Reuters U.S. Sports Schedule at 2 PM EDT on Tuesday, July 1

Reuters

July 1 (Reuters) - Reuters U.S. sports schedule at 2 PM ET on Tuesday: - - - - The duty editor is Steve Ginsburg, 202-898-8427 - - - - SOCCER World Cup matches Belgium v United States, Salvador (4 PM ET) U.S. vs. Belgium in battle for last spot in quarters SALVADOR, Brazil - A Belgium side bristling with talent takes on the determined and physically imposing United States at the Fonte Nova arena with the last quarterfinal spot up for grabs. (SOCCER-WORLD/M56-BEL-USA, PIX, TV, expect from 2200 GMT /6 PM ET, by Neil Maidment, 600 words) Note: Sidebars to move regardless of the outcome. - - Argentina v Switzerland, Sao Paulo (Noon) Messi looks to lead Argentina into quarter-finals SAO PAULO - Argentina face Switzerland with a quarterfinal spot up for grabs and the Swiss knowing that stopping Lionel Messi will be key to getting a first win over their opponents. (SOCCER-WORLD/M55-ARG-SUI (PIX) expect from 1800 GMT/2 PM ET, by Peter Rutherford, Mike Collett-White and Andrew Downie, 500 words) Note: This game has gone to extra time - - The following are selected stories from our extensive World Cup coverage. - - Ahead of key U.S. game, American fans catch soccer fever American soccer fans decked out in red, white and blue are expected to flock to stadiums and giant TV screens to cheer their national team in a World Cup clash with Belgium that could be the most-watched soccer game in U.S. history. (SOCCER-WORLD/AMERICANS, moved; will be led, by Daniel Wallis, 325 words) - - What a howler! World Cup teaches U.S. fans new lingo AUSTIN, Texas - Fixtures have nothing to do with plumbing, kit means uniform, and clean sheet is a shutout. The World Cup in Brazil has been forcing American fans to learn a whole new sports vocabulary. (USA-SOCCER/ENGLISH, moved, by Jon Herskovitz, 450 words) - - Brazilian soccer star, Kaká, signs MLS contract with Orlando ORLANDO, Fla. - Brazilian soccer star Kaká signs a multi-year contract with Orlando City, a new Florida franchise scheduled to join Major League Soccer in January 2015. (SOCCER-KAKA/ORLANDO (PIX), moved, by Barbara Liston, 300 words) - - Germany get to work for France quarter-final showdown SANTO ANDRE, Brazil - Germany gets straight to work in training at their team base in northeastern Brazil to prepare for their quarter-final match against France. (SOCCER-WORLD/GER, moved, by Erik Kirschbaum, 500 words) - - France to sharpen attack, add pace against Germany BELO HORIZONTE - France has come full circle from its debacle of four years ago to set up a World Cup quarterfinal against Germany but they must hone their attacking skills to threaten the three-time champions. (SOCCER-WORLD/FRA, moved, by Karolos Grohmann, 400 words) - - Colombians hope slain player's memory inspires BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil - Colombia fans are paying tribute to defender Andres Escobar, gunned down 20 years ago after scoring an own goal in the World Cup, and hope his memory will inspire the current crop's hunt for glory. (SOCCER-WORLD/COL-ESCOBAR, moved, by Andrew Cawthorne, 600 words) - - Costa Rica kit maker Lotto thrives on World Cup upset RIO DE JANEIRO - Costa Rica have been a World Cup revelation, reaching the quarter-finals for the first time, and their success has proved an unexpected bonus for their kit maker Lotto Sport Italia. (SOCCER-WORLD/LOTTO, moved, by Stephen Eisenhammer, 450 words) - - - - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE NFL Analysis: Rams' D-Line may disrupt NFC West Even as the NFC West is hailed as the best division in the NFL with those bullying offenses in Seattle and San Francisco as well as the resurgent Arizona Cardinals, there is something that may upset that whole scene. The St. Louis Rams defensive line. Analysis of each unit on every NFL team by Sports Xchange reporters resulted in strong evidence that the Rams' 2014 defensive line may be the best in the business, slightly ahead of the stifling Carolina Panthers and the bad-boy Detroit Lions. (FBN-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 7,300 words) Wednesday: Unit Analysis - Linebackers Thursday: Unit Analysis - Defensive Backs Thursday: Top Team Strengths for all 32 NFL teams - - Most Washington-area residents back Redskins' name Most Washington-area residents say the Washington Redskins should keep their controversial name, but the majority also believe the team will have to change it, a new poll shows. (NFL-REDSKINS/POLL, moved, 275 words) - - - - NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Free Agency Roundup Roundup off all news from the first day of free agency in the NBA. (BKN-NEWS/, expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) - - Bucks complete deal to hire Kidd The Milwaukee Bucks make their hiring of Jason Kidd as coach official after finalizing a deal with the Brooklyn Nets. (BKN-BUCKS-NETS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 525 words) - - Cavs, Irving agree on extension The Cleveland Cavaliers reach an agreement with guard Kyrie Irving on a contract extension. (BKN-CAVALIERS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 275 words) - - Grizzlies make Davis a free agent Forward Ed Davis becomes an unrestricted free agent as the Memphis Grizzlies decide against making him a qualifying offer. (BKN-GRIZZLIES-NEWS/, moved while tracking developments, The Sports Xchange, 250 words) - - Ryan Saunders joins Timberwolves' staff Minnesota Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders adds son Ryan to his staff as an assistant coach for next season. (BKN-TIMBERWOLVES-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 175 words) - - - - GOLF Watson heads field at The Greenbrier resort American world No. 3 and Masters champion Bubba Watson heads the field at this week's Greenbrier Classic in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., where he will be bidding for his third PGA Tour victory of the year. We preview the event won last year by Swede Jonas Blixt. (GOLF-PGA/ (PREVIEW), expect by 2300 GMT/7 PM ET, 400 words) - - Tom Watson invited to play British Open at St Andrews Tom Watson is given an exemption to play in the 2015 British Open at St. Andrews to mark the 40th anniversary of his first appearance and victory in the championship, the Royal and Ancient (R&A) says. (GOLF-OPEN/WATSON, moved, 450 words) - - Birkdale, Carnoustie to host Open in 2017 and 2018 LONDON - Royal Birkdale and Carnoustie will host the British Open in 2017 and 2018, tournament organizers, the Royal and Ancient, says. (GOLF-OPEN/VENUES, moved, 175 words) - - - - MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Harper's return shakes up Nationals lineup WASHINGTON - Bryce Harper came off the disabled list on Monday in time to start against the Colorado Rockies. That is the good news. The challenging news for first-year manager Matt Williams may be how to manage egos and playing time as he makes out the starting lineup the rest of the season if all of his regulars stay healthy. (BBO-NATIONALS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 300 words) - - The Sports Xchange covers all MLB games. Key matchups highlighted below. - - Phillies at Marlins MIAMI - Coming off an eight-home run months of June, Marlon Byrd looks to help the Philadelphia Phillies avoid sliding any further behind the first-place Atlanta Braves, while the Miami Marlins have received a boost with the return of Christian Yellich. (BBO-PHILLIES-MARLINS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect first lede ASAP after the 2310 GMT/7:10 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Rockies at Nationals WASHINGTON - Stephen Strasburg seeks to rebound after allowing a season-high seven earned runs in his last outing after working on a mechanical flaw with Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty. (BBO-ROCKIES-NATIONALS-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect first lede ASAP after the 2305 GMT/7:05 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - Mets at Braves ATLANTA - The Atlanta Braves bring a five-game winning streak, while the scuffling Mets send Daisuke Matsuzaka to the mount. Matsuzaka gave up five runs in his last outing, and seeks his first victory over the Braves since his rookie year of 2007. (BBO-METS-BRAVES-FIRSTLEDE-WRITETHRU/ (PIX), expect first lede ASAP after the 2310 GMT/7:10 PM ET game, The Sports Xchange, 400-word first lede, 700-word writethru) - - MLB Wrap: Brewers test Blue Jays in interleague play The Milwaukee Brewers, the National League's winningest team, visit the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, while