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The United States is a real threat to return to the podium in womens field hockey.The Americans finished third in Los Angeles in 1984 but havent medaled since, despite qualifying for the Games in 2008 and 2012.There are signs that a breakthrough might be near. The U.S. won the Pan-Am Games in 2015, beating perennial power Argentina in the final. In the Champions Tournament in June, the United States finished third, despite being the lowest-ranked of the six entrants. Included were draws against No. 3 Australia and No. 4 New Zealand in pool play and a win over Australia in the third-place match.The U.S. is No. 5 in the latest FIH world rankings, its highest slot ever. The squad plans to challenge Australia and New Zealand, as well as No. 1 Netherlands and No. 2 Argentina, next month.Last month, we were able to show the world that we are at a point where were reaching our goals, forward Katie Bam said. Were stepping up and were taking it to teams that are ranked higher than us, and we are playing without fear, and we are winning those games.A critical part of coach Craig Parnhams plan when he took over in 2013 was to make sure the players clearly defined what they wanted to accomplish. They met for 2 1/2 hours and agreed that the word united needed to be more than just a part of their countrys name.We want this program to be number one in the world, midfielder Rachel Dawson said. We understand that the only way that were going to do that is by doing it together, by each of us bringing our individual strengths and making something thats bigger than any of us individually.Dawson has the most caps, with 289. She played on both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams.Lauren Crandall is second on the team with 273 caps, and she also heads into her third Olympics. She was fifth in the International Hockey Federation Player of the Year balloting in 2015.Shes hugely experienced and has been through many cycles with the USA, Parnham said. She is a great leader for the team. Not only does she speak well, but more importantly for us, she defines her ability on actions and behaviors. She leads by example and is a real role model for the younger players.Kaitelyn Falgowski, a midfielder who also will play in her third Olympics, has 225 caps.The Americans plan to improve on their 12th-place finish in London in 2012.I think a lot can happen in four years, Falgowski said. Thats one of the biggest things going forward, is this is a new team. The lessons weve learned over the past four years have really prepared us going into Rio for any mindset. Were still writing our own script, and in London, we may have finished 12th, but were going in with a fresh start in Rio, and I think thats something that were all prepared for and excited to be able to do.---Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter (at)CliffBruntAPFake Bucks Jerseys . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. Stitched Bucks Jerseys . Thousands of Southern California fans enveloped the Trojans to celebrate an improbable win secured by an interim coach, an inconsistent kicker and a thin defence that wouldnt break. https://www.cheapbucksonline.com/ . The head of USA Boxing came out swinging Tuesday with an open letter to Tyson -- a former Olympic hopeful himself -- that accuses the former heavyweight champion of trying to poach fighters who might be candidates for the U. Milwaukee Bucks Store . Now tied for second in the league in shootout goals, the 24-year-old likes to see what the opposing goaltender has in store before he ultimately lands on a move. Milwaukee Bucks Shirts . The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments.CHICAGO -- Its October in an even-numbered year, and the San Francisco Giants appear to be following their usual routine. The Chicago Cubs think their time is now.Welcome to one intriguing NL Division Series.Fresh off a dramatic wild-card victory in New York, the Giants were brimming with confidence when they arrived in Chicago on Thursday, albeit a bit late due to travel problems. Madison Bumgarners four-hitter in Wednesday nights 3-0 victory against the Mets means he likely is pushed back until at least Game 3, but the Giants have 18-game winner Johnny Cueto ready to go for Friday nights series opener at Wrigley Field.San Francisco stumbled in the second half of the season, then closed with five wins in six games to hold onto the second NL wild card. The Giants won the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and manager Bruce Bochy and company feel this is their part of the calendar- again.The moment wont bother these guys, Bochy said.The Giants sustained success is exactly what the Cubs are hoping to string together. It has been 108 years since the North Siders last won the World Series in 1908 -- a number that will chase them around for as long as they stick around in this years playoffs -- but the Cubs made it to the NL Championship Series in 2015 and led the majors with 103 wins this season.With a deep rotation and young sluggers in Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs are positioned to challenge for titles for years to come. They want to start right now, and the Giants are standing in their way.Every year theyre in it. Every year theyre contending. Every year they have a chance to win the World Series, said left-hander Jon Lester, who will start Game 1 for the Cubs. So I think thats what every team wants, not just us. I think theyre an organization that a lot of teams look after to figure out how, why, how to get to that point.Its a model of consistency. Its impressive to see what they do.The Cubs clinched the NL Central title way back on Sept. 15, giving them a couple weeks to rest a few bumps and bruises and get their pitching staff ready for the playoffs. Even manager Joe Maddon is interested to see how they respond after four days off.Yeah, were going to find out, Maddon said. I thought we handled the last couple days well.One of the key moments in Chicagos run to a wild caard last season was a four-game sweep of San Francisco in August.dddddddddddd If this years seven-game season series is any indication of what the playoffs will look like, get ready for a string of tight, low-scoring matchups.The final five games were decided by one run, including Chicago taking three of four at home last month. The Cubs won four times and outscored the Giants 23-17 this year, but one of their wins was an 8-1 victory.Weve got our work cut out for us, said Jake Arrieta, who likely will match up with Bumgarner in Game 3. Weve had a nice amount of time off. Now its going to be nice to get back on the field and playing some meaningful games.Cueto made one start against Chicago this year, pitching seven solid innings in a no-decision on Sept. 4. The right-hander, who helped Kansas City win the World Series last season, is very familiar with the Cubs and Wrigley Field after spending the first 7 1/2 years of his major league career with Cincinnati.I like to pitch when its a sold-out crowd with everybody cheering for me or against me, and that kind of motivates me, Cueto said through a translator.Lester had one of his worst starts of the year at San Francisco on May 21, lasting just 2 2/3 innings in a 5-3 loss. He responded with five consecutive wins and went 15-2 with a 2.38 ERA in his final 23 starts.After Lester makes his 17th career postseason appearance, major league ERA leader Kyle Hendricks gets the ball in Game 2, followed by Arrieta and John Lackey. The Giants had not set their series rotation, but Jeff Samardzija could pitch on Saturday night against the team that gave him his start in the majors.The status of All-Star Eduardo Nunez also was unclear. Nunez missed the wild-card win with a strained right hamstring, and Conor Gillaspie delivered in his absence with a three-run homer in the ninth -- just another example of San Franciscos even-year magic.Can he start tomorrow? No, Bochy said while providing an update on Nunezs status. But its a five-game series, if we think he can help coming off the bench, maybe start the back end of this series then we probably would activate him.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap ' ' '