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TORONTO -- Ryan Briscoe knows all about Toronto hospitals. Briscoe broke his wrist in the first race of the doubleheader at the Honda Indy Toronto last year, an injury that kept him from competing in the second race and later led to surgery. Three years ago Briscoe also made a visit to a local hospital, albeit with a less serious injury, after a wheel-to-wheel incident with Tony Kanaan. "Ive still got a little lump on my hand from that," said Briscoe. Just finishing the claustrophobic 85-lap, 2.81-kilometre street course at Exhibition Place in one piece is difficult enough for IndyCar drivers. Surviving two races, which run Saturday and Sunday, on a crash-prone track requires plenty of strategy and a bit of luck. Briscoe has seen a bit of everything at the race. The 32-year-old Australian driver for Chip Ganassi Racing finished second when the race returned from a hiatus in 2009. But the following year he was bumped off the track by Graham Rahal and finished two laps off the pace in 18th. In 2011 Briscoe finished seventh and earned his first hospital visit for the trouble. A collision in 2012 with Dario Franchitti ended Briscoes day, and last year he broke his wrist after failing to let go of the steering wheel when Justin Wilson bounced off a wall and smacked into Briscoe and Charlie Kimball. Like most drivers, Briscoe is still trying to figure out how to win Toronto. "You never know," he said. "Everyone will say qualifying at the front of the track position is very important, but the way these races have been working out this year you really just got to be heads up all the time, get that strategy right, work the tires the right way, especially the red soft compound tires. "And then, with a track where accidents are going to happen, you dont want to be caught out on track when the yellow comes out because the pits close and then youre hosed." There are plenty of spots for potential accidents on the 11-turn track. Two in particular stand out to Briscoe: a tight right at Turn 1 and a deceptive Turn 3 hairpin where drivers often think they have more room than they do at the end of a long straight. Briscoe has been guilty in the past of being one of those drivers. His first injury in 2011 came at Turn 3 when he tried to pass Kanaan on the inside and bounced the Brazilian out of the race. "I think if theres any track where you just have to give a little extra room its there in Toronto," said Briscoe. For Marco Andretti, who finished fourth and ninth last year, the final four turns are just as hard to get out of. A bumpy Turn 8 leads into three final high-speed turns. IndyCar teams set up their vehicles differently depending on the track and weather conditions, and the high speeds of Turns 9-11 dont mix well with the street-car setup usually employed in Toronto. "You normally just have to hang onto the car thats probably not going to do what you want through there, so that normally makes it tough, but its character, its fun," said Andretti. Complicating matters is a gruelling weekend set in the middle of a busy schedule. Toronto caps a set of races that has been going on at least once every weekend since June 28. Drivers get just two 45-minute practice sessions Friday. The weekend is much busier, with qualifying held in the morning before the afternoon race Saturday and Sunday. Briscoe, who is juggling the IndyCar season with life as a new father since daughter Finley was born in December, said the event can be unforgiving and require hard work. "I mean these races are so physical," he said. "Especially in the middle of summer when its so hot. ... You just really need to be on it, and on it quickly, and on the physical side its just all about staying hydrated, really." Unlike most street races, however, a good qualifying result in Toronto doesnt guarantee a checkered flag. Andretti describes the race as "attrition." "Its not as track-position dependent, meaning you dont have to lead right from the start to win at the end," he said. "If you have something happen, if you qualify bad, which unfortunately I have in the past, it gives you a shot at it because theres just so much carnage that goes on." Even some legendary family experience isnt much of an advantage for Andretti in Toronto. His father and boss, Andretti Autosport owner Michael Andretti, won Toronto an unmatched seven times during his career. But his fathers victories between 1989 and 2001 dont give Marco Andretti an upper hand. He has yet to step onto the podium in Toronto. "Ive been strong at other places, I dont have seven wins at one place, but you cant explain why. It just happened that way," said Marco Andretti. "If you look at his track record, he was probably more dominant at Indianapolis and he has no wins there. "So sometimes it just clicks, sometimes it doesnt. He did nothing different here than he did anywhere else. Thats the tough part. A lot of it I just have to learn by going out and doing it." Winning