Santino Quaranta

Former Major League Soccer midfielder Santino Quaranta has spoken before about a story that is both disturbing and uplifting -- signing with MLS when he was 16, battling abuse of cocaine and painkillers, becoming sober, returning to the game and playing for his country. But Quaranta said Tuesday's speech to about 650 Baltimore-area high school athletes was special. It was the largest crowd to hear his deeply personal message. It was delivered near where he was raised (he attended Archbishop Curley)

Former Major League Soccer midfielder Santino Quaranta has spoken before about a story that is both disturbing and uplifting — signing with MLS when he was 16, battling abuse of cocaine and painkillers, becoming sober, returning to the game and playing for his country. But Quaranta said Tuesday's speech to about 650 Baltimore-area high school athletes was special. It was the largest crowd to hear his deeply personal message. It was delivered near where he was raised (he attended Archbishop Curley)

Santino Quaranta has had no need for an alarm clock. His three younger brothers have made enough noise getting ready for school early in the morning to get him stirring. About the time they have been heading out of the family's Highlandtown home, it has been time for him to get out of bed. With summer here, Quaranta is on his own getting up for work. Soccer is his career now and D.C. United, which used the eighth pick in February's Major League Soccer's SuperDraft to select him, is his employer.

Longtime D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta, an Archbishop Curley graduate, is retiring from MLS at age 27 to work full time with a youth soccer club he helped create and to assist a substance abuse program that helped turn around his life and career four years ago. "As a soccer player, you're expected to push it until you're 33, 34 years old," he told The Washington Post on Sunday. "That's not me. This is it. My gut and heart were telling me, and I'm at peace with it. " Quaranta, a Baltimore native who signed with MLS at age 16 and spent 10 of his 11 seasons in Washington, was let go by United last week.

1 Meet in St. Louis: It's an NCAA women's doubleheader at Comcast Center: No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah at noon, then No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 16 Dartmouth at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN). 2 Pin busters: If bowling's your game, there's the PBA Go RVing Match Play Championship (1 p.m., ESPN), Blackball (3 p.m., Ch. 54) and Kingpin (3 p.m., FUSE). 3 Small but fast: Expect small-track speed at the Food City 500 (1:30 p.m., chs. 45, 5) at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway because of high turns and variable banking.

Third-ranked Curley got a little revenge yesterday by dropping sixth-ranked McDonogh, 1-0, in a rematch of last year's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game.Marco Angelini collected a bouncing pass from brother Michael four minutes into the game and drilled the ball past McDonogh goalie Cam Thompson from five yards out. It was the only scoring in the game as both teams had trouble controlling the ball on Curley's bumpy field.The Friars (8-1-1) were playing without their top playmaker, Santino Quaranta, who is in Florida playing with the U.S. Under-17 National Team.

Early in the first overtime of a scoreless game, Loyola goalkeeper Shawn Huth dived to his right to save a well-struck, close-range shot by visiting Archbishop Curley's Brandon Quaranta.It was one of eight saves by Huth, but the one he said was his best. It also was the defining moment in an entertaining, physical game that left both sides frustrated with a 0-0 outcome.No. 5 Loyola (5-0-2 overall, 3-0-1 in Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference) was frustrated by No. 3 Curley's ability to disrupt its short passing game; Curley was frustrated with its inability to finish numerous scoring chances -- especially in the final 20 minutes of regulation and two overtimes, all of which the Friars dominated.

Women's lacrosse U.S. routs England to advance to championship vs. Australia The United States defeated England, 20-3, in the semifinals of the Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup on Thursday in Prague and will advance to the gold-medal game Saturday at 9 a.m. against defending champion Australia, which won the 2005 event by beating the Americans in the final in Annapolis. Katie Rowan led all scorers Thursday with three goals and five assists. Starting U.S. goalie Devon Wills had three saves in the first half, and Megan Huether (Maryvale Prep)

Santino Quaranta had a hunch D.C. United wouldn't exercise the option on his contract, but he did think the club for which he had played 10 of his 11 Major League Soccer seasons would try to retain him with a reduced salary. Instead, he said, he didn't hear anything from United officials until midday Tuesday when coach Ben Olsen called him from a scouting trip in Europe. Quaranta wouldn't return to the club, Olsen told him. "I figured all along we'd get it done, regardless of whether they picked up the option," said Quaranta, a 27-year-old Archbishop Curley alumnus who earned about $120,000 this season.

