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2B – Daily News – Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Tom Izzo rejects Cavaliers EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Tom Izzo resisted the temptation of possibly coaching LeBron James to focus instead on a sure thing — build- ing the next generation of superstars at Michigan State. ‘‘Instead of coaching them in the NBA, I’m going to coach them in the NCAA,’’ Izzo said Tuesday night at a news conference after he turned down a chance to coach the Cleveland Cava- liers. Izzo rejected the NBA in part because he was unable to speak with James, though he did speak with peo- ple in his camp. ‘‘That was one of the key factors, 100 percent true,’’ Izzo said. ‘‘That was not the only factor. Was it a big factor? Sure.’’ James’ uncertain future will make for a difficult decision for any prospec- tive Cavs coach. He is unlikely to tip his hand publicly before free agency begins July 1. For the past nine days, Izzo has been trying to decide whether to leave the place that has been his home since 1983 and jump to the NBA to perhaps make $6 million — doubling his salary — and possibly coach one of the best basketball players in the world. Izzo readily admitted that the idea of coaching James was very tempting. Now, he’s hoping James will join him for ‘‘stay-at-home month,’’ refer- encing the 25-year-old superstar’s uncertain future. ‘‘I’m staying at home,’’ Izzo said. ‘‘I hope he stays.’’ Izzo certainly plans to. A decade after declining a contract to coach the Atlanta Hawks, Izzo vowed he would not entertain another offer. ‘‘I knew at the beginning that what- ever decision I made would be a deci- sion for life,’’ Izzo said. ‘‘I am going to be a lifer. This is what I’m going to be, and I’m damn proud of it.’’ Izzo’s decision ends a nearly two- week courtship by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who was hoping a report- ed five-year $30 million contract would be enough to land the Spartans coach, and perhaps show James he intends to remake the Cavs following a bitter postseason loss. ‘‘The entire Cleveland Cavalier organization has nothing but respect and admiration for Coach Izzo and his family,’’ Gilbert said in a statement. ‘‘Tom is a special person in so many unique and positive ways. We only wish great things for him and his fami- ly in all the years ahead.’’ Izzo didn’t seem at ease as he walked into his news conference along with his wife, Lupe, Michigan State president Lou Anna Simon and athlet- ic director Mark Hollis. He kept his head down when Simon made her opening remarks, sipping water, tapping his feet and fidgeting with his fingers and rubbing his hands. This past season, Izzo led the Spar- tans to the Final Four for the sixth time in 12 years. Only the late John Wood- en at UCLA and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski also have done that. ‘‘It’s a great day, knowing he’s com- ing back,’’ said Mateen Cleaves, per- haps Izzo’s favorite player and one of the stars from his 2000 national cham- pionship team. ‘‘It put the biggest smile on my face to know he’s coming back.’’ Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell, who played on the 2000 national championship team, was also glad to hear Izzo’s staying: ‘‘Izzo is Michigan State basketball.’’ For Cleveland, Izzo’s decision appears to be another setback. Izzo’s snub has further tangled a tricky summer for the Cavaliers, who are weeks away from knowing if James will be back with them. Since losing to Boston in the second round of the playoffs, Gilbert fired Mike Brown, the most successful coach in team history; general manag- er Danny Ferry left after deciding not to renew his contract. Raiders sign DT John Henderson ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have signed two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle John Hen- derson to a free agent con- tract. The team announced the move Tuesday. Henderson ROUT (Continued from page 1B) ‘‘I thought we’d play bet- ter, obviously,’’ Boston coach Doc Rivers said. ‘‘I thought we were ready. ... We played an individual game tonight on both ends. We never gave ourselves an opportunity offensively, because we never trusted each other. Everybody was out to make their own place.’’ After earning the NBA’s second-best road record dur- ing the regular season, the Celtics must win on the road again to avoid becoming just the third team to blow a 3-2 series lead in the 2-3-2 finals format. The Celtics lost starting center Kendrick Perkins in the first quarter to a sprained right knee when he landed awkwardly under the hoop, but his absence couldn’t was released by the Jack- sonville Jaguars after the draft in April. The move is the latest attempt by the Raiders to improve a run defense that ranked 29th in the NFL last season and 31st the previous two explain the Lakers’ utter domination of the first half — a 30-13 rebounding edge while holding Boston to 34 percent shooting and frus- trating Rondo. There hasn’t been a win- ner-take-all finals game since San Antonio finished off Detroit five years ago, and Thursday’s Game 7 will be just the 17th in NBA his- tory. The Spurs’ victory over the Pistons was the first Game 7 since 1994, when the Houston Rockets capped a comeback with two home victories over the New York Knicks and their point guard — Rivers. The Celtics were on the verge of finishing off the Lakers after winning three of the last four games, including Game 2 in Los Angeles and the last two back in Boston. With their fluid offense purring and their sturdy defense holding the Lakers to meager scoring years. Oakland used its first two draft picks on line- backer Rolando McClain and defensive end Lamarr Houston. The Raiders also acquired linebacker Kame- rion Wimbley from Cleve- totals, the Celtics needed just one win in the final two games to clinch another title. But facing their first series deficit and elimination game of the postseason, the Lakers kept their champi- onship cool. The Lakers improved to 10-1 in the post- season at Staples Center, using the homecourt advan- tage they earned by finishing ahead of the Celtics, the East’s fourth-place team before their remarkable playoff run. The Celtics dropped to 3- 4 in closeout playoff games this season, including 0-3 on the road. Boston had nine chances to finish a playoff series away from home in the past three postseasons, but has been successful only once. After the Los Angeles bench barely provided any boost in Boston, several reserves made big plays in the first half, whether it was land. Henderson was a first- round pick in 2002. He averaged 84 tackles and 4 1/2 sacks during his first four seasons. He averaged 56 1/2 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks the last four years. Jordan Farmar diving on the floor to knock a loose ball to Bryant, or Lamar Odom emerging from his series- long struggle to contribute eight points and 10 rebounds. While the Lakers hardly were perfect, the Celtics looked profoundly out of sorts. When Nate Robin- son’s alley-oop pass to nobody thumped high off the backboard in the second quarter, Rivers ducked his head in frustration — and right after Shelden Williams missed an open one-handed dunk, Bryant drove for a heavily contested layup he somehow willed into the net. Los Angeles’ 49-27 lead in the second quarter was the biggest for either team in the series. Even after going 3 1/2 minutes without a point shortly before halftime, the Lakers led 51-31 at the break. Scoreboard WORLD CUP First Round 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, Top 