both races in Toronto will be crucial to the overall championship. Last year Scott Dixon swept the doubleheader en route to winning the series title. This year, Helio Castroneves holds a slim lead at the top heading into the race with 471 points. There are at least 100 points available in Toronto, meaning the championship wont be won but could be lost this weekend as the season draws to a close Aug. 31. Andretti, who is seventh overall with 337 points, said his season will be decided in Toronto. "For me in particular this is the weekend if I want to win a championship. This is the make or break," he said. "You know, if I come out of here fourth in points then Im still in striking distance but if something goes wrong then Im done. This weekends huge for me, for sure. "Im good with the top fives, but I need the W." Joe Klecko Jersey . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. Dennis Byrd Jersey . On Saturday night, Winnipegs strong offense was again accompanied by some fantastic pitching which gave the Fish a commanding victory. http://www.cheapnewyorkjetsjerseysauthentic.com/ . Gordon reportedly failed another drug test and is facing a one-year ban. Gordon led the NFL in yards receiving last season despite being suspended two games for violating the leagues substance-abuse policy. Chuma Edoga Jersey . Coming off a 6-0 drubbing at Chelsea on Saturday, Arsenal endured another demoralizing result after rallying for a 2-1 lead -- only to concede a fluke equalizer. LaDainian Tomlinson Jersey . For the Athletics, hes extremely important at the top of the order, especially with Coco Crisp hurting. Jaso drove in three runs Sunday night, helping Scott Kazmir and Oakland beat the Texas Rangers 9-3.Day 14 in 100 words or less We are told that over 90 per cent of the population is naturally right-footed. Brazil 2014 has only been alive for two weeks and it has already laughed in the faces of many trends and on Day 14, it added another one. A tournament that has seen left-footed geniuses like Arjen Robben and James Rodriguez rise above the rest, added two more left-footed playmakers to the list of stars at this World Cup on Wednesday. Xherdan Shaqiri, who patiently waited for his showcase to get out of Bayern Munich, netted a hat-trick, while Lionel Messi delivered a complete performance for the first time. Argentina 3-2 Nigeria Lionel Messi was very good at the World Cup in 2010, but he didnt score a goal and Argentina went home early. For the next four years, we were told he wasnt good at all in South Africa. For the first two games in Brazil, Messi scored two brilliant goals that proved to be the difference. We were told he was finally delivering on the biggest stage. Except he wasnt. He was, in fact, average for long periods of the game and wasnt as good as he was in South Africa. And then came game number three. Unlike Brazil, still sputtering along in third-gear, Argentina upped their game on Wednesday, delivering a far better performance than their previous efforts at this World Cup. This was helped, of course, by a complete performance from Messi. He scored early, dragging three men towards him, allowing space for Angel Di Maria to run into, before following up and smashing the ball into the roof of the net. It was far from game over, though. Argentina have flaws, more of which we will look at soon. Nigeria fought back to 1-1 and then Messi delivered the best free kick of the World Cup so far, looping the ball over the wall and into the corner of the net. Four goals in three games. At 3-2, he was removed for a rest and it was a break he deserved. Argentina were the real winners of the December draw; their group was perfect for them, full of close but winnable games and that theme continues for them going forward. A date with Switzerland follows and then, likely, Belgium, Ghana or USA in the quarterfinals and, possibly, Netherlands in the last four. All of their South American cousins are in the opposite half, as are Germany, should they win their group. It is quite possible that Argentina will line up inside the Maracana on July 13 without being seriously tested by a legitimate contender at this World Cup. That gives them an opportunity to continue to roll, but will they be good enough by then to cover for their weaknesses? The cohesion of their front three was a mild improvement from games one and two, though Sergio Aguero left the game injured and that might help them going forward because he and Gonzalo Higuain havent been at their best alongside Messi. Although a concern, that isnt the biggest issue for Argentina. Their back four are very unreliable, happy to play deep to stop any pace coming behind them. This, though, is an issue to be exploited by top teams. The midfield three of Fernando Gago, Javier Mascherano and Di Maria desperately need to connect with the front three for the system to work. Gagos movement created Messis first goal in Brazil and Di Marias combinations with Messi were much better on