Johnny Cash » a 2-0 deficit in Game 2 that deficit with seven

The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has told FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association it has a week to respond to a bid by a group of elite players for an expedited hearing on whether using artificial turf at the 2015 Womens World Cup is discriminatory.The tribunal, after the Oct. 9 deadline for responses, may still deny the players request for a fast-tracked hearing. But the players lawyer applauded the tribunals move, made just one day after the legal brief was filed.It is past time for CSA and FIFA to acknowledge that singling out women for artificial turf at the World Cup is a mistake and to work with the players on ways to fix it, lawyer Hampton Dellinger said in a statement Thursday.But if CSA and FIFA are determined to litigate against their tournaments own players, we hope they will not seek to delay or duck a decision on the merits of whether they are discriminating on the basis of sex against female athletes.The Human Rights Tribunal also asked the CSA and FIFA to file their response to the players complaint by Nov. 6.Earlier in the day, Dellinger told a media conference call that installing real grass pitches for the tournament slated for next summer in Canada was affordable and the right thing to do.The lawyer said it would cost $2 million to $3 million at most.This has been done before. It is a drop in the bucket in terms of FIFAs coffers, Dellinger said. Canada is one of the richest nations on earth. This is completely economically feasible. The players, who include reigning FIFA player of the year Nadine Angerer of Germany and U.S. womens national team forward Abby Wambach, claim that playing their showcase tournament on artificial grass amounts to gender discrimination under Canadian law. Men have always played the World Cup on natural grass surfaces.Lead Canadian lawyer David Wright called it a clear-cut case of discrimination.FIFA and the CSA (Canadian Soccer Association) are treating women differently than they treat men, he said.Canadian players are not part of the lawsuit, although Dellinger says a number have already spoken out on grass being their preferred surface.Carrie Serwetnyk, a former Canadian national team player and the first woman inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame, spoke out strongly Thursday.Its incredible were holding the World Cup but its a real shame that we cant step up to put on the best tournament thats worthy of the female athlete, she said. I think its like asking an Olympic athlete to Just go run on that cinder track. No big deal, you can still run fast there, right?As a citizen, I expect more from my country, she added.The players filed their brief Wednesday, detailing the facts and law in support of the discrimination claim, as well as the motion to expedite the proceedings.Our lawyers will be reviewing any and all applications or information related to this, the CSA said in a statement Wednesday. We will refrain from any comment until there has been a thorough review.FIFA, meanwhile, appears unwilling to reconsider the tournament playing surface.We play on artificial turf and theres no Plan B, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs head of womens competitions, told The Canadian Press on Tuesday as she started an inspection tour of the World Cup venues.Dellinger said the women had been misled by the CSA and FIFA on their willingness to use grass at the tournament. He cited a FIFA survey of players, taken at the 2013 Algarve Cup, on grass versus turf at major events with the clear indication to the players that this was going to dictate what they would do ultimately for the 2105 World Cup.The players were overwhelming in their opinion that major tournaments should be played on grass. And yet FIFA didnt do a thing, the Canadian Soccer Association didnt do a thing. They didnt even tell the players they werent going to do anything.Dellinger called it really astounding that FIFA and CSA world turn their backs on the players and urged them to work together to solve the issue.The players, their attorneys just want this fixed ... Lets get this out of court and get the focus back on the pitch, he said.The players brief suggests that tournament venues in Vancouver (B.C. Place Stadium), Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium), Ottawa (TD Place Stadium) and Winnipeg (Investors Group Field) replace their turf with permanent or temporary grass pitches.Games at Olympic Stadium in Montreal should be moved to Saputo Stadium, which has real grass, or a temporary grass surface could be installed. The brief also calls for a temporary grass surface at Moncton Stadium. It also suggests that games could be moved to Torontos BMO Field, which has a natural grass surface.Ive played on artificial turf, especially now in Vancouver (where the tournament final will be played) and the risk to get injured is very, very high there, Angerer said on the conference call.Secondly I think it totally changes the game. Its not fair why our game should be changed.Added Spanish midfielder-forward Veronica Boquete: Especially in a tournament where you play every three days, the recovery after playing on a turf field is not the same with being on grass. ... We just want to have the best field to be able to do our best and to show the best that womens soccer has.The women say they want to play at the tournament and have not thought of boycotting the event. Boquete says its up to FIFA and the CSA to listen and do something about it.Serwetnyk said women would play on a field of glass and nails at the World Cup.Theyre so spirited and dedicated and mentally tough. And thats the problem. We just know women would step up a€” OK, well artificial field, sure, well do that. Glass, OK. Nails, well do that a€” because they love the game.The CSA and FIFA are getting away with putting the players on artificial turf and they know they cant do that with the men. Men would boycott it. It would just not happen. So theyre putting them (the women) in an unfortunate position where of course theyre going to show and play. And thats not the kind of tournament we want to have for the World Cup. Serwetnyk, who started an Equal Play organization two years ago to focus on inequity in sport, says she has paid the price for speaking out.Ive had a backlash from it, she said.Thats why current Canadian players have not joined the lawsuit.The CSA is their boss, she said. And so I think its easier for