-and-on discussions picked

ATLANTA -- Arthur Blank donned traditional soccer garb to mark his newest venture -- an MLS team for Atlanta. John Elway Jersey . "I love this one," Blank said, looking down at the red, black and gold scarf draped over his dark suit. "I havent taken it off since it was given to me. I may not sleep in it tonight, but I may. I havent decided yet." Major League Soccer announced its latest team Wednesday, an expansion team for Atlanta that will begin play in 2017 at the citys new retractable roof stadium. The team will be owned by Blank, who also controls the NFLs Atlanta Falcons. He said it was the culmination of a process that started about a decade ago, when he first started talks with MLS about bringing a team to the city. The off-and-on discussions picked up again after Blank reached a deal with the city last year to build a new $1 billion downtown stadium next to the soon-to-be-demolished Georgia Dome. He is putting up most of the money, with the city kicking in $200 million from a hotel tax. "I think Atlanta is a natural fit for Major League Soccer," said Blank, who was serenaded by a burgeoning fan group that calls itself "Terminus Legion," a reference to the citys former name. The teams name has not been determined. Blank said he will get input from the fans before deciding on the new moniker, though he already knows the colours: red and black -- matching the Falcons -- with a substantial amount of gold as well. "What the name will be, we really dont know," he said. "We will spend a lot of time listening to our fans and trying to understand why some names are more important than others, why certain designs are more important than others, why certain logos are more important than others." One name that wont be considered: Atlanta Chiefs, the name of two previous teams that played in the old North American Soccer League. While the Chiefs won the first NASL championship in 1968, both versions struggled financially and eventually folded. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said there was no hesitation about putting a team in Atlanta once Blank worked out a stadium deal. It is the ninth-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. and the biggest without a top-level soccer team. The city has a large Hispanic population and last month drew more than 68,000 fans to the Georgia Dome for a friendly between Mexico and Nigeria. "This is something that will help elevate our league," Garber said. "It will also elevate our sport in the entire Southeast, which is something that is very important to us strategically." The league went all out to tout its newest team. Hundreds of fans turned out for a street festival before Blank and Garber arrived by helicopter for the introductory news conference, touching down on the roof of a downtown hotel overlooked Centennial Olympic Park. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed also attended. While the new stadium is primarily designed for the Falcons, Blank stressed that it will be soccer-friendly. The stands along the sideline will have the capability to retract, accommodating the larger soccer pitch while maintaining sightlines. Curtains will descend from the roof automatically to close off the upper sections, creating the sort of intimate atmosphere that works better for less-attended MLS games. The new facility is designed to seat about 71,000 for NFL games, Blank said, but can be reduced to about 29,000 for soccer using only the lower bowl. "There will never be an MLS game in Atlanta where NFL lines are shown on the field," Blank said, drawing a big cheer. MLS, which has 19 teams this season, is expanding rapidly with a goal of having 24 teams by the end of the decade. Orlando and New York City are scheduled to begin play next season, and the league has awarded a provisional team in Miami to a group led by David Beckham, contingent on a soccer-specific stadium being built. The league has added five teams in the past five years, including the hugely successful Seattle Sounders. Garber said there is no worry about growing too fast given the abundance of soccer talent around the world. "When we expand, we can pick from players around the world," Garber said. "We could change the roster rules, the international player limits, and have no dilution in talent." Blank said he will try to encourage some crossover between Falcons season-ticket holders and those interested in attending MLS games. But he acknowledged the teams are likely to have very different fan bases, making it clear the new soccer team will not merely be a side business for the Falcons. His first priority is to hire a team president for the MLS venture. He will also be exploring possible locations for a state-of-the-art training facility. "We dont want any stepchildren in our family," Blank said. "We want to make sure the people running soccer get up in the morning thinking about soccer and go to bed thinking about soccer." John Elway Womens Jersey . The UFC womens bantamweight champion is 8-0 in her professional mixed martial arts career, all by way of her trademark submission: a vicious armbar. Bradley Roby Orange Jersey . Johns a tough opponent, even if the Red Storm dont get a win to show for it. BOSTON -- The Washington Wizards didnt get flustered when they trailed by 18 points. The Boston Celtics couldnt hold a big lead for the second straight game. Trevor Ariza scored 27 points capped by a 3-pointer that highlighted a fourth-quarter run as the Wizards rallied for a 106-99 victory Saturday. "We dont let anything rattle us too much," Ariza said. "We just play and chip away and know things are going to happen. Its a long game. We know teams can go on runs. They went on a run and we did, too." After Jeff Greens layup with 6:14 left gave the Celtics a 92-84 lead, they went nearly six minutes without a field goal. Meanwhile, the Wizards were going on a 14-1 run that Ariza started with a jumper from the right corner. John Wall had five of his 20 points in the surge, which was interrupted only by a free throw by Jared Sullinger that gave Boston a 93-91 lead with 3:39 remaining. "It was just, Ok. We fought back. Lets get some stops here and keep going. Keep stepping on them and lets runaway with this one," Ariza said. Nene tied it with a short baseline jumper and Wall gave the Wizards their first lead, 95-93, with a 20-footer with 2:51 to go. Marcin Gortat then blocked Sullingers shot and Ariza hit his 3-pointer with 2:25 remaining to put Washington ahead 98-93. The Celtics had led 32-14 early in the second quarter. But in the last six minutes of the game, they were outscored 22-7, committed four turnovers and had two shots blocked. "They came out and punched us right in the face in the first quarter," Washington coach Randy Wittman said, "but I never saw any downness from our guys." Avery Bradley, an outstanding defender, scored 18 of his 26 points for Boston in a span of 8:01 in the second half. He started with a layup with 4:01 left in the third quarter that gave the Celtics a 66-59 lead and ended with a jumper with 8:00 left in the fourth that made it 88-82. Bradley then went to the bench and the Wizards began their comebacck. http://www.shopjerseysbroncos.com/Womens-Cody-Latimer-Authentic-Jersey/. "He had a good roll," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "His effectiveness on the offensive end is just going to continue to improve." Washington (12-13) won its third straight game, all on the road. It started the day in fourth place in the Southeast Division but has a better record than Boston (12-16), which entered the game in first place in the Atlantic Division. Nene, Gortat and Kevin Seraphin scored 13 points each for the Wizards. For the Celtics, Sullinger had 22 points and 11 rebounds and Green added 13 points. Three days after squandering a 21-point lead and losing to Detroit 107-106, Boston wasted lost another big cushion. "You have to stay focused," Celtics guard Jordan Crawford said. "Youve got to step on the pedal when you have them down." The Celtics led 51-44 at halftime and 62-53 five minutes into the third quarter. But Washington tied it at 74 on a 3-pointer by Martell Webster with 42 seconds left in the third quarter. Then the Celtics took a two-point lead on Bradleys jumper from the top of the key with 3.9 seconds left in the period. "Avery had an amazing second half," Webster said, "but we were resilient on the defensive end." Boston got off to its second straight strong start and led 30-14 after one quarter. On Wednesday night, it outscored Detroit 42-23 in the first. The Celtics scored the first seven points of the game, took a 22-8 lead on Sullingers 3-point play with 4:07 left in the period and finished it by scoring the last five points. A layup by Gerald Wallace gave the Celtics their biggest lead, 32-14. Then Boston collapsed in the last six minutes. "We settled a lot for shots," Wallace said. "We had some bad turnovers." Notes: The Wizards had at least 30 points in each of the last three quarters after scoring 14 in the first. ... The game was the opener of an NBA-NHL doubleheader at TD Garden. The Boston Bruins played the Buffalo Sabres at night. ' ' '