almost to the ball before keeper Carlos Kameni and sticking his hand out to make the extra centimetres.

Coach Alfio Basile now sees Messi as the player to lead Argentina to the Copa America title this year.

Basile is trying Messi out as a “media punta”, playing in the hole behind twin strikers. There was a marked improvement in the little genius over the 180 minutes of the recent friendlies against Switzerland in Basel and Algeria in Barcelona.

Messi laid on the goal for Carlos Tevez in a 1-1 draw in wet conditions which favoured the muscular Swiss, and then took out the magic wand to lead his country to a 4-3 win over Algeria.

“I hope he continues to convince me to put him in the position in which he played these two matches,” said Basile. ”But he’ll be there somewhere because cracks (geniuses) play
anywhere.”

Basile is building his team for the Copa America in Venezuela, starting in less than three weeks’ time. Basile has a good Copa America history, having won it in 1991 and 1993, Argentina’s last major international trophies.

Ronaldinho and Kaka, who on the night of Argentina’s 4-3 win were playing for Brazil in the dour 0-0 draw in Dortmund, will not be there to compare with Messi and Tevez. This is Argentina’s chance to prove they are the entertainers of the moment and that the loss of Juan Roman Riquelme is a minor glitch.

Werder Bremen clinched second place in the Bundesliga with a 1-0 win at the BayArena on Saturday which ended Bayer Leverkusen’s European dreams.

A goal from Markus Rosenberg in the 80th minute won it for Thomas Schaaf’s side, who beat Schalke to second place and a spot in the group stages of the Champions League next season.

Bayer was condemned to a seventh-place finish in the Bundesliga, which rules them out of even a place in the Intertoto Cup and left their fans calling for the head of coach Michael Skibbe. Schalke sealed Nurnberg’s relegation from the Bundesliga but was unable to secure second place despite their 2-0 victory. Marcelo Bordon struck twice (19 and 60) as the Royal Blues collected their fifth victory in six games to finish in third place and secure the final qualification spot for the Champions League. Bayern Munich collected the Bundesliga title in style after an emphatic 4-1 win over Hertha Berlin.

A hat trick from Luca Toni and a strike from Franck Ribery completed the rout for the German champions. Hamburg clinched a place in the UEFA Cup with a 7-0 hammering of Karlsruhe. Jose Paolo Guerrero scored a hat trick while Ivica Olic hit a brace and Piotr Trochowski and Rafael van der Vaart (penalty) were also on the scoresheet. Wolfsburg beat Borussia Dortmund 4-2 away to secure the final UEFA Cup spot. The visitors were two ahead within six minutes thanks to Sascha Riether and Marcelinho. Duisburg finished bottom of the table after losing, 4-2, at Eintracht Frankfurt. Already-relegated Hansa Rostock finished on a high by winning, 2-1, at Bochum. Arminia Bielefeld snatched a late 2-2 draw at Stuttgart to finish three points above the drop zone while the hosts missed out on a UEFA Cup berth.

Czech winger Pavel Nedved has signed a new one-year contract with Juventus after deciding not to retire, the Serie A side said on Tuesday.

The Turin club have finished third in their first season back in the top flight following their demotion for match-fixing in 2006. They will enter the Champions League qualifiers next season, prompting the 35-year-old left winger to stay.

“At the heart of my decision is the knowledge of having lived seven extraordinary years here and the wish to relive the European experience with a team I am deeply attached to,” Nedved told Juve’s website (www.juventus.com).

Nedved, who almost quit at the end of last season before signing a similar one-year deal, is expected to make a decision shortly on whether he will come out of international retirement and make himself available for the Czechs at Euro 2008.

Juve coach Claudio Ranieri believes the former European footballer of year will take part in June’s tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

“He is a physically fit player, he has desire, he enjoys himself,” Ranieri told Reuters.

“I hope…the requests of his team mates in the national squad will make him come back to play this final European championship.”