Sports in Brief: City tops United in game for English league lead

Vincent Kompany's

header in first-half stoppage time was enough to give Manchester City a 1-0 win over Manchester United on Monday and put his team in position to secure its first title in England's top division in 44 years.

Kompany rose above Manchester United defender Chris Smalling to meet David Silva's in-swinging corner and send his header past goalkeeper David de Gea.

A Premier League title that looked to be firmly in United's grasp just two weeks ago is now again City's to lose. City leads its crosstown rival on goal difference with just two games remaining, having trailed by eight points earlier this month.

BASKETBALL: The United States, reeling from major injuries to NBA stars Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose, was placed into what appears to be the more difficult group Monday during the draw for the London Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The defending champions face powerful Argentina (the 2004 gold medal winner), France and Tunisia in Group A, plus two more teams from a last-chance qualifying tournament in Venezuela in July. Solid European squads such as Lithuania, Russia and Greece - the last team to beat the USA squad - are favorites to grab those spots.

Spain, the 2008 silver medalist, heads Group B, which includes Australia, Brazil, China and Britain. One qualifier from Venezuela will join them.

The American women, winners of the last four Olympics, have an easier draw with China, Angola and three teams from the qualifying tournament.

Group B consists of Australia, Brazil, Britain, Russia and two qualifiers.

The Tulsa Shock will be without leading scorer and rebounder Tiffany Jones for the upcoming season as she is expecting her first child. The Shock said Jones (who previously played under her maiden name of Tiffany Jackson) would miss the entire season. She is due this winter.

The Harlem Globetrotters will play four games at the Wildwoods Convention Center from Aug. 8 through Aug. 11. Games will take place nightly at 7 p.m. Ticket sales will begin at noon Saturday at the Convention Center box office, with some tickets discounted by 25 percent.

LACROSSE: The Wings will visit Rochester on Friday as the National Lacrosse League playoffs begin.

Saturday's schedule has Buffalo at Toronto, Minnesota at Colorado and Edmonton at Calgary.

COLLEGES: Officials at Utah State and San Jose State said they are in discussions with the Mountain West Conference over realignment for 2013 but say no formal agreement has been reached.

The moves could mean the end of the Western Athletic Conference as a football league as it will have only six teams left. Texas-San Antonio defected to Conference USA just months before the school was to begin its first season in the WAC.

SAILING: The Coast Guard was seeking records of any large ships in the area when the 37-foot racing yacht Aegean was believed to have been destroyed early Saturday off California.

All four crewmen perished in the accident during the century-old Full Crew Farallones Race from Newport Beach, Calif., to Ensenada, Mexico.

- Staff and wire reports