Dein erstes Forum » Calum Mallace and Sinisa Ubiparipovi

CHAPECO, Brazil -- For the players on the humble Brazilian club from an out-of-the-way city known for its agribusiness plants, these were going to be the games of their lives.Chapecoense was having the best season in its 43-year history, heading to the first of two matches in the final of the Copa Sudamericana, the continents No. 2 club tournament. The once-downtrodden club and its itinerant players were enjoying the heights of soccer glory.It all ended suddenly late Monday night on a muddy Colombian hillside. Their chartered aircraft crashed south of Medellin, killing 71 of the 77 people aboard, including most of the team. Three players were among the survivors.The tragedy stunned the southern city of Chapeco and its 200,000 residents, and fans gathered in silence Tuesday to mourn outside the teams small green-and-white concrete stadium.The city is very quiet, businessman Cecilio Hans said. People will only believe once the bodies start to arrive.On social media, haunting last photos showed the smiling players boarding the flight to Colombia for the first of two matches against Atletico Nacional.In one photo, the team celebrated a last-minute save by goalkeeper Danilo only a week ago against Argentine club San Lorenzo. The save guaranteed Chapecoense a spot in the final -- and ultimately cost Danilo his life in the crash.Now I wish he would have conceded that goal, said 17-year-old fan Rubens Vieira.The club, known as Chape, was in the midst of a remarkable run. As recently as 2009, the club was playing in Brazils fourth division, but it won promotion to the top league in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s.Victories over San Lorenzo and Independente -- two of Argentinas fiercest squads -- as well as Colombian club Junior took the team to the Copa Sudamericana finals, the equivalent of the UEFA Europa League tournament.On Sunday, Chapecoense nearly defeated famed Sao Paulo club Palmeiras, which won 1-0 to claim its first Brazilian league title in decades. Chape had gained admirers for its stout play against Palmeiras, and everything was set for Wednesdays showdown in Colombia. The second match was to be a week later in Brazil.Hans remembered that about a decade ago, this club nearly disappeared. Then businessmen started to help.Few of the players had an international profile, and none had any appearances with Brazils glitzy national team or time with top European clubs. Most had played all over Brazil and Latin America. A few like Cleber Santana had reached Europe, playing with Atletico Madrid from 2007-10.Chape strikers Bruno Rangel and Kempes, both 34, were among the top scorers in the Brazilian league, with 10 and nine goals, respectively.The only players to survive were goalkeeper Jakson Follmann, defender H?lio Zampier, commonly known as Neto, and defender-midfielder Alan Ruschel.Part of Chapes recent rise was due to coach Caio Junior, who joined the club this year after guiding teams in the Middle East. Born Luiz Carlos Saroli, he coached numerous Brazilian teams, including Palmeiras, Flamengo and Botafogo.He was among the dead. But his son, Matheus Saroli, survived, saying in a Facebook post that he missed the flight because I forgot my passport.An Argentine player on the club, Alejandro Martinuccio, also missed the flight because of an injury during a game, he told Argentinas La Red radio.I feel deep sadness. The only thing I can ask is prayers for the companions who were on the flight, he said.Psychologist Sonia Smaniotto said she came to the stadium in Chapeco at 7 a.m. to help counsel bereaved fans.This is horrible for the city, but it will be even worse for the families, she said. Each burial will be the burial of a hero because those families of footballers are built around their careers. These families were hoping to be on the top of the world. Now theyve lost the center of their lives.Also among the dead were 20 sports journalists, including Mario Sergio Pontes de Paiva, a former player who worked as a commentator for Fox Sports. He played briefly for Brazils national team in the early 1980s and had a long career as a midfielder and coach with many Brazilian clubs. He last coached Brazilian club Internacional in 2009 and Ceara in 2010.This is a very, very sad day for football, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. At this difficult time our thoughts are with the victims, their families and friends.Brazilian President Michel Temer is declaring three days of official mourning, soccer great Pele called it a tragic loss, and Brazilian champion Palmeiras asked the countrys football confederation for permission to wear Chapecoenses jersey in its last match of the season.Around the world, the sport paused to remember the victims.Barcelona and Real Madrid have held a minute of silence before their practice sessions. Frances top two leagues said there would be a minutes silence at Tuesday nights games, and defending League One champion Paris Saint-Germain also tweeted a photo of its players and staff standing in silent tribute.Medellin-based Atletico Nacional said it was asking the South American soccer confederation to give the Copa Sudamericana title to Chape as a tribute to the players who died.In addition, some of Brazils top clubs said they want to give players to Chape on a free loan for the 2017 season. They also say the club should not be relegated to the second division for three years as it recovers from the disaster.The dream is not over. We will fight back when its time, said Chapes acting club president Gelson Della Costa.Now its time to take care of the families, he said.