rty by outraged fans or commentators doesnt faze him.People like to sit behind

PHILADELPHIA -- For the first time ever, the Womens Table Tennis World Cup is coming to the U.S. -- bringing 20 top-ranked players from powerhouses as far afield as Singapore, Japan and Germany to Philadelphia.Its so cool, its absolutely amazing, said Lily Zhang, one of two Americans competing. Im so excited that we can finally host the World Cup. Thats huge, you know.Stakes are high. After the Olympics, the World Cup is one of the most prestigious titles in ping pong, and winners will split a $150,000 prize pool.I really want to win, said Elizabeta Samara, 27, a Romanian player seeded 10th in the tournament. Yes, I also want to enjoy, but enjoying not just for fun, you know?Among the competitors are Olympians, a 15-year-old from Japan, a Korean player coached by her mother since the age of six and eight players fresh to the tournament. They will be smashing ping pong balls at speeds of over 60 miles an hour. The players will be whittled down to one champion over six rounds and three days.China has won every World Cup since the tournament began 20 years ago -- but because of injuries -- it wont be participating. That means a different country will now have the opportunity to snag the title.I expect everybodys level of all the countries to be very close, said Lily Yip, coach of the American team. Maybe our U.S. team can win. You never know.Table tennis has enjoyed an uptick in popularity over the past few decades, but recently, player numbers have been stagnating, dropping from over 19 million in 2010 to around 16.5 million last year, according to USA Table Tennis.Many Americans dont understand that ping pong is actually a very difficult, very high-level sport, said Yip. They still think of it as a `basement sport.Tournament organizers are optimistic the World Cup will breathe new life into the game, proving its worthy of more than just a casual round or two.I think that if we can pack this place, well have no choice but to bring this tournament back here, said Gordon Kaye, CEO of USA Table Tennis, one of the sponsors of the event.Matches will be played over the weekend, with the final showdown scheduled for Sunday night. Fake USA Soccer Jerseys . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . 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Hes one of the most-penalised players in the NRL but Gold Coasts Ryan James wont be changing his style of play for anyone.A week after being charged for a high tackle that left Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco with a broken jaw, James was embroiled in controversy again last Saturday.Penrith coach Anthony Griffin was livid despite his teams 15-14 win at Robina, with front-rower Reagan Campbell-Gillard suffering a back fracture when James was the third man in a tackle midway through the second-half.James says being labelled dirty by outraged fans or commentators doesnt faze him.People like to sit behind keyboards and write what they want, he said.It doesnt really bother me. I guess its just angry fans.Theres not much you can do about that, just stick to your game.It was a normal tackle and theres 15 of those in a game. Its just very unfortunate he got injured and theres just not much you can do about it.James has conceded 25 penalties this year acccording to NRL.ddddddddddddcom statistics, with only Cronulla pair Michael Ennis (28) and James Maloney (27) giving away more in 2016.Titans coach Neil Henry has admitted Jamess run-ins with referees are a concern, especially with Gold Coast heading into a crucial match against North Queensland this Saturday.Nothing less than a win over the Cowboys in Townsville can give the Titans any chance of making the finals.James says hell be wary to keep himself out of trouble in the ruck against the premiers as he aims to take Gold Coast into the finals for the first time since 2010.Ive been wanting to play semi-finals footy for a long time, the 25-year-old said.Weve been against the best this year and beaten them. Weve been in some tight games and lost by a point or two.We definitely know we can go up there and mix it with them. ' ' '