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RIO DE JANEIRO -- The Brazilians are one step away from a shot at Olympic gold, and nothing could make the host nations fans happier.Womens soccer has not traditionally been popular in Brazil, but Marta and her teammates have been capturing hearts as theyve traveled across the country en route to a semifinal match against Sweden on Tuesday at the Maracana Stadium.Some fans have even replaced Neymars name on their No. 10 jerseys with Martas.We are aware of the pressures, Brazil coach Vadao said through a translator on Monday. The result has to be a gold because thats a need for womens football.Although Brazil is a win away from the gold-medal match, the team will first have to overcome a pumped up Sweden team that knocked off the three-time defending champion United States in the quarterfinals. The loss sent the top-ranked Americans home without a medal for the first time at the Olympics. The World Cup champions were vying for their third straight gold.Sweden deployed a defensive strategy against the United States and won 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw. Afterward, U.S. goalkeeper Hope Solo drew attention for calling Sweden a bunch of cowards for the style of play.Its a good bet that Sweden will use a similar tactic against Brazil, which defeated the Swedes 5-1 in group play. Marta and Beatriz each had two goals.Brazil, ranked eighth in the world, finished atop Group E and went on to defeat upstart Australia in the quarterfinals, advancing 7-6 on penalties after a scoreless draw.The Brazilians have twice won silver medals at the Olympics, where womens soccer made its debut in 1996. Both times, at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games, the United States won in the final.Sweden, ranked No. 6, finished third in the group before the big win over the United States. Swedens best finish at the games was in Athens, when the team fell to Germany in the bronze-medal match.Now we have so much energy. The way we talk about the game tomorrow, its a special moment, Sweden coach Pia Sundhage said. I thought it was a really special moment in the quarterfinal against the United States. And now we have another one. That is unique. In the same tournament, you have two special games. Now we have a chance to win a medal, and well take it.Vadao said Brazil will be without defender Fabiana, who was stretchered off in the match against the Matildas. Veteran Cristiane, who has the most Olympic goals all-time among women, with 14, is a game-time decision because of a hamstring injury.Nearly 70,000 tickets have been sold for the match at the historic 78,000-seat stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Tuesdays other semifinal match, between Canada and Germany, will be played about 275 miles to the north in Belo Horizonte. The Olympic soccer tournament has been played in cities across the country, in addition to Rio.Canada, which won bronze four years ago, is the only team from the medal round at the London Games that has returned to the semifinals in Brazil. Canada defeated France in the quarterfinals, Sweden ousted the United States, and Japan (silver) didnt qualify for the tournament.Ranked No. 10 in the world, Canada has had a brilliant run in Brazil, with wins in all four of its matches, three of which were against top-five teams. One of those victories was a 2-1 upset of No. 2 Germany in group play.Germany also made it through, however, by beating China 1-0 on Friday in Salvador. Melanie Behringer scored the only goal for the reigning European champions. Nolan Patrick Jersey . Oaklands loss to Seattle clinched the ALs best record for the Red Sox with one day to spare in the regular season. "I think everybody was kind of watching," catcher David Ross said. "Demp (Ryan Dempster) came out before he went to the bullpen and was just yelling that they lost. Brian Propp Jersey . The return match will take place next Wednesday. Udinese leads Fiorentina 2-1 in the other semifinal. Napoli staged a second-half comeback from two goals down after Gervinhos opener and a stunning strike from Kevin Strootman. http://www.officialflyersfanstore.com/authentic-jordan-weal-flyers-jersey/ .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Anthony Stolarz Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Dave Schultz Jersey . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. Over the last four seasons, Jharkhand have been consistently inconsistent. The quarter-finalists of 2012-13 were relegated to Group C in the following season. They finished fourth in 2014-15 before earning a promotion with their second-place finish last year. Now, they are the toppers in a group comprising traditional power houses Delhi and Karnataka. Having set themselves up to climb the summit - theyve never been there before - the side is keen to prove the old adage of two steps forward and three steps back doesnt come back to haunt them.With a quarter-final berth sealed even before their final league game against Odisha in Thumba, Jharkhand had an opportunity to build on their gains. They could have opted to experiment, but they were ruthless in their demolition, winning by an innings to set up a quarter-final clash with Haryana.The reasons for their irregularities over the years are manifold, ranging from inexperience to lack of opportunities. But having invested in youth, their patience is slowly bearing fruit. That they havent been afraid to leave out experienced seniors like Shiv Gautam, Samar Quadri and Rameez Nemat is indication of their change in focus.Four members of their core this year - Ishan Kishan, Kaushal Singh, Virat Singh and Ashish Kumar - made their debuts two seasons