the Atlanta Braves, in a mad scramble with Washington for the NL East lead, host the New York Mets in two of 15 games on the MLB schedule. (BASEBALL-HIGHLIGHTS/ (PIX), expect by 0330 GMT/11:30 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 875 words) Note: Beginning July 1, TSX will move an MLB game roundup following the conclusion of the first game and updated throughout the night through the final game of the day. (BBO-NEWS/, The Sports Xchange) - - The full MLB schedule American League Los Angeles Angels at Chicago White Sox (2), 5:10 PM ET, 8:10 PM ET Tampa Bay at New York Yankees, 7:05 PM ET Texas at Baltimore, 7:05 PM ET Oakland at Detroit, 7:08 PM ET Kansas City at Minnesota, 8:10 PM ET Seattle at Houston, 8:10 PM ET - - National League Arizona at Pittsburgh, 7:05 PM ET Colorado at Washington, 7:05 PM ET New York Mets at Atlanta, 7:10 PM ET Cincinnati at San Diego, 10:10 PM ET St. Louis at San Francisco, 10:15 PM ET - - Interleague Milwaukee at Toronto, 1:07 PM ET Chicago Cubs at Boston Red Sox, 7:10 PM ET Philadelphia at Miami, 7:10 PM ET Cleveland at Los Angeles Dodgers, 10:10 PM ET - - - - NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Free Agency Roundup Roundup off all news from the first day of free agency in the NHL. (HKN-NEWS/, expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, The Sports Xchange, 500 words) - - Blues grab free-agent C Stastny The St. Louis Blues land a center in free agency, signing Paul Stastny to a four-year, $28 million contract. (HKN-BLUES-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 175 words) - - Malhotra joins Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens sign free-agent forward Manny Malhotra to a one-year, $850,000 contract. (HKN-CANADIENS-HURRICANES-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 125 words) - - Penguins grab free-agent D Ehrhoff The Pittsburgh Penguins make a big pickup on the first day of NHL free agency, signing defenseman Christian Ehrhoff to a one-year contract. (HKN-PENGUINS-SABRES-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 150 words) - - Red Wings re-sign Sheahan The Detroit Red Wings reach an agreement with restricted free agent forward Riley Sheahan on a two-year contract extension. (HKN-REDWINGS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 100 words) - - Senators deal Spezza to Stars The Ottawa Senators begin the NHL's free-agency period by trading Jason Spezza and prospect Ludvig Karlsson to the Dallas Stars for winger Alex Chiasson, prospects Alex Guptill and Nicholas Paul, and a second-round draft pick in 2015. (HKN-STARS-SENATORS-NEWS/, moved, The Sports Xchange, 125 words) - - - - TENNIS Federer glides on as Sharapova goes down fighting LONDON - Roger Federer's immaculate Wimbledon continues and Maria Sharapova's ends prematurely but in different ways they both display what makes them great champions. (TENNIS-WIMBLEDON/ (WRAPUP 1, PIX), moved; will be led, by Martyn Herman, 800 words) Note: Full coverage of Rafa Nadal's four-set loss to Nick Kyrgios will be forthcoming See also: Ailing Serena retires from doubles match with Venus (TENNIS-WIMBLEDON/WILLIAMS (PIX) Note: Sidebars from today's matches have moved and will continue to move - - - - JURISPRUDENCE Referee dies after assault by player in suburban Detroit A soccer referee who was punched in the head by a player during a game in a Detroit suburb over the weekend dies. (USA-CRIME/MICHIGAN-SOCCER (UPDATE 2), moved, 250 words) - - Appeals court to take another swing at Barry Bonds case SAN FRANCISCO - A U.S. appeals court says it will revisit the criminal case against baseball home run king Barry Bonds over allegations that he used steroids to help him bash more long balls. (BASEBALL-BARRYBONDS/COURT, moved; will be led, 300 words) - - - - FITNESS Bike sculptures in NYC promote cycling, urban art NEW YORK - An 82-year-old Mexican artist is hoping that 122 bicycle sculptures he has erected around New York City will get people on their bikes, spur an interest in urban art and create greener, healthier cities. (ART-BICYCLES/ (PIX), Moved, by Walker Simon, 500 words) - - - - NORTH AMERICAN SPORTS Roundups of off-field developments in the major North American professional sports leagues. (Expect by 0000 GMT/8 PM ET, by The Sports Xchange, 400 words)