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ATLANTA -- Arthur Blank donned traditional soccer garb to mark his newest venture -- an MLS team for Atlanta. "I love this one," Blank said, looking down at the red, black and gold scarf draped over his dark suit. "I havent taken it off since it was given to me. I may not sleep in it tonight, but I may. I havent decided yet." Major League Soccer announced its latest team Wednesday, an expansion team for Atlanta that will begin play in 2017 at the citys new retractable roof stadium. The team will be owned by Blank, who also controls the NFLs Atlanta Falcons. He said it was the culmination of a process that started about a decade ago, when he first started talks with MLS about bringing a team to the city. The off-and-on discussions picked up again after Blank reached a deal with the city last year to build a new $1 billion downtown stadium next to the soon-to-be-demolished Georgia Dome. He is putting up most of the money, with the city kicking in $200 million from a hotel tax. "I think Atlanta is a natural fit for Major League Soccer," said Blank, who was serenaded by a burgeoning fan group that calls itself "Terminus Legion," a reference to the citys former name. The teams name has not been determined. Blank said he will get input from the fans before deciding on the new moniker, though he already knows the colours: red and black -- matching the Falcons -- with a substantial amount of gold as well. "What the name will be, we really dont know," he said. "We will spend a lot of time listening to our fans and trying to understand why some names are more important than others, why certain designs are more important than others, why certain logos are more important than others." One name that wont be considered: Atlanta Chiefs, the name of two previous teams that played in the old North American Soccer League. While the Chiefs won the first NASL championship in 1968, both versions struggled financially and eventually folded. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said there was no hesitation about putting a team in Atlanta once Blank worked out a stadium deal. It is the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and the biggest without a top-level soccer team. The city has a large Hispanic population and last month drew more than 68,000 fans to the Georgia Dome for a friendly between Mexico and Nigeria. "This is something that will help elevate our league," Garber said. "It will also elevate our sport in the entire Southeast, which is something that is very important to us strategically." The league went all out to tout its newest team. Hundreds of fans turned out for a street festival before Blank and Garber arrived by helicopter for the introductory news conference, touching down on the roof of a downtown hotel overlooked Centennial Olympic Park. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also attended. While the new stadium is primarily designed for the Falcons, Blank stressed that it will be soccer-friendly. The stands along the sideline will have the capability to retract, accommodating the larger soccer pitch while maintaining sightlines. Curtains will descend from the roof automatically to close off the upper sections, creating the sort of intimate atmosphere that works better for less-attended MLS games. The new facility is designed to seat about 71,000 for NFL games, Blank said, but can be reduced to about 29,000 for soccer using only the lower bowl. "There will never be an MLS game in Atlanta where NFL lines are shown on the field," Blank said, drawing a big cheer. MLS, which has 19 teams this season, is expanding rapidly with a goal of having 24 teams by the end of the decade. Orlando and New York City are scheduled to begin play next season, and the league has awarded a provisional team in Miami to a group led by David Beckham, contingent on a soccer-specific stadium being built. The league has added five teams in the past five years, including the hugely successful Seattle Sounders. Garber said there is no worry about growing too fast given the abundance of soccer talent around the world. "When we expand, we can pick from players around the world," Garber said. "We could change the roster rules, the international player limits, and have no dilution in talent." Blank said he will try to encourage some crossover between Falcons season-ticket holders and those interested in attending MLS games. But he acknowledged the teams are likely to have very different fan bases, making it clear the new soccer team will not merely be a side business for the Falcons. His first priority is to hire a team president for the MLS venture. He will also be exploring possible locations for a state-of-the-art training facility. "We dont want any stepchildren in our family," Blank said. "We want to make sure the people running soccer get up in the morning thinking about soccer and go to bed thinking about soccer." Greg Little Youth Jersey .com) - Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard notched a win, while second-seeded two-time