Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/333833
ERICRISBERG—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Marcos Ambrose walks to his car before the start of practice Friday for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race in Sonoma. ByJennaFryer The Associated Press SONOMA Marcos Ambrose wants nothing more than to break Hen- drick Motorsports' four-race win- ning streak and his best shot comes on the road course at Sonoma Race- way this weekend. A win Sunday could earn the Aus- tralian his first berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship and solidify his future at Richard Petty Motorsports. Ambrose's current deal with the organization is up at the end of the season. "I'm in a renewal year with Rich- ard Petty for 2015," Ambrose said. "I'm not really thinking about my- self here. I just want the best for RPM. They have decisions to make ... I want to make sure that RPM are on the right path and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I help them do that." Ambrose is in his fourth season driving for the Petty organization, and his two career Sprint Cup vic- tories are with the team. Both of his wins were on the road course at Wat- kins Glen. He's still looking for his first vic- tory at Sonoma, where Ambrose is always considered one of the favor- ites but hasn't managed to grab the checkered flag. Ambrose has five fin- ishes of eighth or better in six ca- reer starts at the picturesque 1.99- mile track. "We know that the race here this weekend and in Watkins Glen, the two road races, are our best chance to win a race this year," he said. "That will automatically lock us into the Chase. Clearly there's a lot to race for at these two tracks for us. We've put a lot of energy and effort into So- noma." Ambrose is 23rd in the Sprint Cup standings, and there are 11 races re- maining to set the Chase field. To be one of the 16 drivers, he'll likely need the berth that comes with a regular- season victory. But standing in his way Sunday is the Hendrick Motorsports jugger- NASCAR SPRINT CUP AmbroseseeksSonomawin Wants to break Hendrick team's four-race winning streak in visit to NorCal By John Leicester The Associated Press RIODEJANEIRO The World Cup of surprises is turning into a sweet samba party for teams from the Americas. Having already stunned one former world champion, lit- tle Costa Rica shocked another on Friday and sent a third one home. Then the French exploded with five goals against their Swiss neighbors. In the evening game, Ecuador downed Honduras 2-1. The story so far: Two Euro- pean powers — Spain and Eng- land — are out of contention after just two games. European teams have played eight teams from the Americas and won just twice. The nine teams from Africa and Asia have contrived to win just one game between them. But for teams from the Amer- icas, their record as of Friday against nations from other re- gions: played 12, lost just two. Ole! In short, the new world is embar- rassing the old one. None of the previous seven WORLD CUP ROUNDUP Tourneyof surprises smiles on Americas By Samuel Petrequin The Associated Press LONDON The draw for Wimble- don was relatively kind to de- fending champion Andy Murray. It was a lot more daunting for top- ranked Rafael Nadal. Murray, who last year became the first British man to win Wim- bledon since Fred Perry in 1936, was drawn Friday to open the defense of his title against 104th- ranked David Goffin of Belgium, who will be playing in the main draw of the grass-court tourna- ment for only the third time. In the women's draw, top- ranked and five-time champion Serena Williams is in the same quarter as French Open cham- pion Maria Sharapova. The two could face each other in the quar- terfinals. Murray, who is seeded third this year, has admitted he does not know how he will cope with the pressure of walking onto Cen- tre Court as the defending cham- pion on Monday. WIMBLEDON TENNIS Murray could face Djokovic in semifinals Nearly 80percent of senior executives at the Department of Veterans Affairs got per- formance bonuses last year despite widespread treatment delays and preventable deaths at VA hospitals and clinics. VETERANS AFFAIRS Mostseniorexecutives got bonuses last year FULLSTORYONPAGEB4 Red Bluff High School's volley- ball camp for fourth- through ninth-graders begins Monday. The camp runs all week 9a.m. to noon. Registration is $60 and can be made the first day of the camp. YOUTH VOLLEYBALL Red