Cardinal Gibbons Crusaders1997 record: 5-9-3Coach: John DingleTop players: Justin Patalics, Sr., S; Ralph Howard, Sr., D; Mike Cromer, Jr., D; Mike Renes, Jr., GOutlook: With six returning starters amid a turnout of 30 players, Dingle expects to challenge for the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference crown. "We're expecting to do real well," said Dingle, who opened with defending league champ Severn on Tuesday.Archbishop Curley Friars1997 record: 11-5-2Coach: Pep PerrellaTop players: Steve Novak, Sr., D; Mike Lynch, Sr., D; Brandon Scarfield, Sr., M; Tim Wazlavek, Sr., M; Matt Moneymaker, Jr., D; Steve Althoff, Jr., D; Brandon Quaranta, Jr., M; Marco Angelini, Jr., S; Chris Quigley, Jr., S; Santino Quaranta, Fr., M.Outlook: Novak, a second-team All-Metro who was Curley's top scorer last year, is one of nine returning starters from a squad that defeated MIAA A runner-up Spalding in the regular season and lost to MIAA A champ Calvert Hall, 1-0, in the tournament semifinal.

Santino Quaranta had a hunch D.C. United wouldn't exercise the option on his contract, but he did think the club for which he had played 10 of his 11 Major League Soccer seasons would try to retain him with a reduced salary. Instead, he said, he didn't hear anything from United officials until midday Tuesday when coach Ben Olsen called him from a scouting trip in Europe. Quaranta wouldn't return to the club, Olsen told him. "I figured all along we'd get it done, regardless of whether they picked up the option," said Quaranta, a 27-year-old Archbishop Curley alumnus who earned about $120,000 this season.

Women's lacrosse U.S. routs England to advance to championship vs. Australia The United States defeated England, 20-3, in the semifinals of the Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup on Thursday in Prague and will advance to the gold-medal game Saturday at 9 a.m. against defending champion Australia, which won the 2005 event by beating the Americans in the final in Annapolis. Katie Rowan led all scorers Thursday with three goals and five assists. Starting U.S. goalie Devon Wills had three saves in the first half, and Megan Huether (Maryvale Prep)

1 Meet in St. Louis: It's an NCAA women's doubleheader at Comcast Center: No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah at noon, then No. 1 Maryland vs. No. 16 Dartmouth at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN). 2 Pin busters: If bowling's your game, there's the PBA Go RVing Match Play Championship (1 p.m., ESPN), Blackball (3 p.m., Ch. 54) and Kingpin (3 p.m., FUSE). 3 Small but fast: Expect small-track speed at the Food City 500 (1:30 p.m., chs. 45, 5) at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway because of high turns and variable banking.

Soccer Manchester United beaten in exhibition in Philadelphia, 2-1 Craig Beattie scored in the 71st minute to give Glasgow Celtic a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in an exhibition match game last night before 55,421 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Beattie took a pass at midfield and rushed down the right side, beating charging goalkeeper Tim Howard before watching the ball roll into the net to break a 1-1 tie. United will play its third and final game of the Champions World Series against AC Milan on Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. MLS: D.C. United captain and defender Ryan Nelsen is expected to miss six weeks after undergoing hernia surgery, and forward Santino Quaranta (Archbishop Curley)

College football Assistant coach fired for using his players to put band on the run The players tried to take the field, but the marching band refused to yield. As a result, a college football assistant coach is now out of a job. Northern Illinois strength and conditioning coach John Binkowski, who ordered members of his team to run through a drum corps that was practicing at Huskie Stadium on Thursday, was fired yesterday. School officials said Binkowski, who came to Northern Illinois from Nevada-Las Vegas in 1999, was angry over a stadium scheduling conflict with the practicing Capitol Regiment drum corps.

Santino Quaranta has had no need for an alarm clock. His three younger brothers have made enough noise getting ready for school early in the morning to get him stirring. About the time they have been heading out of the family's Highlandtown home, it has been time for him to get out of bed. With summer here, Quaranta is on his own getting up for work. Soccer is his career now and D.C. United, which used the eighth pick in February's Major League Soccer's SuperDraft to select him, is his employer.

Soccer Manchester United beaten in exhibition in Philadelphia, 2-1 Craig Beattie scored in the 71st minute to give Glasgow Celtic a 2-1 victory over Manchester United in an exhibition match game last night before 55,421 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Beattie took a pass at midfield and rushed down the right side, beating charging goalkeeper Tim Howard before watching the ball roll into the net to break a 1-1 tie. United will play its third and final game of the Champions World Series against AC Milan on Saturday in East Rutherford, N.J. MLS: D.C. United captain and defender Ryan Nelsen is expected to miss six weeks after undergoing hernia surgery, and forward Santino Quaranta (Archbishop Curley)

The McDonogh-Archbishop Curley soccer rivalry will continue, but two of the most notable recent participants have moved on to a professional career with Major League Soccer. The problem with MLS making Baltimore attacking midfielder Santino Quaranta, 16, its youngest signee ever, and Annapolis striker Devin Barclay, 17, the third youngest, leaves an important question unanswered. Who was better: Quaranta's Curley teams or Barclay's McDonogh teams? McDonogh took the 1998 Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association championship, 2-1, over Curley, which returned the favor in the 1999 title match by the same score.