ago. While Kishan - earmarked in Indian cricket as one for the future - has scored over 600 runs, Ashish, their pace spearhead, has taken 31 wickets. More importantly, hes delivered in the absence of Varun Aaron, the designated captain, who has been out for most parts of the season.What stands out about their resurgence has been their brand of cricket; a defensive mindset has given way to a more flamboyant approach. It has resulted in them pushing harder to secure outright wins and not just settle for a lead. The turning point, according to Saurabh Tiwary, the stand-in captain, was an interaction MS Dhoni had with the team during a pre-season camp.He speaks from the heart, Tiwary told ESPNcricinfo. One of the things he said was, when a spinner is bowling, we should be trying to score at least three-four runs every over. Previously, we used to bat an entire day and score 220-230. But look at our scores this season: we have scored over 300 in a day. So there has been a shift in our mindset that has resulted in us pushing for wins. Whatever he said were the basics, but thats exactly what many dont understand.The results are there for everyone to see. In 2014-15, Jharkhand had just two outright wins. The season before that, they were winless. But they have picked up a total of nine wins in the last two seasons - five this time, along with Karnataka, being the most by a team across all groups.The key has been not just in individuals identifying their roles and playing them well, but as importantly, in finishing what they set out to do, explains Shahbaz Nadeem, their talismanic left-arm spinner and senior member. Knowing why you are in the team and in what situation your skills come into play as a fast bowler or a spinner is very important, and we have done that well this time. My role as a senior is to communicate to all the bowlers and help them plan dismissals.Nadeem and Tiwary have been two of the most consistent performers for Jharkhand. In four seasons prior to this one, they topped Jharkhands bowling and batting charts thrice. This year, Nadeem has again been their highest wicket-taker while Tiwary has taken the backseat only to Kishan and Ishank Jaggi.Jharkhands first outright win came in their season opener, against Maharashtra. In the next match, they conceded the first-innings lead to Karnataka but have since displayed remarkable consistency, beating Rajasthan, taking the first-innings lead against Vidarbha and Delhi, crushing Saurashtra by an innings, beating Assam by five wickets and then thrashing Odisha inside three days.ddddddddddddPart of that consistency has been due to the importance given to fitness. Players have been given weekly fitness targets that have been monitored throughout the season. The results of some of that were discernible in the match against Odisha where Jharkhand impressed with their running between the wickets and fielding.That isnt to say everything is perfect. There is still room for improvement, with Tiwary, who the team has monitored closely, being a case-in point. He limped off on the second day with cramps after scoring a half-century, albeit in sapping conditions. We are only 40 percent there, coach Rajiv Kumar explains. Sometimes, when a good partnership is going, you need that one brilliant run-out. But creating that opportunity can happen only if you are fit. Jharkhand also benefitted from comprehensive preparation that started with camps as early as in June last year. That apart, the players also took part in the Buchi Babu, before travelling to Bengal and then again playing a few matches in Ranchi. In the past, 70 percent of the boys had no cricket before the Ranji season, Rajiv says. Things are different now.As happy as they are with the immediate results, the association doesnt want to sit back and rest on their improvements. Identifying the need to have a feeder system, JSCA president Amitabh Chaudhary said, was the first step towards improvement.If youngsters like Kishan have shone, it is because of a significant shift to a structured Under-14 and Under-16 system. More tournaments have been introduced and turf wickets have been installed across districts. To select a team for the Vijay Merchant Trophy, Indias premier U-16 tournament, there is now a districts league, and a detailed league-cum-final knockout inter-district tournament. Besides, the state has been split into four divisions that take part in a divisional league and the process is repeated for all levels from U-19 to seniors.It takes a heavy toll in terms of finances and the collective energies of the associations, but its worth it, Chaudhary says of the expansion plans. And the best thing is with such an elaborate and comprehensive system in place, nobody can act funny with the selection process. The system is insulated.Ten years ago, there would be a total of 50 matches. Today, we have over 50 tournaments. Weve tried to cover even the remote corners of the state. There is a place called Torpa in the Khunti district, adjoining Ranchi. If you go there during mid-day, you will find it absolutely desolate. Guys from such areas are coming in and playing.Of course, there is always room for improvement. And, as it is, we never believe in any sensational steps taken and anything with the intent of making a splash. We have been trying to put some systems in place and its taken some time. But weve had the satisfaction of seeing the systems finally falling in place and bearing fruit.While getting to the knockouts is seen as a victory in itself, the team management has impressed on the need to dream big. Of that, there has been plenty of evidence during the course of the season. Now, for them to build on the improvements. ' ' '