Bluff Spartans camp to start Monday The Red Bluff Derby Girls host Flood Water Roller Derby on Saturday at the Tehama District Fairgrounds. Doors are at 5:30p.m. with the bout starting at 6:30p.m. Tickets are $12at the door. ROLLER DERBY Red Bluff hosts bout Saturday at fairgrounds By Ronald Blum The Associated Press SAO PAULO Just after he was cut from the U.S. roster last month, right back Brad Evans posted this snarky tweet: "You got off easy this time (at)Cris- tiano." The Americans are confident their defensive depth can stop the two-time world player of the year when they play Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal on Sun- day night in a World Cup match in the Amazon rain forest capi- tal of Manaus. "He's a complete player," midfielder Michael Bradley said Friday. "When you look at the game today, there's such a premium on the physical aspect of the game — speed, strength, endurance — and he is a guy who checks all those boxes. And then when you talk about his technical ability — the way he shoots with his right foot, his left foot, how good in the air he is — he's somebody who can make the difference at any moment." Coming off a 2-1 opening win over Ghana, the U.S. could pos- sibly clinch advancement with a win and would put itself in ex- cellent position with a tie. Right back Fabian Johnson, left back DaMarcus Beasley and central defenders Geoff Cam- eron and Matt Besler figure to fixate on Ronaldo. Bradley, Kyle Beckerman and Jermaine Jones will assist in marking him from the midfield. The 29-year-old forward with the perpetually gelled hair has topped 50 goals in four straight seasons with Real Madrid. He was voted FIFA player of the year in 2008, then in January ended Lionel Messi's streak of four consecutive awards. For six months, U.S. coach Ju- rgen Klinsmann has been talk- ing about how his first prior- ity was the U.S. opener against Ghana and his second was to "go to beautiful Manaus and expect Mr. Ronaldo." Klinsmann, by the way, didn't even have Ronaldo on his player of the year ballot; he voted Franck Ribery first, fol- lowed by Gareth Bale and Ra- damel Falcao. Ronaldo has been bothered by tendinitis in his left knee for more than two months, and he wore a brace Friday during Portugal's training session in Campinas. "At the moment we certainly expect that he is going to play," Bradley said. "A game of this magnitude, of this importance for both teams, you'd always ex- pect that the best players are go- ing to find any way to be on the field." The U.S. has experience go- ing up against top players, keep- ing Argentina's Messi scoreless at the 2007 Copa America and during exhibitions in 2008 and 2011. England's Wayne Rooney was held without a goal in the Americans' 2010 World Cup opener. "We have a lot of respect for Cristiano. He's a great player. But I think you have to respect for the whole team of Portugal," Jones said. "When we stick to- gether like a team and fight like we did it against Ghana, then I think we have chances to win this game." The U.S. says Besler's sore right hamstring, which forced him from the opener at half- time, is fine and he will be able to play Sunday. He did early work on the field Friday before the others. Portugal is coming of a 4-0 loss to Germany that cost it three starters: right back Fabio Coentrao and forward Hugo Al- meida got hurt, and central de- fender Pepe was ejected. "There's two ways to look at it," Bradley said. "One is that they lost 4-0, played 60 min- utes down a guy, a few injuries. And it would be easy to look and say this is a good time to play them. But the other side says that it is ... in some ways a des- perate team that is playing for their lives." WORLD CUP SOCCER US CONFIDENT IT CAN STOP RONALDO Americans face two-time world player of the year and Portugal on Sunday in key match PAULO DUARTE — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo controls the ball during a training session Friday in Campinas, Brazil. Portugal plays the U.S. team Sunday. A swollen river that threat- ened homes where Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota meet crested earlier and at a lower level than expected early Friday. Minnesota officials toured water-logged areas. MIDWEST FLOODING Federal disaster request a near certainty in area FULL STORY ON PAGE B4 AMBROSE PAGE 2 DRAW PAGE 2 CUP PAGE 2 SPORTS » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, June 21, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B1