leverage because they owned his rights, but Troubas absence and an injury to defenseman Tyler | Forum

Remember when Team Great Britains Steph Houghton scored a goal to beat Brazil 1-0 at Wembley Stadium during the 2012 Olympics, in front of the largest crowd for a womens international match in Britain? Or when England battled its way to a bronze medal in the 2015 Womens World Cup? Are you looking forward to seeing the best of British womens soccer in Rio this summer?Well, youll be disappointed. Cheap Yankees Jerseys . Because the 2012 Team GB was a one-off.In fact, none of the soccer teams from the four countries in the U.K. -- England, Scotland and Wales (which make up Great Britain), and Northern Ireland -- will be competing at the Games this summer. And the reason is more complicated than just qualifying or not qualifying.Previously, Team GB soccer was composed of athletes from the U.K. (the so-called home nations), all of which have their own football associations (FA). Each association has its own voting rights at the international level, a degree of independence thats closely guarded by all of the associations. They fear losing their seats at the top tables if they joined forces for any competition -- that if they compete as Team GB once, they will be made to compete as Team GB in every single tournament.For the London Olympic Games in 2012, the associations reached a compromise. As the Games host nation, the U.K. was eligible to enter a soccer team by right, instead of by qualification. The English Football Association allowed a womens soccer team to compete under the GB banner and put the then-England manager Hope Powell in charge. Officially, players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were also eligible for selection to this super team.In practice, it was a touch more complicated. Powell called up a squad that was almost entirely English -- players with whom she was already familiar. She added into the mix Ifeoma Dieke, a Scotland defender, and Kim Little, a then-22-year-old Scottish player who had been lighting up the Arsenal midfield.In a phone interview, Little said she knew that people within the Scottish FA were not happy about their players joining the Team GB squad. Still, she said she never considered turning down the call-up from Powell, adding that playing in the Olympic Games would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.In the 2012 Olympics, the team made it out of group play before losing 0-2 in the quarterfinals. Afterward, Powell talked about how she wanted the team to continue, and a few months later, the English FA announced that it would be very happy to carry on coordinating a Team GB for future Games.Their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were not so keen, and FIFA declared that all four nations would have to agree to allow the Team GB experiment to continue.They didnt.So despite the fact that England technically qualified for the 2016 Olympics after its third-place finish at the Womens World Cup, there will be no British representation on the Brazilian pitches in Rio. (The English wanted to compete as Team GB, but without the aforementioned agreement by the three other nations, FIFA said no.)It is disappointing, but I think we knew that four years ago was going to be a one-off, Rachel Yankey, the Arsenal, England and 2012 Team GB winger, said in a phone interview. She said the squad then had secretly hoped that it could sway the intransigent governing bodies by impressing them with their performances, and they felt extremely sad that they had not managed that.We had the opportunity four years ago. We went out there, we played well, we proved to a lot of people that we deserved to be on that stage and possibly should have done better, but this ones out of our control, she said. We cant be disappointed that were not there, because theres not a lot, as players, that we can do about that.Gemma Fay, the Scotland captain who has led her country to the brink of Euro 2017 qualification, said shes in favor of a Team GB soccer roster, but not at the cost of losing each home nations unique identity.I think first and foremost everybody wants to represent their home nation -- in the U.K., thats Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England, she said in a phone interview. With Team GB, it was quite a unique thing, once in a lifetime. I understand why it was in the last Olympics, we accepted a home place. I can understand also not to put it in [Rio].For other sports, Team GB operates in different ways. Some sports are governed by a British association, so for Olympic competitions such as swimming, gymnastics, golf, etc., there will be a Team GB participating in Rio. And in rugby sevens, for example, if one of the home nations qualifies for the Olympics, that team represents Team GB and has the opportunity to call up other eligible players.Fay said that model could cause problems within home camps.If Im an England player, and I was in that squad who qualified for a place in that GB team, and then all of a sudden Im potentially not in that squad because a player from another nation comes