Forum Regeln » , calling it a "fresh slate" of leadership

Spain aims to stay alive against Chile (TSN 1050, TSN 690, TSN 1260, TEAM 1410) Spain enters its second Group B match against Chile on Wednesday at the Maracana in desperate need of a response. The defending champions suffered an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in their opening match, and another loss to Chile on Wednesday would bring an extremely premature end to their tournament. After taking the lead against the Dutch with a penalty kick from Xabi Alonso in the 27th minute, Spain fell apart and watched as Robin van Persie equalized shortly before halftime. The second half was a nightmare for Vicente del Bosques team as they saw the Netherlands score four unanswered goals, including a pair of gifts from goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Whether or not the veteran Casillas returns to the lineup in goal will be a tough decision for Del Bosque to make, but the coach feels as though his team has had time to get over the loss and get prepared for the next two games. "Everyone feels that we are capable of turning things around," Del Bosque told Spanish television channel Cuatro. "Many hours have passed and our spirits are higher. We now have to win our next two games, which wont be easy, but is within the realms of possibility. We are searching for the best possible preparation and we are trying to make sure the players are not sad, we have to enjoy ourselves." The Spanish side still possesses plenty of talent, but La Roja must find a way to raise their game if they want to avoid a stunningly early exit from the tournament. Chile, meanwhile, enjoyed a positive start to the competition by securing a 3-1 win over Australia that saw the club net two goals in the opening 15 minutes. Alexis Sanchez scored in the 12th minute and Eduardo Vargas doubled the lead in the 14th to put Chile in firm control. Australia pulled a goal back through Tim Cahill in the 35th, but Chiles Jean Beausejour finally killed the match off by scoring late to secure the win. Viewed as a real threat to advance to the knockout round, Chile can put itself in position to win the group if the team is able to topple Spain, which would send the Spanish home early. But Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal has his sights set a bit higher. "We hope to play well against Spain, take the three points, and if we knock them out that would be great," Vidal said. "But we didnt come here to knock out Spain, we came here to win the World Cup." Cameroon, Croatia aim to rebound in Group A (TSN 1050, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) Croatia and Cameroon will both be fighting to stay alive in Group A on Wednesday when the two sides meet up at the Arena Amazonia. Both teams lost their opening match of the tournament with Croatia falling 3-1 to Brazil in the curtain-raising contest, while Cameroon dropped a 1-0 decision to Mexico the following day. Those results mean that the loser of Wednesdays contest will be eliminated after just two games, while the winner would put itself back in contention for a place in the next round. A draw would keep both sides alive, but would leave them with a lot of work to do in their final match. Croatia was expected to challenge for a spot in the last 16 and certainly turned in an encouraging performance against tournament-favorites Brazil. Niko Kovac saw his side take a surprising 1-0 lead in the 11th minute on an own goal from Brazil defender Marcelo before the hosts rebounded to level the match at 1-1 midway through the opening half through Neymar. The game was there for the taking as it entered the final 20 minutes, but a questionable penalty call handed Brazil the chance to take the lead when Fred went down under minimal contact from Croatia defender Dejan Lovren. Neymar converted the subsequent spot kick to put the Brazilians in front, and Oscar added a third in injury time to account for a flattering final score. Although Croatia came away from the game with zero points, Kovac didnt seem to be the least bit disappointed by the result. "We left an excellent impression, hats off to the lads," Kovac said after the match. "Its an honor to coach them." Cameroon will also be looking to bounce back after falling to El Tri on a second-half goal from Oribe Peralta. The Indomitable Lions were a bit fortunate to only lose 1-0 as Mexicos Giovani Dos Santos had two goals called off in the first half, illustrating a need for Cameroon to elevate its level of play on Wednesday, especially since it will face Brazil in its final group match. A win for Croatia would likely set up a game with Mexico that would decide second place in the group, but first Kovac and his men must take care of business against Cameroon, which could benefit from the humid conditions in Manaus. nfl jerseys china .com) - Carmelo Anthony tallied 31 points to help the New York Knicks continue their improved play of late with a 100-92 victory over a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder squad. wholesale jerseys . Alexander was released last week by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he spent the past three seasons at safety. He had 121 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles and seven interceptions in 51 regular-season and three playoff games. http://www.cheapnfljerseysout.com/ .com) - Fair Grounds commences its road to the Kentucky Derby Saturday with the 71st running of the $200,000 Lecomte Stakes. cheap jerseys from china .C. Now hes squarely in the U.S. capital and helping the Washington Wizards playoff drive. John Wall scored 33 points, Gooden got 11 of his 21 in the final quarter and the Wizards overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit for a 101-94 win over the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday night. cheap nfl jerseys . The Austrian ski federation said Morgenstern was "conscious and well responsive" and his condition would be monitored in the intensive care unit of a Salzburg hospital for the next 72 hours. The federation said it was "way too early" to judge Morgensterns chances of competing in Sochi, and that an update on his condition was not expected before Monday.NEW YORK -- With Brian Gionta gone the Montreal Canadiens need a new captain -- and there is no shortage of candidates. A pair of 25-year-old stars, 2013 Norris Trophy-winning defenceman P.K. Subban and U.S. Olympic forward Max Pacioretty, each said theyd love to wear the "C" beginning this season. Veteran defenceman Andrei Markov and veteran centre Tomas Plekanec are also considered among the top possibilities. Subban, one of the faces of the franchise along with goaltender Carey Price, recently signed a US$72-million, eight-year contract after going to arbitration as a restricted free agent. At the NHL/NHLPA player media tour Tuesday, he made a case for why he should be the captain. "I think that Id embrace it," Subban said. "Added responsibility to me makes a player better, and I think Ive accomplished a lot in a short time in this league and Ive earned the respect of my peers and my opponents to command the respect that a captain deserves. I really believe that Ive earned a lot of respect in this league, both on and off the ice." In addition to the Norris during the lockout-shortened season, Subban has now played 284 NHL games and won a gold medal at the Sochi Olympics as Team Canadas eighth defenceman. He added that he sees a captain as someone whos "able to perform on the ice and bring it for their teammates in ... the toughest moments." Pacioretty similarly jumped at the notion of succeeding Gionta as captain. "I think anyone who wants to be a leader on their team would want to be a captain of a team, especially with a franchise with such history like that," said Pacioretty, who added that hed be completely on board if the team went in another direction. During an EA Sports demo event last week in Toronto, the NHL15 video game had the "C" on Paciorettys chest. "I was joking around I think someone at EA Sports deserves a promotion for doing that," Pacioretty said with a smile. "I didnt know about that before. But its cool." Asked at the player media tour in New York who he thought should be captain if it wasnt him, Pacioretty stumped for Markov, the Russian defenceman who is going into his 14th season in Montreal and is signed for three more years. "Hes a guy that leads by example, and hes been around Montreal for a while," Pacioretty said. "Behind closed doors hes one of the hardest workers Ive seen and I think that goes a long way, especially with some of the young guys, as well." Gionta had been captain since the start of the 2010-11 season, replacing the longest-serving player in that job, Saku Koivu. Koivu, the captain from 1999 through 2009, announced his retirement Wednesday after an 18-year NHL career. "I feel I was truly lucky to have a chance to play for the legendary Canadiens for so many years and serve as captain, and share that great honour with many truly legendary captains from before my time," Koivu said in a statement. Gionta, who left in free agency to sign a US$12.75-million, three-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres, pointed to Plekanec, fourth-liner Travis Moen and Price as big voices in the locker room. "Those are the guys that are kind of going to bridge that gap to the younger core thats coming up now," Gionta said. The Habs could feature an entirely neww leadership group, as alternate captain Josh Gorges was traded to the Sabres.dddddddddddd Markov wore the other "A" last season. Montreal is one of seven teams without a captain going into training camp, along with the Ottawa Senators, Sabres, New York Rangers, San Jose Sharks, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets. A year after Daniel Alfredsson left Ottawa for Detroit, the Senators will have their second captain in two seasons after trading Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars. Defenceman Erik Karlsson reiterated Tuesday hed gladly accept that honour and figures to be in the discussion along with Chris Phillips and Chris Neil. Karlsson lived with Alfredsson, who was captain from 1999 through 2013, but said he doesnt think hell mimic his friends style. "I will never be the same leader as Alfie was," Karlsson said. "He had his own way and Jason Spezza had his own way and Chris Neil and Chris Phillips and all the other guys have their own ways, as well. Everybodys a little bit different. But I think just being around such a good group of guys, hopefully that can help me develop as a player and as a person and as a leader for the better." Buffalo went with co-captains to start the 2013-14 season and subsequently traded Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott. Gionta said there has been no talk of assuming that role with the Sabres. "You dont go to a place with the expectation or the hope that something like thats going to happen," Gionta said. "You go in, you try to integrate yourself with the players that are there and try to learn from them whats going on." New York made it to the Stanley Cup final without a captain after trading Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Rangers most senior alternate, Brad Richards, was bought out and signed with the Chicago Blackhawks, leaving defencemen Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal and wingers Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis as the most likely replacements. Sharks coach Todd McLellan recently told San Jose reporters that Joe Thornton wouldnt be the captain and Patrick Marleau wouldnt be an alternate at least at the beginning of camp, calling it a "fresh slate" of leadership. Centre Logan Couture or forward Joe Pavelski figure to be in the hunt. Florida used a compliance buyout on captain Ed Jovanovski. The young Panthers, if they choose to name a replacement, could turn to defenceman Brian Campbell or hand the reins to one of the kids, like Jonathan Huberdeau or Nick Bjugstad. The Blue Jackets havent had a captain since trading Nash to New York in the summer of 2012. In no rush to sew a "C" on someones jersey, Columbus -- which rotated alternates between Brandon Dubinsky, Jack Johnson and others -- could go without yet again. Assuming the Habs go the traditional route, Subban hopes he gets the nod. After signing a face-of-the-franchise contract in early August, the Toronto native said he didnt want the coaching staff or teammates to view him differently and repeated that this week, captaincy or not. "I want people to see me as a player that competes hard, is respectful, thats trustworthy and thats a leader," Subban said. "Thats what I want people to see me for." ' ' '