private investment.

From Euro 2012 to the London Olympics and a new Canadian team in Major League Soccer, its been a year filled with some great soccer stories. cheap jerseys . For my final blog of the year, I pick my top five highlights of 2012: 5. Soccer on Parliament Hill The first of my highlights didnt even involve a soccer pitch. I had the opportunity to visit Ottawa for the first time in early May as FIFA announced the host cities for the 2015 Womens World Cup in Canada. It was great to see the nations capital, but also to look around the House of Commons which was the venue for the press conference. That day, it really hit home that Canada has a massive opportunity ahead when the country welcomes the world in 2015. It will be a wonderful time for the game in this country and for the six cities that will host matches, Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. FIFA President Sepp Blatter was in Ottawa for the announcement and I had the chance to interview him for SportsCentre. He has lofty goals for the outcome of the 2015 womens tournament and went as far as to say that it should be a stepping stone towards the country launching a professional womens league. "This is a wonderful opportunity for Canada," said Blatter. "It is a chance for the whole country to present to the World a rendez-vous of the best of the best in womens football. It is not only good for football but for the whole population." Blatter stated that the impact of hosting the Womens World Cup could leave a bigger legacy than the Olympics. He pointed to the fact that the tournament doesnt just centre around one area of the country, instead spreading from coast to coast with venues stretching from Moncton to Vancouver, thereby touching more people on an individual basis. 4. A Sea of Blue Major League Soccer welcomed its third Canadian team in 2012 as Montreal Impact joined Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps. After having the honour of being in the broadcast booth for the Impacts inaugural match in the league at BC Place in early March it was great to be able to call their first MLS goal a week later when Davy Arnaud headed in against Chicago at Olympic Stadium. It was a milestone day for Canadian soccer as almost 60,000 packed into the Big O to welcome Major League Soccer to the city, and although the crowd didnt get to see the home side win, the match was about the occasion rather than the result. After starting in a more central role in the first two games, Sanna Nyassi was moved to the wing midway through the Impacts home opener, and that provided the Gambian with more space in which to utilize his best asset – his pace. It also allowed Davy Arnaud to move into a more advanced central position and those two changes led to Montreals first-ever Major League Soccer goal, when Arnaud headed in Nyassis cross. Unfortunately, the Impact werent able to hold onto the lead and had to settle for a point but despite conceding a levelling goal, the afternoon was a big success for Montreal. Witnessed by a record crowd for a soccer match in the city, they showed improvement from a week earlier, found the net in MLS for the first time and earned the clubs first point. 3. Spain Stands Alone Hosting Euro 2012 on TSN was a lot of fun but it was made even more enjoyable by the high quality, entertaining matches. Spain were worthy Champions and their coach Vicente Del Bosque also goes down in history becoming the only manager to win the World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League. The success at Euro 2012 was a fantastic achievement for him and his team. Theres little doubt Spain saved their best until last. It was incredible to witness the performance they produced in the final to beat Italy 4-0. When it really mattered, the best team on the planet stepped up a gear. To be able to produce such a complete performance with the pressure on in the final of a major tournament was extremely impressive and highlights the true ability of this team. In full stride, they are wonderful to watch and they thoroughly deserved to become the first team to win back-to-back European Championships. At the moment, no-one else comes close. Theres little doubt they are the best team of our generation. 2. Playoff Bound What a difference 12 months makes! After finishing at the bottom of the pile in MLS in their inaugural season in the league, Vancouver Whitecaps qualified for the playoffs in 2012. By doing so, they created soccer history in this country by becoming Canadas first MLS team to make it into the postseason. Having called Whitecaps games through the season and followed their transformation closely under head coach Martin Rennie, it was great to have the opportunity to cover them in the playoffs, even though they didnt manage to make it past their knockout round match against LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center. Vancouvers success in 2012 was tempered by the way in which the Caps stumbled towards the end of the year and major mid-season changes to personnel drew plenty of criticism from fans. They limped over the finish line, but the only thing that should really matter is that they managed to cross it. This is a team that finished last in MLS just 12 months earlier – this year they qualified for the post-season with a game to spare. That is a major achievement. Whitecaps head coach Martin Rennie deserves massive praise for what he managed to achieve in his first season in MLS. Im sure Rennie would acknowledge that along the way he has made some mistakes this year - but thats to be expected with a rookie MLS head coach. Rennie has been charged with laying the foundation for long-term success but also managed to deliver on the Caps number one pre-season priority of qualifying for the playoffs. 1. Olympic Bronze My highlight of 2012, by a long way, was the opportunity to call matches played by Canadas Womens National Team at the London Olympics, including the victory over France to win the bronze medal. It was fantastic to see how the performance from the team throughout the Olympics brought the nation together and having the honour to call that moment in Canadian soccer history was such a privilege and one of the most special moments in my broadcasting career. The country got swept up in soccer fever because of the spirited way in which those players represented our nation and there was a great sense of pride in what they managed to achieve. It was an amazing story after the controversial, heartbreaking way they lost to the United States a few days earlier and the players deserve immense credit for the way they responded. Of course, the match that still sticks out above all others was the heartbreaking semifinal defeat to the United States. It was a match for the ages. A brave, spirited performance from