Sports briefs

Track

POWELL SETS RECORD: Asafa Powell set another world record in the 100 meters and suspects he can go even faster.

The world's fastest man improved his record Sunday in Rieti, Italy, winning a heat at the Rieti Grand Prix in 9.74 seconds despite easing at the end.

"This means that I can do even 9.68," Powell said. "I'm worth that time, I know it."

The record comes only two weeks after the Jamaican finished a disappointing third at the track and field world championships in Osaka, Japan.

In the final, Powell won in 9.78 — with no tail wind. Michael Frater of Jamaica was second in 10.03, followed by Jaysuma Saidy Ndure of Norway in 10.10.

"Today I ran like I should have done at the worlds," Powell said. "At Osaka I was too tense, I was thinking about the race and the time I had to set. Instead here I was relaxed."

Soccer

U.S. FALLS TO BRAZIL: Brazil overcame a tentative start, shimmying and weaving around defenders and getting a go-ahead goal on Ronaldinho's free kick late in the second half to rally past the United States 4-2 in a wide-open exhibition game Sunday in Chicago.

It was the fifth straight defeat for the United States, its longest losing streak since 1994, and the Americans dropped to 1-12 against Brazil, a five-time World Cup champion ranked No. 1 in the world.

Carlos Bocanegra put the Americans ahead in the 21st minute off a Landon Donovan corner kick, but Brazil tied it with an own-goal off defender Oguchi Onyewu in the 33rd following a shot by Kaka. The South American champions went ahead when Lucio headed Ronaldinho's corner kick in the 53rd.

Clint Dempsey then tied the score for the 17th-ranked Americans in the 73rd, but Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA player of the year, put a ball over the defensive wall two minutes later, easily beating goalkeeper Tim Howard. Elano converted a penalty kick in injury time after Michael Bradley pulled down Julio Baptista.

Auto racing

ALONSO WINS IN ITALY: McLaren may be facing problems away from racing in the Ferrari spy scandal.

But it's a different story on the track.