IN BRIEF

SOCCER

U.S. World Cup bid adds Vegas as potential host

Twenty-seven stadiums have been dropped from consideration for the U.S. bid to host soccer's World Cup in 2018 and 2022, while Las Vegas and Salt Lake City have been added.

Nearly all of the stadiums that were dropped are college football venues. Also eliminated were Green Bay's Lambeau Field and Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.

Salt Lake City and planners of Las Vegas' Sports City USA venue approached the bid committee to be added after the initial list of 70 stadiums was released in April, U.S. Soccer Federation Neil Buethe said Tuesday.

Other planned venues, such as a stadium for the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., could be added if they are built, Buethe said.

Also: FIFA has rejected an Egyptian complaint related to the decision-making process that gave Brazil a late penalty kick and a 4-3 win at the Confederations Cup.

FOOTBALL

Marshall bids Broncos farewell on his blog

Brandon Marshall is saying his goodbyes to the Denver Broncos and their fans even as coach Josh McDaniels talks about seeing his holdout Pro Bowl receiver at training camp next month.

Marshall posted a farewell on his blog Tuesday, four days after requesting a trade during a private meeting with team owner Pat Bowlen.

Bowlen hasn't said whether he'll honor Marshall's trade request, and McDaniels says he expects Marshall to report to camp at the end of next month rather than follow quarterback Jay Cutler out of town.

Also: Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart says he'll be ready for the start of training camp after being sidelined all offseason with pain in his left Achilles' tendon.

Stewart revealed details of the injury for the first time, saying the Achilles' first flared up in offseason conditioning in February and probably stems from favoring his left foot after toe surgery last offseason.

MISCELLANEOUS

Truck champ Benson released from hospital

Reigning NASCAR truck champion Johnny Benson has been released from a Grand Rapids, Mich., hospital three days after being injured in a fiery crash.

The 45-year-old driver suffered burns and broken ribs after his race car collided with another car, slammed into a wall and burst into flames.

Also: Quality Road has a new trainer in Todd Pletcher, who says the Florida Derby winner could make his next start in the Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1.

Quality Road was one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby but was sidelined with a hoof injury less than a week before the May 2 Derby.

Federal prosecutors have agreed to delay for at least six weeks the trial of a woman accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Kuhn filed a motion in Louisville, Ky., saying prosecutors are still compiling phone records in the case of Karen Cunagin Sypher and asking to postpone the scheduled June 29 trial.

Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton received an eight-year ban from cycling, all but ending his drug-tainted career after he admitted to taking a steroid.

Alexandre Vinokourov has been banned from next month's Tour de France, after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the 35-year-old Kazakh cyclist should have been barred for two years after being caught blood doping during the 2007 Tour.

Benjamin Becker celebrated his 28th birthday by upsetting top-seeded Fernando Verdasco 7-5, 7-6 (4) to reach the Ordina Open quarterfinals in Den Bosch, Netherlands.

Rutgers basketball star Epiphanny Prince is skipping her senior season to play professionally in Europe.