nd that obviously stops the team from training

MINNEAPOLIS -- Dimitrios Diamantakos scored twice in regulation and Roberto Jimenez Gago made two saves in a shootout to help Olimpiacos beat Manchester City 5-4 on penalty kicks Saturday after a 2-2 tie in the International Challenge Cup game. The biggest concern for the clubs coming in was the condition of the grass field that had been installed by the tournament promoter over the artificial turf at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota football team. Although seams in the sod were clearly visible, the players avoided injury on a day when temperatures climbed into the upper-80s, requiring a water break midway through the second half. "We think the field was terrible, the conditions were terrible, it was very hot today, but our team didnt care about this," Olympiacos coach Michel said through an interpreter. "They wanted to play and thats what we did. For us it was very important that we participate and play against teams of this level. The fact that we had the opportunity to win, even if it was on penalties, we enjoyed it." In the shootout, Avraam Papadopoulos had a chance to give Olympiacos the win in the fifth round but Manchester City keeper Joe Hart made a remarkable kick save on a ball that stayed in the middle of the goal as he dived to the right. However, two rounds later, Micah Richards of Manchester City missed high, and Anastasios Papazoglou steered a shot into the lower left corner to give Olympiacos the victory. Aleksander Kolarov put English Premier League champion Manchester City up 2-1 in the 53rd minute on a penalty kick after David Silva was tripped in the Olimpiacos box. But Diamantakos tied it in the 65th minute when he took a feed at the top of the box, made a move to get past goalkeeper Joe Hart and blasted it into the open net Manchester City opened the scoring on Stevan Jovetic goal in the 35th minute. Jovetic took a pass from Samir Nasri, dribbled past one defender, then split two others with a right-footed shot that beat a flat-footed Jimenez Gago. Two minutes later, Diamantakos tied it for Olimpiacos. Ionnis Maniatis got behind the defence in the Manchester City box, then passed back to Diamantakos, who was open near the penalty spot. Diamantakos took one dribble to the left, then fired back across his body and past Hart. The outcome, however, wasnt as important to the teams as the chance to face elite competition leading up to the start of league play later this month. "Its been extremely useful and the teams been very professional, like in the first half against Liverpool," Manchester City coach Manuel Pellegrini said of his clubs showing in the tournament. "The positives will be the quality of these games and the level that was achieved in each of these games. The negatives will be the travelling distances, and that obviously stops the team from training more." Michel, whose club made the final 16 of the UEFA Champions League last year before losing to Manchester United, concurred. "We are preparing ourselves for our national league in Greece but we are also preparing ourselves to participate in the Champions League" he said. "This was a great experience for us in preparation. We played like we want to play in the Champions League." After the game Pellegrini confirmed that former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is returning to the English Premier League with Manchester City on a six-month loan from MLS expansion team New York City FC. "From next week, on Wednesday, hell start working with our team," Pellegrini said. "At the moment, he will start working with our squad because he is a member of the squad. He will be in the fight for a position. We have a very good team. He is one player more. We have a lot of competition, especially in the Champions League, so he is very important to our team." Lampard signed a two-year contact with the New York club -- owned by Manchester City and the New York Yankees -- last month. The MLS team is scheduled to begin play next year. Hydro Flask Suomi . Bjoerndalen broke the record he shared with cross-country skiing great Bjoern Daehlie, also matching his fellow Norwegians record of eight gold medals. Bjoerndalen earlier won gold in Sochi in the mens sprint biathlon. Hydro Flask 32 OZ .com) - It appears both the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls will reach the playoffs, but the two squads are coming off losing efforts. http://www.hydroflaskpullosuomi.com/ . Petersburg of the KHL. Belov was a free agent last summer when he signed a one-year contract with the Oilers. In 57 games this season he had one goal and six assists with 34 penalty minutes in Edmonton. Hydro Flask Coffee Suomi . Pace had a career-high 10 sacks for Rex Ryans defence-- second only to Muhammad Wilkersons 10 1/2 -- in his sixth season with the Jets. The 33-year-old outside linebacker was an unrestricted free agent. Hydro Flask Hinta . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more.NEW YORK -- Ernesto Frieri has lost his job as Los Angeles Angels closer -- at least for a while. Angels manager Mike Scioscia says setup man Joe Smith will step into the stopper role until Frieri works out his problems beginning Friday night when the Angels play the New York Yankees. "We want to get Ernie off of that treadmill and let him get an inning or two where he can try to make some adjustments," Scioscia said. "Historically, Ernie has responded well to this. We need him, and I think this is the best route to take to get to the final solution we want." The move comes two days after Frieri allowed four runs and three hits while failing to protect a lead for the Angels in a loss at Washington. It was his second blown save this season in four chances. Frieri is 0-2 with a 9.35 ERA in 10 appearances this year. Hes allowed five home runs, a problem that plagued him last season when he was tagged for 11 homers and brieffly lost the closer job.dddddddddddd Scioscia said Frieri will be used at less stressful times, not in setup situations. The eighth-inning role will be filled by matchups. "To put him in setup role right now would defeat the purpose, because youre going to put him in a high-leverage situation," Scioscia said. "If youre ready for the eighth inning, youre ready for the ninth." "Mechanically hes fine," Scioscia said. "At times hes overthrowing, and when he does, hes missing some spots. Hes not a fine control guy, but he definitely knows what area he wants to throw the ball, and hes usually pretty good at getting it there." Smith signed a $15.75 million, three-year contract with the Angels this winter. In his eighth season, the 30-year-old right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA, but 10 of his 11 appearances have been scoreless. He has three career saves in 450 games with the Mets, Indians and Angels. ' ' '