Wednesday. This means the midfield three push forward and leave space in behind. On the first goal conceded, scored by Ahmed Musa, midfielder Michael Babatunde sprinted into space between the lines… Once Musa got into the danger zone, the centre-backs had been split and he was one-on-one with the full back Pablo Zabaleta, before curling the ball into the net. At 2-1, the same thing happened again in the second half. Look at the space in between the lines…. The ball is played into Emmanuel Emenike, both centre-backs are dragged towards him and Musa sprints into the space between the lines. It is an imperfect storm for Argentinas two greatest weaknesses If we look at how they conceded their other goal in this tournament, again from open play, against Bosnia-Herzegovina, it is a familiar story. When the team has to defend, there is a tremendous pressuure on seven players to defend properly.dddddddddddd Once again, they didnt do that properly. Here, you can see a back four with the midfield three and, the eventual goalscorer Vedab Ibisevic, operating between the lines… Ibisevic makes an intelligent run and, like Musa, allows his teammate to run into the space in between the lines, which forced a centre-back out once again…. Once hes in, he scores easily. Argentina should be the favourites to win the World Cup at this stage. Their best player is on form and the draw has opened up for them but, when not in possession, they look like a broken team and one that could be exposed. It just might be later, rather than sooner, at this World Cup. Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-1 Iran Both teams saw their World Cups officially end in another excellent game in Brazil. Not much will be remembered from the game, except for another fine left-footed strike by Edin Dzeko, a man who clearly deserved to be a goal-scorer in this tournament after harshly having one ruled out for offside against Nigeria. Switzerland 3-0 Honduras Honduras achieved something quite remarkable as their World Cup ended. They beat Cameroon for being the worst team in this tournament with another poor performance. Switzerland, however, did exactly what they needed to do, winning a game by a margin that would have forced Ecuador to win by more than just a goal. Xherdan Shaqiri was the star but he owes a toast to Josip Drmic, who was magnificent playing just ahead of him. Shaqiris goals were exquisite, but Drmics movement and vision contributed to two and the pairs relationship will delight Ottmar Hitzfeld as they head into their next game against Argentina. If any pair can exploit the space in between the lines, it might be these two. The great coach, who retires after this tournament, said he didnt even think it could have been his last game. Honduras will do that to you. Argentina will be a different foe, for sure, but what a glorious challenge it will be for the veteran leader. France 0-0 Ecuador Ecuador became the only South American team to not make the last 16 after a goalless draw in Rio. Goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez was excellent, captain Antonio Valencia was sent off and striker Enner Valencia was a menace once again. However, it seemed the moment they conceded the late winner to Switzerland that it would cost them qualification and so it proved the case for Reinaldo Ruedas side. France, meanwhile, should have scored at least three but didnt get any. Didier Deschamps made a number of changes heading into the match and, much like Chile, Costa Rica and Colombia, it was tough to analyze much from a team already (virtually) through to the next round through two games. What we do know is France have a deep squad, with an in-form star striker, and will be big favourites against Nigeria. How they respond when they go behind in a game may be their biggest test going forward. Man of the Day Nominees Lionel Messi – It feels right when one of the worlds finest players performs like that at a World Cup. Angel Di Maria – A player who is so important to their system, the Real Madrid man was much better today than in the past two matches. Ahmed Musa – Two brilliantly taken goals made the game closer than some thought it would be. Xherdan Shaqiri – It has been the tournament of left-footed wizards and the Bayern Munich man delivered when his country needed him most. Alexander Dominguez – Many Ecuadorian players leave Brazil with their heads held high, including their goalkeeper who put on a clinic at the Maracana. The winner… Lionel Messi – Who else? Again... What comes next? USA vs. Germany and Portugal vs. Ghana (12pm et /9am pt), South Korea vs. Belgium and Algeria vs Russia (4pm et/1pm pt) Burning question for tomorrow Will Fabio Capello let go of the handbrake and allow his creative players to attempt to take his team into the next round? Key stat of Day 14 Lionel Messi scored in all three group games for Argentina. The first player to do that since Omar Corbatta in 1958. 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