Sonstiges » m it was must-win and I cannot blame the attitude of the

RIO DE JANEIRO -- This past year in Istanbul, U.S. assistant coach Jamie Morrison worked right alongside a man he considers among the best volleyball minds in the business.And fired-up, Italian-born Netherlands coach Giovanni Guidetti is suddenly making quite a splash in Brazil with group of tenacious Dutch women determined to spoil the fun for the top teams in the tournament. Even if few might have expected them to contend while playing in their first Olympics in 20 years.Morrison was an assistant on Guidettis staff at club power Vakifbank in Turkey, coaching Olympians Lonneke Sloetjes, Anne Buijs and Robin de Kruijf and also U.S. outside hitter Kim Hill, who through the net saw several familiar faces.So, when the top-ranked Americans received a real push from the Netherlands in a hard-fought, five-set victory Monday, Morrison and the rest of the U.S. group were nowhere near surprised by the stellar display on the other side.Theyre not intimidated by anybody now, and they shouldnt be. Theyre good, said U.S. coach Karch Kiraly, who figures the group winners wont go unscathed. And thats great, because the Olympics are about being good.The Dutch had already spoiled Chinas Olympic debut Saturday, then the Chinese bounced back with a straight-set win over Italy. In Mondays late match, two-time defending Olympic champion Brazil beat Argentina 25-16, 25-19, 25-11 as the raucous home fans danced in the stands, cheered and waved flags well past midnight.Guidetti credits Morrison -- someone he considers above an assistant -- for helping him become a better coach.I learned a lot from him and I hope I can keep learning a lot from him, Guidetti said after the match. Hes an amazing coach. Hes an amazing man and he knows volleyball very well.Hes like a lead guy. Im really trying to learn every time from the people that can teach me, and hes for sure one of the ones that can teach me.The U.S. rallied from one set down and again behind 2-1 to win 18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-20, 15-8 on a day Netherlands captain Maret Balkestein-Grothues had to be helped off midway through the fourth set with a right ankle injury and didnt return.Simple communications were made before the match.Such close international connections are commonplace in a sport that has no professional league in the U.S. for men or women, meaning players move across the world for eight months of the year to play professionally.I looked across the net and we were smiling before the match, Morrison said. A head nod, nothing more than that, not a hug.You bet the Americans envisioned this success for the Netherlands, a squad Morrison has seen make big strides in a matter of weeks ahead of the Olympics.Volleyball has come enormously far in the Netherlands in the past two years, he said. The team is up and coming and the support in their country is as well.Post-match, beach and indoor gold medalist Kiraly was getting goosebumps on top of my goosebumps thinking about the important test the Americans had just received Monday.The first-pumping, hard-clapping Guidetti lost his voice during the opening match and animatedly bounced around the court again. His example of passion, a desire to learn every day to make everyone around him better has been a positive influence on the 35-year-old Morrison.He coached on the gold-medal winning mens Olympic staff at the 2008 Beijing Games under Hugh McCutcheon and as an assistant again when McCutcheon moved to lead the women to silver four years ago in London.Now, Morrison is one of Kiralys right-hand men. When he is not in Turkey with Guidetti, that is.When it came to scouting the Netherlands and other pool opponents -- a six-team group Kiraly called truly gnarly -- in the Olympic lead-up back at training headquarters in Orange County, everyone took part. Morrison said it was a collaborative effort involving the athletes that led insight into how to attack the Dutch.They pushed us, U.S. middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo said afterward. Thats what we love. We try and embrace those moments. Sale Air Max Online . LOUIS -- Cardinals cleanup hitter Allen Craig says hes recovered from a foot injury and ready to be put on St. Authentic Air Max 2018 . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. http://www.discountairmax.com/ .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. Black Air Max 95 2018 . And when it opened, every player was at his stall. Thats a sure sign that a team is in a slump and is searching for answers. "Its embarrassing to be at home and play the way we did," said defenceman Josh Gorges. Official Air Max 2018 Shoes . - Goaltender Philippe Desrosiers of the Rimouski Oceanic has broken a shutout record that was only three months old in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink was left to rue his sides missed chances as they were beaten 3-2 by Sunderland on Saturday. Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic scored in the first half to put the visitors 2-1 ahead at the Stadium of Light.But Costa was twice denied by Vito Mannone after the break and Sunderland fought back to claim a potentially crucial victory in their fight against relegation. It was an odd afternoon, Hiddink told Sky Sports. We started very well and got the lead, but later on we didnt add to our advantage and invited them into it.We reacted well to make it 2-1 and in the second half we could have scored to make it 3-1, but we didnt. We invited them into the game and they did very well.We didnt score again and they still had the opportunity. For them it was must-win and I cannot blame the attitude of the team, we were a bit sloppy at times, but we came here to win and we didnt do so. Pick your team Aguero? Ozil? De Bruyne? Pick your Fantasy Six-a-Side team for the chance to win ￡10,000 Chelsea finish their season with a trip to Liverpool in midweek and then a home game against champions Leicester on the final day.The highest they can finish in the league is ninth, which, although a far cry from winning the league last season, is an improvement from when Hiddink arrived in December with the team struggling in 16th. Phil Thompson reacts to Sunderlands victory over Chelsea In December we were in the same position as Sunderland, said Hiddink.dddddddddddd It was awkward and we managed in a relatively short time to get out of that area and get into ninth or 10th.I would have liked us to further and get some silverware, but it was not the case. We have played for our pride but havent always got the wins. Also See: Sunderland 3-2 Chelsea As it happened Chelsea fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! ' ' '