FONTANA, CALIFORNIA (TICKER) — Kurt Busch took a big step toward locking up a spot in NASCAR’s “Chase for the Championship” on Friday.

In a Dodge Charger, Busch lapped the two-mile oval at California Speedway in 39.474 seconds, clocking 182.399 miles per hour to win the pole for Sunday’s Nextel Cup Series Sharp Aquos 500.

It was the 2004 Nextel Cup champion’s first pole of the season, third overall at California and 10th career.

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MEXICO CITY — Barcelona forward Giovanni Dos Santos earned his firstselection for a Mexican national team roster when he was chosen Friday by coachHugo Sanchez for exhibition games against Panama and Brazil.

The 18-year-old Dos Santos, son of Brazilian native and former Mexicanleague veteran Zizinho, was a key member of the Mexican team that won theUnder-17 World Cup in 2005 and earned the Bronze Ball at this year’s Under-20World Cup.

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s two-quarterback system could be vastlydifferent this season.

Tim Tebow was a change-of-pace guy in 2006, replacing Chris Leak inshort-yardage and goal-line situations, running option plays and taking ondefenders with reckless abandon.

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MONACO – Champions League winners AC Milan came back from a goal down to defeat UEFA Cup holders Sevilla 3-1 to lift the Super Cup on Friday and bring a tragic week for the Spaniards to an end.

Sevilla are mourning the death of defender Antonio Puerta who collapsed during Saturday’s 4-1 win over Getafe and died on Tuesday from multiple organ failure stemming from prolonged cardiac arrest.

The 22-year-old was suitably honoured at Friday’s game.

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LONDON – Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill finally got his man as he signed West Bromwich Albion defender Curtis Davies on a season-long loan just hours before the transfer window shut on Friday.

O’Neill has been tracking Davies for several months and was relieved to snap up the England Under-21 centre-back on the last day of transfer trading until January.

Davies has moved to Villa Park with a view to a permanent transfer and is likely to agree a 10-million-pound switch when his loan expires at the end of the season.

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COLUMBUS, OHIO (TICKER) — The Columbus Crew announced Friday that they have signed defender Andrei Pacheco to a developmental contract.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Pacheco fills a development roster spot made available because the Crew placed rookie midfielder Brad Evans on season-ending injured reserved.

Pacheco comes to Columbus from W Connection FC of the Professional Football League of Trinidad. The 22-year-old made his Trinidad & Tobago National Team debut in August 2006.

LITTLE ROCK — Troy coach Larry Blakeney has figured out a way to deal withDarren McFadden.

“You try not to schedule a team that he’s on,” Blakeney said of theArkansas star.

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MONTE CARLO, Monaco — Filippo Inzaghi tied the score early in the secondhalf and Marek Jankulovski got the go-ahead goal to lead AC Milan over Sevilla3-1 Friday in the European Super Cup, played in the memory of Antonio Puerta.

Both teams and match officials wore black armbands in memory of Puerta, a22-year-old Sevilla midfielder who collapsed on the field during last Saturday’sSpanish league match against Getafe, and died three days later in a hospitalafter multiple cardiac arrests.

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FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts (Ticker) — The New England Revolution on Friday signed Gambian midfielder Sainey Nyassi to a contract.

Terms were not disclosed.

Nyassi, a member of Gambia’s 2007 Under-20 World Cup squad, will occupy one of New England’s youth international roster spots.

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AUSTIN, Texas — Mack Brown already knows he’s getting $100,000 on Saturday.It’s a tidy little bonus written into a new contract approved this week just ashe starts his 10th season as Texas coach.

The money’s nice, but considering the millions he already makes and the $3million in bonuses the new deal gives him for just sticking around until 2010,his bigger concerns are about is his team.

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