also think that Minneapolis-St. Paul has tremendous potential

SOCHI, Russia -- Canada will send 54 athletes to Sochi for next months Paralympic Games. The Canadian Paralympic Committee announced the team for the March 7-16 Games on Wednesday. Canada will compete in every Paralympic sport contested, including sledge hockey, wheelchair curling, para-alpine skiing, para-snowboard, para-Nordic skiing and biathlon. Canadas team includes five guides for athletes with a visual impairment, including Erik Carleton, who will try to help Brian McKeever of Canmore, Alta., add to his collection of 10 Paralympic medals. Other Canadian athletes include three-time Paralympian Robbi Weldon of Thunder Bay, Ont., who competed in cycling at the 2012 London Games, and three-time Paralympians Billy Bridges of Summerside, P.E.I., and Graeme Murray of Gravenhurst, Ont., of the mens sledge hockey team. Alpine skier Chris Williamson of Toronto, who has won 105 World Cup medals and three Paralympic medals, will also compete in his fourth Paralympics. Canadas goal is to finish top three in the gold-medal count, which was achieved at the 2010 Games in Vancouver with 10 gold among the 19 won. Canada sent 220 athletes to the Olympics in Sochi and brought home 25 medals (10 gold, 10 silver, 5 bronze). Approximately 575 athletes from 45 countries will compete at the Sochi Paralympics. Rudy Gobert Jersey . - Ronda Rousey realizes shes finishing up one of the biggest years for any fighter in the young history of mixed martial arts at UFC 168, and the UFCs bantamweight champion intends to go out on top. Cheap NBA Jerseys . Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. http://www.cheapjazzjerseys.com/?tag=che...stockton-jersey. -- DeMarcus Cousins had 25 points and 16 rebounds to help the Sacramento Kings snap a seven-game losing streak by defeating the Chicago Bulls 99-70 on Monday night. Jae Crowder Jersey . You can catch all of the action LIVE on TSN2 at 6pm et/3pm pt. The Heat reached that mark Saturday night when they ruined the Philadelphia 76ers home opener. Dante Exum Jersey . -- Conor Casey scored two goals, his first of the season, as the Philadelphia Union beat Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday night.MINNEAPOLIS - The Super Bowl has been secured. Now the Minnesota Vikings have set their sights on soccer. With construction underway on their new stadium, the Vikings have intensified their pursuit of a Major League Soccer franchise for the NFL facility that team owners designed in hopes of accommodating both sports. Co-owner Mark Wilf met this week with MLS officials, the latest dialogue between the two parties. The Vikings also announced a partnership with promoter Relevent Sports, a major player in the soccer world that is helping sell an international tournament game between two European teams to be played at the University of Minnesota in August. "We like to go to new markets," Revelant Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano said Wednesday. "It seems like wherever we go an MLS team follows, and I think its a good thing." Most MLS teams, 15 of the current 19, play in soccer-specific stadiums for around 20,000 fans in a more intimate setting, but the Vikings have been touting their plan to classily cover the upper bowl of their new venue and reduce capacity from 65,000 to between 20,000 and 25,000. The translucent roof and five pivoting glass doors on the front of the building -- plus seats and suites close to the action -- give the facility a more vibrant feel. "Theres a real opportunity there, and we really have a lot of respect and admiration for the ownership group," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said earlier this year. Atlanta will begin play in 2017 at that citys new retractable roof NFL stadium to be built for the Falcons, whose owner Arthur Blank acquired the soccer club. Plans there will convert the 71,000-seat football facility to a soccer capacity of 29,000 by only using the lower bowl. With the regular season starting in March and the MLS Cup held in December, a roof would be ideal for a team in Minnesota. When Sporting KC won the championship game outside last year, the game-time temperature in Kansas City was 22 degrees with a wind chill of 12 that plummeted as the sun set. The MLS has added five teams in thhe last five years with a goal of 24, and New York City and Orlando will make 21 next season.dddddddddddd Miami has also granted a franchise to former star David Beckham, contingent on a soccer-specific stadium being built there. That only leaves one spot left, and Garber said earlier this year Sacramento, California, San Antonio and San Diego are also under consideration. MLS executive vice-president for communications Dan Courtemanche said theres no specific deadline for awarding the next franchise. "There is no shortage of demand for future MLS expansion teams, and many markets and potential ownership groups have contacted the league office to inquire," he said. Criteria for MLS expansion include a committed local viable ownership group with a comprehensive stadium plan it controls, in an appropriate market attractive to sponsors and television networks with a history of strong fan support. The Twin Cities area currently has a team, Minnesota United FC, in the North American Soccer League, a level below the MLS. "We think our stadium is the perfect fit for MLS. We also think that Minneapolis-St. Paul has tremendous potential for MLS," Vikings vice-president for public affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley said. The legislation authorizing funding for the stadium included a five-year window from the opening during which the Wilfs have exclusive rights to bring an MLS franchise to the venue. That doesnt mean another group couldnt beat them to it at another site. Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire, the former CEO of United Health Group, has been linked with Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad as potential partners in an MLS franchise. But that would require money for and construction of yet another new sports facility in a crowded market. Vikings officials will use the Aug. 2 match between Manchester City FC and Olympiacos FC, part of the Guinness Cup tournament, as an opportunity to gain more knowledge of and grassroots support for the sport. About 20,000 tickets have been sold so far, Stillitano said. ' ' '