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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 the last five years with a goal of 24, and New York City and Orlando will make 21 next season. 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. Wes Martin Womens Jersey .J. -- The New Jersey Devils are so bad in shootouts, coach Pete DeBoer doesnt mind seeing his team take chances in the five-minute overtime. Alex Smith Jersey .com) - Marc Gasol and the Grizzlies withstood 18 Dallas 3-pointers, as Memphis took control in the third quarter and fended off a Mavericks rally en route to a 114-105 win in a Southwest Division showdown. http://www.redskinsrookiestore.com/Redskins-Sean-Taylor-Jersey/ . "I knew it was gone. I mean, I felt it," the 2012 NL Rookie of the Year said. "I havent felt like that in a while. I havent got extension on a ball in a pretty long time. Terry McLaurin Womens Jersey . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. DaRon Payne Womens Jersey . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-1 in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City.FRANKFURT, Germany -- Germany coach Joachim Loew made several surprise inclusions in his preliminary 30-man World Cup squad on Thursday, with established regulars such as Mario Gomez missing out. Loew named relatively unknown players such as Sampdoria defender Shkodran Mustafi, Borussia Dortmund defender Erik Durm, Augsburg attacking midfielder Andre Hahn, Hoffenheim striker Kevin Volland, and Schalke midfielders Max Meyer and Leon Goretzka, 18 and 19 respectively. None have made any appearances for the senior side. Freiburg midfielder Matthias Ginter, who made his debut against Chile in March, was also named. "We need young dynamic players like those who perhaps only recently played themselves into contention. They can inject fresh impetus into the side," said Loew, whose team was booed by its own fans during the lacklustre 1-0 win over Chile. The average age of the side is 24.8 years, and Loew, who was assistant to Jurgen Klinsmann before taking over after the 2006 World Cup, feels he has struck the right balance between youth and experience. "Many players are used to high-pressure situations from playing in the Champions League, they can live with it," Loew said. "Our foreign-based players also profit from establishing themselves abroad. That brings them further on a sporting level. Generally we have a good mix in the squad." Gomez, who has 25 goals in 59 games for Germany, missed out due to a left knee injury after a season blighted by injuries at Fiorentina. "He was injured for seven months, only played 280 minutes since September," Loew said. "So I formed the opinion that he isnt in a position physically to cope with the conditions in Brazil. There was also no place for Borussia Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen or former Germany No. 1 Rene Adler. "We didnt make any decisions against any players but for those who would maximize potential of the squad. Were very sorry for the players who didnt make it," Loew said. Dortmund keeper Roman Weidenfeller and Hannovers Ron-Robert Zieler will deputize for current No. 1 Manuel Neuer of Bayern Munich. Loew said he picked the players based on current form and fitness but made an exception in selecting midfielder Sami Khedira, who has yet to play for Real Madrid since having knee surgery last November. Bayern contributes seven players to the squad, more than any other side, with Dortmund boasting six. Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Toni Kroos and Mario Goetze lead the Bayern contingent, while Marco Reus, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer are among tthe best known Dortmund players.dddddddddddd Arsenal trio Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski were all included. "Behind each of these names is a clear yes," Loew said. "Well have to send some of them home and of course that will lead to disappointment but those players will have contributed to German football and they can be proud of that." Loew has until May 13 to submit a squad of no more than 30 players to FIFA, with the deadline for the final 23-man squad on June 2. Due to the German Cup final between Bayern and Dortmund in Berlin on May 17, Loew named a separate 18-man squad for Tuesdays friendly against Poland in Hamburg with eight first-time call-ups. These included Meyer, Goretzka and Volland, as well as Freiburgs Oliver Sorg and Christian Guenter, Antonio Ruediger of Stuttgart, Christoph Kramer of Moenchengladbach and Wolfsburg attacking midfielder Maximilian Arnold. Four other players were previously called up but have yet to earn their debuts: Mustafi, Hahn, Sebastian Jung of Eintracht Frankfurt and Sebastian Rudy from Hoffenheim. "Its clear to all of us that the team on the pitch in Hamburg wont be the team playing the World Cup in Brazil," Loew said. "We want to look beyond the World Cup. Some of the players can be influential figures in the big tournaments to come." In Brazil, Germany hopes to get off to a good start against Cristiano Ronaldos Portugal, before a reunion with Klinsmann, now in charge of the United States, and another game against Ghana, when half-brothers Kevin-Prince and Jerome Boateng will renew their World Cup rivalry on opposing sides. ------ Squad: Goalkeepers: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Roman Weidenfeller (Borussia Dortmund), Ron-Robert Zieler (Hannover) Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich), Erik Durm (Borussia Dortmund), Kevin Grosskreutz (Borussia Dortmund), Benedikt Hoewedes (Schalke), Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund), Marcell Jansen (Hamburger SV), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Shkodran Mustafi (Sampdoria), Marcel Schmelzer (Borussia Dortmund) Midfielders: Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen), Julian Draxler (Schalke), Matthias Ginter (Freiburg), Leon Goretzka (Schalke), Mario Goetze (Bayern Munich), Andre Hahn (Augsburg), Sami Khedira (Real Madrid), Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich), Max Meyer (Schalke), Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund), Andre Schuerrle (Chelsea), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) Forwards: Miroslav Klose (Lazio), Kevin Volland (Hoffenheim), Lukas Podolski (Arsenal), Thomas Mueller (Bayern Munich) Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys Wholesale NHL Jerseys Wholesale MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Wholesale NCAA Jerseys Wholesale Football Jerseys Wholesale Basketball Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '