BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Megan Rapinoe knows this is a different Olympics for her.Forget about playing in every game and being a leader on the field. The attacking midfielder will have to find a way to contribute more with her words than her skills.Rapinoe isnt fully fit after undergoing surgery on her right knee and will be on the bench as the Olympic tournament kicks off on Wednesday. She arrived in Brazil already knowing she would have a limited role as the U.S. womens team tries to win its fourth straight gold medal.Obviously Im not going to be a 90-minute player in this tournament, she told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Ill have to work my way back in. I think that getting into the knockout round Ill be able to come off the bench and make an impact that way, being more of a role player.Rapinoe, who helped the U.S. win the gold at the 2012 London Games and clinch the World Cup title last year in Canada, hasnt played with the U.S. since tearing her ACL in a training session in Hawaii before a scheduled World Cup victory tour match in December.Ill be as ready I can possibly be, but with the understanding that its a different role than Im used to, a different role than I had last year, said the 31-year-old Rapinoe. I dont know how many minutes Ill be able to play. Theres always an element you only get in the games and you only get from playing. Physically I feel good and I feel confident.There were doubts about whether coach Jill Ellis would include Rapinoe in the Olympic roster because of her fitness. The players addition to the team despite her lack of playing time came as a surprise to many.A big part of the selection is that she is a game-changer. And a game-changer can come in for 15 minutes and make a difference, Ellis said. Her and I had many conversations with the medical team, just in terms of how to use her in this tournament, and how we have to build her as the tournament evolves.Ellis said the coaching staff already knew ahead of the games that Rapinoes playing time would be limited, especially in the first few games. She said having Rapinoe on the team was important because of her set-piece brilliance, her crossing and her specificity in certain situations.The other thing that Megan brings is just this personality that puts people at easy, Ellis said. And this helps the teams as a whole, just to have a good balance and base in terms of dealing with pressure.Rapinoe said she has adapted quickly to her new role.I think theres a lot I can bring off the field, she said. Im one of the older players on this team, this is my fourth major championship, so I have quite a bit of experience. I think its a balance of giving what the team needs but also making sure that Im getting what I need in coming back from this injury.One of Rapinoes replacements has been 18-year-old Mallory Pugh, who is making her debut in a major competition and is trying to take advantage of the veterans advices.Off the field she has been great, Pugh said of Rapinoe. She just brings this positive vibe to everyone. In the last World Cup I just watched her a lot and looked up to her in the way she played.The U.S. makes its tournament debut on Wednesday against New Zealand at the Mineirao Stadium in the southeast city of Belo Horizonte. The Americans then face France and Colombia in Group G of the 12-team competition.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter:
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http://bigstory.ap.org/content/tales-azzoni . Louis Blues. Shane Hnidy joins Brian Munz for the broadcast on TSN 1290 Radio at 7pm ct. . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No.Zlatan Ibrahimovic will miss his first league game of the season when Manchester United go head-to-head with Arsenal on Saturday, live on Sky Sports 1. The striker is suspended following his fifth caution of the season, which came against Swansea at the beginning of November.Boss Jose Mourinho is free to return to the dugout having served a one-game touchline ban against Swansea after admitting using abusive words towards a match official at half-time in their 0-0 league draw with Burnley in October. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger, who is yet to record a win against a side managed by Mourinho in the Premier League, will make a late check on the fitness of Alexis Sanchez ahead of his sides trip to Old Trafford. Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho will come head to head when Manchester United host Arsenal Despite carrying a hamstring injury, Sanchez scored twice in Chiles 3-1 win over Uruguay in World Cup qualifying, playing 84 minutes on Tuesday.He will no be assessed by Arsenals medical team before a decision is taken on whether he is fit to play against United. Team newsManchester United are expected to field Wayne Rooney, who this week apologised to Gareth Southgate and FA technical director Dan Ashworth over images emerged of him partying into the early hours over the weekend.Rooney sat out Englands 2-2 draw with Spain on Tuesday with a minor knee injury and returned to United for treatment ahead of Saturdays match. Centre-backs Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling will miss Arsenals visit through injury whilst Luke Shaw and Antonio Valencia face races to recover from their own fitness worries. Hector Bellerin in action for Arsenal against Middlesbrough at the Emirates Stadium For the visitors Hector Bellerin (ankle) is out for a month after picking up a knock at the end of the recent draw at home to Tottenham, with the game also coming too soon for Santi Cazorla (Achilles).Lucas Perez (ankle), Per Mertesacker and Danny Welbeck (both knee) are also still missing.Opta statsManchester United have lost just one of their last Premier League meetings against Arsenal; a 3-0 defeat at the Emirates in October 2015.Mourinho is unbeaten in all 11 Premier League games he has managed against Arsene Wenger, having won five and drawn six as former Chelsea manager. Highlights - Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham This is Manchester Uniteds third worst start to a Premier League season. Should they lose on Saturday, they would sit on their joint fewest points from the opening 12 league games, level with the 04/05 season when they went on to finish third.Arsenal are the only Premier League side yet to trail away from home.Wayne Rooney is the second-top scorer in Manchester Uniteds history with 247 goals, just two behind Sir Bobby Charlton. Highlights - Swansea 1-3 Manchester United Petr Cech has kept six league clean sheets against Manchester United, which is joint top with David Seaman.dddddddddddd The former Chelsea keeper made 196 appearances under Mourinho. Mersons predictionI think this will be a draw. Arsenal thought they could turn up in February and win, and ended up getting beaten 3-2.Wenger is moaning about Alexis Sanchez and Chile, I think hes just starting to make excuses already.Really, Arsenal should win this game on form, but with Jose Mourinhos record against Wenger, I think he has a hold over him. Im going 1-1. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his relationship with Jose Mourinho will not be an important factor when they play Manchester United on Saturday I think Mourinhos record over Wenger makes a big difference. People arent really expecting United to win this, with Arsenal playing well, but Im going one each.PAUL PREDICTS: 1-1BettingManchester United are Sky Bets 6/4 favourites for the victory on Saturday, with Arsenal 9/5 while the draw is priced at 23/10. Ahead of Arsenals trip to Manchester United on Saturday, we take a look back at some of the more memorable strikes seen between the two sides over the years However, the Gunners are considerably shorter in the Premier League outright betting at 6/1 to Uniteds price of 25/1.Marcus Rashford heads a wide open first goalscorer market at 5/1, with Wayne Rooney and Olivier Giroud closely behind at 11/2 apiece.Find out what the Soccer Saturday pundits and Jamie Redknapp are backing in their Sky Bet tips here. ' ' '
