What is the most important space on a soccer field?Some suggest that it is the zone directly in front of the penalty area – referred to as Zone 14 – where the largest percentage of goal scoring opportunities originate. Others suggest that the penalty area is the most important, as it is where the largest percentage of goals are scored. Still others suggest that the midfield is the most crucial area of the pitch, as it is often where games are "won and lost".I disagree with all three suggestions. For me, the most important space on a football pitch is the space between a players ears.For me, football is simply a game of decisions. The ability to make the correct decisions consistently is what is often referred to as a players "football IQ" or "football intelligence". You will often hear analysts refer to a player having a good "football brain", which is simply a way of saying that a player consistently makes the correct decisions on a football pitch.Does he pass the ball or does he dribble? If he passes the ball, whom does he pass it to? When he passes the ball, how hard does he pass it? Does he pass it to the left side or to the right side of the receiver? Does he pass it on the ground, or does he have to lift the ball in order to get it to its intended target?Players make thousands of these decisions during a 90-minute game, yet the difference between glory and failure can often rest on just one or two. For defenders, the wrong decision often results in conceding a goal.Consider Spains humiliating 5-1 loss to the Netherlands.Just one minute after Spains David Villa had a one-on-one with Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen – which would have put Spain in front 2-0 just before the halftime break had Silva scored - the Netherlands scored a fabulous equalizing goal through Robin van Persie. The goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum heading into the break turned 180 degrees in favour of the Netherlands.As wonderful as the goal was for the Netherlands, from Spains perspective it was a defensive calamity.When Dutch defender Bruno Martins Indi passed the ball to wingback Daley Blind, the assessment of the situation from Spanish defender Sergio Ramos was that there was no imminent danger.However, Ramos failed to correctly assess the situation because he got caught ball-watching. Ramos focused his attention on Blind, rather than on Robin van Persies position in relation to the ball at Blinds feet. Had he seen van Persies positioning on his back shoulder, Ramos would have realized that there was a genuine threat. Had Ramos then decided to run just three or four yards to get back into the correct defensive position, Blind would have opted to retain possession with a safer pass, rather than sending the ball forward for van Persie to attack.The ball in behind Spains back line from Blind was inch perfect, matched in quality only by the diving header from van Persie. The goal completely changed the course of the game, as the momentum swung in favour of the Netherlands – who went on to score four unanswered goals in the second half to pull off one of the results of the tournament.Consider Italys shocking 1-0 defeat at the hands of Costa Rica.Usually one of the most consistent defensive teams at the international level, Italy was badly caught out for Bryan Ruizs game-winning goal.When Costa Ricas Júnior Díaz picked up the ball on the left flank and shaped to cross, Italys Giorgio Chiellini (arguably one of the best defenders in the world) never spotted the run of Ruiz off his back shoulder. Why? Because Chiellini never took his eyes off the ball.Yes, it was clever movement from Ruiz. But Chiellinis decision to focus solely on the ball, rather than on Ruizs movement in relation to the ball, resulted in a devastating outcome for Italy. A tremendous cross from Diaz and a clinical finish from Ruiz was all Costa Rica needed to separate the two sides, clinching the minnows passage to the knockout stage.Consider Ecuadors winning goal in their 2-1 victory over Honduras.One of the key principles of good defensive play is "see the ball, see the man". A good defender always puts himself in a position where he can see both the ball and the player he is marking. Generally speaking, this is a position that is ball-side and closer to the goal that is being defended than the attacker.On Ecuadors free kick, Honduran defender Juan Carlos García committed the cardinal sin of turning his back on the ball when marking Ecuadorian striker Enner Valencia. Garcia had no idea that the ball had been kicked, as he was trying to wrestle with Valencia instead. This left Valencia the easy task of wriggling away from Garcias clutches to head the ensuing cross into the back of the net.While there have been some examples of very good defensive play at the World Cup – Iran, Greece and Costa Rica have all put on excellent defensive performances in various games – I have been surprised at how many individual defenders are making fundamental defensive mistakes.As the game changes – fullbacks are now more coveted for their ability to get forward in attack than they are for their one on one defensive abilities – the characteristics of the next generation of defenders will also change. Speed, comfort on the ball and a wide passing range are all characteristics that the modern game seeks in its defenders.But those characteristics should never come at the expense of situational and