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WINNIPEG -- Some played together in college, others may have played on the same professional teams, but Thursday evening those friendships get pushed aside as Canada once again tries to beat the United States in womens soccer. Terrell Edmunds Womens Jersey . Its something the Canadians havent managed since 2001 but this time theyll have a home crowd edging close to 30,000 to cheer them on at Investors Group Field, the home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. "Its a game that Canada wont dominate," Canadian coach John Herdman said Wednesday after their final practice before the game. "Were not going to have 700 shots and 700 crosses, so the fans have got to be ready to really get behind us when we need (them). We know these games are always tough tight games, hopefully." In club and varsity soccer, Canadians and Americans play side-by-side. Canadian captain Christine Sinclair, for example, is an attack partner of American star Alex Morgan on Portland Thorns FC of the National Womens Soccer League. But internationally its a different story as the neighbouring countries have developed a strong rivalry. Canada is ranked seventh in the world in womens soccer and the U.S. sits at No. 1, but American midfielder Lauren Holiday suggests those numbers dont necessarily reflect the way things play out on the field. "Every game is such a battle, you never know whos going to win," says Holiday. "Every time we play them its such a fierce competition that . . . anything can happen." The rivalry intensified after Canadas semifinal loss to the United States at the last Olympics. The U.S. team went on to win gold but Canada won the bronze medal, an event which has meant a lot for womens soccer. Herdman says the country now needs to do more capitalize on the strong base of players now developing across Canada. "Weve got the third largest playing population in the world and we cant produce a consistent podium team." He says there are 350,000 girls playing soccer in Canada, compared with just 30,000 in perennial contender Japan. This game is just a friendly but it will give both national teams another chance to see how they stack up against a top tier opponent prior to next years Womens World Cup. And while Canada wont be playing there, the U.S. team might end up playing in Winnipeg, one of the venues for the 2015 event also being held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton. Herdman also said jokingly that this game is basically dedicated to midfielder Desiree Scott, a Winnipeg native who joined him at the final pre-game news conference. She will be playing live in front of her family for the first time in her national team career. "I think its going to be the Desi Scott show tomorrow," said Herdman. "I think the whole of Manitobas going to come and see her in action. . . "Its a proud moment for the team. Weve all got a massive smile on our face cause the local girl gets to come home. Can you imagine playing in front of your mom and your family for the first time, no pressure Des." Scott likes the buzz. "Im just trying to thrive off the excitement of playing at home," said Scott, nicknamed "The Destroyer." "And being in front of my family and friends, I think it will definitely give me that energy." For both Herdman and interim head U.S. coach Jill Ellis, this is very much about preparing for the World Cup. "I think for our players its just a great opportunity to play against a quality opponent," said Ellis, U.S. Soccers director of development who took over when Tom Sermanni was fired last month. "Im just hoping the crowd now will get a real sense of whats coming in 2015," said Herdman. "This country will stop at some point. This team will make the country stop and everyone will tune in. Its just going to be an amazing experience for womens sport." John Stallworth Youth Jersey . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Rocky Bleier Jersey . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. http://www.steelerspronfl.com/Youth-Carnell-Lake-Elite-Jersey/ . - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational.There are likely two safe bets when it comes to the 2014 CFL Draft; offensive linemen will dominate the early selections, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to solidify one of their most glaring positional needs with the second-overall pick. According to the CFL Scouting Bureaus January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No. 2 pick is an opportunity to grab one of three top O-line prospects who are expected to play professionally in Canada. The No. 1-rated athlete overall, offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif out of McGill, is not attending this weekends CFL Combine in Toronto, opting instead to hold his own pro day in Montreal for both NFL and Canadian scouts. This leaves Laval University centre Pierre Lavertu as a very likely target for either the expansion Ottawa Redblacks who select first overall, or for the Blue Bombers. Lavertu would be an attractive choice for Winnipeg with the free agent departure of starting centre Justin Sorensen this past winter. "(I am a) centre, so it will help then if Im going to be a centre at the next level," said the 6-foot-3 300-pound All-Canadian. "But if I have to play guard or something like that, Im going to do it." Lavertu is both confident and aware of the two teams who may call his name on May 13. "I figure that will happen. Its going to be cool if Im drafted by one of those teams. I watch a lot of the websites of Winnipeg and Ottawa just to learn more about these teams." The offensive lineman that may have the most to prove during Combine weekend is 6-foot-4 294-pound Matthias Goossen out of the non-CIS school Simon Fraser. "I want to make sure that whatever I do here solidifies what Ive done in the season, and it can help show more athleticism — how I compare to guys in the CIS game, because obviously all these guys here I havent played against at all. So it would great to compare myself to these guys and sort of show myself and prove my worth, and obviously continue to make myself look better for the scouts." Goossen made a huge leap in the Bureaus rankinggs in just four months, moving from No. Carnell Lake Steelers Jersey. 15 up to No. 5 once more scouts and CFL team reps could see what he was capable of. The Combine is an opportunity for him to cement those assessments. "I think the biggest thing, like everybody knows, is the one-on-ones and showing how to compete and showing how I actually play because when it comes down to it, theres no bench press on the field." Goossen played every position on the offensive line over the past four years at SFU, but feels his body-type is an ideal fit for the centre position at the pro level. A third potential option for the Blue Bombers, if they desire an O-lineman with their first pick may not fill their vacant centre spot, but he is quite hard to ignore. David Foucault stands 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 320 pounds. "I played tackle last year, but two years ago I played guard. I can play on both sides — guard and tackle — left and right… If a coach asks me what do you prefer? I prefer tackle. But I just want to play football. If you put me at guard, I will play guard. I just want to play professional football, and thats why Im here." While the CFL Combine measures many things, the versatile 24-year-old out of Montreal University feels language may be the most critical area for him to work on. "Thats why I went to Florida for training because all the stuff (at the Combine) is in English. When I came to Florida my first week, I was very bad in my English. I need to practice every day… If a scout or a coach wants to do an interview in French I will say no, I need to practice my English." Another concern for the No. 3-ranked prospect could be his physicality, as Foucault may stand prominent, but he has been known to play smaller than his stature and lack finish when engaging defenders. "(Im looking most forward to) the one-on-ones because in the combine in Tampa (Florida) I did all the tests and some drills. Some mirror drills and O-line drills. But maybe the one-on-ones I need to do well in that (this weekend). For all my tests I need to be consistent or do better." *N.B. Winnipeg traded their 2014 second-round selection along with import defensive end Alex Hall to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for non-import offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld and a 2015 fourth-round selection. ' ' '