Belgium aims for strong start against Algeria - Noon et/9am pt (TSN 1050, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Belgium makes its return to the World Cup for the first time in 12 years on Tuesday at the Estadio Mineirao as the club opens Group H play against underdogs Algeria.
Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . The Desert Foxes took part in the 2010 World Cup and failed to advance past the group stage, and the African side figures to have a tough time reaching the last 16 this time around as well. Belgiums last appearance on the big stage was the 2002 tournament when the team reached the second round before bowing out to eventual champions Brazil. And the Red Devils will expect to reach at least the last 16 as the favorites in Group H this year. Head coach Marc Wilmots was a member of the 2002 World Cup team, and he will be on the sidelines this time around. Wilmots doesnt have an extensive coaching resume, but he brings with him a talented young side that could make some noise in Brazil. Belgium has a number of quality attacking options led by 22-year-old Chelsea star Eden Hazard, while Everton winger Kevin Mirallas figures to play opposite Hazard and provide quality service to striker Romelu Lukaku, who was a teammate of Mirallas at Everton this past season while on loan from Chelsea. That trio should provide plenty of scoring chances for Belgium, but how far this team goes could be determined by how well they hold up in defense. Captain Vincent Kompany will serve as the anchor, and he will be joined by players like Jan Vertonghen, Thomas Vermaelen and Toby Alderweireld in front of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who is coming off a great season with Atletico Madrid. All the ingredients are there for Belgium to make an impact in this tournament, and there is no reason for Wilmots to expect anything less than three points from this opening game. Algeria finished last in Group C in 2010, claiming one point and failing to score a goal in three games. The team will hope for a better showing this year with Sofiane Feghouli at the heart of things in midfield. The Valencia man must provide service for Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani, who is Algerias biggest goal threat, while 19-year-old Nabil Bentaleb is another player to watch in midfield after making a strong debut this past season with Tottenham in the English Premier League. Algeria is captained by veteran defender Madjid Bougherra, and he will have his hands full with the plethora of attacking options in the Belgium side. If Algeria is able to take anything from this match, it will be a big surprise and will change the landscape in Group H. Brazil aims to seize control of Group A against Mexico - 3pm et/Noon pt (TSN 1050, TSN 690, TSN 1260, TEAM 1410) Fortaleza, Brazil - After a fairly straight-forward opening victory last Thursday, host nation Brazil will shoot for its second straight win in Group A play against Mexico at the Estadio Castelao. Brazil got its World Cup campaign off to a flying start last week, easing to a 3-1 victory over Croatia at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo despite a less- than-stellar overall performance. The hosts fell behind early after a cross from the left flank by Ivica Olic that was mishandled by Nikica Jelavic, but the ball was directed home by Brazil defender Marcelo for the own goal. Brazil remained patient despite the early hole and grabbed the equalizer in the 29th minute as Neymar ran onto a pass from Oscar following a giveaway in midfield and fired a low strike that trickled past Croatian goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa. The match then fully turned in the direction of Brazil when the hosts were handed a questionable penalty decision after Fred went down in the area under minimal contact from Croatian defender Dejan Lovren. Neymar converted the ensuing spot kick to give Brazil the lead in the 71st minute. Croatia pushed in search of a tying goal and came close on several occasions only to be denied by a few key saves from Julio Cesar. But Brazils day would not be ruined as Oscar wrapped up the affair in stoppage time, poking a home a shot from outside the box following a counterattack to hand the hosts the win by a flattering score line. Neymar was thrilled with the result following the match. "It was better than I thought," he said.. "I was hoping that wed win, but to be able to debut in a World Cup with a brace is an unmeasurable joy." Mexico is also looking for a second win in Group A after squeezing past Cameroon, 1-0, on Friday in Natal. Miguel Herreras side was hard done early in the match as two goals were disallowed, but they eventually found the only goal of the contest in the 61st minute. Giovani Dos Santos, who had the early goals taken off the board, had a hand in creating the games only tally when he split the defense and fired a low shot on goal that was stopped by Cameroon goalkeeper Charles Itandje, but Oribe Peralta arrived late to tuck home the rebound. "Despite difficult circumstances, we managed to push forward and put on a nice display," Dos Santos said. "Playing at the World Cup is always a unique experience, and Im grateful to the coach for the trust he placed in me. I feel good - Im happy and motivated." Russia squares off with Korea in Group H tilt - 6pm et/3pm pt (TSN 1050, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) Cuiaba, Brazil - Fabio Capello returns to the World Cup as manager of Russia, and his side will open Group H play against South Korea at the Arena Pantanal on Tuesday. Capello crashed out of the 2010 World Cup as boss of England in the round of 16, which was a big disappointment for the Three Lions. But the Italian is back on the big stage with Russia, a team that is making its first appearance at the World Cup since 2002. South Korea, meanwhile, has become a fixture at the tournament, reaching the World Cup for the eighth successive time. However, if Koreas qualifying campaign is any indication of where the team is at, they could be making a brief stay in Brazil. South Korea endured a poor qualification cycle that saw the side lose twice to Iran as well as once to Lebanon. But now that Korea has come through it, the Taegeuk Warriors are hoping for a fresh start. Hong Myung-Bo has since taken charge of the team and the former player will try to get the most out of a young side that is in a bit of a transition period. Hong is the most-capped player in South Koreas history, and he was a member of the 2002 side that reached the semifinals of the World Cup, so he knows a thing or two about winning. However, it is tough to see the Koreans having the same kind of success this year, although a favorable draw in Group H gives them a good chance to finish second. The strength of this team is in the midfield with Sunderlands Ki Sung- Yueng and Cardiff Citys Kim Bo-Kyung pulling the strings, and this match with Russia will go a long way toward determining who goes through to the next round. Capellos side has plenty of experience, but the question in this match will be whether they have the legs to keep up with the youthful Koreans. Veterans Sergei Ignashevich and Vasili Berezutski will hold things down in the back for Capello, while Alan Dzagoev controls the midfield. Two players to watch for Russia up top are Aleksander Kokorin and Aleksandr Kerzhakov, who will need to play well for Russia to have a chance at reaching the knockout round.