players from other countries to express their feelings. She also noted the Canadian men rank 120th in the world, wondering if the CSA mentality of playing on turf helps explain why the team is so low.The rest of the world would agree that grass is the best and only surface for such a high-level competition and thats what we should be giving the best women around the world.The Canadian women are ranked No. 8.Dellinger turf versus grass an explosive issue in soccer.FIFA rules stipulate that matches can be played on artificial turf if special dispensation is granted, as it was in Canadas case. The regulations also state that all matches in a tournament must be played on the same surface.Lawyers for the women said the fact that FIFA rules allow for playing on artificial turf that meets specified standards does not impact their lawsuit.Dellinger said all past mens and womens World Cups have been played on grass. And Wright noted that the CSA had ensured that the mens team played its World Cup qualifying games on grass not turf.Lawyers have asked for a Nov. 26 hearing on their case. The World Cup starts June 6, 2015.---Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Air Max Norge Nettbutikk .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Kjøpe Air Max . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. http://www.airmaxnorge.com/ . But last years runner-up Jarkko Nieminen crashed out despite winning the first set against Denis Istomin. Istomin fired 10 aces and won 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2 to even his career record against Nieminen at 3-3. Billige Air Max På Nett . So far, so good: Gonzalez has allowed one run through 12 innings this season. His second start came Tuesday night, when he gave up only three singles over six innings to lead the Nationals to a 5-0 victory over the Miami Marlins. Air Max Salg . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations.SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Now that the Los Angeles Kings have made it halfway to a historic comeback, the task actually seems even more difficult now that they know how close they are. Jonathan Quick made 30 saves to shut out San Jose for the fourth time in his career in the post-season and the Kings staved off elimination for a second straight game by beating the Sharks 3-0 on Saturday night in Game 5 of their first-round series. "If anything, it seems a little more daunting because we came this far to get two, now we need to take two more," defenceman Drew Doughty said. "It puts more pressure on us because we can kind of smell it. We cant get ahead of ourselves. We have a lot of work ahead of us." Tyler Toffoli, Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter scored for the Kings, who have rebounded after losing the first three games of the series. Quick allowed 16 goals in those losses, but once again is starting to look like the goalie who stymied the Sharks in a second-round series a year ago. Antti Niemi allowed three goals on 19 shots and got pulled for the second straight game for the Sharks. Perhaps more importantly, San Jose also lost star defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic to an upper-body injury after he was elbowed in the head by Jarret Stoll late in the first period. "We did a lot of good things for 3 1/2 games. Tonight was red rotten," coach Todd McLellan said. "Thats simply put. When we started the series, we talked about leaving games behind, closing the book on it. Theres no doubt well look at it. We have to improve. But its put in the bank and well move on." They may have to do it without Vlasic. He is questionable for Game 6 on Monday night in Los Angeles as the Kings are looking to become just the fourth NHL team to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series. They finally broke through in San Jose after losing five playoff games here the past two seasons and 12 of 13 games here overall. But they will need to win here again to complete the comeback as Game 7 will be in San Jose on Wednesday, if necessary. The Kings came out looking like a desperate team and dominated from the start against the listless Sharks, who were unable to feed off the energy from a frenzied crowd hoping to see a fierce rival get eliminated. "We had a good start,"; Quick said.dddddddddddd "We got a few shifts and we just tried to keep building on it. They came with a lot, too. They had a big pushback. Its not easy to win against this team. Theyre a great team for a reason." Los Angeles controlled the game on the ice, the shot clock and the scoreboard to take a 2-0 lead in the first period and mostly silence the crowd. The Kings opened the scoring when Tanner Pearson outraced Vlasic to a loose puck and fed a rushing Toffoli, who patiently skated around James Sheppard and beat Niemi with a shot from the slot to make it 1-0. The Kings made it 2-0 shortly after Joe Thornton was unable to bat a cross-ice pass from Brent Burns into an empty net. That fueled a 3-on-2 rush the other way and Kopitar knocked in a rebound of Dustin Browns shot. "Usually, we have really fast starts in this building and that wasnt the case tonight," Thornton said. "They started faster than us. Really, its a rarity around here. We just have to have better starts. Thats the bottom line." The Sharks responded to a 2-0 deficit in Game 2 that deficit with seven straight goals, but it was quickly clear that would not repeat when Carter banked a shot off Brad Stuarts skate for a power-play goal 22 seconds into the second period to end Niemis night. Alex Stalock came in and stopped 22 shots, but it was too late to save the Sharks in this game although it could make McLellan consider starting him in Game 6. "Well have to make some decisions throughout our lineup at every position because we werent obviously near good enough tonight," McLellan said. San Jose finally showed some life late in the second period, but by then Quick was on his game, robbing Brent Burns with a pad save on the power play late in the period. "I thought tonight was probably our best defensive game so far this series," Doughty said. "We dont want Quicky to have to stand on his head every night. We want to play well in front of him. We want to do things to make it a little easier for him. I thought we did that tonight but when he was called upon he was huge." NOTES: Niemi has been pulled four times in 38 playoff starts for San Jose, all against Los Angeles. ... Carter has points in nine straight playoff games dating to last season. ' ' '