Neues » to rebuild through the draft

TERRIGAL, Australia -- Crystal Palace midfielder Mile Jedinak will lead Australia at the World Cup after getting the nod over Tim Cahill to replace long-term captain Lucas Neill. Australia coach Ange Postecoglou announced the decision Wednesday, five days ahead of the Socceroos last friendly on home soil before the squad leaves for Brazil. The 29-year-old Jedinak was a mainstay for Palace last season, playing every game until he had to be replaced due to a groin strain during the last Premier League match. Jedinak has played 43 times for Australia and was considered a longer-term option than 34-year-old Cahill, the New York Red Bulls star who will be playing at his third World Cup. "It is a privileged position and an accolade he richly deserves after the incredible job he has done at Crystal Palace in the toughest club competition in world football," Postecoglou said. "Mile Jedinak embodies everything that is great about Australian football and Australia as a nation. "He has risen to the top ... and done it the hard way from humble beginnings where he has battled and believed in himself to overcome the odds with an enormous work ethic and passion for what he does. I have no doubt he will lead the team with distinction in Brazil." Postecoglou told the 36-year-old Neill before unveiling the extended 30-man World Cup squad last week that he wasnt in the Socceroos future plans. Jedinak, who played in a defeat to Germany in 2010 in his only previous World Cup match, will be only the fourth Australian to lead the Socceroos at footballs marquee tournament, following Peter Wilson (1974), Mark Viduka (2006) and Neill (2010). Cahill and Mark Bresciano, who is also going to his third World Cup, were appointed as vice-captains. Jedinak led Australia for the first time during a 4-3 loss to Ecuador in a friendly in London in March. "To be handed the responsibility of captaining my country at the World Cup is humbling, yet incredibly exciting," Jedinak said. "It is an honour to be named captain but it is also a huge responsibility and I look forward to providing leadership for the team along with Tim and Mark as we take on some of the biggest nations in world football." Australia plays South Africa in a friendly on Monday before leaving for South America. The Australians were drawn into a difficult Group B with defending champion Spain, 2010 runner-up Netherlands and Chile and are considered long shots to advance to the knockout stages in Brazil. Postecoglou said Jedinaks lead-from-the-front mentality was crucial to the selection. "Hes led a group of players and a team in the English Premier League that many had written off. A lot of those characteristics apply to us right now and I know that when we get to Brazil and face up to the challenges we need to face up to, Mile and Timmy and Mark will be leading from the front," he said. "Ive challenged these guys as well to have their best World Cup ever." China Shoes 2020 . The Blue Jackets announced the injury through their official Twitter account Friday afternoon. Gaborik, 31, has scored five goals and six assists in 17 games with the Blue Jackets in 2013-14. Wholesale Shoes Authentic . -- The road to the Masters got off to a bumpy start Sunday for Tiger Woods when he withdrew from the Honda Classic with what he said was a lower back injury. http://www.wholesaleshoesusa.com/. The ninth-seeded Safarova doused Swede Johanna Larsson 6-2, 6-3 on the green clay at Family Circle Tennis Center. The Czech player was a finalist here two years ago and captured back-to-back doubles titles in 2012 and last year. Fake Shoes 2020 .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday. Cheap Nike Shoes From China .200. His solution to his hitting woes was business in the front and a party in the back."That would be a mullet," Norris says. PHILADELPHIA -- The 76ers have a catchy anthem they play at every home game, a decades-old tune with a chorus the fans belt out: "1-2-3-4-5-Sixers." Now, they can count all the way to 19. The Sixers losing streak goes on, and a dubious franchise-tying skid is just a defeat away. Paul George scored 25 points and David West had 18 to help the Indiana Pacers beat Philadelphia 101-94 on Friday night, sending the 76ers to their 19th straight loss. With a loss to Memphis on Saturday, the Sixers can tie the franchise record for consecutive defeats in a single season. The Sixers lost 20 straight games from Jan. 9, 1973-Feb. 11, 1973 in a 9-73 season. The NBA record for consecutive losses in a season is 26 set by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers. "We need every break we can get if we are going to beat a team," first-year coach Brett Brown said. The Sixers last won on Jan. 29 on Evan Turners buzzer-beater at Boston. Turner was traded to the Pacers at the Feb. 20 deadline and is now a key reserve on a team expected to make a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Pacers boast Turner, Lavoy Allen and Andrew Bynum, all former Sixers who were expected to turn the franchise into contenders last season. When that plan backfired, the Sixers decided to rebuild, cleaning house of most of their rotation players and set their aim on the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 draft. Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 25 points on 10 of 31 shooting and had 10 assists. Unlike the 76ers, the Pacers have tons of talent and the top spot in the East. They raced to a 17-point lead in the first half, then held off a spirited run by the Sixers that saw the lead sliced to five midway through the fourth. The Sixers came up empty on five straight possessions before Young hit two free throws to make it 87-84. Young, the longest-tenured Sixers player, made it 93-90 on a jumper that put them on the brink of ending their losing skid. George, though, hit a tough, driving layup and George Hill buried a baseline 3-pointer for an eight-point cushion, and the Pacers averted the upset. "This game could have easily been a blowout-type of game," George said. "Youve got to give them credit, they kept battling." The PPacers are happy to have the ex-Sixers trio aboard, strengthening a bench that needed some offensive punch.ddddddddddddBynum sat out Friday night to rest his achy knees, the same ailment that cost him all of last season with the Sixers. Hundreds of fans turned out to the National Constitution Center for Bynums public press conference after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in an August 2012 trade. He was supposed to be the missing piece for a franchise coming off a run to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Bynum was a bust, the first string pulled in the unraveling of a franchise. Bynum had eight points and 10 rebounds in a win Tuesday against Boston -- his first game in nearly 2 1/2 months. "I finally got on the court with him," Turner said. "It was like the 80th-something attempt since I met him. Im glad hes halfway healthy. Had he played (in Philly), we probably would have still been rocking." Bynum wants to be a factor in the post-season, so hell rest against teams like the Sixers. "I need to get game minutes, obviously," said Bynum, Indianas 7-foot centre. "But I dont want to miss four or five consecutive days. The whole point is to stay around and play as many games as possible." Allen scored a season-high 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting and Turner had two points. Hill had 14 points and Lance Stephenson had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers. Indiana was 39 of 67 from the floor compared to Philadelphias 35 of 90. "I think were playing some pretty good basketball," George said. Turner, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2010 draft, earned a video tribute and a smattering of applause when he checked into the game. Turner was never a difference maker for the Sixers, and his failure to make a significant impact could serve as a scary reminder that team president/general manager Sam Hinkies plan to rebuild through the draft could hit some significant potholes. "Youve got to have a plan," Turner said, "and to do that in Philly takes guts." And a whole lot of losses. Notes: The 76ers signed G Darius Johnson-Odom to a 10-day contract. They also waived G Lorenzo Brown. ... Bynum hopes to play Saturday when the Pacers are at Detroit. ' ' '