SEATTLE -- Erik Friberg had to be a Manchester United fan growing up in Sweden. His father, a die-hard United supporter, wouldnt have it any other way. So consider Peter Friberg the slightest bit torn come Wednesday night when his son takes the field for the Seattle Sounders FC against Manchester United in an exhibition on the Red Devils American tour. Its the only exhibition game this season for Seattle, but Man U adds another notch to the notoriety the young Sounders have created in Major League Soccer. In its inaugural season, the Sounders hosted Chelsea and FC Barcelona in exhibitions. Last year, it was Argentinas Boca Juniors highlighting the docket. Now comes the richest franchise in the world. "Its been my team since I was a little kid," said Friberg, Seattles first-year midfielder. "Its my favourite team. "Its a big game to me to play." Friberg isnt alone in considering Wednesday night a marquee opportunity. Only two members of Seattles current roster -- goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder Mauro Rosales -- have ever gotten the chance to play against Manchester United. Keller is the only one to play a competitive match against the Red Devils during his lengthy career in Europe, his fondest memory being a 1-0 shutout of Man U while playing for Leicester City at Old Trafford in January 1998. But Keller is the exception. Servando Carrasco spent most of this week talking about the performance of girlfriend Alex Morgan for the U.S. in the Womens World Cup, but was also relishing the chance to see the field against Man U. "To be able to compare yourself with the best players in the world is a great opportunity for all of us, especially us young players," Carrasco said. Even Seattle coach Sigi Schmid, whos held various coaching spots on different U.S. national teams, was excited at the chance to coach against Sir Alex Ferguson. "Its an honour and a privilege certainly. Ive been an admirer of his for a long time," Schmid said. Itll be a mishmash of lineups for both sides as Seattle is wrapping up a hectic stretch of four matches in less than two weeks, while Wednesday night is just Man Us second preseason match after a 4-1 win over New England last week. Across all competitions, Seattles unbeaten in its last 11 matches and surged into second place in the MLS Western Conference. Keller, likely making his final appearance against a European side, would simply like to see how well his teammates can compete and not be concerned with the final score. "Can we defend well as a team, can we make it difficult for them? Thats what Im looking for, not thinking a result. Theyre going to make a lot of changes, were going to make a lot of changes. Its not set up for a result," Keller said. "Im sure Alex (Ferguson) is telling them Dont lose. "Thats their mentality coming into this game. You guys are played a lot more than they are, youre expected to go get the result now go get it. " This is Man Us third trip to Seattle, but the time spent in the Pacific Northwest this time is serving as the bulk of its training on the American tour. The six days in the Northwest is the longest stint in one place during Man Us tour all leading up to its Premier League opener Aug. 14 at West Bromwich Albion. The Red Devils used the Seattle Seahawks vacant practice facility -- thanks to the NFL lockout -- on the shores of Lake Washington for the majority of their training and included a brief trip south to Portland, Ore., for a day of practice. Ferguson said the focus of their training in Seattle centred on their speed of play. "It gives us a good idea of how the strength of the MLS is now. Its improving, theres no question about that," Ferguson said. "Itll be a tough game for us. But we need that. We need to be stretched." United also welcomed new goalkeeper David de Gea, who joined the team Sunday night. De Gea is coming over from Atletico Madrid and will compete with Anders Lindegaard for the starting spot after the retirement of Man U keeper Edwin van der Sar. "Every season we go about it the same way," Man U winger Nani said. "Every player has to be ready to start the season. "Im happy with the players weve got. It is fantastic group." From Seattle, the Red Devils head to Chicago for an exhibition Saturday night against the Fire. Theyll play the MLS all-stars at Red Bulls Arena on Wednesday and close out their American tour with a rematch of Mays Champions League final against FC Barcelona outside Washington. But the experience in Seattle might be a little different than what United has found in their past U.S. visits. About 65,000 are expected for the match, and the majority will be in the green and blue of Seattle -- with a smattering of red throughout the stadium. "Im sure theres going to be some red in there and some Man U fans in there, but our fans are going to come out in droves as well," Schmid said. "Its a soccer celebration for our fans. Its a soccer celebration for them to be able to see the quality of players that Man United has and the international stars that they have. "For us, its a privilege, but on the same token, the team wants to play well." Carolina Panthers Josh Norman Jersey . Last week in Baltimore, Dixon called for race director Beaux Barfield to be fired following a second consecutive frustrating race that affected his championship chances. Earlier this week, the New Zealand driver said he expected to be fined. Carolina Panthers Kony Ealy Jersey . -- Think of it as power couples instead of Fred Couples. http://www.thepantherslockroom.com/women-michael-oher-jersey/ . The 35-year-old from West Vancouver, B.C., broke her wrist in training Jan. 28 and required surgery to repair the compound fracture. Carolina Panthers Jersey . -- Just when it appeared Kyle Busch couldnt be any stronger in a Nationwide Series race, he broke the record for most laps led on a 1. Womens Bene Benwikere Jersey .J. -- One trip into the end zone wasnt enough for Plaxico Burress.