Several assistant coaches also spok

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- President Dilma Rousseff appealed to Brazilians to support the World Cup, using a nationally televised address less than two days before the tournament starts to rebuke the "pessimists" who complain the country shouldnt be hosting the event. Air Jordan Retro 12 Wholesale . Brazils World Cup preparations have stoked countless protests from those angered by the billions spent on the event while the quality of public services in the health, education, security and transport spheres is lacking. In a pre-taped speech aired during prime time Tuesday night, Rousseff called on all Brazilians to back the national team regardless of their political persuasion or whether they fully agree with the nation hosting the event. "Im certain that in the 12 host cities, visitors are going to mix with a happy, generous and hospitable people, and be impressed by a nation full of natural beauty and which fights each day to become more equal," she said, referring to sharp drops in poverty that Brazil has seen in the past decade under Workers Party leadership. Rousseff also defended the $11.5 billion spent on the Cup. Three out of every four Brazilians polled say they are convinced that corruption has tinged the myriad works related to the Cup. An Associated Press investigation earlier this year found that big construction firms responsible for building the bulk of the stadiums, roads and other works had dramatically increased their campaign contributions since Brazil was named as the host of this years Cup. Much of that money was funneled to Rousseffs ruling Workers Party though spending also went to the opposition. In one case, top builder Andrade Gutierrez, which has helped build or renovate four stadiums, hiked campaign contributions 500-fold from one election to the next after it was determined which 12 cities would host matches. That stoked anger and increased suspicions about collusion between politicians and the big builders -- especially after reports from government auditors began to surface, indicating massive cost overruns along with allegations of price-gouging, principally in the building of stadiums. For instance, the cost of the stadium in Brasilia, a city with no major professional soccer team, has nearly tripled to $900 million from original price estimates published by the government. "Have no doubt, the accounts of the Cup are being meticulously analyzed by auditing agencies," Rousseff said. "If there exists any irregularity, those responsible will receive the maximum punishment." About half of Brazilians polled have said theyre against even hosting the World Cup and the mood is mixed about the event just days before it starts. That was once unthinkable for a nation that embodies soccer like no other, the country that has won the World Cup a record five times. However, many Cup watchers also think that if the Brazilian team gets on a roll and starts winning, the mood could quickly pivot and the nation could show the world a celebration worthy of its international reputation as a land of free-wheeling festivals and easy going, friendly people. Rousseff said that "for any nation, organizing a Cup is like taking part in a tough -- and many times painful -- game." The leader rebuked those who argue Brazil has spent too much on the Cup, saying that since 2010, the government has spent more than 200 times what it invested in stadiums on education and health care systems. Adding to fears of chaos during the Cup, subway worker unions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro were both expected to announce decisions soon on whether they would call transportation strikes for the coming days. Rousseff, whose poll numbers are slipping ahead of an October political election, concluded her speech by urging all Brazilians to rally around their team, whom she addressed directly. "Beneath those green and canary jerseys, you embody a powerful legacy of the Brazilian people. The national team represents nationality," she said. "Its above governments, parties and interests of any group." Air Jordan 12 Wholesale . Johansen scored twice and Derek MacKenzie, Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson also had goals to lead the Blue Jackets to a 5-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night, ending a three-game losing skid. Air Jordan 12 Retro Uk .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. http://www.airjordan12uk.com/ . Algeria led 3-0 at halftime, but withstood a stronger South Korean second half performance to claim its first World Cup win since 1982 and move into second place in Group H with one match left to play. Defeat for South Korea means it must now beat already-qualified Belgium to stand a chance of progressing to the knockout stages.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Nobody wants Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final to come quicker than Dan Girardi. The Rangers defenceman was victimized by a bouncing puck that led to the Kings overtime goal in Game 1 on Wednesday. After the Kings flubbed a three-on-two, the puck found its way to Girardi who had time and space to play it. The other Rangers headed up the ice to start an attack only to have the puck bounce over Girardis stick. The 30-year-old from Welland, Ont., fell to his knees, taking a swipe at the puck in a bid to clear it. It went straight to Kings forward Mike Richards, who fed Justin Williams for the winning overtime goal. "It was gone until this morning, until right now," Girardi said dryly Friday when reporters asked him about the gaffe. "As a player, theres really no worse feeling than that. Obviously in the Stanley Cup finals you dont want to make a play that costs your team. "Obviously (I was) stewing about it a little bit (on the Rangers off-day Thursday) but youve got to move on. Weve got a huge opportunity to get it 1-1 going back to our building." Game 2 is Saturday at Staples Center. Girardi, who plays with Ryan McDonagh on the Rangers top defensive pairing, got plenty of support from his teammates in the wake of the overtime mistake. "Danny was down for a few minutes," said forward Brad Richards. "Everybody kind of picked him up. "Thats a tough bounce. It just happened that that was the overtime goal that the bounce happened. We got a bounce on tthe second goal that went off their D-man (Slava Voynov) in the net. Cheap Jordan 12 For Sale. " McDonagh sits next to Girardi in the locker room and wasted little time going over the play. "Thats how we work through things as a group," said McDonagh. "Me and him are a pretty talkative pairing. No matter what happens, bad play, good play, were talking about it, trying to improve, trying to make sure were on the same page as much as possible. "If it was flip-flopped and it was me, he would have came to me and asked me, What could we have done differently, what could we have done better? Thats the beauty of our pairing and the beauty of him, too. He doesnt soak in the wounds, so to speak, think about the what-ifs. He just tries to correct it, see what he can do better, and were there supporting him." It was clearly appreciated. "Its great to hear the guys rally around you," said Girardi. "That could happen to anyone and everyone would have reacted the same way, doesnt matter who it is. Thats the type of team we are. Everyones got each others back." Several assistant coaches also spoke to Girardi afterwards. Rangers coach Alain Vigneault, meanwhile, kept the incident in perspective "Everybody understands the dynamic of that play," he said. "You know, Dans got to turn the page and move on. "Hes been one of our real solid defencemen, not only in the playoffs and the regular season, but hes a real hard worker, and Im sure that hes focused on the next game now." ' ' '