TORONTO - Players on the U. Nike Shoes China .S. mens soccer team have thrown their support behind the women fighting against artificial turf at the 2015 Womens World Cup.The U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association issued a statement Monday saying its members fully support the womens national team players from around the world in their efforts to play on natural grass at the 2015 Womens World Cup.We know firsthand the importance of playing the World Cup on natural grass and the ways playing on artificial turf changes the games fundamentals. the statement said. We have all played on artificial turf and we know there are circumstances where it is appropriate or conditions require its use, but the World Cup is not one of those circumstances.To play the Womens World Cup on artificial turf would be a serious mistake.The association represents the U.S. mens national team players on compensation, working conditions and other matters. It also is the membership organization for alumni members of the U.S. mens team.It has no link to the American womens team.A group of elite female players from around the world has launched a legal challenge to the use of turf with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, arguing that it discriminates against women because the men do not play their showcase tournament on artificial surfaces.U.S. star Abby Wambach is one of several American women behind the challenge.FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association have dismissed the claim, saying the laws of the game allow playing on turf as long as it is of a certain quality.Its not as much about the legal challenge. Its about the importance of the World Cup and the Womens World Cup is a World Cup, Mark Levinstein, acting executive director and general counsel of the U.S. National Soccer Team Players Association, said in an interview. And we think its important that whoevers playing in a World Cup, that the World Cup is treated with a certain amount of respect.That the U.S. men support playing on natural grass is not a surprise. But by doing so formally, they have injected themselves into the debate.There is much for the men at stake in this debate too, with FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke saying recently that a mens World Cup could be held on artificial surfaces sooner rather than later.The statement from the U.S. mens team players gives the women another weapon in their arsenal, not to mention another headline. Both sides have taken turns firing salvos in the war of words, with FIFA using its website to strategically release information on its side of the argument.The association representing the U.S. mens team players also weighed in on allegations that FIFA and national associations have pressured women not to join the legal challenge.We support the right of the women players to stand up for what they believe, said the association. No player should ever be threatened with exclusion from their national team, damage to their career, or adverse consequences to their national team or the sport in their country (such as exclusion from the World Cup or damaging their countrys chances of hosting a World Cup) for exercising their legal rights, especially when they are trying to protect the sport, the fans, and their fellow players.The message is simple and unequivocal: the World Cup should not be played on artificial turf and the organizers and the players should work together to schedule the games on grass for the benefit of the sport, the players, and the fans who will be attending and watching this and future Womens World Cups.There seems no immediate solution, with the Canadian Soccer Association rejecting an offer of early mediation from the Human Rights Tribunal of Canada.The CSAs position is because the players claim has no validity, there is need to negotiate. And with the tournament starting in June, time is trickling away although the women say a solution — temporary grass surfaces or use of venues with real grass — could happen on relatively short notice.The Human Rights Tribunal rejected the players bid for an expedited hearing, offering up the early mediation instead and has several other matters on the issue to resolve before a full hearing can take place.The Canadian tournament runs June 6 to July 5 in Moncton, Ottawa, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver.Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Cyber Monday Nike Shoes . - The Minnesota Vikings have ruled Christian Ponder out for Sundays game at Baltimore, because the quarterback has not yet passed all of his post-concussion tests. Cheap Nike Shoes . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. https://www.fakenikeshoeswholesale.com/ . -- Zach Johnson asked his short-iron approach on the par-4 18th to "Do something right, baby.There was a moment during Fridays training session in Obetz, Ohio, where Whitecaps players were doing their “2 in the middle” drill, a fun warm-up exercise they would have performed hundreds of times. As me and some other stragglers were chatting informally with Caps Coach Carl Robinson, an explosive roar came from the group, some of whom were now on the ground laughing. I said to the coach, “Thats a good sound." "Brilliant” he replied. Something special is happening within a group that has representation from all over the world and that varies in age from 20 to 34. Theres a togetherness, despite a language barrier that could easily divide the locker room between the Latin-based players, the younger Americans and the senior pros. Midfield maestro and Designated Player Pedro Morales was in the hotel lobby with a few teammates having a coffee when he remarked on how this might be the best team spirit hes experienced in his career. This is a 10-year pro who was playing in La Liga only a few months ago with Malaga. Prior to Wednesdays Amway Canadian Championships, a game which featured a very young, Canadian heavy squad, all the senior players remained in the locker room right up until kick-off to offer support and encouragement for the youngsters who are likely to replace them one day. Nigel Reo Coker, a veteran of the Barclays Premier League, who played in the Toronto game, teased the armband-wearing Russelll Teibert as the Niagara Falls, Ontario native gave his first captains speech in the huddle. Nike Shoes Outlet. “Speak up, Russ. I cant hear you.” More laughter. More calming of nerves before a team of kids was about to battle a line-up that featured Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Gilberto. The Whitecaps more senior group then followed up the Toronto performance with a solid, cohesive and monstrous away win at Columbus, where 23-year-old Eric Hurtado, in only his fifth MLS start, scored his first MLS goal. It was a moment of individual brilliance, as the sophomore took an ousted clearance off his chest and rolled his defender before turning and unleashing a left-footed blast into the top corner. His celebration was oddly muted, as if hed scored that type of goal a hundred times. But the occasion wasnt lost on his teammates who gathered quickly to mob him. When asked about the goal after, Hurtado immediately acknowledged his colleagues role in the goal and the win. It might be overly simplistic to compare team-building with cooking a dish - you follow a recipe that you think will work and then add certain missing ingredients until it tastes just right. Only, there is no recipe for team-building. While the 2014 edition of the Whitecaps is nowhere near ready to put on top of the table, what is simmering on the stove has a wonderful aroma. Its also creating a healthy appetite for hungry Whitecaps fans. ' ' '