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - North Dakota State football has been the story of the decade in the FCS, but in 2014 the Bison have had some sharing to do within their Missouri Valley Football Conference. Illinois State earned a share of the Valley title alongside NDSU and, although both programs didnt meet in the regular season, they will square off in the FCS championship game on Jan. 10 in Frisco, Texas - the first time the two national finalists are members of the same FCS conference. Heres a Top 10 countdown of a memorable 2014 across the FCS, dominated by you-know-what conference: 10. FBS Wins Cut in Half - FCS teams posted a record 16 wins over FBS programs in 2013, but the number was only eight this year. One of the highlights was North Dakota State claiming a win over the FBS for the fifth year in a row, 34-14 at Iowa State on Aug. 30. Also, Yale was a rare host to an FBS program, celebrating the 100th anniversary season of its Yale Bowl by defeating Army, 49-43, in overtime on running back Tyler Vargas fifth touchdown on Sept. 27. 9. Defensive Ends Everywhere - A defensive end, North Dakota State senior Kyle Emanuel, won the 20th annual Buck Buchanan Award as the outstanding defensive player in the FCS, and the talent at the position was better than at any other one in the nation. Any All-American team left off countless worthy candidates. The Sports Network FCS All-America first team included defensive ends Emanuel, Chattanoogas Davis Tull and Montanas Zack Wagenmann. 8. New Hampshire No. 1 - While qualifying for the FCS playoffs for an 11th consecutive season, New Hampshire grabbed the No. 1 ranking for the first time since the 2006 season. The Wildcats, under Eddie Robinson Award winner Sean McDonnell, went unbeaten in the CAA Football and captured a school-record 12 straight games before falling to Illinois State in the national semifinals on Dec. 20. 7. Conference Favorites Rule - Surprise champions and title contenders are an annual staple across the FCS, but the preseason favorites were in control in 2014. Out of 13 conferences, 11 favorites captured at least a share of its conference title: Eastern Washington (Big Sky), Coastal Carolina (Big South), New Hampshire (CAA), Bethune-Cookman (MEAC), North Dakota State (Missouri Valley), Sacred Heart (Northeast), Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley), Fordham (Patriot), San Diego (Pioneer), Chattanooga (Southern) and Southeastern Louisiana (Southland). Southern reached the SWAC championship game, leaving only Princeton to fall flat in the Ivy League. 6. Grambling Revival - First-year coach Broderick Fobbs turned around the fortunes of Grambling State, his alma mater, a year after a turbulent season in which there was three different coaches in charge, the players staged a six- day walkout in protest of conditions in the program and refused to travel to a game at Jackson State - forcing the Southwestern Athletic Conference program into a forfeit - and the Tigers won only one game for a second consecutive season. Under Fobbs, the historically black national power won its first seven SWAC games and nearly reached the conference championship game in a 7-5 campaign. 5. Year of the Quarterbacks ... - Sure, its a quarterbacks game today, but the Walter Payton Award has really come to belong to the quarterbacks. The count of winners was once nine running backs, seven quarterbacks and one wide receiver. But Villanova ssignal caller John Robertson claiming the 28th annual award - the Heisman of the FCS - marked the 11th straight win by a quarterback.dddddddddddd Also invited to the Payton announcement were two other QBs, runner-up Vernon Adams Jr. of Eastern Washington and third-place finisher Justin Arias of Idaho State. 4. ... Or (More Likely) Year of the Running Backs - South Dakota State senior Zach Zenners romp over Montana State in a snowy playoff game highlighted his third straight season of surpassing 2,000 rushing yards - a first in NCAA Division I. Thanks greatly to his amazing three-peat, there has been two 2,000-yard rushers in each of the past three FCS seasons (Illinois State junior Marshaun Coprich is the other back to do so this season and North Dakota State senior John Crockett could make it a trio). Before 2012, there was only one such season with multiple 2,000-yard backs. Three FCS running backs - Towsons Terrance West (Cleveland Browns), Georgia Southerns Jerick McKinnon (Minnesota Vikings) and Coastal Carolinas Lorenzo Taliaferro (Baltimore Ravens) were selected in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft in May and had an impact along with undrafted rookie Isaiah Crowell (Cleveland) from Alabama State. 3. Bison, Bison and More Bison - North Dakota State is a known brand not just in the FCS but in all of college football (just ask ESPNs College GameDay). The Bison opened the year by becoming the second program to win a third straight FCS championship, routing Towson, 35-7, in the final. Chris Klieman took the coaching reins from Craig Bohl and his program never let up, extending a nearly 25-month winning streak to an FCS-record 33 games before it lost to Northern Iowa on Nov. 8. With a 14-1 record, the Bison are headed back to Frisco, Texas, to try to win an unprecedented fourth straight title. 2. Coaching Carousel - The head coaching changes for 2014 got a head start late last year and it wasnt pretty. An unsettling 28 of the 124 FCS programs - a whopping 22.6 percent - had new head coaches this season. The big successes included Fobbs (Grambling State), Klieman (North Dakota State), Greg Gattuso (Albany), John Grass (Jacksonville State), Everett Withers (James Madison), Lee Hull (Morgan State), Jody Sears (Sacramento State), K.C. Keeler (Sam Houston State) and Clint Conque (Central Arkansas). The big-name changes after this season included former Nebraska coach Bo Pelini stepping into a ready-to-go situation at Youngstown State, Brian Jenkins leaving Bethune-Cookman for Alabama State and Bob Stitt replacing the retiring Mick Delaney at Montana. 1. Valley Boys - The Missouri Valley Football Conference basically lapped the field in remaining the nations best FCS conference. With co-champions Illinois State and North Dakota State set to square off in the national championship game, the Missouri Valley is the first conference to have both national finalists (national playoffs began in the 1978 season). Valley teams went 30-2 against non-conference opponents - losing only to Top 10 teams - and the conference tied the FCS record with five playoff qualifiers. Indiana State, Northern Iowa and South Dakota State also participated in the playoffs, while Youngstown State ended the regular season ranked in the Top 25 despite not reaching the postseason. The only team to beat either Illinois State or NDSU is Northern Iowa. Its been pure dominance out of the Valley. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys from china ' ' '
Post: http://forum-feminin.xooit.org/t21257-orth-Dakota-State-Greg.htm