---Wade reported from Rio de Janeiro. Ray Allen Jersey .H. -- Matt Kenseth made it 2 for 2 in the Chase, holding off teammate Kyle Busch to win Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Supersonics Jerseys Throwabck . 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Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night.MONTREAL -- The Montreal Impact hope a pair of major signings show their intent to win Major League Soccer championships now and in the future. After inking a second designated player in Argentine midfielder Hernan Bernardello, the club boosted its central defence Friday with the acquisition of Wigan Athletic defender Adrian Lopez of Spain. Neither will be ready to play against Eastern Conference leader Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night, but the Impact are counting on the two 26-year-olds to add skill and experience for the MLS playoff run and the CONCACAF Champions League. You can see the Impact face Kansas City on TSN2 and TSN Mobile TV beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. "These two players will be key for this year and for the future," said sporting director Nick De Santis. "They both played at the top level in Spain and England and they are very motivated to come to the Impact and to MLS." The Impact (9-5-5) are second in the conference despite a five-game winless run. They are four points behind Kansas City (10-5-6), but hold two games in hand. Sporting has won three in a row and is undefeated in six games, but its last loss was a 2-1 setback to Montreal in Kansas City on June 17. There has been bad blood between the teams this season. Coach Marco Schallibaum was ejected at half time of that game for stepping onto the field. He had also been suspended after a 2-0 loss in Kansas City in March. The Impact will have their first designated player, striker Marco Di Vaio, back in the lineup. His finishing was missed in a 0-0 draw with Dallas last week while he was attending to a family matter in Italy. Kansas City is missing its two central defenders, as Matt Besler is with the U.S. national squad while Aurelien Collin is serving a one-game suspension. "They are two good players, but the others have done good work," said Schallibaum. "They won their last match. "When a player gets a chance to show what he can do hes very motivated. Its a good team and theyre not in first place by chance." Schallibaum said it should take Bernardello and Lopez a week to 10 days of training with the team before they will play in a match. The Impact have been questioned for recruiting older stars from Europe like 37-year-olds Di Vaio and Alessandro Nesta, or 34-year-old Matteo Ferrari. The two newcomers are in the prime of their careers. De Santis said the older players have helped set a high standard and brought credibility to the team, but now the focus is on high quality players who will help in the long term. "To have two 26-years-olds in key positions, in the spine of the team, that can be the future of the team, wwere extremely proud, happy and excited," he said.dddddddddddd It had to boost hopes in the dressing room as well that ownership opened the purse strings to bring in some talent and experience. "Its important that were able to bring players of a certain level and a certain age," said president and owner Joey Saputo. "These are players that can be here a while and can augment the level of the league. "That were able to do it is great. For the longest time, teams like L.A. and New York have brought in great players, so theres no reason we cant do the same." Both players hope to stay in Montreal long term, rather than to bide time before signing with a European club. Bernardellos arrival will likely allow Patrice Bernier to move into a more offensive role, although it may bump another defensive midfielder, Collen Warner, down the depth chart. Two other midfielders, Calum Mallace and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, had earlier been loaned to Minnesota of the NASL. The lanky Lopez allows Schallibaum to give Nesta and Ferrari some rest with a busy schedule in the next three months. De Santis has compared Bernardellos style of play to hard man Gennaro Gattuso, whose fierce tackling was a staple on AC Milan and Italy squads in the 1990s. Bernardello, who played three years with Almaria in Spains top division, plays a defensive midfield position, recovering balls and launching the attack. "He puts a lot of passion and emotion into every game," said De Santis. "He covers a lot of ground. Hes the link between the defence and the offence." Lopez, from Spain, played with Deportivo de La Coruna in La Liga and in the English Premier League with 2013 FA Cup winner Wigan. "I came to MLS to stay in MLS," said Lopez. "Im not thinking about going back to Europe because I think the product in MLS is going to be amazing. "In my point of view, in three years MLS is going to be a top league, so Im looking forward to staying here to be part of that project to become one of the best leagues in the world." Both will need time to find their conditioning and to adapt. Di Vaio joined Montreal midway through last season and struggled in his first month or two. "Its train hard and, when you have to play a match, try your best," added Lopez. "Its always the same, whether its the middle of the season or the start." The Impact needed help in the central defence because Colombian Nelson Rivas bad knee has been slow to heal. He has yet to play this season. To maintain their 11 roster spots for foreign players, Rivas and Maximiliano Rodriguez were placed on injured reserve this week. ' ' '