THE STATE OF PLAY FOR A-LEAGUE EXPANSION BIDS* TasmaniaStatus: Mega-wealthy former Victory investors Harry Stamoulis and Robert Belteky have already met with FFA, saying theyre ready to go from next year with support from all levels of government. Khalen Saunders Super Bowl Jersey .Pros: A cheap stadium deal, as well as plenty of dollars and know-how from Stamoulis and Belteky.Cons: Football is far from the top game in this AFL-mad state, with little infrastructure and growth potential in a limited market.* AucklandStatus: Very early days to quote Auckland Citys chairman Ivan Vuksich. The New Zealand powerhouse is the only realistic option for expansion across the ditch, but would require a leap of faith from FFA.Pros: Successful football pedigree, the chance for a Kiwi derby and weekly A-League content in New Zealand, a strong catchment of 1.5 million.Cons: Questions of commitment. From the club, FFA, NZ Football and potential investors.* CanberraStatus: Up in the air. Governing body Capital Football isnt bidding and previous A-League aspirant investor Ivan Slavich is currently backing Central Coasts two-game deal in the nations capital.Pros: Solid stadium, junior numbers and lack of competition in one of Australias richest, if smaller, cities.Cons: FFA isnt keen. David Gallop pointedly rebuked the citys A-League aspirations around the time it hosted an A-League qualifer last year.* South MelbourneStatus: Ready to go, so they say. The powerhouse NSL club has been working to join the A-League since the day it was overlooked for the league and will mount a solid case.Pros: History and the chance to heal the ongoing rift between new football and old soccer. A solid stadium deal and long-term lease. History of success.Cons: Does Melbourne need another team with Citys attendances so low? Would Victory fight their admission?* GeelongStatus: Interested groups are getting organised but a Geelong bid is still in the embryonic stages.Pros: Theres room in Victoria for another team, and state and local government are likely to offer support. Geelong is a sports town with a record of producing Socceroos.Cons: Simonds Stadium might have narrow boundaries but its ultimately not a venue suitable for football. Questions over support base.* Brisbane StrikersStatus: The former NSL champions have assembled a bid team, headed by the colourful Miron Bleiberg, and will soon submit a formal bid to FFA.Pros: A strong brand, an existing structure, a successful academy and a ready-made rivalry with Brisbane Roar.Cons: Venue. If the Strikers cant find somewhere to play other than Suncorp Stadium, theyll struggle for a point of difference with the Roar.* South SydneyStatus: They were nearly ready to replace Wellington Phoenix last season, and the murmurs are continuing that FFA wants a third team in Sydney.Pros: Sydneys big enough for three teams, right? FFAs number crunchers have determined the south is an untapped market, with a big participation base.Cons: Sydney FC are dead against it, as one third of their members come from the shire, while Wollongong wants a standalone team.* WollongongStatus: The Wolves say they will have a look at FFAs expansion criteria once its released, but they could have some high-powered backers lined up.Pros: The Illawarra, a bit like the Hunter, is a true football region. WIN Stadium would be perfect.Cons: Forces outside of their control seem to prefer a southern Sydney team, based part-time in Wollongong.* AdelaideStatus: Adelaide City and West Adelaide, two former NSL stalwarts, have made noises about an A-League bid.Pros: Both are historic clubs who figure the Reds could do with a derby rival. Wests want Robbie Fowler as their inaugural coach.Cons: Does little old Adelaide really have room for two teams? Whos not supporting Adelaide United in SA?* PerthStatus: Football West is aiming for a second Perth team in the next three to five years in an audacious bid to turbo-charge the game in WA.Pros: Perths a growing city and numbers would suggest not everyone is on board with the Glory, for whatever reason.Cons: The Glory are just getting settled off-field and a rival team would chew into their market at an inopportune time.* Not happeningNorth Queensland: The Northern Fury say they wont be ready for this round of expansion, and the Hong Kong casino mogul backers of Cairns-based FNQ Heat have seemingly moved on.Gold Coast: There is a desire from some parties to revive Gold Coasts A-League presence but no action at this stage. Maybe one day. LeSean McCoy Super Bowl Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. Joe Montana Super Bowl Jersey . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. http://www.officialkcchiefspro.com/Eric-fisher-chiefs-jersey/ . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. LOS ANGELES -- Southern California wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster was upset.After fighting with two defenders, he walked to the other side of the practice field with cornerback Adoree Jackson in pursuit. After Smith-Schuster and Jackson spoke for several minutes, Trojans coach Clay Helton and offensive coordinator Tee Martin eventually convinced Smith-Schuster to return, though he did not participate in any drills afterwards.It was not the conventional way to build team morale, but might have been exactly what the Trojans needed after being demolished 52-6 by No. 1 Alabama.We got a mad football team right now. Wish we could play today to be honest with you. It was ultra-competitive out here today, which is a good sign as a head coach, Helton said. Id rather have it like that than the other. Saturday cant get here quick enough for us.Smith-Schuster wasnt the only one mad about an offensive performance in which USC did not score a touchdown for the first time since 1997 and was held to just 194 yards of total offense. An offensive line that returned the second-most career starts in the FBS allowed three sacks and nine tackles for loss. As the Crimson Tide was able to create consistent pressure with only four rushers, the defense could double-team Smith-Schuster, who had one reception for nine yards.Sometimes that first game lets you know where you are and where the holes are and what you got to fix, and for us it was kind of a blessing in disguise, Martin said. No, you dont want to lose in that way, you dont want to perform the way that we did, but it put the mirror in our face as to some things we got to work on and get better at.When asked what USC needed to improve on, Martin replied a lot of things.More troubling than the physical gap bbetween USC and the defending national champions was the lack of mental fortitude to match Alabama, running back Justin Davis said. Damien Williams Super Bowl Jersey. After cornerback Marlon Humphrey returned an interception 18 yards late in the first half to give Alabama a 17-3 lead, there was no belief that USC could mount a comeback.It just died down after that one mistake. We cant have that going forward, Davis said. We let the name Alabama get in our heads and then it took off. `Oh well, theyre too good. They are about to win the national championship. Thats not the case, I didnt believe at least. We had the team to go out there and compete against them for four quarters.Utah State, which travels to the Coliseum on Saturday, has the belief it can compete with USC after a 17-14 loss in 2013, a sentiment that was reinforced by the Trojans meek performance against Alabama.I definitely feel that we have an opportunity to go in there and win, Aggies defensive end Rick Aliifua said. To be quite honest, this time Im coming for blood.The intensity of Tuesdays practice was a positive sign to Davis that USC is rediscovering a winning outlook, Smith-Schusters scuffle and all.Its just that we need to keep having that something in our belly, the desire to want to be great, Davis said. I think were starting off this week great with that.Game notes LB Osa Masina and DE Don Hill will not play against Utah State, Helton said. Masina and Hill are under investigation for sexual assault, but neither player has been arrested or charged. The university is allowing Masina and Hill to attend classes, practice and participate in team meetings, Helton said. ' ' '