will be to make it, Vieira said, ... but when you have a facility like this, you give

SAO PAULO - Landon Donovan says the United States will head to the World Cup with its most experienced group of players, giving the Americans a "real chance" to do well at this years tournament. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . As the U.S. finishes a week-and-a-half training camp in the host country, Donovan said American players have enough confidence and experience to confront more traditional World Cup teams heading into a first round that includes matches against Germany, Portugal and Ghana. "I think the experience that we have now far exceeds the experience that we ever had with any team, and that lines up to give us a real chance," Donovan said Thursday. "We are confident in how we play. We are confident in what we do. Our guys have had enough experiences against all of these players, against teams like Ghana, Portugal, Germany. ... We feel confident that we can get results against them, and thats a nice feeling going into a World Cup." The U.S. opens against Ghana on June 16, plays Cristiano Ronaldos Portugal six days later and closes the group stage against Germany on June 26. The Americans will be playing in their seventh straight World Cup, and Donovan is heading to his fourth. "Theres never been competition for places like there is in our team now," the midfielder said during a news conference. "You can really make a case for probably 35 or 40 guys to be a part of a 23-man roster, and thats never been the case. Its really up for grabs in a lot of positions, and that in itself obviously creates competition, which makes the team better." Donovan, who turns 32 in March, said the U.S. team is more respected by opponents. "The reason its the group of death is because we are in it," he said. "In the past, it would have been a relatively easier group for Germany or Ghana or Portugal because they had us in it. But now, because we are in it, it makes it one of the most difficult groups in the tournament." Donovan said the first goal remains to reach the knockout stage of the 32-nation tournament. "Our expectations, like most teams, are to get out of the group," he said. "We are aware that we have a difficult group, but the expectation is that we can do it and we are going to try to get out of our group, just like most teams in this World Cup. That is the objective. That is the goal. But we feel good about where we are at." German coach Jurgen Klinsmann brought 26 players to this training camp get acclimated to the teams World Cup base in South Americas biggest city. The team, mostly with players from Major League Soccer, will play an exhibition against South Korea on Feb. 1 at Carson, Calif. "Weve been very lucky to have two weeks here in Sao Paulo," Donovan said. "Its been very nice to have a couple of weeks to adapt to what its going to be like this summer. When we come back we have a comfort level. We know the people, the club, the training facilities. It makes it a lot easier. You get a feeling for what its like here, and it helps a lot." Klinsmann is expected to visit the Arena da Amazonia on Friday in the jungle city of Manaus, where the U.S. will play Portugal. Basketball Shoes Sale . As a follow-up, TSN.ca offers you the opportunity to chime in on all the big issues with our insiders. Read up on all the questions and answers, and put in your own two cents on our popular Your Call feature. Basketball Shoes 2020 . Venable and Jeremy Hermida drove in three runs apiece, and the Padres beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 on Sunday to snap a nine-game losing streak. https://www.cheapbasketballshoesstore.com/ . While hell be dialed in to that tournament on a course he loves, you can forgive him if his eyes glance down the calendar just a bit, towards April.MANCHESTER, England - Six years into their reign and Manchester Citys ambitious Abu Dhabi owners continue to change the landscape of English soccer.Initially, it was about short-term success, spending more than $1 billion on the squad to move a plucky, underachieving club out of the giant shadow of its city rival Manchester United to the top of the English game. With two Premier League titles and two domestic cups since 2011, that box has been ticked.Now for the next phase.On Monday, the English champions officially opened their lavish $300 million training and player-development centre — the City Football Academy. A muddy wasteland with no opportunities in a neglected area has been regenerated into a sprawling, 80-acre state-of-the-art campus.Connected to the clubs Etihad Stadium by a bridge, it houses all of Citys teams — from the under 8s to Manuel Pellegrinis senior side — has 16 1/2 pitches, a 7,000-capacity stadium for the Citys top youth team along with educational facilities and accommodation.Forget the recent signings of superstars Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and David Silva. City says this facility is the clubs most important investment — and unlike anything English football has ever seen.In a rare public appearance, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said Monday the academy aimed to be something that would truly differentiate the club as a leader in the world of football, representing the first stage of fulfilling a promise made when the Abu Dhabi United Group took over in 2008.Inspiration was taken from AC Milans Milanello training facility, Barcelonas famed La Masia academy from which Lionel Messi is the most famous graduate, the Australian Institute of Sport and NBA team New York Knicks MSG Training Center, among others. It isnt, though, a copy-and-paste job, says academy director Brian Marwood.There are some special touches. Sleep experts designed thhe players bedrooms, there are rooms for cryotherapy and a hypoxic chamber with treadmills where players can train in different temperatures. Discount Basketball Shoes. (You want) the club that will give you the best chance, former France midfielder Patrick Vieira, who is the head of Citys Elite Development squad, said Monday about attracting the worlds best youngsters. Because at that age, you dream about being a first-team player. I think when you look at these facilities, that will be an easy choice.United may have something to say about that.Still the biggest club in England, United has a track record of bringing youngsters through the youth teams and into the first team. Recently hired Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, despite spending $250 million pounds on top, mostly foreign players over the summer, appears intent on continuing that tradition.During Citys recent rise to the top, home-grown players have hardly had a look-in. To many, that needs to change if the new training academy is to be considered a success.We know how difficult it will be to make it, Vieira said, ... but when you have a facility like this, you give yourself the chance.Marwood pointed to the fact that City had two teenagers on the bench in the recent league match at Sunderland, and that 18-year-old Spaniard Jose Pozo played nearly an hour of Saturdays 1-0 win over Everton. Twelve players under the age of 21 are currently out on loan.Sheikh Mansour, Citys owner, said in 2008 that the clubs leaders are building a structure for the future, not just a team of all-stars. The demands of UEFAs Financial Fair Play rules make that a necessity.Understandably, Vieira didnt want to give a timeframe about when he thought the first academy product would make it into Citys top team.But given his winning mentality as a player and the ambitions of Citys owners, expect it to happen sooner rather than later. ' ' '