Allgemeines » g. ... I didnt really ski bad." It was Svindals

ATLANTA -- Arthur Blank donned traditional soccer garb to mark his newest venture -- an MLS team for Atlanta. "I love this one," Blank said, looking down at the red, black and gold scarf draped over his dark suit. "I havent taken it off since it was given to me. I may not sleep in it tonight, but I may. I havent decided yet." Major League Soccer announced its latest team Wednesday, an expansion team for Atlanta that will begin play in 2017 at the citys new retractable roof stadium. The team will be owned by Blank, who also controls the NFLs Atlanta Falcons. He said it was the culmination of a process that started about a decade ago, when he first started talks with MLS about bringing a team to the city. The off-and-on discussions picked up again after Blank reached a deal with the city last year to build a new $1 billion downtown stadium next to the soon-to-be-demolished Georgia Dome. He is putting up most of the money, with the city kicking in $200 million from a hotel tax. "I think Atlanta is a natural fit for Major League Soccer," said Blank, who was serenaded by a burgeoning fan group that calls itself "Terminus Legion," a reference to the citys former name. The teams name has not been determined. Blank said he will get input from the fans before deciding on the new moniker, though he already knows the colours: red and black -- matching the Falcons -- with a substantial amount of gold as well. "What the name will be, we really dont know," he said. "We will spend a lot of time listening to our fans and trying to understand why some names are more important than others, why certain designs are more important than others, why certain logos are more important than others." One name that wont be considered: Atlanta Chiefs, the name of two previous teams that played in the old North American Soccer League. While the Chiefs won the first NASL championship in 1968, both versions struggled financially and eventually folded. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said there was no hesitation about putting a team in Atlanta once Blank worked out a stadium deal. It is the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and the biggest without a top-level soccer team. The city has a large Hispanic population and last month drew more than 68,000 fans to the Georgia Dome for a friendly between Mexico and Nigeria. "This is something that will help elevate our league," Garber said. "It will also elevate our sport in the entire Southeast, which is something that is very important to us strategically." The league went all out to tout its newest team. Hundreds of fans turned out for a street festival before Blank and Garber arrived by helicopter for the introductory news conference, touching down on the roof of a downtown hotel overlooked Centennial Olympic Park. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also attended. While the new stadium is primarily designed for the Falcons, Blank stressed that it will be soccer-friendly. The stands along the sideline will have the capability to retract, accommodating the larger soccer pitch while maintaining sightlines. Curtains will descend from the roof automatically to close off the upper sections, creating the sort of intimate atmosphere that works better for less-attended MLS games. The new facility is designed to seat about 71,000 for NFL games, Blank said, but can be reduced to about 29,000 for soccer using only the lower bowl. "There will never be an MLS game in Atlanta where NFL lines are shown on the field," Blank said, drawing a big cheer. MLS, which has 19 teams this season, is expanding rapidly with a goal of having 24 teams by the end of the decade. Orlando and New York City are scheduled to begin play next season, and the league has awarded a provisional team in Miami to a group led by David Beckham, contingent on a soccer-specific stadium being built. The league has added five teams in the past five years, including the hugely successful Seattle Sounders. Garber said there is no worry about growing too fast given the abundance of soccer talent around the world. "When we expand, we can pick from players around the world," Garber said. "We could change the roster rules, the international player limits, and have no dilution in talent." Blank said he will try to encourage some crossover between Falcons season-ticket holders and those interested in attending MLS games. But he acknowledged the teams are likely to have very different fan bases, making it clear the new soccer team will not merely be a side business for the Falcons. His first priority is to hire a team president for the MLS venture. He will also be exploring possible locations for a state-of-the-art training facility. "We dont want any stepchildren in our family," Blank said. "We want to make sure the people running soccer get up in the morning thinking about soccer and go to bed thinking about soccer." Jordan 13 Retro Cheap . The 24-year-old Raley was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA for Chicago in his first two career starts after being called up from Iowa on Aug. 7. He was optioned to Iowa on Monday after losing 3-0 to Cincinnati in Chicago on Sunday. Air Jordan 13 Wholesale" . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. http://www.cheapairjordan13.net/ . 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell. Jordan 13 For Sale Cheap Real . - Olympic champion Marielle Thompson accomplished her mission of defending her skicross World Cup title at Nakiska Ski Area on Saturday. Cheap Air Jordan 13 . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver.BORMIO, Italy -- Canadas Erik Guay was heavily influenced by the Crazy Canucks during his formative years on the slopes. Now hes breaking their records. Guay won World Cup bronze in the downhill on Sunday for his 21st career podium appearance. That broke the Canadian record by Steve Podborski, a member of the Crazy Canucks team in the 1970s and 80s. "Those are the racers I grew up watching and admiring," Guay said. "Its special." Overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal mastered the fresh snow conditions on the Stelvio course to win a downhill for his fourth victory of the Olympic season. The Norwegian clocked one minute 54.08 seconds to finish 0.39 seconds ahead of Hannes Reichelt of Austria. Guay was 0.51 seconds back in third, for a strong follow-up to his downhill victory in Val Gardena a week ago. "On the top it was difficult to be precise because it was soft and you cant push too hard with the edges," Svindal said. "So I just tried to ski the top part really well and then from the San Pietro jump down thats usually where Bormio is decided and that was to my advantage down there." Svindal trailed Guay at every checkpoint but then gained 0.65 seconds over the last few gates. Guay, from Mont-Tremblant, Que., made a slight but costly error, lifting up his left ski to regain his balance after cutting off a turn too sharply. "Maybe I got a little bit greedy on the bottom section trying to cut line and I paid for it," Guay said. Still, Guay has become Svindals top challenger in the speed events. "Im really excited about my skiing at the moment," said Guay, who has had knee surgeries the past two off-seasons. "For the first time I know why Im fast. Its not like it was a lucky shot in Val Gardena." The start of the race was delayed for 40 minutes due to fog and low visibility, and overnight snow provided a much softer surface than during the two training sessions Friday and Saturday. It was also snowing on the top half of the course during the race for early starters. Svindal extended his overall lead ahead of two-time defending champion Marcel Hirscher to 195 points. The Norwegian also leads the downhill standings and is shaping up as the top favourite for the speed events at the Sochi Olymmpics, which start in 40 days.dddddddddddd Svindal won a medal of each colour at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Still, he had never won in Bormio and missed out on victory last season by 0.01 -- the smallest margin possible -- when Reichelt and Dominik Paris of Italy shared the victory. Paris sat out this race as he recovers from a fall in Val Gardena. "Maybe it wasnt as tough this year because it wasnt so icy but from the San Pietro jump down it was still fast and bumpy," Svindal said, referring to the courses biggest jump midway down. "This is a cool race to win." Calgarys Jan Hudec was 14th, Manuel Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., was 21st and Conrad Pridy of Whistler, B.C., was 29th. Robbie Dixon of Whistler was 32nd, Benjamin Thomsen of Invermere, B.C., was 37th and Jeffrey Frisch of Mont-Tremblant was 41st. The top American finisher was Travis Ganong of Squaw Valley, Calif., in 10th, while Bode Miller struggled with the conditions and finished 35th. "When I went it was dumping snow until halfway down," said Miller, who started 10th. "I couldnt see anything. ... I didnt really ski bad." It was Svindals 25th career World Cup win, moving him into sole possession of 11th place on the all-time list. One more victory and hell pull even with Austrian great Franz Klammer for 10th place on the list, which is led by Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark with 86 wins. "I dont really think about that," Svindal said. "Its just fun to be where Ive been the last couple of years, every weekend fighting to win the race. I get to be nervous and excited every weekend." Just as impressive, Svindal became the first skier from outside Austria or Switzerland to win 20 World Cup speed races -- joining a select group that includes Hermann Maier (39 speed wins), Klammer (25 -- all downhill), Stephan Eberharter (24), Peter Mueller (21) and Pirmin Zurbriggen (21). Besides his win last year, Reichelt also won a super-G on the Stelvio in 2008. "Here I know what I have to do to be fast," Reichelt said. Bormio will also host the next mens race on Jan. 6, a Monday night slalom that was moved from Zagreb due to a lack of snow in Croatia. A New Years Day race in Munich was cancelled due to lack of snow. ' ' '