Dein erstes Forum » harder ones. Hopefully we avoid them, said Herdman

LONDON – The numbers dont look promising for Milos Raonic when it comes to his semi-final showdown against Roger Federer at Wimbledon. Gene Shue Jersey . Consider the following: * Federer has won 17 grand slam titles, including seven at the All England Club. Raonic, meanwhile, is playing in his first ever slam semifinal. * Raonic has lost seven straight matches against top-four players dating back to 2012. Federer is currently ranked No. 4. * Raonic has never beaten Federer in four tries and the most recent match, at the 2013 Australian Open, ended in straight sets. That was their only previous encounter at a slam. * Federer is the most successful active player on grass with a 130-18 career record and 14 titles. Before this tournament, Raonic had never made it past the second round at Wimbledon and had a sub-.500 record on grass. * Federer has never lost a Wimbledon semifinal in eight previous appearances. Did we mention Raonic has never played in any slam semifinal? So, it seems pretty bleak for the 23-year-old, right? Not so according to Raonic, who is aiming to become the first Canadian man to ever make a major final. Heres what he had to say when asked about facing Federer on a court where hes had the most success in his career - a career that may go down as the best ever. "Im going to step out there and Im not playing the seven-time Wimbledon champion. Im not playing a 32-year-old man. Im not playing the father of two sets of twins, which is a very low possibility bet to do. Im not playing the guy thats won whatever hes won, which I could probably list quite vividly. Im playing a guy that is standing in my way of what I want to achieve, and Ive got to focus on everything thats there, on the situation, how best to deal with it to give myself the best possibilities to achieve what I want." Raonic understands how big a win could be for him on Friday. It could be a career-defining moment. "It can be if I get the job done. I focus on what I need to do. Everything else is a ripple effect. Everything else is a reason. I have to create the cause for it by playing good tennis and giving myself the possibility to win." As for those four previous losses to Federer? "Hes gotten the better of me all four times, but I havent played him in more than a year, a year and a bit, so I think Im a different player," Raonic said. "Ive got in close with him in the past. Ive found a lot of those things [that will help me] sort of pull away. That gives me a lot of belief that I can do this. "So theres no point to talk about it. Ive got to step up and do it." Louis King Jersey . Speaking on Leafs Lunch with Bryan Hayes and Jamie McLennan on Thursday, Bernier said it was "very hard" at times being entrenched behind Jonathan Quick and is now excited at the prospect of getting an opportunity to compete with Reimer for the top spot with the Leafs. M. L. Carr Jersey . Ibrahimovic put PSG ahead when he got in front of his marker to neatly flick in Lucass cross in the 59th minute. New signing Yohan Cabaye came on as a second-half substitute and headed Ezequiel Lavezzis cross against the post in the 87th. Moments later, Lucas set up another goal from the right when fellow countryman Alex turned in his corner with a strikers finish. https://www.cheappistonsonline.com/516y-eddie-miles-jersey-pistons.html . The 21-year-old Wickham headed Sunderland into a 26th-minute lead --to add to the double he scored at Manchester City and his strike in last weekends win at Chelsea -- and then sealed the win with a late header.OTTAWA - FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke has rubbished a legal challenge over the use of artificial surfaces at next years Womens World Cup in Canada, saying anyone who says playing on turf is discriminatory is talking nonsense.The French executive took square aim at the rebel faction of players and their lawyers, who have been banging the drum for months over having to play their showcase tournament on artificial turf.The world governing body of soccer, which admittedly has had other fires to fight recently, had largely limited its turf response to articles on its website, including an Oct. 29 interview with a diplomatic Valcke. But on Friday, the secretary-general came out swinging.If anyone is saying that the use of the artificial pitch is a question of discrimination, its nonsense. Its completely crazy to say that, Valcke told a news conference on the eve of Saturdays tournament draw.It has nothing to do with discrimination. I cant imagine that no one would recognize what FIFA has done for the development of womens football over the last 15 years. We have asked all of our members associations to invest in womens football ... We have created new competitions and we are working on a potential new competition at the club level (a womens Club World Cup).We are every day trying to develop womens football around the world.A group of elite female players has filed a legal challenge