Daniel Carlson Vikings Jersey . Patrick Sharp scored twice and Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell and Nick Leddy also connected to lead Chicago to a 5-2 win over the Devils on Monday night.
Randy Moss Jersey . However, Therrien added that Galchenyuks status for next Wednesdays game against the Detroit Red Wings is questionable. Galchenyuk has been out since Jan. 6 with a broken right hand.The month of May seems like so long ago for the Blue Jays. Since building a healthy lead in the East with an incredible 21-9 record in the second month of the season, the Jays have fallen off dramatically. Since June 1, they are only 14-19 and have actually only won eight of their last 27 games. They are still only two games back of first place Baltimore in the East but if the slide doesnt stop now, its going to be all over by the end of this month. A boost to the starting rotation would have been a good thing when the Jays were in first place and tearing up the league at the plate. But with Brett Lawrie gone for the rest of July with his broken finger, and now Edwin Encarnacion on the 15-day DL with a Grade 2 quad muscle strain, the Jays need to add a bat - preferably someone who can play second base or third or both. It almost has to be a right-hand bat considering the Jays are the worst hitting team in the American League against lefties. Since the Jays are in buying mode theyll probably have to target the teams that have no reasonable hope of getting even a Wild Card berth. In the American League, I count six teams that are realistically out of it, although Im still hesitant to count out Tampa Bay because the East is so weak. So for arguments sake, the six are Tampa Bay in the East, the White Sox and Minnesota in the Central and Texas and Houston in the West. Since Boston and Tampa Bay likely wont trade within their own division, that leaves four teams the Jays can talk with. Since Houston wont give up Jose Altuve and the Twins likely wont surrender Brian Dozier who fit the bill as right-handed hitters and solid second baseman, youre down to Texas and the White Sox. Since the Rangers are so injury ravaged, I cant see them making any significant deals until the off-season. That leaves Chicago. The White Sox have a right-hand hitting second baseman in Gordon Beckham, whom the Blue Jays were rumoured to be interested in in the off-season. Beckham is hitting .248 this season with seven homers and 24 runs batted in. Hes 24 years old. Cleveland is hanging around the .500 mark and isnt technically out, but in a week or two could decide to move some people. Theyve got 33-year-old utilityman Mike Aviles - yes, the same guy the Blue Jays got as compensation from Boston for manager John Farrell. Hes a .272 career hitter who can play second or third and maybe even shortstop in an emergency. In the National League, the six teams on the outside looking in include the Mets and the Phillies in the East, the Cubs in the Central and San Diego, Colorado and Arizona in the West.
Jalyn Holmes Vikings Jersey. The Phils have a good one in Chase Utley, but he reportedly wont waive his no-trade clause to go to a team with artificial turf such as the Blue Jays. The Mets Daniel Murphy is rumoured to be available, but he is New Yorks only All-Star rep and hits left handed. Still, hes hitting .294 with seven homers and 35 runs batted in go with 11 stolen bases. The Cubs Darwin Barney at 28 is having his second straight down year at the plate, hitting .219 though he does hit right. The Jays may have an interest in a man they originally drafted in second baseman Aaron Hill. Aaron is two years removed from his last great season with the D-Backs and is hitting only .241 this season with six homers and 42 runs batted in. The right-handed hitter is also 32 years old and is owed just shy of $30 million through 2016. J.P Morosi of Fox Sports has heard that the Jays are talking with San Diego about third baseman Chase Headley. The 30-year-old switch hitter, who has had back trouble on and off over the past couple of years, is only hitting .217 with six homers and 25 runs batted in. On top of that, any team acquiring him would have to make a qualifying offer of about $15 million to retain a draft pick at the end of the first round should Headley decide to walk. Then again if he decides to stay, a team is on the hook for $15 million for a player who may or may not be worth anything close to that. The Padres also have a 25-year-old right hand hitting second baseman in Jedd Gyorko, who cracked 23 homers last year in his first season. But this time around hes only batting .162 with five homers and 24 runs batted in. Of that entire bunch, I would probably opt for the Mets Murphy with Aaron Hill a close second. Unusual Repair Talk about the miracles of modern surgery. On Monday Arizona GM Kevin Towers is having surgery to repair a damaged vocal cord. Hes having it replaced with the vocal cord from a cadaver. Towers figures he will be able to talk again in three or four days and should be back at work in a week. Boston Turnaround They still have over 70 games to go, but the Boston Red Sox are close to doing something very unusual: going from last place, to first and a World Series victory, and back to last place. The Bosox dropped back into the basement behind Tampa Bay at 39-49. In 2012 under Bobby Valentine, they finished 69-93. Then a year ago John Farrell led them to a 97-65 mark and a World Series victory over St. Louis and now they are cellar dwellers again.
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