positional awareness, tackling, heading, organization and communication. The young players - like Frances Raphael Varane and Uruguays José Giménez – who can marry all of these traits together will go on to be the next "defensive artists" of the modern game. Courtland Sutton Youth Jersey . DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1:00 PM (ET) Detroit - G Rodney Austin, WR Ryan Broyles, DT Nick Fairley, QB Kellen Moore, DT Caraun Reid, CB Mohammed Seisay, DE Larry Webster Chicago - S Chris Conte, DT Brandon Dunn, QB David Fales, K Robbie Gould, CB Terrance Mitchell, OT Michael Ola, DE Trevor Scott GREEN BAY PACKERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Green Bay - LB Carl Bradford, DT Bruce Gaston, C Garth Gerhart, CB Davon House, WR Jeff Janis, TE Justin Perillo, QB Scott Tolzien Tampa Bay - OT Anthony Collins, CB Isaiah Frey, WR Robert Herron, RB Mike James, WR Solomon Patton, FB/TE Evan Rodriguez, LB Lawrence Sidbury KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Kansas City - WR Donnie Avery, CB Marcus Cooper, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL Eric Kush, QB Aaron Murray, RB Charcandrick West, DT Nick Williams Pittsburgh - WR Justin Brown, DE Clifton Geathers, G Chris Hubbard, QB Landry Jones, S Troy Polamalu, TE Matt Spaeth, CB Ike Taylor MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1:00 PM (ET) Minnesota - LB Anthony Barr, OT Carter Bykowski, DB Ahmad Dixon, OT Charlie Johnson, FB Zach Line, CB Shaun Prater, TE Kyle Rudolph Miami - G Nate Garner, WR Matt Hazel, S Don Jones, WR Rishard Matthews, LB Chris McCain, G Dallas Thomas, RB Daniel Thomas NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS, 1:00 PM (ET) New England - CB Kyle Arrington, RB LeGarrette Blount, OL Dan Connolly, CB Alfonzo Dennard, OT Jordan Devey, WR Julian Edelman, RB James White NY Jets - DT T. Dalton Risner Broncos Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/ . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages. Drew Lock Broncos Jersey .com) - Rakeem Christmas scored 21 points, B. Phillip Lindsay Jersey . -- Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford made it through a third straight practice without any setbacks and expects to play in Oaklands regular-season finale against San Diego.For the past year, FIFA and Canadas soccer association has battled withering criticism that the worlds best womens soccer players are being discriminated against because next years Womens World Cup will be played on artificial turf instead of grass, which is used for the mens premier tournament. Now, the company that makes the turf for the Womens World Cup has landed a crucial ally: one of Canadas top soccer players, whos being accused of putting her own self interest ahead of the safety of other players. FieldTurf has signed Canadian star player Kaylyn Kyle to a three-year, $15,000 endorsement contract, TSN has learned. Kyle, 25, will help market FieldTurfs artificial turf product, which is a synthetic lawn with "dirt" thats made of recycled tires and running shoes. Officials plan to use FieldTurf fields at four of the six stadiums that are schedule to host Womens World Cup games. Stadiums in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa and Moncton use FieldTurf. Montreal and Vancouver use other artificial turf systems. The midfielder, who plays for the Houston Dash in the National Womens Soccer League, will be featured in coming weeks in a commercial promoting FieldTurf. A company executive said FieldTurf is negotiating with several National Football League players. The commercial may show Kyle playing football on the turf, with a football player playing soccer, highlighting FieldTurfs versatility. "Kaylyn is one of the up-and-comers on Team Canada," Darren Gill, vice president of marketing with FieldTurf told TSN. "With the exposure shes gotten, and her popularity in world soccer, shes a good fit for us. And shes passionate for our brand and what we do. This is not a big dollar category for her or for us, so for her to want to put her name on this, obviously there could be some exposure because of the issue. "She wanted to believe in the product she backs," Gill added. "A lot of the discussions were about whether she likes it. Its not a cash grab for her." When reached by TSN, Kyle said she wouldnt comment publicly on her endorsement agreement until it was formally announced by FieldTurf. Kyles endorsement deal comes as a group of more than 40 national-team players from at least 12 countries - none of the players are Canadian - are demanding that FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association drop plans to use artificial turf at next years World Cup, which runs from June 6 to July 5. Instead, the players want to have grass installed, arguing that playing on artificial turf during the world cup is tantamount to gender discrimination since no mens world cup final tournament has ever been staged on artificial turf. Canadian soccer officials say they have no plans to introduce grass. They argue their initial proposal to FIFA included plans for play on artificial turf. Richard Scott, a Canadian Soccer Association spokesman, said some mens teams in the MLS, as well as teams in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Europe, play on artificial turf. "This is not Montreal Expos turf from the 1970s," Scott said. "This is the highest quality turf that is FIFA approved." Scott said other prestigious tournaments have been played on artificial turf with no problems, including the Under-20 Womens World Cup that was played in Canada last year. Brant Feldman, Kyles agent, said the New York Giants play on FieldTurf and, "if an NFL player ccan do it why cant a female soccer player do it?" "I dont know if its gender discrimination," said Feldman.dddddddddddd "Maybe is it sport discrimination? It seems like a lame argument to me." Though its been a lifesaver for groundskeepers in stadiums in northern climates where grass is hard to maintain, artificial turf has long been a controversial issue for players. In 2010, the NFLs Injury and Safety Panel found that the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries was 88 per cent higher in games played on artificial turf than on grass, The New York Times reported. FieldTurf countered with the release of its own sponsored study showing that college football players had a lower injury rate when playing on its artificial surface. Today, every Canadian Football League team plays on turf, roughly half of the NFLs teams play their home games on turf, including five who play on FieldTurf, and four Major League Soccer teams play on artificial turf. "FIFA has tried to educate players but I think this issue is less about turf and more about gender equality," Gill said. "The women have several other issues and we just happen to be the stick that women are currently carrying. The fields that are playable meet FIFAs highest level of certification. But obviously they are not for everyone and not everyone likes playing on artificial turf. That is the struggle here, but playing on natural grass next year in Canada is not an option." Hampton Dellinger, a U.S. lawyer working with players opposed to playing on FieldTurf at the Womens World Cup, dismissed Kyles endorsement. "The fact that FieldTurf is paying a player to say something positive about artificial turf doesnt undermine the condemnation from players around the world," Dellinger told TSN. "Its important for players and the public to understand that some Canadian players have a price. They are willing to put competitors at risk and have their sport take a step back in exchange for payment. Thats a decision that theyll have to live with." Dellinger forwarded TSN a photo Kyle posted on Twitter on June 9, 2013, that showed both of Kyles legs raw. "I love turf!!!" she wrote. Kyles Houston team played in Seattle on the day the photo was posted, Dellinger wrote in an email. "It appears that the stadium has a FieldTurf surface," he wrote. Seattles National Womens Soccer League team played its first season in Seattle at Starfire Stadium, which has a FieldTurf field, according to the website of the Seattle Sounders, an MLS team. Dellinger said other Canadian players including Christine Sinclair and Sophie Schmidt have been quoted saying they prefer to play on grass. Dellinger wants FIFA to either install permanent grass fields at the six stadiums to be used for the Womens World Cup, or take other measures, such as using a temporary grass field. Such fields, where interlocking trays of grass are placed on top of artificial turf, are being used more often in recent years. "What you say on Twitter a year and a half ago, you dont realize it could come back and haunt you," Feldman said. Feldman, Kyles agent, said Kyle likely didnt realize the posted photo would surface more than a year later, and that its unclear whether she injured herself during a game on the FieldTurf field or on another practice field. ' ' '"We made some mistakes. Its a disappointing loss. Itll make us better," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "Hopefully we see them down the road again, but theres a reason why theyre the best team in basketball." After wins at the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night and at Sacramento on Friday night, Popovich rested two of his veterans as he so often does throughout the NBAs marathon schedule. Duncan, Ginobili and Parker all sat out San Antonios 104-102 victory against the Warriors on Dec. 19. Jackson has been trying to take a similar approach dduring the seasons stretch run, though the wins are not always following.dddddddddddd Swingman Andre Iguodala was inactive for the third straight game with tendinitis in his right knee, and backup centre Jermaine ONeal returned after sitting out the previous two games. Even with all the lineup changes, Jackson saw the matchup against the Spurs as a "benchmark" for where his team stands. He joked before the game that the Spurs are like a bunch of "old dudes" at a recreational centre whipping a group of high school All-Americans because of their smarts and savvy. And thats just what it looked like at the start. The Spurs opened the game on a 22-7 run and held the lead most of the way. After the Warriors moved within four in the fourth quarter, Greens 3-pointer capped an 11-0 spurt that put San Antonio ahead 87-74. The Warriors made one last push before the Spurs quickly regrouped. Parker spun for a reverse layup and Green came back with another 3 to stretch San Antonios lead back to 94-82 with 2:18 left, sending most of the announced sellout crowd of 19,596 headed to the exits. "I couldnt be more proud of them," Popovich said. "Their effort with three games in four nights, this late in the season, and the back-to-back tonight, to finish off the three in four was real special because