09.05.2016, 02:56
ATLANTA -- Major League Soccer is closing in on a deal with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to bring an expansion franchise to Atlantas new downtown stadium. Eric Fehr Penguins Jersey . The team would likely begin play in 2017, when the $1 billion retractable roof stadium is set to open next to the Georgia Dome to provide a new home for the NFL Falcons. "Our discussions with Major League Soccer continue, but we do not have a final agreement at this time," Kim Shreckengost, the chief administrative officer for Blanks AMB Group, said Tuesday in an email to The Associated Press. "We hope to complete the agreement soon, at which time we will make a formal announcement." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that a new team will be announced April 16. "We are continuing discussions with Arthur Blank to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Atlanta," said Dan Courtemanche, a spokesman for MLS. "However, we have not finalized an agreement at this time." The MLS has long coveted the Atlanta market, the largest in the U.S. without a team, as it moves toward its goal of expanding to 24 franchises. The 19-team league has already announced expansion franchises in New York City and Orlando that are scheduled to begin play next season, in addition to a provisional franchise in Miami owned by a group that includes David Beckham. That team is contingent on a deal for a new soccer-specific stadium in south Florida. There are no such concerns in Atlanta, where the Falcons new stadium was designed to accommodate an MLS team, providing Blank with additional revenue streams for the elaborate facility. While most MLS teams are moving toward smaller stadiums that are built solely for soccer, the Atlanta franchise would follow the model of teams in Seattle and Vancouver, which play in larger facilities downsized to provide a more intimate setting. For instance, Vancouvers BC Place has a curtain system that blocks off the upper deck, reducing capacity from 54,000 to 21,000. Atlantas new stadium will likely have a similar capability. Atlanta had two franchises in the old North American Soccer League. The Chiefs won the leagues first championship in 1968 but folded after the 1973 season, having spent their final year known as the Apollos. The Chiefs returned to the NASL in 1979 when the Colorado Caribous moved to Atlanta. That incarnation lasted only three seasons, never drawing as many as 8,000 fans a game before folding due to heavy financial losses. Atlanta has a team in a new version of the NASL, a league that ranks below MLS on the U.S. soccer ladder. The Silverbacks play at a 7,500-seat stadium on the outskirts of the city and are apparently not involved in talks on the MLS expansion team. Tom Barrasso Jersey . It sure looked as if it was going to be a long night for the Houston Rockets. Then everything changed in the third quarter. Bryan Trottier Penguins Jersey ... but if youre expecting blood and tears, youll be disappointed," Platini told French daily Le Parisien in an interview published Thursday. UEFA will announce the first sanctions in early-May, and more serious cases will be judged in June. CHICAGO -- The swirling snow came down in waves, dancing around the upper deck before eventually descending to the temporary ice rink in the middle of a football field. Playing in a winter wonderland, Jonathan Toews showed his two-way game is perfect for any conditions. Toews had two goals and an assist at a picturesque Soldier Field, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1 on Saturday night in the finale of the NHL Stadium Series. "We felt like we could find a way to score every time we got the puck," Toews said. "It honestly did feel like we were playing (pickup) hockey in the backyard." Patrick Sharp scored in the first period and Patrick Kane set up Kris Versteegs 100th career goal in the second, helping Chicago to its first win since Feb. 5 at Anaheim. The reigning Stanley Cup champions dropped their final game before the Olympic break, and then lost 2-1 at the New York Rangers on Thursday night. James Neal was credited with Pittsburghs only goal when Blackhawks defenceman Brent Seabrook sent the puck into his own net at 6:21 of the third. Marc-Andre Fleury had 35 saves in the Penguins third straight loss, matching a season high. "It wouldnt have mattered if we played this game inside or outside or it was snow or no snow," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "They were better and more prepared to play, whatever the conditions were." The crowd of 62,921, dressed from head to toe in several layers, usually topped by their favourite jersey, roared when the Penguins and Blackhawks emerged from separate tunnels before the game. The players were greeted by rows of fireworks and shooting flames that sent clouds of smoke into the falling flakes. The snow was heavy for most of the first period, and then died down at the start of the second before picking up in intensity again. The small ice crew tried its best to keep up, but it was fighting an impossible battle, and inches of snow piled up on the surface between breaks in the action. Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith tried to play the puck forward at one point in the first, but only got part of it and it sledded to a stop a few feet away. "One time, I was carrying it up the ice and had to look down three or four times just to kind of see where it was," Kane said. "You could feel the snow down there, so its obviously a little bit harder to push it." The snow and frigid temperatures -- it was 17 degrees when the puck was dropped for the opening faceoff -- made life difficult on the star-studded teams, full of Olympians and other All-Stars. Jaromir Jagr Penguins Jersey. It also provided a prime-time showcase for the considerable skills of Toews, who teamed with Pittsburgh centre Sidney Crosby to lead Canada to the gold medal in the Sochi Games last weekend. Toews and Crosby had never played against each other in an NHL regular-season game. First, Toews found Sharp for a slap shot that went over Fleurys right shoulder and off the left post at 15:35 of the first, giving Chicago a 1-0 lead. Then, Toews made an outstanding move on Pittsburgh defenceman Brooks Orpik before squeezing a backhander between Fleurys legs at 10:47 of the second. Toews celebrated his 20th goal by skating over to the Blackhawks bench and jumping into his delirious teammates. "I guess I definitely got caught up in it a little bit," said Toews, who got his nickname of "Captain Serious" for his stoic demeanour. Kane added his own flashy play, making a perfect pass to Versteeg for a goalmouth tip-in that made it 3-0 at 16:43. Versteeg ended an 11-game scoring drought by scoring at a third Chicago sports venue, joining Wrigley Field in the 2009 Winter Classic and the United Center. "Just drive the net and put your stick down and you know a guy like Kaner is going to find you when he can," Versteeg said. "It was just a great pass." Neal cut the lead to 3-1 in the third, but Bryan Bickell added his ninth goal at 13:57 before Toews finished the scoring with 2:08 to go. "Theyre a good hockey team and they outplayed us," Crosby said. "They had us trapped in a lot of the game." Corey Crawford had 31 stops for the Blackhawks, who lost forward Marian Hossa to an upper-body injury in the first period. It was unclear when exactly Hossa was injured. He took a hard hit from Penguins forward Craig Adams during Chicagos second power play of the first period. "Hossa might miss some time," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "Well get a better idea probably more on Monday, pretty good idea, but well know more in a couple of days. But not long term." NOTES: Its the Penguins third three-game losing streak of the season. ... The NHLs last outdoor game of the season is Sunday in Vancouver, when the Canucks play the Ottawa Senators in the Heritage Classic at B.C. Place Stadium. Cheap China Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China China NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China ' ' '