Ronald Blum of the ASSOCIATED PRESS reports Tuesday evening:

Breaking more than a decade of silence, former U.S. soccer coach Steve Sampson said Tuesday he dropped John Harkes from the national team roster two months before the 1998 World Cup because the American captain was having an affair with the wife of teammate Eric Wynalda.

Harkes has long denied having an affair with Amy Wynalda.

Sampson was prompted to confirm the move after Wynalda “brought up the affair” on the television show, Fox Football Fone-In. Wynalda compared his situation to what’s happening to the recently outed John Terry, who is the captain of England’s National Soccer Team.

Read more…

BECKS SCORES FOR WILDFIRE VICTIMS IN CHARITY MATCH: Although the MLS season is over, David Beckham did get to play in one more soccer match - for charity:

The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports Becks scored 2 goals and had 3 assists as the L.A. Galaxy beat Hollywood United F.C. 10-4 on Sunday.The match at the Home Depot Center in Carson was a benefit for victims of the recent southern California wildfires, raising more than $90,000 for the cause.

Hollywood United was led by actor-slash-goalie Anthony LaPaglia, star of CBS’s “Without a Trace”. Other players who hit the pitch for H.U.F.C. included Def Leppard guitarist Viv Campbell, Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas, and Jim Rome fan Eric Wylanda.

With a writers strike currently hitting Hollywood, LaPaglia should have more time to work on his game.Maybe Anthony can arrange a match between the Writers’ Guild and the studios - winner gets a new contract written to their demands.

ADDING “D” ONTO “FIRE” FOR ANNOUNCER ERIC WYNALDA: Give soccer broadcaster Eric Wynalda his due, he’s very, very consistent.

After proclaiming during an interview that “Jim Rome can suck my d—!” and then following that up with a fake apology, AWFUL ANNOUNCING scares up another gem from him last night while announcing the MLS game involving DC United and the Chicago Fire: “As ESPN2 cameras panned to the Chicago Fire supporter’s group Section 8 with about 15 minutes left in the match, fans in the section set off flares that gave off a red, fire-like glare.

“Wynalda responded to this image by saying, ‘Looks like California,’ a flippant reference to the wildfires currently plaguing California. The haunting silence that followed after the comment leads me to believe Wynalda realized the mistake he just made.“While the individual comment might not be a fireable offense, based on Wynalda’s past lack of judgement, it might be time for ABC/ESPN to part ways with the former national teamer - before he does or says something really stupid.