TORONTO - The Canadian Soccer Association has dismissed allegations that it has targeted players involved in a legal challenge to the use of artificial turf at next summers Womens World Cup.The Canadian Soccer Association categorically denies that it engaged in any retaliation against players who filed complaints under the Human Rights Code against the Canadian Soccer Association and FIFA regarding the use of turf at the FIFA Womens World Cup Canada 2015, the association said in a statement Tuesday.No such threats were made and any suggestion that Canadian Soccer Association officials engaged in any wrongdoing is completely baseless.Lawyers for a group of elite female players involved in the human rights challenge allege that the women are being pressured to drop their lawsuit.In a letter Monday to the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, the lawyers said the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and FIFA — aided by national federations — have threatened reprisals against a coalition of the world’s best female soccer players for bringing this sex discrimination action.The women asked the tribunal for a cease-and-desist order.The players allege that Mexican international Teresa Noyola and French internationals Camille Abily and Elise Bussaglia had been threatened with reprisals.Noyola, according to the filing, was told she would not be invited to play for the Mexican national team unless she withdrew her name from the legal challenge. Abily and Bussaglia were led to believe that their continued participation in this action would lead to retaliation by FIFA in the awarding of the 2019 women’s World Cup.France is seeking to host the 2019 World Cup.All three have since pulled out of the complaint, although lawyers for the group saying 20 players have stepped forward to replace them. The total number now numbers 62.The players also allege that Costa Rican internationals Diana Saenz and Katherine Alvarado, along with a third unidentified player, were told by Costa Rican Federation officials that their participation put their positions on the team in jeopardy as a result of pressure from CSA and FIFA.The women have filed a human rights complaint that FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association are discriminating against women by making them play on artificial turf while the mens World Cup is held on natural grass.The women includes Germanys Nadine Angerer, Japans Yuki Ogimi and Americans Shannon Boxx, Sydney Leroux, Alex Morgan and Abby Wambaugh. There are no Canadian players named to avoid conflicts with the CSA, which doubles as the tournaments national organizing committee.FIFA and the CSA have no plans to change the playing surface, saying playing on approved turf is sanctioned under the rules of the game. The CSA has engaged an independent consultant to test the surfaces at venues in Moncton, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Vancouver. The results are expected in early 2015.The tournament runs June 6 to July 5.___Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter NFL China Jerseys . Or at least on everyone elses expectations. Costa Rica followed up its surprise win over Uruguay with another World Cup stunner on Friday, beating four-time champion Italy 1-0 to secure a spot in the next round and eliminate England in the process. Cheap China Jerseys . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. https://www.chinajerseysreview.com/ . Scott scored a career-high 30 points, Jeff Teague added 28 and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night. "We were down Paul, down so many bodies," Scott said. Wholesale China Jerseys . To be fair, the celebrations are already anything but tame. Nerf ball tricks shots are just the tip of the iceberg for a group that has performed in zero gravity, faced pro-skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and an assembled team on the MTV series "Fantasy Factory", and even hit a basketball trick shot from a passing blimp. China Jerseys Online . The appointment of Boullier continues the behind-the-scenes restructuring at McLaren, who recently brought back former team principal Ron Dennis as its new chief executive.Chapel Hill, NC (SportsNetwork.com) - Marcus Paige scored 16 of his 22 points during a strong second half that lifted 13th-ranked North Carolina to a 93-83 victory over Syracuse in a key ACC battle. The Tar Heels overcame a season-high 20 turnovers, as well as big performances from the Oranges duo of Trevor Cooney and Rakeem Christmas, to earn their season-high sixth straight win and 11th triumph in their last 12 games. Those miscues had North Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC) down 56-50 with 13 minutes left before Paige, Nate Britt and Kennedy Meeks led an 18-6 run that reversed momentum. Paige added eight assists and Britt, Meeks and Brice Johnson all finished with 17 points, with Johnson netting all but two after halftime and pulling down 11 rebounds for the game. Cooney matched a season high with 28 points for Syracuse (14-7, 5-3), which has now dropped three of four following a 4-0 start in ACC play. Christmas grabbed 12 rebounds in addition to tallying 22 points. The Oranges patented 2-3 zone frustrated the Tar Heels for much of the evening, and Syracuse owned a six-point lead seven minutes into the second half when Christmas sank a jump hook before hitting Cooney for a cutting layup that turned into a 3-point play. North Carolina then began to hit its stride, with Paige igniting the game- changing spurt with consecutive treys and Meeks later drawing a foul while making a tough turnaround shot. The sophomore converted the ensuing free throw for a 61-60 edge with 8:40 to go. Tyler Roberson put the Orange back on top with a jumper on the ensuing possession, but Britt knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers andd Justin Jackson went 1-of-2 from the line to extend UNCs margin to 68-62 with seven minutes left.dddddddddddd Syracuse got within two on several occasions, including on Robersons tip-in with 3:47 remaining that cut the lead to 74-72. The Orange were held without a field goal over the next two-plus minutes, however, as the Tar Heels went on an 12-3 spurt to put the game out of reach. North Carolina missed eight of its first 11 shots and had six turnovers through the first eight minutes of a sloppy opening half. The Orange capitalized, building an early 16-9 lead after Cooney put up seven of his 15 first-half points during a 9-0 run. The Tar Heels did respond with a 7-0 flurry and later battled back to claim a 35-34 edge on a Britt 3-pointer with 58 seconds to go in the period. However, the Orange recorded the final six points of the half as the Tar Heels continued to make mistakes. UNCs 13th giveaway of the stanza, an errant inbounds pass from Britt, led to Kaleb Josephs run-out layup that just beat the buzzer and sent Syracuse into the break owning a 40-35 advantage. Game Notes North Carolina committed 19 turnovers twice previously this season, both coming in games against Butler and Florida in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament ... The Tar Heels earned their first win over Syracuse since a 96-93 overtime decision in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Nov. 21, 1987 ... UNC shot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) in the second half and outrebounded the Orange by an overall 42-27 margin ... The Tar Heels 7-1 start in the ACC is their best since 2011-12. ' ' '