underdogs, denied a famous win in controversial circumstances at one of world soccers most iconic venues. It was one of the most enthralling games you are ever likely to see. A 4-3 defeat to the number one ranked team in the world is certainly no disgrace, but the manner in which the game was lost left the Canadians feeling cheated. Unfortunately, at the time, all the talk about the referees decisions overshadowed an incredible individual display from Christine Sinclair. We shouldnt be surprised. Sinclair is world class and proved it once again during the summer. She is one of the greatest soccer players the womens game has ever seen. She is the ultimate professional and a total team player. It was great to see her receive so many accolades and awards following her performances at the Olympics. Canada coach John Herdman deserves massive credit for the way he got the team playing in the space of a year. He managed to change the mindset of this Canadian team. After finishing the Womens World Cup last year in last place and without a win, Herdman inherited a despondent bunch of players. In a 12 month period he worked just as much on improving the mental aptitude of his squad as any other aspect of their game. A bronze medal was a big success for this team. Now full focus is being placed on building towards Womens World Cup in 2015 to ensure that Canada is able to perform well on home soil. wholesale jerseys . -- Little-used forward Kyle Miller scored a fluke stoppage-time goal in his first start for Sporting Kansas City, salvaging a 1-1 draw against English side Stoke in an international exhibition on Wednesday night. cheap jerseys from china . MARYS, Ont. SEATTLE -- Chris Hansen has a ticket to shop. His list is short: Find an NBA franchise willing to sell and bring professional basketball back to Seattle. Hansen, the investor trying to build a new arena, said Thursday that the league has been closely watching whats taking place in the Pacific Northwest and a renegotiated memorandum of understanding between Hansen and the city council on the proposed arena goes a long way to easing the leagues concerns about Hansens plan. "It means a lot to the NBA," Hansen said. "Theyve been watching very close to what were doing. I think going in they were very skeptical we would get to this point given our history in Seattle. "Its a great win for the city with the league." Hansen spoke at a bar in Seattles Pioneer Square shortly before an event where he invited fans to come celebrate the agreement announced earlier this week and have their first beer on him. While the green-and-gold celebration was just getting under way, a short distance away a council committee was voting to advance the renegotiated agreement to the full city council for a vote that is expected to happen Sept. 24. The agreement must receive full approval from the city council and the King County council. Even some members of the city council showed up at the bar following the committee vote, along with a huge throng of Sonics fans hoping to see the franchise return sooner than later. Hansen cautioned it might not be a quick process and what might be the most difficult task -- team acquisition -- is just beginning. Asked if there could be a franchise in Seattle next year, Hansen didnt want to be overly optimistic. "I think its conceivable, that would be optimistic and that is not an expectation I would not want to set," he said. "I worry that people are expecting us to get this deal done and it be like magic and a team would be here this year. Its like, Poof and weve got a deal done and where is our team? This is a far more difficult process. I think anybody who is intimately familiar with the NBA knows this is a tough next face we have to go through." The revised deal first leaked late Monday night and was announced by a trio of city councilmembers on Tuesday night. Hansen said his phone erupted when the news leaked and he stayed up until 1 a.m. listening to a Seattle sports radio station take phone calls from excited fans. Hansen said the demands of the council pushed him and his investors past the point that they were probably prepared to go financially, but they decided it was in the best interest of the community to drop a few more dollars into the agreement. wholesale nfl jerseys. "In the interest of making this happen and taking a step back and see the big picture it was just really important for us to get this done," Hansen said. The renegotiated deal was met with praise by fans and city officials, but still skepticism from opponents. On Wednesday, opponents to the arena sent a letter to the city stating their concerns about the re-worked agreement. Among those signing the letter was a representative of the Seattle Mariners front office, one of the first public statements by the Mariners opposing the deal. The proposed site of the arena is adjacent to the parking garage across the street from the Mariners home park, Safeco Field. Hansen said there have been repeated efforts to reach out to the Mariners along with Seattles other pro franchises. "About the only comment I would make is the Seahawks and Sounders have engaged with us and are interested in what we are doing, expressed their concerns and are willing to work with us," Hansen said. "We have made a lot of outreach to the Mariners and they are not interested in having a dialogue. You cant reach a point with people if theyre not interested in having the discussion about what it would take to make it happen and make it acceptable for them." The Mariners released a statement later Thursday saying they are encouraged by the city councils requirement of an environmental impact study and reiterated their belief there are better sites for the arena. Hansen has spent more than $50 million purchasing land for the arena. "We look forward to participating in the EIS process, sharing our experience, and helping the city and Mr. Hansen reach the best possible decision. This review will only enhance the arenas chances for success; that is everyones goal," the Mariners said. The revised deal called for Hansens group to increase its reserves on the $490 million project that will include $290 million in private investment. Hansens group will also commit $7 million toward KeyArena and spend $40 million on improving traffic and freight mobility in the area around the stadiums and the nearby Port of Seattle. "We said we would do our share on the transportation side. We would contribute money, we always said we would try and make it better than it was before," Hansen said. "So I think $40 million, plus what we have to put in for SEPA, were hopeful other professional sports organizations will benefit from improved pedestrian access and transit connectivity will have a similar point of view as us and help out." cheap jerseys from china ' ' '