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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Brazil is contending for an Olympic gold medal in mens soccer thanks to Neymar and a group of talented youngsters who soon could be starring in top European clubs.The hosts play Honduras on Wednesday for spot in their third straight Olympic final.Heres a look at the players trying to lead Brazil to its first soccer gold medal:---WEVERTON, goalkeeper: The 28-year-old player only made it to the team after veteran Fernando Prass got injured before Brazils opener at the Olympics. Despite being considered one of the best goalkeepers playing in Brazil, he is not expected to keep having many chances with the national team.---ZECA, right back: The player is solid on defense and offense and recently has been linked to a move Atletico Madrid. He plays for Brazilian club Santos, the same team where Neymar thrived before leaving for Barcelona.---RODRIGO CAIO, defender: Despite not being known for his size or strength, Rodrigo Caio excels with great technique with the ball. The player from Brazilian club Sao Paulo can also play as a defensive midfielder when needed. Italian teams AC Milan and Inter Milan reportedly have been trying to sign the gifted defender.---MARQUINHOS, defender: The 22-yeard-old player left Brazil early, transferring from Corinthians to Roma before being signed by Paris Saint-Germain two years ago. He hasnt started often, but gets to play from time to time and is widely expected to earn a more regular place on the main team.---DOUGLAS SANTOS, left back: A regular in Brazils youth teams, he moved to small Spanish club Granada in 2013 and played briefly on loan to Udinese in Italy before returning to Brazil to play for Atletico Mineiro, where he has been a regular starter.---WALACE, defensive midfielder: The 21-year-old was called up to the Olympic team after Fred got injured. He is relatively unknown in Brazil but has been key for Gremio in the Brazilian league. He became a starter at the Olympic tournament after replacing suspended Thiago Maia, the 19-year-old who is already linked with Fiorentina in Italy and Chelsea in England.---RENATO AUGUSTO, midfielder: The 28-year-old was one of the three players older than 23 called up to Brazils Olympic team, along with Neymar and Weverton. He transferred from Brazilian club Flamengo to Bayer Leverkusen in 2008, returning to Brazil three years later to play for Corinthians. He is currently playing in China and is a regular on Brazils senior squad as well.---NEYMAR, forward: The teams most experienced player, Neymar skipped the Copa America to try to give Brazil the Olympic gold medal. He was in the team that lost the 2012 final to Mexico in London. The Barcelona star is Brazils captain at the Rio de Janeiro Games.---LUAN, forward: The 23-year-old is one of the up-and-coming forwards on the team. He hasnt received as much attention as Gabriel Jesus or Gabigol, but has shown just as much talent, quickly becoming a starter after coming off the bench a few times. His Brazilian club, Gremio, reportedly has set his selling price at about 30 million euros ($34 million).---GABIGOL: Only 19, Gabigol recently refused an offer from Italian club Juventus worth 20 million euros ($22.5 million). The sturdy and skillful striker currently plays for Santos and is set to follow in the footsteps of Neymar in European soccer and the national team.---GABRIEL JESUS: Touted as one of Brazils best young players in years, the 19-year-old speedy forward signed a multimillion-dollar deal to transfer from Brazilian club Palmeiras to Manchester City just before the Olympics. Other clubs, including Barcelona and Manchester United, reportedly had been trying to sign him. He will stay with Palmeiras until next year and will have to fight for a starting spot at Man City with a few other youngsters signed by Pep Guardiola.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni Ron Hextall Flyers Jersey . The home side created most of the chances but struggled to break down Braunschweigs resilient defence, resulting in the Bundesligas 1,000th scoreless draw. Bill Barber Jersey . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.flyersteamstoreonline.com/authentic-brian-elliott-flyers-jersey/ . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Carter Hart Jersey . Perez, 35, posted a 1-2 record with a 3.69 earned-run average in 19 relief appearances last season. His season ended Aug. 9 due to a torn ligament in his left elbow. Perez joins infielder Andy LaRoche and catcher Mike Nickeas with minor-league agreements for 2014 that include invitations to attend spring training. Sean Couturier Jersey . Fellow centre Pavel Datsyuk remains out because of a concussion. Zetterberg has 11 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 30 points, and Datsyuk has a team-high 12 goals and 11 assists. LAS VEGAS -- Nevada lawmakers are going out of their way this week to give a casino owner worth $32 billion a stadium funded on the back of taxpayers.Soon we will find out if longstanding hypocrisy of the NFL has a price tag, too.The guess here is that it does, because theres nothing like a $750 million gift to pry NFL owners off their moral high ground. Sure, some may still view Las Vegas as a decadent place teeming with undesirables, but the idea of the city being the new home of the Raiders isnt nearly as far-fetched as it may have been just a year or so ago.Give Sheldon Adelson credit for that. The casino moguls scheme to fleece the public for a new stadium has so far worked to perfection. Nevada lawmakers have been falling all over themselves in a special session to pass a new tax for the project, even while schools are overcrowded and the state is facing a $400 million budget shortfall.With that piece of business all but wrapped up -- a vote by the Nevada Assembly is expected by the end of the week -- the biggest remaining hurdle is for NFL owners to approve the move of the team from Oakland. Such a vote would have seemed laughable just a few years ago because of the leagues longstanding opposition to sports betting, but the times are changing.Commissioner Roger Goodells protestations aside, NFL owners are realizing they have little to fear from sports betting. Many already are invested in some form of gambling and dont see it as a threat or even a moral roadblock.Plus, theres nothing like a glittering new stadium to make NFL owners a little giddy.Thats exactly what Adelson wants to build near his casinos just off the Las Vegas Strip. Its his legacy project, a gift to the community, his envoys claim, even if others will be picking up a good piece of the tab and he will reap the profits.Just how much that piece is isnt exactly clear. Neither are many of the details of the stadium plan, carved out with the approval of Raiders owner Mark Davis.What is clear is that Adelson and his minions demanded $750 million from new tourism taxes to pay for part of a stadium -- that could cost $1.3 billion, $1.4 billion or $1.9 billion, depending on what figure is thrown out -- or they would walk. Davis and the Raiders will put in $500 million -- mostly through seat licenses and an NFL loan -- and Adelson will cover the rest.What is also clear is that the Raiders moving to Las Vegas would be a game changer in many ways. Not only would it give Sin City the prestige of ann NFL team, but it would further soften attitudes toward sports betting that were once absolute.ddddddddddddThis is a league, after all, that for years refused to allow Las Vegas to air commercials during the Super Bowl lest the thought there are casinos somewhere might somehow contaminate the sport.There are some issues with an NFL team in Las Vegas, mostly because it is a small television market and a city that already has NFL teams on both sides in Los Angeles and Phoenix. The city has never shown it can support a professional sports team, though it will get an NHL team next year.But while the stadium will increase hotel room taxes for 30 years, the expansion NHL team and arena were both privately funded. Billionaire owner Bill Foley is also putting up the money to build a practice facility for the team, while the Raiders will get $100 million in the stadium deal to build one of their own.Count Foley among those who know a bad deal when they see one.Im not going to be politically correct here, Foley said at a fan fest a few days ago. But I believe if youre going to spend $750 million of the publics money, it should be on policemen, firefighters and teachers.None of that made much of a difference to members of the state Senate who on Tuesday rubber-stamped Adelsons tax plan. They figured out quickly which way the wind blows and it blows in favor of Adelson, a big political contributor who also owns the newspaper in Las Vegas.So now the focus turns to the NFL, and securing 24 votes among 32 owners for the move. Though Goodell is opposed to the Raiders leaving Oakland, two owners believe it would be good for the league -- and the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots carry some weight.Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft have told me the NFL is ready to do it, casino owner Steve Wynn told legislators.What Adelson ends up with other than a stadium for his legacy hasnt been fully explained. Dont be surprised, though, if he gets a piece of the Raiders, or eventually ends up owning the team.Hes a casino operator who became incredibly rich by being incredibly good at finding ways to separate people from their money.And hes found a perfect companion in a league that operates on the same basic principle.---Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at tdahlberg(at)ap.org or http://twitter.com/timdahlberg ' ' '