with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, saying making women play on artificial turf is discriminatory because men play their showcase tournament on natural grass.The issue has dominated headlines, taking away some of the shine of a 52-game tournament that organizers ambitiously hope will draw 1.5 million spectators from June 6 to July 5.Hampton Dellinger, lead lawyer for the women challenging the turf, responded to Valckes comments by saying that the legal team that prepared the human rights complaint was completely lucid.The facts we put in our legal complaint make out a very compelling case of sex discrimination, he said in an interview from the U.S.Victor Montagliani, president of the Canadian Soccer Association and the tournament organizing committee, said the focus on the pitch has been mildly annoying.If I said I wasnt a little bit (frustrated), sure Id probably be lying, he said. But my frustrations not very high. Because to be honest with you, the conduct (of those challenging the turf) has been nothing short of what I call a little bit ridiculous. I can respect peoples opinions, I respect peoples comments. But also being a Canadian, I respect the process. And so they chose a (legal) arena to go into. And its still in that arena and I have to respect that. But they need to respect that as well. Captain Christine Sinclair, the lone player expected at the draw, and her fellow Canadian players have stayed clear of the turf brouhaha.I understand what theyre standing up for, she said of the players behind the legal challenge. Its not really an issue for me. Im preparing to play in a World Cup and thats what my focus is on. Ill let other players and other teams worry about issues outside the actual games.Valcke had promised an open dialogue at the draw. But, despite the fact only Sinclair is expeected Saturday, he rejected an offer to speak to the rebel players via conference call. Richard Hamilton Jersey. Asked about that, Valcke said he would talk with players in person but not on the phone — and he would not talk to lawyers.I am ready to discuss with all the players, with all the technical teams, with all the coaches. But face to face. And thats what Im ready to do .. Im ready to travel to wherever I have to travel to do that.Dellinger welcomed those words, saying they mark a step forward in making the Womens World Cup truly world-class.But the truth ultimately will be on the pitch, he added, referring to the type of playing surface.Four of the first five questions at the news conference were on the turf issues. But the following five touched other topics.Valcke confirmed that goal-line technology will be used at the womens tournament in Canada. And the prize money will be raised by US$5 million to $15 million, with the winner earning $2 million.Those were two issues raised by the lawyers for the rebel players, eager to point the finger at other differences between the mens and womens world championships.Germany, as winner of the mens World Cup this summer, earned $35 million. Total prize money for the mens event was $476 million.Valcke noted that the mens tournament, which made $4.5 billion this summer, finances all of FIFAs 20 world tournaments. And that the womens event was a relative new one — starting in 1991 — compared to the mens championship, which began in 1930.In a statement that may set the Canadians mens team on edge, Valcke congratulated Canada as perhaps the only one of FIFAs 209 member associations that is spending more money on womens soccer than men.The CSA would, no doubt, respond that its budget for the men and women shifts depending on what tournaments are nearest on the landscape.Still, the Canadian men are currently ranked 122nd in the world and have only ever been to one World Cup, in 1986. This marks the Canadian womens sixth trip to the World Cup in seven attempts.Saturdays draw at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., comes six months before the tournament kickoff. It will slot the 24 teams into six groups headed by host Canada (ranked eighth in the world by FIFA) and seeds Brazil (No. 6), France (No. 4), Germany (No. 2), Japan (No. 3) and the United States (No. 1).Canada will be in Pool A, playing its first two round-robin games in Edmonton and the third in Montreal. The rest will be determined at the draw.More draw details were released Friday, giving Canadas John Herdman and the other 23 coaches expected to attend Saturdays gala a sense of what to expect.There are four pots, with six teams in each.A worst-case scenario could see Canada drawn with Sweden (No. 5) or England (No. 7), Asian runner-up Australia (No. 10) and African champion Nigeria (seen as far better than its No. 35 ranking would suggest).A more friendly landscape would see Canada with Switzerland (No. 18), Thailand (No. 30) and Ivory Coast (No. 64).Herdman suggested the group of death starts with the European teams awaiting in Pot 4No easy games. But there are some harder ones. Hopefully we avoid them, said Herdman with a laugh.---Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '