Willkommen » Bowler Forte and the colorful Bennett gone, the

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The United States could make another bold statement in womens field hockey at the Olympics on Monday.A win over No. 3 Australia would give the Americans victories over two of the worlds top three teams in its first two Olympic matches. The Americans defeated No. 2 Argentina 2-1 in their opener on Saturday.Another win would not only add confidence, it would move the squad closer to qualifying for the quarterfinals. The top four teams in each six-team pool advance.Another great opponent, U.S. goalkeeper Jackie Briggs said. Weve played them a couple times in the last month. Theyre a great team, but we know if we play our game and stick to our gameplan, we can beat anybody.The Americans also could deal a blow to Australia. The Hockeyroos dropped their opener to Britain 2-1 on Saturday.Obviously disappointed to start with a loss, Australia defender Georgina Morgan said. But I think the standard we set was pretty good, and we obviously want to improve each game, so I think thats probably a good place to start.The Hockeyroos feel they werent far from their usual level of play. Australia outshot Britain 13-7.We play a very fast, attacking, counter-type of hockey, and I think youll see that that comes out throughout the tournament, Morgan said. I think you saw a lot of it (against Britain). When weve really got the run of play, I think its quite hard to defend.The United States defeated Australia in the Champions Tourney in June to capture third place and set the tone for the Olympics.The Americans bounced back from a sluggish start to defeat Argentina. The United States limited Carla Rebecchi, one of the worlds best scorers, to two shots and no goals. United States coach Craig Parnham felt the win over the Argentines was no fluke -- he simply felt the Americans outplayed a capable team.Its crazy because I think Argentina is a very good team, he said. They played very well tonight. I thought our platform was set by our defense, and, that gave us some opportunity to score.Even after Saturdays victory, the Americans remained focused on growth and letting the results take care of themselves.We dont shy away from our mistakes and things we can learn, Briggs said. We dont shy away from it. We take it head on. We try to improve and learn and grow from how we played before.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAPClearance Custom Soccer Jerseys . Nine days before the opening ceremony, organizing committee chief Dmitry Chernyshenko said Wednesday that Sochi is "fully ready" and will deliver safe, friendly and well-run games that defy the grim reports that have overshadowed preparations. Custom Soccer Jerseys Outlet . Its the second straight game Bell has scored in extra time for Kelowna, which beat the Brandon Wheat Kings 6-5 on Friday, and he now has four game-winning goals on the season. http://www.customjerseyssoccer.com/custom-ac-milan-jerseys-75m.html .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Cheap Custom Soccer Jerseys . Fred Couples, captain of the U.S. side, put it all into perspective. "We know whos in charge," he said. Discount Custom Soccer JerseysCHICAGO -- The Chicago Bears rebuilt their front seven on defense. They gave their offensive line a makeover, too. And they also got hit with a rash of injuries.Between players going down and poor play in general, it was a rough preseason for a team trying to pick itself up after finishing last in the NFC North at 6-10.On the positive side for the Bears? Teams have a history of making big jumps in their second season under coach John Fox.Carolina did it. So did Denver. And the Chicago is hoping the pattern holds.The Bears have been plagued by injuries and at least two important players might be limited or unavailable for the opener at Houston on Sept. 11: star right guard Kyle Long (shoulder) and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, who had offseason knee surgery.There are also concerns in the secondary, and the offense is missing two of its top contributors from last season after Chicago parted with running back Matt Forte and tight end Martellus Bennett.Besides all that, they released Robbie Gould and ended an 11-year run with the most accurate kicker in franchise history while upgrading their offensive line by signing three-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton on Sunday night.Here are some things to look for this season:CATCHING UP: The Bears will finally get to see just how just how dynamic a receiving tandem Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White can be. They never got that chance last season.The 6-foot-3, 216-pound White missed his rookie season because of a stress fracture in his left shin after being drafted with the seventh overall pick. But with his size and physical skills, Chicago is counting on big things from the West Virginia product.Hes an explosive guy, Cutler said. You can see hes a physical specimen. So well just find ways to get him the ball in space and kind of let him catch and run and use that speed and that burst hes got.Jeffery led the team in receiving, but there are questions about his ability to stay healthy, not to mention his future with the club.Calf, hamstring, groin and shoulder problems limited the former Pro Bowl receiver to nine games last season after he played in all 16 the previous two years. A strained hamstring in training camp only raised more questions.Jeffery is also playing under the franchise tag after he and the Bears were unable to agree to a long-termm contract extension.ddddddddddddINING UP: Quarterback Jay Cutler should be happy after the Bears signed Sitton. After all, Chicago now has two elite guards.With Sitton at left guard, rookie Cody Whitehair could slide to center. Veteran Ted Larsen, who took over when Hroniss Grasu tore the ACL in his right knee in early August, is another option.A healthy and effective Long would also take some pressure off new right tackle Bobby Massie as well as the center. Long is back at guard, the position he played his first two seasons, after filling in at right tackle last year.UP FRONT: While the defense made strides in its first year under Fox and coordinator Vic Fangio, the Bears were inconsistent and lacked playmakers. They tied for 22nd against the run, 22nd in sacks and 30th in interceptions.Chicago is hoping that changes with the additions of 336-pound defensive end Akiem Hicks, inside linebackers Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, and No. 9 overall draft pick Leonard Floyd at outside linebacker.PROVING TIME: With two-time Pro Bowler Forte and the colorful Bennett gone, the Bears are banking on players who are unproven or have injury histories to fill the voids.Jeremy Langford, who had 537 yards rushing and 279 receiving as a rookie, leads a committee that includes KaDeem Carey, Jacquizz Rodgers and fifth-round pick Jordan Howard.At tight end, the Bears are counting on Zach Miller staying healthy -- no sure thing given his history. The veteran earned a two-year contract after he re-established himself last season by catching 34 passes for 439 yards and a team-leading five touchdown receptions. Miller also missed the 2012, `13 and `14 seasons because of injuries and spent much of the preseason in the NFLs concussion protocol.SMOOTH TRANSITION: The Bears maintained some continuity for Cutler when offensive coordinator Adam Gase took the Miami Dolphins coaching job by promoting quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains. That was hardly a surprise.Cutler had one of his best seasons for Chicago, posting a career-high 92.3 rating and cutting his interceptions from 18 to 11 in 15 games.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '