Off the wire

SOCCER

U.S., Panama draw

Christian Pulisic made an outstanding individual move to steal the ball, spin a defender and feed Clint Dempsey for his 56th international goal, and the United States hung on for an important 1-1 draw against Panama on Tuesday night in World Cup qualifying in Panama City. Dempsey's 39th-minute goal on a warm and humid night moved him within one of Landon Donovan's American scoring record, but the lead did not last long. Gabriel Gomez tied the score four minutes later after a throw-in. Tim Howard thwarted Luis Tejada with a between-the-legs stop in the 59th minute.

TENNIS

Federer, Nadal advance

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- playing back-to-back on stadium court on the 13th anniversary of their very first match -- both advanced Tuesday to the quarterfinals of the Miami Open, surviving strong tests in both cases. Stan Wawrinka wasn't as fortunate, the No. 1 seed getting bounced on his 32nd birthday by teenager Alexander Zverev. Kei Nishikori also survived a three-setter to reach the quarters. The No. 4-seed Federer outlasted No. 14 Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (5), 7-6 (4), the No. 5-seed Nadal got past Nicolas Marut 6-4, 7-6 (4), and Nishikori -- a finalist at Key Biscayne a year ago -- rallied from a break down in the final set to beat Federico Delbonis 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Zverev, who turns 20 next month, downed Wawrinka 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, and showed no ill effects by playing just 24 hours after winning a three-setter over John Isner that went entirely to tiebreakers. Karolina Pliskova, who has never found Miami exactly to her liking, got into the women's semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over 26th-seeded Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.

Davis Cup team set

Jack Sock, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson will represent the United States against host Australia in the Davis Cup quarterfinals on April 7-9. U.S. captain Jim Courier announced his roster Tuesday. Australian captain Lleyton Hewitt's squad is Nick Kyrgios, Jordan Thompson, Sam Groth and John Peers. No. 16 Kyrgios and No. 17 Sock are the only players on either team ranked in the ATP's top 20. The best-of-five series will be played on an outdoor hard court in Brisbane. The U.S. leads Australia 26-20 in their Davis Cup meetings, including a victory by the Americans in last year's first round.

Nadal not on team

Rafael Nadal will not play in the Davis Cup quarterfinals when Spain faces Serbia next week. The 14-time Grand Slam champion was not on the team announced by Spain captain Conchita Martinez on Tuesday. No reason was given. Also absent was Spain's second-ranked player, Roberto Bautista Agut. Spain will be led by world No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta, who will be joined by Albert Ramos-Vinolas, Marcel Granollers and doubles specialist Marc Lopez. Spain and Serbia will play April 7-9 in Belgrade.

NFL

Cowboys, Witten re-up

Tight end Jason Witten reaffirmed his commitment to the Dallas Cowboys by signing a four-year contract extension Tuesday, according to executive vice president Stephen Jones. Witten didn't get any guaranteed money in the new deal, which has a value of $29.6 million, but it gives the Cowboys flexibility in being able to restructure his contract for cap relief. The Cowboys have roughly $200,000 in available cap money, according to a source. Witten is a 10-time Pro Bowler with a team-record 1,089 catches for 11,888 yards. He needs 17 receiving yards to pass Michael Irvin's team mark of 11,904. He has played in more consecutive games (219) or started more consecutive games (163) than anyone in Cowboys history. He is sixth all-time in NFL history in receptions and second among tight ends behind Tony Gonzalez.

Eagles sign Long

The Philadelphia Eagles agreed Tuesday to terms on a two-year contract with defensive end Chris Long, who won a Super Bowl last season with New England. A No. 2 overall draft pick by the Rams in 2008, Long spent eight seasons with St. Louis before he joined the Patriots in 2016. Long has 342 tackles, 58 1/2 sacks, nine forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 130 games. He had four sacks and 10 quarterback hits in 16 games for New England and was an integral part of a defense that allowed an NFL-low 250 points. Later Tuesday, the Eagles agreed to terms on a one-year contract with cornerback Patrick Robinson.

BASEBALL

Rays acquire Bourjos

The Tampa Bay Rays have bolstered their outfield depth, acquiring speedy Peter Bourjos from the Chicago White Sox for cash or a player to be named. The deal Tuesday potentially provides the Rays with a right-handed hitting backup for Gold Glove center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. Bourjos, 29, hit .251 with 5 home runs and 23 RBI in 123 games with the Philadelphia Phillies last season. He signed a minor league contract with the White Sox on Jan. 30 and batted .313 in 19 spring training games.

BASKETBALL

Supplement 'backfired'

Joakim Noah said Tuesday he is sorry for a positive drug test that has ended his injury-plagued first season with the New York Knicks. Noah was suspended 20 games by the NBA on Saturday for violating the league's anti-drug policy. He said he took an over-the-counter supplement to help with his injuries and "it backfired." The center had left knee surgery Feb. 27 and returned to practice Tuesday. The Knicks hope the league will clear him to begin serving the suspension with their game today so he could eliminate the first eight games of it this season. Noah was limited to 5.0 points a game in 46 games.

MOTOR SPORTS

Atlanta delays repaving

Atlanta Motor Speedway has postponed its plan to resurface the 20-year-old racing surface after numerous complaints from NASCAR drivers. The track announced Tuesday it will delay the project at least until after next year's NASCAR weekend. Speedway President Ed Clark said the decision was reached after consultations with NASCAR, Goodyear tire officials, race teams and their drivers. He said "the overwhelming majority have urged us to hold off on paving so that we can enjoy at least one more weekend of high-speed slipping and sliding in 2018 before the new surface is installed." The 1.54-mile surface was last paved in 1997. Most drivers expressed a preference for the aged, abrasive surface, saying it makes the racing more challenging and exciting.

HOCKEY

Players, USA Hockey agree on wages

USA Hockey and the women’s national team reached an agreement to end a wage dispute and avoid a boycott of the world championships on home ice that would’ve been a black eye for the sport.

Players and USA Hockey finalized the deal Tuesday night and announced it in a joint statement just three days before the tournament begins in Plymouth, Mich. It’s a four-year agreement that pays players beyond just the six-month Olympic period.

“It’s going to be a turning point for women’s hockey in the U.S. [and] I feel like a turning point for women’s hockey in the world,” star forward Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson said by phone.

Before this agreement, players said they were paid $1,000 a month around the Olympics, and the new contract is believed to be worth around $3,000 to $4,000 per player per month. Combined with money received from the U.S. Olympic committee, each player could surpass $70,000 in annual earnings, and that number could reach $129,000 in 2018 if the team wins the Olympic gold medal. Players also will receive business-class travel, just like the men’s team, and insurance protection they asked for.

After more than a year of negotiations over wages and equitable support, players announced March 15 that they would boycott the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship if significant progress wasn’t made toward an agreement. The sides met for 10-plus hours in person last week and continued conversations before striking a deal Tuesday.

Over the course of the public dispute, unions from the NHL, NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball and 16 U.S. senators voiced support for the players. NHL agent Allan Walsh tweeted that men’s players were considering boycotting their world championship in solidarity if a deal didn’t get done.

Players are set to travel to Plymouth today and open the defense of their gold medal Friday against Canada.

The U.S. has won six of the past eight world championships.

Sports on 03/29/2017

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