everyone came off the bench and they gave the effort they needed to give and Im just thrilled for them." The Spurs showed off all their best attributes through the game: smothering defence, precision passing and sharp shooting. The Warriors finally found their touch late in the second quarter, when they scored 10 straight points and sliced San Antonios lead to 50-47 at the half. The teams traded scores for most of the third quarter, and the Warriors briefly took a one-point lead. The Spurs put together another surge to go ahead 76-69 entering the fourth quarter, and held on for their longest winning streak since rolling off 13 in a row was from Feb. 13 to March 13, 2007. "You dont win 50-something odd games at this point and not have a good second unit," said ONeal, who had nine points and seven rebounds. "They really fly around." NOTES: Spurs reserve F Matt Bonner also sat out with a strained right calf. ... San Antonio (15-1) and Golden State (13-5) have the most wins in the NBA since the All-Star break. ... The Spurs and Warriors meet for the final time this season April 2 in San Antonio. ' ' 've lost five straight. Jeremy Affeldt (2-1) tossed one scoreless inning to help the Giants (41-21) win for the ninth time in 11 games. Bartolo Colon gave up three runs -- one earned -- and eight hits in 5 2-3 innings for the Mets. The 41-year-old, who spent the past two seasons across the bay in Oakland, struck out four and walked two. Hudson, who began the game witth a majors-best 1.dddddddddddd5 ERA, is the first pitcher in San Francisco history with an ERA below 2.00 through his first 12 starts with the team. Even with the tough outing, Hudsons ERA is 1.97. The Mets grabbed leads of 3-0 and 4-1, but stranded 12 runners on base. "We did a good job of limiting the damage," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. The Mets ended Hudsons scoreless streak at 16 consecutive innings in the second, when Duda doubled and scored on Reckers single. In the third, Duda broke his bat hitting an RBI single off the wall in right and Recker drove in another run to give the Mets a 3-0 lead. The Mets might have had more if not for a baserunning blunder. Ruben Tejada was tagged out between second and third after Duda stopped at third and Recker ran to second. With the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth, Posey grounded into a double play to score San Franciscos first run. Colon then got Sandoval to fly out. New York extended its lead to 4-1 on a wild pitch by George Kontos in the sixth, but couldnt overcome an error by third baseman David Wright in the bottom of the inning. Wright fielded a grounder and misfired to second trying to get the lead runner with two outs. Pagan followed with a two-run single to bring the Giants within 4-3 and chase Colon. Pences single loaded the bases for Posey again, but Jeurys Familia struck out Posey on a sinking fastball clocked at 96 mph. NOTES: Giants reliever Santiago Casilla, who is on the disabled list with a strained right hamstring, threw 30 pitches in the bullpen. He is scheduled to throw again before Mondays game and could begin a rehab assignment as soon as Wednesday. ... The Mets optioned C Travis dArnaud to Triple-A Las Vegas after the game and called up C Taylor Teagarden. ... Collins said Wright, who has started the first 62 games this season, will likely get Sunday off. The Mets dont play Monday. ... Former Giants prospect Zack Wheeler takes the mound for the Mets against San Franciscos Tim Lincecum (4-4, 5.01 ERA) in Sundays series finale. ' ' 'ey this week.dddddddddddd "I didnt see it." Stroud made five putts from over 20 feet, all coming in his last 12 holes. His made putts in the round combined for just under 221 feet, the most on the PGA Tour since Brent Geiberger covered 240 feet during the first round at Booz Allen in 2006. And Stroud did that using a new putter he picked up this week. "It has no lines on it. ... Ive been using another, but it had a bunch of lines on it," Stroud said. "I simplified my putting. Get over it, line up and try to bring the putter back square and back to the ball square at impact. Ive just been rolling it beautifully." Stroud drained a 16-footer on the 193-yard 13th hole, his third birdie of the day coming on his fourth hole. The Texas native was just getting started, with his first 20-footer coming at the par-3 16th when he made birdie from 23 1/2 feet. There was a 22-footer for birdie at the par-5 No. 1 hole, and he rolled in a 56-footer across the green at No. 4, the difficult 211-yard par 3. There was a 26-footer at No. 6 and yet another long birdie putt at his last par 3, a 34-footer at No. 8. "My driver has been bad. ... Ive hit it terrible the last two days. Really, really bad. But putted awesome," he said. "So I dont have to worry about the greens. I just need to get the ball on the greens. Usually its the opposite. I usually hit the ball really well and struggle to get the ball in the hole." On his final hole, the 406-yard dogleg-right ninth, Strouds approach was well left into a bleacher area near a concession stand. After a free drop and pitching to about 26 feet on the fringe, he two-putted from 26 feet for bogey. Tim Clark was 7 under and tied for the lead after four consecutive birdies only six holes into his round of 68. But he three-putted at the par-3 16th and didnt have another birdie until No. 9, his last hole, to get to 5 under and tied for fourth. ' ' '