2 advance GROUP A GP W D L GF-GA Pts South Africa 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 Mexico Previous fixtures South Africa 1, Mexico 1 Uruguay 0, France 0 Today’s game South Africa vs.Uruguay, 11:30 a.m. Thursday’s game Mexico vs.France, 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 22 Mexico vs.Uruguay, 7 a.m. France vs. South Africa, 7 a.m. GROUP B GP W D L GF-GA Pts South Korea 1 1 0 0 2-0 3 Argentina 1 1 0 0 1-0 3 Nigeria 1 0 0 1 0-1 0 Greece 1 0 0 1 0-2 0 Previous fixtures South Korea 2, Greece 0 Argentina 1, Nigeria 0 Thursday’s games Argentina vs. South Korea, 4:30 a.m. Nigeria vs.Greece, 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 22 Nigeria vs. South Korea, 11:30 a.m. Greece vs.Argentina, 11:30 a.m. GROUP C GP W D L GF-GA Pts Slovenia 1 1 0 0 1-0 3 England 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 United States10 1 0 1-1 1 Algeria 1 0 0 1 0-1 0 Previous fixtures England 1, United States 1 Slovenia 1, Algeria 0 Friday’s games United States vs. Slovenia, 7 a.m. England vs. Algeria, 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 23 Slovenia vs. England, 7 a.m. United States vs. Algeria, 7 a.m. GROUP D GP W D L GF-GA Pts Germany 1 1 0 0 4-0 3 Ghana Serbia 1 1 0 0 1-0 3 1 0 0 1 0-1 0 Australia 1 0 0 1 0-4 0 Previous fixtures Ghana 1, Serbia 0 Germany 4, Australia 0 Friday’s game Germany vs. Serbia, 4:30 a.m. Saturday’s game Australia vs. Ghana, 7 a.m. Wednesday, June 23 Ghana vs. Germany, 11:30 a.m. Australia vs. Serbia, 11:30 a.m. GROUP E Uruguay 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 France 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 Netherlands 1 1 0 0 2-0 3 Japan GP W D L GF-GA Pts 1 1 0 0 1-0 3 Cameroon 1 0 0 1 0-1 0 Denmark 1 0 0 1 0-2 0 Previous fixtures Netherlands 2, Denmark 0 Japan 1, Cameroon 0 Saturday’s games Netherlands vs. Japan, 4:30 a.m. Denmark vs. Cameroon, 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 24 Denmark vs. Japan, 11:30 a.m. Cameroon vs. Netherlands, 11:30 a.m. GROUP F Italy GP W D L GF-GA Pts 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 New Zealand 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 Paraguay 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 Slovakia 1 0 1 0 1-1 1 Previous fixture Italy 1, Paraguay 1 Tuesday’s result New Zealand 1, Slovakia 1 Sunday’s games Paraguay vs. Slovakia, 4:30 a.m. Italy vs.New Zealand, 7 a.m. Thursday, June 24 Slovakia vs. Italy, 7 a.m. Paraguay vs.New Zealand, 7 a.m. GROUP G GP W D L GF-GA Pts Brazil 1 1 0 0 2-1 3 Ivory Coast 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 Portugal 1 0 1 0 0-0 1 North Korea 1 0 0 1 1-2 0 Tuesday’s results Ivory Coast 0, Portugal 0 Brazil 2, North Korea 1 Sunday’s game Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 11:30 a.m. Monday’s game North Korea vs.Portugal, 4:30 a.m. Friday, June 25 Portugal vs.Brazil, 7 a.m. North Korea vs. Ivory Coast, 7 a.m. GROUP H GP W D L GF-GA Pts Chile Honduras 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 Spain 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0-0 0 Today’s games Honduras vs. Chile, 4:30 a.m. Spain vs. Switzerland, 7 a.m. Monday’s games Switzerland vs. Chile, 7 a.m. Spain vs. Honduras, 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 25 Chile vs. Spain, 11:30 a.m. Switzerland vs. Honduras, 11:30 a.m. MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB 36 28 .563 — Angles 36 31 .537 1.5 A’s 32 33 .492 4.5 Seattle 24 41 .369 12.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 41 23 .641 — Tampa Bay 40 23 .635 .5 Boston 38 28 .576 4 Toronto 35 30 .538 6.5 Baltimore 17 47 .266 24 Central Division Minnesota 37 27 .578 — Detroit WL Pct GB 34 29 .540 2.5 Chicago 29 34 .460 7.5 Kansas City 28 37 .431 9.5 Cleveland 25 38 .397 11.5 West Division National League WL Pct GB Padres 37 27 .578 — Dodgers 36 27 .571 .5 GIANTS WL Pct GB Atlanta 37 27 .578 — New York 36 28 .563 1 Philadelphia 32 30 .516 4 Florida 31 33 .484 6 Washington 31 34 .477 6.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 36 28 .563 — St. Louis 36 29 .554 .5 Chicago 28 35 .444 7.5 Milwaukee 27 37 .422 9 Houston 25 40 .385 11.5 Pittsburgh 23 41 .359 13 Interleague Monday’s late results San Francisco 10, Baltimore 2 Milwaukee 12, L.A. Angels 2 Toronto 6, San Diego 3 Tuesday’s results Baltimore at San Francisco, late Oakland at Chicago Cubs, late Boston 6, Arizona 3 Chicago White Sox 6, Pittsburgh 4 Detroit 7, Washington 4 Kansas City 15, Houston 7 Minnesota 9, Colorado 3 N.Y. Mets 7, Cleveland 6 N.Y.Yankees 8, Philadelphia 3 St. Louis 4, Seattle 2 Texas 3, Florida 2 L.A. Dodgers at Cincinnati, late Milwaukee at L.A. Angels, late Tampa Bay at Atlanta, late Toronto at San Diego, late Today’s games Baltimore (Guthrie 3-7) at San Fran.(Lincecum 6-2),12:45 p.m.,CSNB Oakland (G.Gonzalez 6-4) at Chi.Cubs (Dempster 4-5),5:05 p.m.,CSNC Toronto (R.Romero 5-3) at San Diego (Correia 5-4), 3:35 p.m. Chicago White Sox (Danks 5-5) at Pittsburgh (Duke 3-7), 4:05 p.m. Milwaukee (Narveson 5-3) at 36 27 .571 .5 Colorado 33 31 .506 4 Arizona 26 39 .400 11.5 East Division L.A. Angels (Pineiro 5-6), 4:05 p.m. N.Y. Mets (Niese 3-2) at Cleveland (Talbot 7-4), 4:05 p.m. Philadelphia (K.Kendrick 3-2) at N.Y.Yankees (A.J.Burnett 6-4), 4:05 p.m. Washington (L.Hernandez 5-3) at Detroit (Verlander 7-4), 4:05 p.m. Arizona (R.Lopez 2-5) at Boston (Lester 7-2), 4:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 6-3) at Cincinnati (Leake 5-0), 4:10 p.m. Tampa Bay (W.Davis 5-6) at Atlanta (Hanson 6-3), 4:10 p.m. Texas (Tom.Hunter 2-0) at Florida (Ani.Sanchez 6-3), 4:10 p.m. Colorado (J.Chacin 3-5) at Minnesota (S.Baker 5-5), 5:10 p.m. Houston (Oswalt 4-8) at Kansas City (Chen 3-0), 5:10 p.m. Seattle (J.Vargas 4-2) at St. Louis (J.Garcia 6-2), 5:15 p.m. North Division GOLDEN Golden League WL Pct. GB OUTLAWS 16 4 .800 — Calgary 13 6 .684 2.5 Edmonton 11 10 .524 5.5 St. George 8 11 .421 7.5 Victoria 7 14 .333 9.5 South Division Yuma Maui WL Pct. GB 14 7 .667 — 10 8 .556 2.5 Tucson 10 12 .455 4.5 Orange Co. 8 10 .444 4.5 Tijuana 3 18 .143 11 ——— Monday’s result Edmonton 3, Victoria 2 Tuesday’s results Chico at Yuma, 9:30 p.m. Calgary at Orange County, late St. George at Maui, late Tucson at Tijuana, late Victoria at Edmonton, late Today’s games Chico at Yuma, 6:30 p.m. St. George at Maui, 9:35 p.m. Victoria at Edmonton, 6 p.m. Tucson at Tijuana, 7 p.m. Calgary at Orange County, 7:05 p.m. NCAA College World Series At Rosenblatt Stadium, Omaha, Neb. Double Elimination x-if necessary Saturday’s games Game 1 — TCU vs. Florida State, 11 a.m. Game 2 — Florida vs.UCLA , 4 p.m. Sunday’s games Game 3 — Oklahoma vs.South Carolina, 11 a.m. Game 4 — Arizona State vs.Clemson, 4 p.m. Monday’s games Game 5 — Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 1:30 p.m. Game 6 — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 win- ner, 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 22 Game 7 — Game 3 loser vs.Game 4 loser, 1:30 p.m. Game 8 — Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 win- ner, 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23 Game 9 — Game 5 winner vs.Game 6 loser, 4 p.m. Thursday, June 24 Game 10 — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser, 4 p.m. Friday, June 25 Game 11 — Game 6 winner vs.Game 9 win- ner, 1:30 p.m. Game 12 — Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 6 p.m. Saturday, June 26 x-Game 13 — Game 6 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 11 a.m. x-Game 14 — Game 8 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 4 p.m. Championship Series Best-of-3 Monday, June 28: Game 11 or 13 winner vs. Game 