Soccer

The Galaxy and Real Madrid will be among eight teams participating in a new international soccer tournament this summer that mostly will take place in six U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, it was announced Wednesday. Confirming earlier media reports, Relevent Sports, a division of RSE Ventures, said the Guinness International Champions Cup also would include Juventus and Inter Milan of Italy. The other four teams will be announced May 7. Most of the games will be televised on Fox Soccer and seen in 151 countries, officials said.

Galaxy AT FC DALLAS When: 4:30 PDT. Where: FC Dallas Stadium. On the air: TV: NBC Sports; Radio: 1150. Records: Galaxy 2-0-2; FC Dallas 4-1-1. Record vs. FC Dallas (2012): 2-0-1. Update: Having been eliminated in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, the Galaxy returns to Major League Soccer action against FC Dallas, which sits atop the Western Conference standings. The Galaxy, in third place in the conference, should have all of its starting players available, although Landon Donovan — still building his strength after a lengthy hiatus — might not play the full 90 minutes as he did Wednesday in the second game of the two-leg CONCACAF series against Monterrey.

Shawnee Mission District Stadium in Overland Park, Kansas, isn't the kind of place most people associate with sporting history. A fake-turf football field ringed by a synthetic track and grandstands seating just 6,150, the nondescript stadium's main tenants are a pair of local high schools. But Shawnee Mission played host Saturday to the inaugural match of the National Women's Soccer League, a star-studded eight-team professional league that is promising to change the landscape for the sport in North America.

When: 7:30. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: None; Radio: 690. Records: Chivas USA 3-1-1, Rapids 1-3-2. Record vs Rapids (2012): 0-2-1. Update: After overhauling its roster and naming a new coach in the off-season, Chivas USA was expected to struggle early this season. But through five games, the team has been surprisingly strong and sits second in the West behind FC Dallas. Chivas USA's record includes a tie with the Galaxy, winner of the last two Major League Soccer titles, on March 17. The Rapids are off to a poor start but are coming off their first win of the season, 1-0 over Real Salt Lake.

Vuvuzelas might be on the way out during soccer games in South Africa, where Premier Soccer League officials are considering a ban on the plastic horns, but not for the reason one might think. The vuvuzela gained international attention during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the blare of the horn was a constant drone during play. As irritating as many found the sound, the fact that the horns have been used as weapons is now of concern to soccer officials. Vuvuzelas were among objects thrown at Orlando Pirates Coach Roger de Sa after a recent game in which fans were unhappy with the home team's draw against AmaZulu.

MEXICO CITY -- Aldo De Nigris scored at the final whistle to give two-time defending champion Monterrey a 1-0 victory over Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday night, sending the Mexican team to the CONCACAF Champions League final with a 3-1 aggregate score in the two-game semifinal. Monterrey will face fellow Mexican club Santos Laguna in the final. Santos Laguna advanced Tuesday night, tying the Seattle Sounders 1-1 for a 2-1 aggregate victory. De Nigris has four goals in the tournament to help put Monterrey in position to become the first team to win the regional tournament three consecutive times since Mexico's Cruz Azul in 1969-1971.

England's Football Assn. will not order teams to observe a moment of silence in memory of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher before English Premier League, Football League, or FA Cup games this weekend. And that has proven unpopular with many club owners. Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan, for example, has called for a minute's silence at London's Wembley Stadium ahead of his team's FA Cup semifinal Saturday against Millwall to remember Thatcher, who died Monday at 87. "We owe Mrs. Thatcher a minute's silence," Whelan told The Guardian newspaper.

GALAXY AT MONTERREY CONCACAF Champions League When: 7 PDT. Where: Estadio Tecnologico, Monterrey, Mexico. On the air: TV: Fox Soccer, Galavision; Radio: None. Update: This is the second game of the two-leg CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. The winner is determined by aggregate score. Monterrey won the first game, 2-1, at the Home Depot Center last Wednesday. Landon Donovan might make his first start of 2013 after returning to the Galaxy from a self-imposed sabbatical.

His self-imposed sabbatical over, Landon Donovan made his first appearance of the year at the Home Depot Center on Wednesday night. The Galaxy's all-time leading scorer entered as a substitute in the 63rd minute in the first game of the Galaxy's two-leg semifinal against the Monterrey Rayados of Mexico in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. But there was nothing Donovan could do as Monterrey then got the best of the Galaxy's defensive back line and scored two late goals to win, 2-1, before a crowd of 21,745.

GALAXY ON WEDNESDAY VS. MONTERREY CONCACAF Champions League When: 7. Where: Home Depot Center. On the air: TV: Fox Soccer, Univision Deportes; Radio: None. Update: Playing in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals for the first time in club history, the Galaxy will face the Monterrey Rayados of Mexico, who have won the tournament the last two years. This is the first game of the two-leg semifinals; the second will be played April 10 in Mexico. The Galaxy's outlook has improved markedly with the return of the team's captain, Landon Donovan, from a self-imposed sabbatical.