The 35-year-old midfielder joins American internationals Tab Ramos and Tony Meola who are already assigned

The 35-year-old midfielder joins American internationals Tab Ramos and Tony Meola, who are already assigned to the New York City area club. The Metro Stars' fourth allocated player is the 21-year-old American midfield player Damian Silvera.The US national team captain and sweeper, Marcelo Balboa, who has won a record 109 caps, was assigned to the Colorado Rapids.Balboa, a veteran of two World Cups who has played the last two seasons with Leon in the Mexican First Division, was the third player allocated to the Rapids, joining fellow American internationals Dominic Kinnear and Roy Wegerle. Each of the 10 MLS teams was allocated four players except Colorado, which was to announce its fourth player at a later date.Also newly allocated were the former Italian international Giuseppe Galderisi, and American Professional Soccer League All-Star goalkeeper Jim St Andre, both to the New England Revolution. Defender Cle Kooiman, who played in the 1994 US World Cup team, was assigned to the Tampa Bay Mutiny The season starts on 6 April..

Mike Atherton opened England's World Cup preparations in earnest yesterday in the beautiful surroundings of Aitchison College, Imran Khan's old school. England have settled well in Lahore following their arrival on Sunday, and are working hard to erase the memory of six defeats from seven one-day outings at the end of the South African tour. On Monday they practised in the nets for six hours and yesterday match conditions were simulated at the school which is less than a mile from the team hotel. With each pair of batsmen given 12 overs regardless of dismissals, Dominic Cork and Peter Martin took the early honours against Atherton and Alec Stewart.

Cork had Stewart caught behind, then saw Graham Thorpe hold a nonchalant one-handed chance off the edge of Atherton's bat before extracting an lbw decision from the assistant manager, John Barclay, when Stewart was rapped on the pads. Martin chalked up a success against his Lancashire team-mate Atherton as Jack Russell took a second catch via the outside edge. It was a lesson to England that batting first in this part of the world before the early morning dew has been burnt off by sunshine can be a tricky business. Seamers receive precious little help from subcontinent pitches and must make the most of any surface moisture. The only spectators were Aitchison College students, pausing on the boundary edge for a brief look between classes Photograph: John Giles/PA. Rugby Union DAVID LLEWELLYN As pre-emptive bids go, the entrepreneur Ashley Levett's pounds 2.5m offer to provide Richmond with financial clout is pretty daring.

Firstly, the deal has still to be put to the 1,300-strong membership; secondly, Richmond are in the Third Division of the Courage League, albeit with a two-point lead and promotion a distinct possibility.The aim is to bring top class rugby back to the Athletic Ground, and their president, David Buchanan, said: "Richmond intend to return up to where they belong."Symon Elliott, chief executive-designate, a business associate and friend of Levett, added: "We believe Richmond can become a driving force in British and European rugby." To that end Elliott acknowledged: "We have made unofficial approaches to a number of England squad members. But no offers have been made."Yesterday's press conference sounded almost like a fait accompli, yet the club has still to be registered as a limited company, and they still have to call a special general meeting to vote on turning one of this country's oldest rugby clubs into a serious business.But the 35-year-old Levett - who will hold an 80 per cent stake in the club with the membership being offered the balance - and the Richmond committee do hold a few trump cards. There is the cash (within 12 months it is intended to raise more money through a rights issue which Levett, based in Monaco, will underwrite to a maximum of pounds 500,000); and also the admission of Elliott, after some persuasion, that he has already had what he described as "a couple of chats" with the England pack leader, Ben Clarke It would be a surprise if Clarke did not join them. His father, Bevan, is a personal friend of Levett; Clarke is sponsored by a company started by Levett; and the Bath No 8 helps out with some coaching at Winchester RFC, the Hampshire League One club which Levett owned until recently."I cannot see Second Division status preventing us from attracting international players," said Elliott, an Oxford graduate and Sunderland fan who used to sell peanuts as a youngster at Roker Park. "We will pay the market rate," he added, saying that six-figure salaries for the right men would not deter Richmond.The committee is confident of the scheme being supported at the SGM and one member - the RFU secretary, Tony Hallett - gave it his wholehearted approval.Hallett, who was chairman of Richmond nine months ago, said: "I think this is an opportunity the open game gives, that we wouldn't have been able to take advantage of. I am totally supportive and I will say that to any members who ask me."The plans are to improve the facilities, increase the crowd capacity and concentrate on player development by promoting a youth academy of rugby.The club would be controlled by a five-man board of directors - two of whom would be shareholding club members - with day-to-day running falling to a seven-man management board headed by Elliott.It is not envisaged that Richmond's 100-year plus groundsharing arrangement with Second Division London Scottish will be an obstacle either. "The Scottish see this is as a very good scheme to get the ground redeveloped at Richmond's expense," Hallett said..

STEVE BALE The French selectors yesterday reacted in their traditional way to the shattering defeat in Scotland when they changed more than half the side for Ireland's visit to Paris on Saturday week. Out goes the scrum-half Philippe Carbonneau, who actually plays centre for his club, while Thomas Castaignede, France's match-winner against England, moves from centre to outside-half, where he does not play for his club, with Thierry Lacroix moving in the other direction.On the other hand, Christian Califano is switched from tight-head prop to loose head, where he does play for his club, though Abdel Benazzi, one of the world's great loose forwards, now has to bury himself in the second row - which, curiously, is where France's No 8, Fabien Pelous, plays for his club.The surgery is still minor compared with what Andre Herrero and Jean- Claude Skrela, manager and coach, say might have been. "After we watched the video Jean-Claude said we could change 14 of the players, and I agree," Herrero said yesterday "The only one who could have saved his head was Sadourny. We are giving them one more chance but it is going to be really the last one."Herrero and Skrela have relented sufficiently to add Benazzi and Pelous to their list of exonerations. Alain Penaud, the yellow-carded Olivier Merle and Michel Perie are the others discarded, and Lacroix confesses he is lucky to survive. His centre partner, Olivier Campan, is a starter for the first time after three caps as a replacement in 1993.There are first caps in the pack for Richard Castel and Franck Tournaire, both 23. Castel is so seldom a first choice in the Toulouse back row that no one knows whether he can last 80 minutes.