12 or 14 winner, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 29: Game 11 or 13 winner vs. Game 12 or 14 winner, 4:30 p.m. x-Wednesday, June 30:Game 11 or 13 win- ner vs.Game 12 or 14 winner, 4:30 p.m. NBAFINALS Boston 3, L.A. Lakers 3 Game 1:L.A. Lakers 102, Boston 89 Game 2:Boston 103, L.A. Lakers 94 Game 3:L.A. Lakers 91, Boston 84 Game 4:Boston 96, L.A. Lakers 89 Game 5:Boston 92, L.A. Lakers 86 Game 6 — Tuesday’s result: L.A. Lakers 89, Boston 67 Game 7:Thursday: at L.A. Lakers, 6 p.m. DEALS Major League Baseball American League OAKLAND— Traded RHP Sam Demel to Arizona for OF Conor Jackson. KANSAS CITY—Signed RHP Michael Mari- ot, RHP Jason Mitchell, C Phillip Jenkins, RHP Anthony Lohden, RHP Alex Rivers, C Dale Cornstubble and SS Thomas Zebroski. NEW YORK—Placed RHP Sergio Mitre on the 15-day DL. Recalled LHP Boone Logan from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (IL). SEATTLE—Designated RHP Ian Snell for assignment. Recalled RHP Brian Sweeney from Tacoma (PCL). TORONTO—Signed RHP Aaron Sanchez, RHP Noah Syndergaard, OF Marcus Knecht, 3B Christopher Hawkins, RHP Travis Garrett, OF Angel Gomez, OF Ronnie Melendez, OF Stephen McQuail, 2B Andy Fermin, RHP Tyler Powell, RHP Daniel Barnes, RHP Bran- don Berl, RHP Drew Permison and 2B Matt Abraham. National League ATLANTA—Purchased the contract of RHP Chris Resop from Gwinnett (IL). Optioned RHP Jesse Chavez to Gwinnett. CHICAGO—Activated LHP John Grabow from the 15-day DL. Optioned RHP Mitch Atkins to Iowa (PCL). CINCINNATI—Recalled RHP Jordan Smith from Carolina (SL).Optioned RHP Enerio Del Rosario to Louisville (IL). ST. LOUIS—Signed SS Samuel Tuivailala, C Cody Stanley, RF Nicholas Longmire, SS Greg Garcia SS, LHP Benjamin Freeman, 2B Colin Walsh, RHP Cesar Aguilar, C Geoffrey Klein, CF Anthony Bryant, RHP Boone Whit- ing, SS Trevor Martin, RHP Joshua Lucas, RF Steven Ramos, LF Patrick Biserta, RHP Richard Mendoza, 1B Victor Sanchez, RHP Aiden Lucas, RHP Christopher Patterson, LF Mike O’Neill, LHP Ryan Copeland, 2B Joseph Bergman, 2B Matt Valaika, RHP Andrew Benes, LHP Dean Kiekhefer, SS Patrick Elkins, LHP Jeff Nadeau, RHP Ian Parry, 3B Philip Cerreto, RHP Larry Brand, LF Christopher Edmondson, CF Adam Melker and RHP Andrew Moye. National Basketball Association PHOENIX—General manager Steve Kerr announced he won’t return after his contract expires at the end of June. National Football League ATLANTA—Signed C Joe Hawley and CB Dominique Franks. Waived CB Dominique Daniels, LS Justin Drescher, K Garrett Lind- holm and DT Trey Bryant. CAROLINA—Signed WR David Gettis and CB R.J. Stanford. CLEVELAND—Waived RB Jed Collins, DB Matt Harris, DL Jonathan Lewis, DL Martin Tevaseu and TE Ryan Moya. GREEN BAY—Signed DL Johnny Jolly. MINNESOTA—Signed RB Ryan Moats. NEW ORLEANS—Signed S Roman Harper. PITTSBURGH—Signed WR Emmanuel Sanders, LB Stevenson Sylvester, RB Jonathan Dwyer and WR Antonio Brown.Cut WR Jason Chery, PK Piotr Czech, LB Derrick Doggett, P Adam Graessle, NT Cordarrow Thompson, C Brad Vierling and CB Trae Williams. Arena Football League AFL—Announced the Philadelphia Soul are returning to the league. National Hockey League ATLANTA—Signed LW Fredrik Pettersson. COLUMBUS—Announced former interim coach Claude Noel, assistant coaches Gary Agnew and Gord Murphy and strength and conditioning coach Barry Brennan will not return next season. DALLAS—Signed G Brent Krahn to a one- year contract. LOS ANGELES—Signed D Johan Fransson to a one-year contract. MONTREAL—Bought out the final year of D Georges Laraque’s contract. NASHVILLE—Signed F Blake Geoffrion. ST. LOUIS—Named Jared Bednar coach of Peoria (AHL). VANCOUVER—Re-signed D Aaron Rome to a two-year contract extension. College GEORGIA TECH—Named Robert McCul- lum men’s assistant basketball coach. INDIANA STATE—Promoted men’s