LONDON – Louis van Gaal delivered Manchester United’s first trophy since Alex Ferguson retired three years ago with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace after the 135th FA Cup final went to extra time on Saturday.
With Ferguson watching at Wembley Stadium, Jesse Lingard, an academy graduate thrust into the first team by Van Gaal, completed United’s comeback by volleying in the winner in the 110th minute.
United’s record-equaling 12th triumph in world football’s oldest cup competition comes at the end of a lackluster second season under Van Gaal. The manager’s United future has seemed precarious for more than six months, and failure to qualify for the Champions League has only added to the uncertainty.
“We’ve had a tough end to the season but I thought we worked very hard today – our determination got us through this so I’m delighted,” United captain Wayne Rooney said. “It’s been a (while). It’s not always great of course.
“Winning trophies lifts football clubs and lifts supporters. The fans have had a tough few years. Hopefully they enjoy tonight.”
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan is set to start ahead of veteran Tim Howard for the U.S. national team in the Copa America tournament.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced the 23-man roster Friday during halftime of the MLS rivalry game between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls. The roster features 15 players from the 2014 World Cup team.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the exclusion of Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris. Klinsmann named Clint Dempsey, Chris Wondolowski, Bobby Wood and Gyasi Zardes at forward.
The roster, including club team affiliation:
Goalkeepers: Guzan (Aston Villa), Howard (Colorado Rapids), Ethan Horvath (Molde IK).
Defenders: Matt Besler (Sporting KC), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur).
Midfielders/Forwards: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund), Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Wood (Hamburg SV), Zardes (LA Galaxy), Graham Zusi (Sporting KC).
GLASGOW, Scotland – Crowd trouble marred the end of the Scottish Cup final after Hibernian won the trophy for the first time in 114 years by beating Rangers 3-2 on Saturday.
Thousands of Hibernian fans streamed on to the field at the final whistle at Hampden Park, and fighting broke out when some Rangers fans then got past stewards.
Police horses were brought on to restore order as police and stewards struggled to cope.
Edinburgh club Hibs clinched the trophy for the first time since 1902 thanks to David Gray’s goal in stoppage time.
GENEVA – Stan Wawrinka warmed up for his French Open title defense by winning the Geneva Open on Saturday, beating Marin Cilic 6-4, 7-6 (11) in the final.
The top-seeded Swiss took his second match-point chance in a long tiebreaker when the third-seeded Croatian sent a backhand long.
Wawrinka had trailed 3-0 in the tiebreaker, after losing his first two points on serve, and saved four set points for Cilic.
The 31-year-old Wawrinka won his 14th career singles title and his first in Switzerland after more than a decade of competing at Gstaad, Basel and now Geneva.
Wawrinka, ranked No. 4, got his first title on clay since winning at Roland Garros last year. He opens next week against Lukas Rosol. Wawrinka beat the Czech in Geneva on Friday.
NICE, France – Top-seeded Dominic Thiem of Austria beat German teen Alexander Zverev 6-4, 3-6, 6-0 to win the clay-court Nice Open final and clinch his third ATP title of the year on Saturday.
Thiem, ranked 15th, dropped serve four times but broke Zverev’s serve six times on his way to a sixth career title.
The 19-year-old Zverev, who was seeded eighth and playing in his first career final, double-faulted nine times – including four times in the deciding set, during which Thiem did not face a break point and won every point on his first serve.
Thiem’s other titles this year were on outdoor hard court at Acapulco and outdoor clay at Buenos Aires. Five of his titles are on clay.
Both players head to the French Open, which starts on Sunday.
The website for an auction house that specializes in sports memorabilia says it is offering the Washington Nationals jersey Bryce Harper was wearing on the day he and teammate Jonathan Papelbon got into a dugout dustup last season.
A listing on Lelands.com shows an item it calls “Bryce Harper signed game worn jersey from the Papelbon fight (MLB authentic).”
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, the website said there had been six bids, with a top offer of about $4,800.
During a home game in September, Papelbon grabbed Harper by the throat, then shoved the eventual NL MVP with both hands before teammates and members of Washington’s coaching staff intervened. Papelbon was suspended for four games by the Nationals.
IRVING, Texas – Brooks Koepka overcame two early bogeys and the huge shadow of being in the same group with Jordan Spieth at home, shooting a 5-under 65 on Saturday to take the lead into the final round of the Byron Nelson.
Kopeka was at 16-under 194 to match the best 54-hole score at the Nelson and put him two strokes ahead of Spieth.
Koepka took the lead with a 20-foot birdie putt at No. 14. That was the same hole where Spieth hit his drive into the water, had to punch into the fairway and then drained a 23-foot bogey putt in his round of 67.
Spieth played his first PGA Tour event at the Nelson as a 16-year-old amateur six years ago. He is now the world’s No. 2-ranked player and the crowd favorite. His image is everywhere, including the 8,000 bobbleheads given away Saturday.
Matt Kuchar, Bud Cauley and Sergio Garcia were tied for third at 13-under.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Bernhard Langer surged to a four-stroke lead Saturday in the Regions Tradition.
A stroke behind leader Kenny Perry entering the round, Langer shot a 3-under 69 to move to 12-under 204 in the first PGA Tour Champions major of the year – while Perry and others stumbled at Greystone.
The 58-year-old Langer won the Chubb Classic in February for his 26th victory on the 50-and-over tour.
Perry held the lead after each of the first two rounds but had a double bogey on the opening hole on his way to a 74. He and Scott McCarron, who shot a 72, were tied for second place going into the final round.
John Daly was among five players at 7 under after a 69. Playing in his second PGA Tour Champions event, the two-time major winner had a double bogey, two bogeys, an eagle and five birdies.
INDIANAPOLIS – James Hinchcliffe posted the fastest four-lap average in Indianapolis 500 qualifying Saturday to take the top seed into the pole shootout Sunday.
The Canadian driver for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports hung on after moving past three-time race winner Helio Castroneves in the final 40 minutes. Hinchcliffe finished at 230.946 mph.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2014 Indianapolis 500 champ, moved into second on the second-to-last run of the day at 230.805. Team Penske’s Will Power was third at 230.736, and Castroneves fourth at 230.500.
All 33 starting positions will be set Sunday. The nine fastest from Saturday advanced to the shootout.
Weather changes made for a wild day on the 2.5-mile oval, with the lead switching hands twice in the final 45 minutes and bumping for the shootout taking place until the session’s final run.