KAZAN, Russia -- World Cup winner Germany will play South American champion Chile in the group stage of next years Confederations Cup.The Germans will also take on Australia and the African champion, to be determined in February, in Group B.Its good opportunity for some younger players but we will have a strong team, said Germany coach Joachim Loew, who is planning to rest some senior players.European champion Portugal will face hosts Russia in Group A, along with Mexico and New Zealand. Russia will play New Zealand in the opening game in St. Petersburg.I think its going to be a very difficult group with Russia, the host nation for the tournament, with a new coach and a lot of ambition, Portugal coach Fernando Santos said. We are not favorites but we are here to play to win.The tournament runs from June 17 to July 2 next year in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan and Sochi, and is a warmup event for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Its a key test for some of the trickier areas of Russias preparations, including the costly and much delayed 69,000-seat St. Petersburg stadium. Russian President Vladimir Putin told FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Friday that the stadium would be finished by the end of next month.The Confederations Cups future after 2017 is uncertain, with Infantino saying earlier Saturday that the format could be changed and we are putting everything on the table.Thats because the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will be held in November and December, meaning the Confederations Cup would cause severe disruption to the club calendar if held in its traditional slot a year before the bigger tournament.Infantino said FIFA officials are discussing questions such as Shall we play it in June? Shall we play it in November? Shall we think about the format?Last year, then-FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said the 2021 tournament would be moved from Qatar and played elsewhere in Asia.The Confederations Cup features many of the best teams in world football -- with FIFAs six continental champions, plus the World Cup holder and the following years World Cup host. But it has struggled to build a distinct identity beyond being simply a test event for a larger tournament. Wholesale Baseball Jerseys .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. https://www.mlbjerseyschina.us/ . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. 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LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Andrew White III began his career at Kansas, then transferred to Nebraska and redshirted a year before playing another, only to wind up at Syracuse to finish off his unique college basketball odyssey.All that moving around hardly makes him unique, though.Its more like the new norm.More than 700 players on Division I rosters swapped schools last season, many taking advantage of fifth-year transfer rules that allow them to play immediately. The number could swell to more than 800 by the time this season begins next week. And that has coaches and administrators at every level concerned about the long-term effect on the health and popularity of the sport.I do think its a big-time problem in college basketball. Its a problem in college athletics, said Kansas coach Bill Self, who has three transfers from four-year schools on his current roster. But I also think its a societal problem because how many kids now, if you dont play on your high school team, whats the first thing you do? You switch schools. It happens in football and other sports, too.I mean, wed like for it to be tightened up, where theres less transfers and hopefully that will be the case. But I dont know what the answer is for that.Thats the biggest problem: Nobody seems to know.In interviews with more nearly two dozen coaches and officials, including four conference commissioners, the only consensus was that the transfer epidemic is a problem striking college basketball to its core.The numbers concern me, ACC commissioner John Swofford said. But within those numbers, you have to understand there are sometimes very good reasons to transfer that are beyond just playing time. Some of it is societal in nature, in which its instant-gratification syndrome of, If Im not playing immediately and not playing a big role, Im going somewhere else. Thats indicative of a larger issue beyond basketball.Swofford said the days of kids waiting their turn are a quaint construct of yesteryear. Now, everybody wants to get on the floor right away, and theyre willing to uproot if thats what it takes.My concern is more about the academic part of it as much as anything, and how much can you bounce around and truly receive the kind of education that youd want, Swofford said. But again, its hard to lump that all into one bag. There is a lot going on.Transfers are more pervasive in college basketball for a number of reasons.First, the game is largely the same regardless of where you go. Teams run different offenses, coaches utilize different systems and defenses vary from school to school. But its not like football, where a player who transfers has to learn hundreds of complicated plays in a condensed time period.That makes it easy for a player to get up to speed quickly.Another reason is numbers: There are only five guys on the floor at a time, and only 200 minutes to go around per game. CCompare that to football, where an offense will run about 80 plays and there are 11 guys on the field at a time, not to mention opportunities to play on special teams.dddddddddddde need coaches to be frank on the front end, what their program is about, Belmont coach Rick Byrd said, and then we need kids when they make their decision to stay there and not hop around looking for the next best thing because they didnt play 38 minutes a game as a freshman.The NCAA is continually examining the issue through its committee on academics but has so far stood pat. And that is particularly troubling for mid-major coaches like Byrd when it comes to the fifth-year transfer rule, which allows athletes who have graduated to play immediately somewhere else.That rule has turned some mid-major programs into de facto minor leagues.Most coaches are in favor of eliminating the rule, which would mean those players would have to redshirt a year just like any other transfer. Other ideas to curb the number of transfers include a cap on the number of schools where an athlete can play, and rules that limit where an athlete transferring can go.Im heartened by the fact that the NCAA continues to look at transfer issues, Ohio Valley commissioner Beth DeBauche said, because theyre very complex.Now, there are cases where transfers are best for everybody involved: coaching changes, players deciding they want to play closer to home, academics and many other issues that can pop up over the years.Then there are the benefits to playing in different places.Making two moves, its kind of kept me on my toes, White said. Ive seen different staffs, different leagues. Ive experienced a lot of basketball up to this point and its helped me with my overall confidence.As far as my Kansas experience, got to see a blue-blood, elite-level program. Got to win a couple of rings. Then Nebraska, obviously a sports town, Big Ten is a great basketball league. I got to play a big role and do some big things and learned a lot from that staff. And then you come here and you learn from one of the greatest coaches (at Syracuse), White said. Its been good for my well-being as a man and as a player.Indeed, the Orange might best encapsulate the trend. Jim Boeheim had a handful of transfers in his first 40 years as their coach. Hell have three in the lineup this year.Transfers that weve taken have been very impactful to our program, Boeheim said. We havent taken that many, but the guys that we have taken are very impactful.As for the transfer outlook for college basketball?Its here to stay now, Boeheim said. So if you need a guy you cant get a freshman to help you, if you can get a guy that has started for two or three years, that would bring something to enhance recruiting. ' ' '