in that wasnt there, that didnt secure that place, does that create an atmosphere, does that create an issue? Fay said. Is it fair to let an England team qualify, but then not let that entire England team represent at a Team GB level?Ciara Sherwood, whos from Northern Ireland but plays club for the Crystal Palace Ladies in England, said having a Team GB womens soccer squad would improve domestic soccer immeasurably, giving players the chance to work with different coaches and train with full-time schedules.It would help to continue to raise the image of the game, she said. It wouldve helped to create role models and idols, but also helped to develop our game -- all competitive games and tournaments result in either winning games or learning on how to improve, what to do next, what couldve been done better.Fay says she agrees that the sport would benefit, but she says its up to the football associations to come up with a plan, leaving the players to choose whether they want to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland.From a completely objective perspective, I think that any sport that goes into the Olympics raises the profile of that sport and that country -- thats proven, she says. [At the] home Games, there was the feel-good factor around sport in general, and womens football absolutely took advantage of that, and rightly so.But when the U.S. womens national team aims to defend its gold medal in Rio, the British stars will be watching it all on television.If [Team GB] was to happen, if there was a Scottish player who had the opportunity, I think they should take it, same as Welsh, same as English, Fay said. Its an individual opportunity that the individual has earned, and I think they have the right to choose to represent the U.K. if they wish. Cheap Yankees Jerseys Authentic . -- Patrick Reed got an early start in golf. Cheap New York Yankees Jerseys . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. http://www.cheapyankeesjerseys.com/ .ca. Kerry,  Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count?  All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. A picture hangs in Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoffs office capturing the moment he drafted Jacob Trouba. Four years later, it looked like Troubas time in Winnipeg might be over.Trouba asked for a trade and sat out the first 13 games of the season, but on Monday the defenseman agreed to terms on a $6 million, two-year contract that ended the months-long stalemate. The restricted free agent will count $3 million against the salary cap for the remainder of this season and next, a bargain even on a short-term deal.No matter the value, getting something done before the Dec. 1 deadline for Trouba to play this season was a crucial step for the Jets.Id be lying if I had said if it certainly wasnt a trying and difficult time from my perspective because Jacob means a great deal to our organization, Cheveldayoff said on a conference call. Were very excited about this announcement and moving forward, putting whatever happened or was said or done behind us.The right-handed-shooting Trouba asked for a trade because he wanted to play top-pairing minutes on the right side. The Jets have All-Star right-shot defenseman Dustin Byfuglien signed through 2021, which blocks Troubas path.It wasnt immediately clear if Trouba softened his stance about his role, but Cheveldayoff said this deal wasnt made to immediately turn around and trade him.Hes certainly signed to play for the Winnipeg Jets, Cheveldayoff said.Trouba will make a pro-rated $2.5 million this season and $3.5 million in 2017-18. Cheveldayoff said the 22-year-old could join the team as soon as Tuesday, but thats pending immigration paperwork. Wholesale Yankees Jerseys. In 211 NHL games, Trouba has 23 goals and 49 assists for 72 points. Hes eligible to sign a contract extension July 1, though Cheveldayoff wasnt ready to talk about whether hell talk about a long-term deal with Trouba this summer.The inks just drying on this contract here, so lets let everything play itself out as it goes, Cheveldayoff said. Obviously theres lots of different options that are available from the contractual standpoint.The Rochester, Michigan, native was the ninth pick in the 2012 draft and is considered one of the better developing blue-line prospects in hockey. He averaged over 22 minutes a game last season and played for Team North America at the World Cup of Hockey in September.Cheveldayoff met with Trouba and agent Kurt Overhardt in Detroit last week and said negotiations were always professional. Cheveldayoff said Trouba never had a problem with playing in Winnipeg or for another Canadian team, despite reports suggesting that.The Jets had significant leverage because they owned his rights, but Troubas absence and an injury to defenseman Tyler Myers tested the teams depth.Those are big holes to fill, Cheveldayoff said. Getting Jacob back, once he rounds into form here, I think thatll certainly help us to continue to improve.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . 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