Soccer

VANCOUVER — Focus may be an issue for the Vancouver Whitecaps when they go on the road to face Minnesota United FC Sunday afternoon in an important Major League Soccer match.

The National Women's Soccer League has asked U.S. Soccer to sanction a lower division women's professional soccer league that could launch as early as next year. The six-team league would sit on the second tier of the U.S.

TORONTO — AFC Toronto forward Amanda West, on loan from the Houston Dash, has returned to her NWSL team to undergo surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain's bid to go unbeaten in Ligue 1 was ruined on Friday when it lost to Nice 3-1.

STUTTGART, Germany (AP) — Relegation-threatened Heidenheim scored in the 89th minute to win at Stuttgart 1-0 on Friday and grab a vital three points in its fight to avoid the Bundesliga drop.

LONDON (AP) — American TV executive David Gandler has become the new majority shareholder at English third-tier soccer club Leyton Orient.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona and Real Madrid meet in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday with more than just the trophy on the line.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The referee for the Copa del Rey final got emotional on Friday when he described the verbal abuse his child suffers because of criticism his profession receives from soccer’s top clubs — in his case led by Real Madrid.

NEWCASTLE, England (AP) — Eddie Howe acknowledged he was “not 100%” after returning to work as Newcastle manager for the last crucial rounds of the Premier League.

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The family of Ecuadorian soccer player Jackson Rodríguez was rescued after being kidnapped from their home in the coastal city of Guayaquil, police authorities reported on Friday.