Dein erstes Forum » issioned in August by the National Ski Areas As

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil -- The Netherlands is on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup knockout rounds after fending off a belligerent Australia 3-2 on Wednesday to follow up its opening 5-1 rout of defending champion Spain. Memphis Depay scored the clincher in the 68th minute, seconds after Australia missed a chance to go ahead again. Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie, who each scored twice against Spain, added to their tournament tallies before and after Australias goals, which included a stunning volley from Cahill that levelled the score at 1-1 in the 21st. Australia is almost certainly out of contention following consecutive defeats, and Cahill will be missing in its last match against Spain after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament. Van Persie will miss the Netherlands last group match against Chile for the same reason. "They just kept running. They actually scored well. The second half we went to our own system, what were used to," Van Persie said. "But everyone did well. Im really happy with the result." After a quiet start, the game burst into life in the 20th minute when Robben collected the ball near halfway, sped through a gaping hole in the Australian midfield and shot powerfully past the outstretched left foot of Maty Ryan. Another rout seemed in the works, but only for only a matter seconds. Australia equalized with Ryan McGowan sending a long, looping pass from the midfield to Cahill, who volleyed over Jasper Cillessen onto the underside of the bar in one of the best goals of the tournament so far. Australia, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, kept pressuring Netherlands, with Mark Bresciano and Matthew Spiranovic missing chances that could have given the Socceroos a halftime lead. Just before the interval, Cahill needlessly clattered into the back of Bruno Martins Indi and was given a yellow card. He was also booked in Australias opening 3-1 loss to Chile, meaning the veteran Socceroos star may have played his last World Cup game. Martins Indi was helped off the field, replaced by Depay to start the second half, and later taken to a hospital with a suspected concussion. At the start of the second half, Netherlands changed from a 5-3-2 system that worked so well against Spain to a more traditional Dutch 4-3-3 style to incorporate Depay, but it was Australia which took the surprise lead with a penalty after Daryl Janmaat handled the ball in the area. Mile Jedinak converted from the spot in the 54th to make it 2-1 but Van Persie levelled again four minutes later, collecting the ball in space on the edge of the penalty area and firing into the roof of the net. In the 68th minute, Tommy Oar had a shooting opportunity down on the left hand side of goal but chose to cross to Mathew Leckie, who couldnt beat the keeper. It proved costly on the next attacking play when Depay fired a swerving low shot from around 25 yards that beat the keepers outstretched right hand,. Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said he was "heartbroken" by the loss. "Bitterly disappointing," he said. "Just for the players, they were magnificent. They took it to a world-class team. Full credit to them, but I just feel bitterly disappointed they werent able to get some reward out of it today." Postecoglou said his team had proved some critics wrong with two gallant games. "We came to this World Cup and were playing against three of the best nations in the world," he said. "People were saying we wouldnt score a goal. In both games weve taken it to the opposition." Joe Allen Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the Maple Leafs have trade offers on the table for the 26-year-old, but none have been deemed acceptable by the team. Wales Soccer Jerseys . City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/joe-alle...FA-EURO-jersey/. PETERSBURG, Fla. Joe Ledley Jersey . Ferguson told Uniteds in-house TV channel on Saturday that he has no immediate plans to walk away from the game, and that he still hungers for more trophies even after 25 years in charge of the club. Aaron Ramsey Jersey .com) - Damian Lillard poured in 40 points on 11-of-21 shooting to go along with 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers stunned the Oklahoma City Thunder, 115-111, in overtime on Tuesday.DENVER - In 2010, the price of walk-up, single-day lift ticket at Vail and Beaver Creek ski resorts topped $100. Aspen quickly followed suit, and ticket prices at resorts across the country have consistently increased in the years since. The trend has raised a question that has dogged the ski industry for years: Is the sport becoming unaffordable for the middle class?Industry leaders say that even though last-minute lift tickets at some resorts now exceed $100, skiing has never been more affordable if youre savvy about discounts.But despite the availability of deals, a report commissioned in August by the National Ski Areas Association found that skiing in the U.S. has increasingly become a sport for the wealthy. The percentage of people who participate in snow sports with household incomes over $100,000 has risen over the past eight seasons from 45 per cent of ski area visitors in the 2006-07 season to 56 per cent of visitors in the 2013-14 season, according to the report.Meanwhile, those with household incomes under $50,000 dropped from 30 per cent of ski area visitors to 19 per cent over the same period. Visitors who make between $50,000 and $99,999 remained steady over the years at about 25 per cent.Snow sports participants continue to skew significantly more affluent than the general U.S. population, according to the report, which was based on surveys of skiers and snowboarders at 87 U.S. resorts. The resorts surveyed hosted 31.9 million of the nations 56.5 million skier and snowboarder visits last winter.David Becher, who helped write the report, said the drop in participation by people earning under $50,000 may have been due to the recession, but now that the economy is improving, we might see lower-income segments in the population having more confidence. He also cited other possible explanations for a lack of participation at lower-income levels, including interests in other sports and lack of exposure to the sport among those who grew up in non-skiing families.Michael Berry, president of the NSAA, said ski resorts are working to attract participants from all income brackets.The trend certainly over the past decade has been to make the price lower, in toto, he said. Ways to save money include half-day access, skiing at smaller resorts, and discounts for kids, seniors and groups.Evan Reece, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-basedd Liftopia, an online marketplace for lift tickets, says buying early and booking multiple days also goes a long way in lowering the price of getting on the mountain.ddddddddddddIf customers buy in advance, they will be rewarded by doing so, he said. Its very easy to understand. You wouldnt wait until the last minute to buy an airline ticket.Reece, who helped start Liftopia in 2005, also recommends that skiers and snowboarders — especially beginners — look locally when choosing from one of the more than 450 resorts across the country.To give skiing a try, you dont need to book a weeklong vacation to Colorado from New York. There are a lot of local ski areas where you can learn, he said. People will be surprised to find what is in their backyard. Sometimes the trendy spots, theyre awesome for a great reason. But there are some areas that will surprise you.And while large resorts like Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone offer varied terrain and more amenities, smaller resorts can provide their own charm, shorter lift lines, less crowded slopes and cheaper lift tickets.CJ Hartland, sales manager for Monarch Mountain in southwest Colorado, says the resorts owners have kept lift ticket prices down by offering group rates and free skiing to kids age 6 and under and to seniors 69 and over.The owners want people to learn and fall in love with the sport and not have to be wealthy to do it, she said. Walk-up tickets at the 800-acre resort, which has 53 lift-served trails, are $69; advance tickets run $57.At larger resorts, keeping skiing affordable has come down to an intense battle over season pass prices.Until 2009, an unrestricted pass to Vail Resorts at Vail Mountain, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone cost $1,900. Now with Vails Epic Pass, skiers and snowboarders have access to those four mountains, plus 18 more resorts for $769.People rushed out to buy it because they thought we had made a mistake, said Vail spokesman Russ Pecoraro. The pass could pay for itself in a week, depending on where and when you go.The debate over pricing will likely continue, but industry leaders contend that a day of skiing and snowboarding is, well, priceless.Theres really no better value for a family, said Pecoraro. To get your family out there. To participate together. Its the value you get from the experience and its not always about the price. ' ' '