FOOTBALL

GOVERNATOR LOBBIES FOR TWO TEAMS IN LOS ANGELES Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn’t want one NFL team in Los Angeles. He wants two.The California governor will probably have to satisfied with half of his wish – at least in the near future. Outgoing NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and a committee of 11 owners heard presentations yesterday from officials representing Los Angeles, Anaheim, and Pasadena, three cities that want a club. The area has been without an NFL franchise for more than a decade.

Schwarzenegger went first. After meeting with the owners, the actor-turnedpolitician emerged to say he was there to make sure “we’re getting not only one NFL team to the Los Angeles area, Southern California, but to actually get two teams. That’s why I came. Why limit it?”

Giants chairman Steve Tisch, a longtime Los Angeles resident who is on the committee, said that was highly unlikely. “I’d be shocked if the suggestion internally to recommend two teams ever comes up. I think the numbers are too big. I think it would be an overwhelming suggestion,”Tisch said.

Added Tagliabue: “One team is our immediate goal. Long term, I think two is a realistic goal.”

The 11 owners spent six hours listening to politicians and deemed it a significant step in getting the NFL back to nation’s second-largest TV market. Tagliabue has made that a priority since both the Rams and Raiders left after the 1994 season.

SOCCER

ARENA NAMES U.S. WORLD CUP SQUAD Forward Brian Ching and defender Jimmy Conrad were among 11 newcomers picked yesterday for the U.S. World Cup roster. Forward Taylor Twellman and defender Gregg Berhalter were not included in the 23-man group picked by U.S. coach Bruce Arena.

Twelve holdovers were selected from the 2002 team, which advanced to the quarterfinals in the best showing by the United States since 1930.The holdovers included forwards Brian McBride and Josh Wolff; midfielders Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, John O’Brien, and Pablo Mastroeni; defenders Steve Cherundolo, Frankie Hejduk, Eddie Lewis, and Eddie Pope; and goalkeeper Kasey Keller.

Among the newcomers were forward Eddie Johnson; midfielders Bobby Convey, Clint Dempsey, and Ben Olsen; defenders Carlos Bocanegra, Cory Gibbs, and Oguchi Onyewu; and goalkeepers Marcus Hahnemann and Tim Howard.

At the World Cup in Germany, the Americans – currently ranked fourth in the FIFA world rankings – open against the Czech Republic on June 12, meet Italy five days later, and close the first round against Ghana on June 22.

– Associated Press