champion Ana Ivanovic, third- seeded Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova and fifth seed Sabine Lisicki all exited the draw at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis event. Curtis Samuel Panthers Jersey . -- Colin Kaepernick insists he just happened to pull on a pair of socks with dollar bill prints all over them Wednesday morning -- before he learned he had struck a new fortune with the San Francisco 49ers. http://www.thepanthersofficialstore.com/...thers-jersey/.C. -- The Carolina Panthers announced Thursday theyve signed free agent wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery to a two-year contract, helping rebuild a depleted wide receiving corps. Donte Jackson Jersey . - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning. Christian McCaffrey Womens Jersey . Not only that, when Julian de Guzman first stepped on the pitch for Deportivo de la Coruna he became the very first Canadian to play in Spains top tier.BARCELONA, Spain -- Barcelona conceded a second goal to Getafe forward Angel Lafita in injury time to stumble to a deflating 2-2 draw at home on Saturday, dealing a major blow to its hopes of repeating as Spanish league champion. Lionel Messi volleyed in Dani Alves pass for his 28th league goal this season in the 23rd minute, only for Lafita to level after a rare attack for Getafe in the 37th. Substitute Cesc Fabregas appeared to put Barcelona back on track when he initiated a move that ended with Alexis Sanchez scoring in the 67th. But Barcelonas brittle defence again betrayed it in the final moments when Lafita charged in to head home Jaime Gavilans cross and grab a draw that silenced the Camp Nou. Out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey, Barcelonas chances of defending its domestic crown are fading fast. The Catalan club was left three points behind Atletico Madrid before the leader visits Levante on Sunday. There are two more rounds after this weekend. Real Madrid trails Atletico by six points but has a game in hand. Despite still being mathematically alive, Barcelona appears to have given up the title. "This hasnt been a good season, nor is this the way we wanted it to end," Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said. "The responsibility lies with the manager. Our expectation was to stay in it as long as we could. We did so until today. If we havent been able to beat a team fighting to stay up, then we dont deserve to be champions." Barcelona has been sub-par in the second half of the season. After dropping just four points through the first 18 league games under Martino, it has dropped 18 points in the last 18 rounds. Martino, who is widely expected to be fired, added, "Sometimes you dont think its necessary to ask for a second chance because you dont deserve one." Elsewhere, Celta Vigo won 2-0 at Osasuna, Elche won 1-0 at Malaga, and Valladolid edged Espanyol 1-0 as it tries to escape the relegation zone. Barcelonas first home game since former coach Tito Vilanovas death last week from throat cancer ffeatured a commemorative video, an enormous banner with the message "Tito, Always Eternal," and a minutes silence before kickoff.dddddddddddd. Barring slipups by Atletico and Madrid, Barcelona wont win a major title for the first time since the 2007-08 season, before former coach Pep Guardiola took over with Vilanova as his assistant. Vilanova led the team to the league title last year in his only season as coach. Barcelona dominated the outclassed Getafe for the first 80 minutes, but its lack of scoring touch cost the host dearly. Lafita converted two of Getafes three scoring opportunities, while Pedro Rodriguez and Alexis were particularly off target for a Barcelona side that generated a plethora of empty shots. Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said the players were the "only ones" to blame. "We have committed mistakes that are not befitting players who want to play in this league. We wont win any titles this year, and I hope that serves the team in years to come." Getafe rested one point above the relegation zone. In Pamplona, Manuel "Nolito" Agudo scored his third brace in as many games for Celta. He struck first in the 20th with an exquisite chip shot and followed that by driving in a cross from an angle in the 34th. Celta climbed into eighth place while Osasuna was left level on points with Valladolid and clinging to safety. Elche moved four points above the drop after winning at Malaga thanks to Garry Rodrigues goal in the 11th. Elche had two players shown direct red cards. Reserve goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez was booked for coming off the bench to argue with Malagas players in the 68th, and defender Alberto Botia was sent off in the 82nd for kicking the ball into a prone Malaga player after a foul. Valladolid defender Antonio Rukavina scored in the 20th and Espanyol was never able to mount a comeback, with Luis "Pizzi" Afonso dismissed with a second yellow card in the 72nd. Valladolid striker Manucho injured his leg in the second half and had to carted off. ' ' '