Soccer

Saturday, Oct. 8, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

When anyone on the Texas Christian women's soccer team or one of its coaches sees a game on television from Italy or Spain or England, and the pitch is cut in a unique way, university groundskeepers in Fort Worth are alerted.

In a day or two, new Horned Frogs coach Dan Abdalla said that design will be copied onto Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.

"They have some fun, putting circles out there or diagonals," Abdalla said. "It's the most unbelievably manicured Bermuda field I've ever played on. They're out there cutting it five times a week."

Abdalla appreciates hard work, as does TCU, which hired Abdalla away from UNLV in March after he achieved, in his fifth season, his goal of directing the Rebels to their first NCAA tournament.

UNLV never had a losing record under Abdalla. It was a particularly adroit move for TCU, which joined UNLV's Mountain West Conference this fall, to hire Abdalla.

"To go into the conference and have a pretty good idea on the teams makes the transition a lot easier," Abdalla said.

BLANCO BLANKED

Mexican national coach Ricardo Lavolpe again left Cuauhtemoc Blanco, "Temoc" to teammates and pals, off the roster for the team's final two World Cup qualifiers.

Because Mexico has already qualified for Germany next summer, the qualifiers are inconsequential. Unless you're Temoc, who angered Lavolpe by going on holiday in July instead of playing for the national side in the Confederations Cup in Germany.

A fiery mainstay of the Mexican team for 10 years, Blanco might never again wear its trademark red socks. Look for Jared Borgetti, the first Mexican to play in the Premiership in England after Bolton acquired him in August, to lead his country's charge.

Borgetti, 32, and known for his prowess in the air, scored the 90th-minute winner in the Wanderers' 2-1 victory over Lokomotiv Plovdiv in UEFA Cup play at Reebok Stadium on Sept. 15.

Lavolpe, an Argentine, has been criticized in Mexico for picking favorites, such as Argentina-born Guillermo Franco. But with victories over Argentina and Brazil over the past 12 months, Lavolpe is doing something right.

Mexico is a 35-1 shot at Mandalay Bay to win next year's World Cup.

THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

That would be the name of this column, in Portuguese, in honor of Brazil's five World Cup championships. Germany and Italy are next, with three Jules Rimet trophies apiece.

Jogo belo was thought to originate from Pele, after a goal or game that he viewed as particularly artistic. Alas, historians and veteran sports officials in Brazil can't confirm that as fact. Pele, however, might have said the phrase in English.

It now generally refers to futebol played in an acrobatic, or "beautiful," manner, with guile, instinct and feel -- wholly Brazilian. Fans in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo moan when teams play physically or defensively.

CORNER KICKS

UNLV senior defender Nickie Olson, a Centennial High graduate, won Mountain West defender of the week honors with two outstanding efforts last weekend. She also earned a spot on Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.

Rob Miech can be reached at 259-4087 or at miech@lasvegassun.com.

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