assis- tant basketball coach Greg Lansing to head coach. Ivory Coast, Portugal have scoreless draw PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa (AP) — Two of the planet’s most dangerous strikers couldn’t produce a goal between them. Portugal and Ivory Coast played to a hard-fought 0-0 tie Tuesday in their World Cup opener, with Cristiano Ronaldo and — later — Didier Drogba each unable to break through. Ronaldo rattled a 30-yard strike off the left post in the 11th minute for Portugal, but Ivory Coast otherwise created the better opportunities. ‘‘It was a tight game, not many occasions to score,’’ Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. ‘‘I thought if any team was going to win, it was we. We created some more chances than they did. I am very, very happy with the per- formance. If you think about discipline and organization, I think we were organized for all 90 minutes.’’ Drogba came on as a 66th-minute substitute for fellow Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou after FIFA cleared him to play with a cast on his right arm, which he broke in a warmup match against Japan on June 4. He was ruled eligible only shortly before kickoff at Nel- son Mandela Bay Stadium, and his entrance was greeted by huge cheers, with vuvuzelas drowning out the drums of Ivo- rian fans for the first time in the match. But Drogba couldn’t crack a defense that struggled to contain striker Gervinho, who tormented right back Paulo Ferreira until his 82nd-minute replacement by Abdul Keita. Still, Eriksson watched his star forward move comfort- ably, largely untroubled by the injury. Brazil tops N. Korea 2-1 JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Twice, Brazil was brilliant, and it was enough to edge North Korea 2-1 in a first-round World Cup match. Maicon and Elano scored a goal apiece in the second half and Brazil finally broke through a solid North Korea defense on a frigid Tuesday night. Brazil escaped with a hard-fought victory in the Group G match after struggling to get past the conservative setup of the North Koreans, who are making their first World Cup appearance in 44 years and arrived as the tournament’s lowest-ranked team. ‘‘It wasn’t our best match, but at least we got the win, that’s what matters now,’’ Robinho said after setting up the second goal. Maicon put Brazil ahead in the 55th minute after a through ball from midfielder Elano, making a run on the right side and firing into the far corner from a tight angle as North Korea goalkeeper Ri Myong Guk went for the cross. Elano then added to the lead in the 72nd after a well- timed pass from Robinho, finding the net with a one-timer from inside the penalty area. Ji Yun Nam scored for North Korea in the 89th minute in 34-degree temperatures with a wind-chill of 24. Late goal gives NZ tie RUSTENBURG, South Africa (AP) — Winston Reid didn’t think twice about stripping off his shirt in celebration of his big goal. The yellow card he would receive wasn’t even a consideration. ‘‘It probably was the most important goal of my life,’’ Reid said Tuesday after scoring in second-half injury time to lift New Zealand into a 1-1 draw with Slovakia in Group F. ‘‘I didn’t see the ball until late. I knew that if I got it on-tar- get and didn’t hit it too hard, I could just guide it in.’’ Which he did before sprinting to the sideline, his shirt removed, as teammates chased him. ‘‘I will take it,’’ Reid said of the yellow card. ‘‘It was worth it.’’ Robert Vittek scored early in the second half, giving Slo- vakia the lead. But Reid sneaked behind the defense to take a long cross from Shane Smeltz and tie it. Slovakia’s goal came in the 50th minute when Stanislav Sestak crossed from the right side. Reid missed his defensive header, allowing Vittek to scored from close range at the far post.