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soccer • Major League Soccer is expanding its regular-season schedule from 30 to 34 games next season following the addition of expansion teams in Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia.
The season will start March 19 and end Oct. 22, the league announced Tuesday. The league will play through the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with MLS teams losing players to national teams during the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean. This year, MLS took off during the first round of the World Cup in June.
• Toronto FC fired coach Preki Radosavljevic and director of soccer Mo Johnston on Tuesday. Toronto is third in the East at 7-10-7 and appears likely to miss the playoffs following Saturday's 1-0 home loss to D.C. United, which has the poorest record in the league.
• The New York Red Bulls acquired midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for forward Macoumba Kandji. Ballouchy appeared in 21 games for the Rapids this season, collecting three goals and five assists. The Moroccan-born 27-year-old has been with Colorado since July 2007. He played for Real Salt Lake in 2006.
Bobcats release center Dampier
NBA • Unable to swing a trade, the Charlotte Bobcats waived center Erick Dampier on Tuesday, voiding one of the NBA's most unique contracts and avoiding the dreaded luxury tax. Dampier, 35, was in the last year of a seven-year, $73 million deal, but the $13 million for this season wasn't guaranteed because he failed to meet playing time requirements.
The Michael Jordan-owned Bobcats, desperate to get their payroll under the luxury tax threshold of $70.3 million, traded center Tyson Chandler to Dallas in July in a five-player trade that included Dampier's contract.
Seattle takes 2-0 lead over Atlanta
WNBA • League MVP Lauren Jackson scored 26 points, Swin Cash added 19 and the Seattle Storm moved one game away from their second WNBA title with an 87-84 win over the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of the finals. The best-of-five series resumes Thursday night in Atlanta. Iziane Castro Marques led Atlanta with 21 points.
From wire reports