Soccer Watch

With the World Cup kickoff just two weeks away … the U.S. men suffered their first home-loss in a year, Tuesday night in Nashville, yielding a 90th-minute goal to lose 1-0 to Morocco. U.S. captain Claudio Reyna went off in the 11th minute with a strained hamstring but is expected to be ready for the June 12 WC opener against the Czech Republic. The U.S. has two more tune-ups before heading to Germany: Venezuela Friday night in Cleveland (6pm, ESPN2), and Latvia Sunday night in Hartford (6pm, ESPN2).

Manchester United doctor Mike Stone has left the Reds following a major "difference of opinion" with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Stone's been the lead physician for Man U and England striker Wayne Rooney, as Rooney tries to recover from a broken foot in time for the WC, with Sir Alex fretting at every step about how that might cause long-term injury to his star. But of course, everyone swears Stone's departure has nothing to do with that… In other medical news, Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko said doctors will shed more light on his WC chances later this week; he's been out with a knee injury all month… and Swiss wunderkind striker Johan Vonlanthen will likely miss the WC after pulling a hamstring in training.