NW Briefs | Sounders FC ready to sign Swedish star Freddie Ljungberg

RENTON — Seattle Sounders FC has a news conference set for 11 a.m. today at Qwest Field, at which the club is expected to announce the signing of Swedish star Fredrik Ljungberg as its designated player.

Ljungberg is a midfielder who has played for West Ham United and Arsenal in the English Premier League.

Major League Soccer's designated player rule allows each team to sign one international player, with no more than $400,000 of the player's salary counting against the team's salary cap. The MLS cap this season is $2.2 million, according to Sounders FC's Web site.

Ljungberg will be the seventh designated player in MLS, joining a group that includes David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Golf

The Washington women shot a combined 2-under 286 on the first day of competition at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown. Leading the Huskies was Anya Alvarez, who shot a 4-under 68 that included an eagle on the par-5 16th hole at Boulder Creek Golf Course.

• Western Washington's Kaitlin Parker is tied for the medalist lead at 2-over 146 and the Vikings women are second in the team standings at 30-over 606 following first-day action at the Dennis Rose Invitational in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

In the men's event in Kohala Coast, the Vikings are tied for fifth at 3-under 573.

• The Washington State men are tied for third (16-over 584) at the Herb Wimberly Intercollegiate in Las Cruces, N.M.

Soccer

Pfeiffer Bloecker scored her second goal in as many matches as the Seattle University women (9-4-3) clinched their 13th consecutive winning season with a 1-0 victory over Utah Valley in Orem, Utah.

• Griffin Fahling scored twice, including the game-winner in the 109th minute to send the Seattle Pacific men (6-7-3) to a 2-1 win over Grand Canyon in Phoenix.

Notes

• Former Washington State star Bob Gambold has died in Arizona. He was 79.

Mr. Gambold, who was raised in Longview, played football and basketball for the Cougars after World War II. He was a starting quarterback for teams in 1948, 1949 and 1950. He was a starting forward for legendary basketball coach Jack Friel those same years.

He went on to play briefly in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.

Later, he coached as an assistant at Everett Junior College, WSU, Oregon State, Stanford and Illinois. In the NFL, he was an assistant coach at Denver and Houston.

• Seattle Pacific's Jessica Pixler has been named Great Northwest Athletic Conference female cross-country athlete of the year, and teammate Natty Plunkett has been named female freshman of the year.

• Central Washington's Johnny Spevak (offense), Chris James (defense) and Courtney Smith (special teams) earned GNAC football weekly honors. Smith shared honors with WWU's Rick Copsey.

Compiled from sports-information

and wire reports.