Two clubs used to being in the playoff picture match up Sunday as Sporting Kansas City hosts Columbus Crew with plenty of work ahead.Both squads are on the outside of the playoff picture as it stands with about half the season remaining.Sporting stands in seventh with 22 points, just a point behind the Portland Timbers and the Los Angeles Galaxy who are tied for fifth in the Western Conference, and two points behind the Vancouver Whitecaps, who stand in fourth.The situation is more dire for Columbus, which played in the MLS Cup final last season. The Crew has just 16 points, good for only ninth place in the 10-team Eastern Conference. The Crew stand four points behind sixth-place Orlando City.Sporting is undefeated in its last three MLS matches (1-0-2), thanks in large part to forward Dom Dwyer. He scored both goals in SKCs last league match at Montreal June 25 as SKC salvaged a 2-2 draw. His eight goals lead Sporting and are third in MLS.The Crew are winless in their last three matches (0-1-2) and have just one win in their last eight. Striker Ola Kamara has led the Crew over the last month, scoring five goals in his last four league games. Midfielders Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay have chipped in five assists each for a team that leads MLS in possession.Sporting Kansas City has gone 5-1-1 against Columbus in the last seven regular-season meetings. SKC is 4-1-0 vs. the Crew SC all-time at Childrens Mercy Park, with 11 goals scored and five allowed, including shutout victories in each of the last two visits.Both teams will face injury absences. Sporting KC will be without Chance Myers (hamstring). Paulo Nagamura and Nuno Coelho are questionable with thigh strains. Columbus will be without Federico Higuain (hernia), Gaston Sauro (PCL sprain) and Matt Pacifici (concussion).Air Jordan Discount . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Jordan China . "Trying to breathe," he said with a grin. Bernier stopped 42 of 43 shots on Monday night, including all 22 in a hectic middle frame, his heroic performance propelling the Leafs toward an undue point in their final game before the Christmas break. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . The team also announced Tuesday that the Braves will wear a commemorative patch on the right sleeve during the season. The patch, shaped like home plate, carries the number 715, Aarons autograph and a "40th Anniversary" banner. Air Jordan China . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Air Jordan Outlet .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament.Eighteen teams have assembled in Seattle, Washington, to compete for the greatest prize pool in esports history. The sixth annual International will host the best of the best in Dota 2, and over the course of two weeks, the pool will be whittled down until only one team is left standing to claim the $8 million prize.Its no secret that this years International is anyones game, more so than almost any year before it. The worldwide scene has been strengthened by the addition of the majors, and ranking these teams was a task. Heres our breakdown of where the teams stand on the eve of TI6.1. OGThere is little doubt that OG is at the height of its game. Coming off the teams second major win of the year at Manila, this squad has stuck it out through thick and thin, and has come out a year later as the favorite for the top spot. Both Johan n0tail Sundstein and Amer Miracle- Barqawi have excelled in core positions, but every player on this team is a threat, from supports to captain and cores.2. NewbeeThis top Chinese squad rarely makes an appearance outside of its homeland, usually content to keep its secrets close domestically. This is one of the few squads who can reliably take games off every other team in Seattle. With a veteran like Wong Chuan Hock Chuan on the roster, and Hu Kaka Luangzhi in the captains seat, Newbee will be looking to be the first team to take home the Aegis twice. With the fast, dominant Dota 2 its been playing and the results it puts up at every international event, it would be no surprise to see the team in the grand finals.3. Team LiquidLiquid seems to be the Dota equivalent of always a bridesmaid, never a bride. The European pros have looked strong in every showing, always coming within inches of the title just to be knocked out in the grand finals. Still, this many second-place finishes could mean the team comes into Seattle with a chip on its shoulder. Jesse JerAx Vainikka has become one of the best four-roles in the game, captain and drafter Kuro KuroKy Salehi Takhasomi can work wonders in the pick/bans, and core Lasse MATUMBAMAN Urpalainens wide pool and brutally effective Lycan forces teams to ban or deal with the character. Team Liquid may have been spurned before, but now its primed and ready.4. Wings GamingWings has become the team to watch, and gradually, the team to beat. A lackluster showing at Manila might have shaken the faithful a little, but a promising run through the Chinese qualifiers and a win at The Summit 5 reassured the worried. On the back of incredible players like Chu Shadow Zeyu and the massive hero pools of every player on the team, Wings are the most likely to shake up the meta and knock off complacent contenders.5. MVP.PhoenixMVP.Phoenix will always perform at LANs. The South Korean squad has been holding onto the title of underdog throughout the year, putting up solid finishes at tournament after tournament. A year ago, the story was MVPs miraculous run through TI5. This year, with dual cores Pyo MP No-a and Kim QO Seon-yeob, and an aggressive, consistent playstyle and the rankings this team has put up? MVP could be looking much higher than the middle of the pack.6. LGD GamingAnother Chinese squad that hasnt been as prevalent on the international stage, LGD has shown it can hang with the best with a fourth place finish in Manila. Theres no doubt that Zhang xiao8 Ning, captain of LGD, has the experience and draft know-how to lead the team into a solid placing, and the team will need to put up more solid performances if it wants to ascend beyond the upper-middle of the pool. Right now, this lineup has the talent and intelligence, but needs an extra push to make the breakout performance it needs.7. Natus VincereComing off its first LAN win of the year at the StarLadder grand finals, NaVi is riding high. The fresh, aggressive lineup has come into its own over the course of the year, centered around longtime NaVi mid laner Danil Dendi Ishutin. With former players and new faces on the team, this might actually be the year for fans to exclaim NaVi is back. Natus Vincere is still a dark horse, but perhaps the most promising bet you could make for an upset run for the top.8. Team SecretThe reformed Team Secret, with Kanishka BuLba Sosale in the offlane, put on quite a performance at the recent StarLadder finals. That, combined with a strong run through the EU qualifiers, is enough to at least quiet naysayers who might point to the teams rough outing in Manila. Artour Arteezy Babaev has looked particularly impresssive, using his mid lane Mirana to great effect, but once again, eyes are on Jacky EternaLEnVy Mao to match tempo with Babaev.dddddddddddd. Evil GeniusesClinton Fear Loomis slid back into the carry role with ease, and Saahil UNiVeRsE Arora has fit back in quite naturally with his former teammates. The biggest question remains, though, if this team can get back into TI-shape. A good showing at StarLadder helped ease worries, but the boys in blue are still working uphill against negative expectations. EG wont enter TI with as impressive a resume as last years, but dont count them out either.10. Vici Gaming RebornA few weeks ago, VGR could have been much higher on the list, but a variety of factors have made its standing headed into TI6 a little more shaky. Chief among these issues are the visa problems that have been plaguing Vicis offlaner, Zhou Yang Haiyang. A crucial cog in Reborns machine, Yangs appearance in Seattle is still up in the air. Vici Gaming Reborn has put up impressive performances against the likes of Wings and NaVi, but inconsistency and outside issues could lead to a rough tournament.11. FnaticThe crowd-favorites of SEA are difficult to gauge going into any tournament. The teams results vary, from a solid third place at StarLadder to a seventh/eighth at ESL One Frankfurt, and then back to beating teams like MVP.Phoenix. Look to Yeik MidOne Zheng Nai, who has been a huge playmaker for Fnatic in recent series, to make the big wins happen and pull Fnatic ahead of the pack.12. Digital ChaosIts a testament to the quality of the overall Dota 2 scene that Digital Chaos sits at this spot on our rankings. An American team that has more than a few victories under its belt, DC sports impressive talent and some big potential for upsets. The greatest stumbling block for this team will be in consistency. Digital Chaos can be a real competitor at The International, but finding its stride will be paramount to making it far in the main event.13. TnC GamingThis qualifier squad had an impressive run through the SEA region, taking the top spot over Fnatic to advance straight to The International. TnC is impressive, but also untested. This squad has little experience outside of the SEA region, and will have the most tape to study and prep for.14. AllianceDespite being the same squad that took TI3, this reunited Alliance team cant seem to find good footing. Each majors showing for Alliance has been rough, and despite all the right players being in the right place, a mixture of outplays and coordination issues have frequently led to disappointing results. If the crew can pull it together, a solid run at TI6 could be possible -- but as it stands now, thats a tall order.15. Escape GamingThe most promising of the four wild-card teams, Escape, has some heavy-hitting talent on its side that could put it over for securing a spot at the main event. Adrian Era Kryeziu and the rest are no strangers to competing with the best, and Escape could make a dent in the bracket if it makes it out of the wild-card competition.16. EHOMELike most other Chinese teams, EHOME has little stats to back it up outside of its own region. Despite a fourth place finish at the Frankfurt Major, EHOME fell much lower in the major in Shanghai and failed to qualify for Manila. These five players have competed and played with some of the best in China. In group stage of The International? It gets harder to see EHOME making a solid push into the bracket.17. ComplexityThe American hope in the wild card qualifiers has a rough road ahead. After a tough showing in Manila and a 1-2 exit in ESL One Frankfurt, Complexity has struggled to find the push that put it in fourth at Epicenter. The team recently recruited the help of Alan Nahaz Bester to coach, and cores Rasmus Chessie Blomdin and Linus Limmp Blomdin have had some impressive showings recently. Its a tough road, but Complexity has the tools to make it if everything aligns perfectly.18. ExecrationThe last team on our list has the toughest road ahead, with little international experience and little to show in the way of quality wins. But bigger runs have been built on less at The International, where less tape on a team could mean a significant advantage going in. Theres little reason to suspect it might happen, but its always a joy to be proven wrong and see a team make a name for itself on the big stage in Seattle. ' ' '
