ZAGREB, Croatia -- Luka Modric and Mario Mandzukic were included in Croatias experienced 30-man provisional squad for the World Cup on Wednesday. The skilful Real Madrid midfielder, with 73 appearances for Croatia, and the prolific Bayern Munich striker, with 54 caps, are expected to form the spine of countrys team at the World Cup, where it will play host Brazil, Mexico and Cameroon in Group A. However, Mandzukic will have to sit out the World Cup opener against Brazil on June 12 in Sao Paulo because of his expulsion during Croatias playoff match against Iceland. Also included in the provisional squad are defender Darijo Srna and Brazilian-born striker Eduardo of Shakhtar Donetsk, midfielders Ivan Rakitic of Sevilla and Niko Kranjcar of Queens Park Rangers, and strikers Ivica Olic of Wolfsburg and Nikica Jelavic of Hull. In 1998, Croatia -- still recovering from a bloody civil war in the Balkans in the early 1990s -- finished third in its maiden World Cup. Since then, the team from a nation of 4.3 million people qualified for three out of four World Cups. Now, the Croats believe they can finish at least second in their group after the highly favoured hosts, and progress to the knockout stage. "Well try our best in Brazil, but the earth wont stop turning if we fail," Croatia coach Niko Kovac said Wednesday while announcing the squad which will be reduced to 23 players on May 31. "There will always be disappointed players, but thats how it goes," the German-born former Croatia midfielder said. "I was not in the team for the 1998 World Cup, but still managed to play at many big events after that." Defender Josip Simunic had to be omitted from the squad after he lost his appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Monday, ruling him out of the World Cup for leading fans in a pro-Nazi chant after the playoff win. "Simunic will unfortunately not be with us in Brazil," Kovac said. "We are friends and Im sad." ------ Squad: Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Oliver Zelenika (Dinamo Zagreb) Defenders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Dejan Lovren (Southampton), Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Gordon Schildenfeld (Panathinaikos), Danijel Pranjic (Panathinaikos), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kyiv), Sime Vrsaljko (Genoa), Igor Bubnjic (Udinese) Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Niko Kranjcar (Queens Park Rangers), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kyiv), Ivan Perisic (Wolfsburg), Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan), Milan Badelj (Hamburg), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg), Marcelo Brozovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Mocinic (Rijeka), Mario Pasalic (Hajduk Split), Sammir (Getafe) Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich), Ivica Olic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikica Jelavic (Hull), Ante Rebic (Fiorentina), Duje Cop (Dinamo Zagreb) Air Max 270 Cheap Online . PETERSBURG, Fla. Cheap Air Max 270 Wholesale .Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team. http://www.discountairmax270.com/. -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a three-run homer, Colby Rasmus drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers 9-4 on Saturday. Wholesale Air Max 270 . Ben Street scored twice for the Heat (17-5-1), who won their fourth game in a row and 13th in their last 14 outings. Brett Bulmer scored the lone goal for the Wild (6-11-0), who dropped their sixth straight contest. Buy Air Max 270 . -- When the Los Angeles Kings are on top of their formidable defensive game, they revel in the silence they can create in a frustrated road arena.PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- It had been so long that Brittany Lincicome didnt quite know what to think about her spot atop the LPGA Championship leaderboard. Lincicome opened a three-stroke lead Friday in the wind-swept tournament, the LPGA Tours fourth major championship of the season, as Americans moved into position for their fourth straight major victory of the year. "I feel like Ive been doing a lot of really good things," Lincicome said. "I feel like Ive been playing really well, driving it far, which is awesome. But its just not coming together." It has at Monroe Golf Club. The long-hitting Lincicome followed her opening 67 with a 68 to reach 9 under as she chases her first title since 2011. She won the 2009 Kraft Nabisco for her lone major title and has five LPGA Tour victories. Lexi Thompson, tied for the first-round lead with Meena Lee, dropped into a tie for second with defending champion Inbee Park of South Korea. Thompson had a 72, and Park shot 66. That gave the United States two players at the top with majors already on the trophy shelf. "Its a great leaderboard so far," said Thompson, who won the Kraft Nabisco to start the major run. "Today was a little more difficult than yesterday. Just didnt hit it as well, but I did make some good putts, so Im going to take a positive out of it." Its the first time Americans have won the first three majors since 1999, and they havent won four since 1992. Michelle Wie won the U.S. Womens Open, and Mo Martin surged to victory in the final round at the Womens British Open. A fifth major, the Evian Championship in France, was added last year. Seventeen-year-old Lydia Ko of New Zealand had a 69 to join Lee, from South Korea, and Jane Park at 5 under. Lee had a 73, and Park shot 69. Top-ranked Stacy Lewis sputtered again with a 1-over 73 to finish the two rounds at even par. Jennifer Kirby (79), from Paris, Ont., dropped from second in the first round to 54th on Friday at a 2-over par. Lincicome had an eagle and three birdies to go with one bogey for her second solid day. She averaged 277.5 yards off the tee on the two measured holes and needed only 26 putts for the second straight day. "Its been incredible," Lincicome said. "I havent been here in a while, especially in a major." Thompson reached 8 under after a birdie at the par-5 14th hole but followed with bogeys at Nos. 8 and 9 to drop into a tie with Lincicome at the turn. Lincicome, who started the day one shot off the lead, birdied the par-5 12th hole to gain a one-shot advantage while Inbee Park slowly clawed her way back into contention after shooting even par on the first day. Park had two birdies and chipped in from a greenside bunker for an eagle on her first five holes on the back side, and three birdies in the first three holes on the front put her att 6 under.dddddddddddd "Quite different from yesterday," said Park, who won three majors last year. "I thought I need to change things a little bit and get a little more aggressive, and thats what I did." Thompsons birdie at No. 3 forged a tie with Lincicome and Meena Lee at 7 under, but it was short-lived. Moments later, Lincicome notched the sixth eagle of the day at the par-5 14th hole to put her two shots ahead and then parred out. Unable to string any sort of run together as she did on the first day, Thompson dropped into a tie for second after a bogey at the par-3 sixth hole, statistically the sixth-most difficult hole on the day. Locust Hill had been LPGAs host in the Rochester area for 37 straight years before the tour made the switch this year to nearby Monroe. The Donald Ross-designed course is about 300 yards longer at 6,717 yards, and the wider fairways favoured long hitters. "Right now, the fairways are generous. You can just bomb it off the tee," said Suzann Pettersen, tied for seventh at 4 under after a 69. "You can risk the extra few yards. Even if you miss it (the fairway), youll still be able to get to the greens somehow." A gusting wind strafed the course all day, sending leaves and bits of bark onto some greens and making each shot an adventure. Pettersen, who averaged over 276 yards off the tee, second-best over the first two rounds, was in the morning group and managed to stay out of trouble for the most part. It wasnt easy. "It is playable out there, but youve got to hit some great golf shots," Pettersen said. "The wind is a bit choppy. Its bounding up and down all the time. Youve got to try and find the pocket, try and hit the right shot that gives you the highest percentage." Ko, already a four-time winner on her LPGA Tour career, hit all 14 fairways and reached 15 greens in regulation in notching six birdies with three bogeys in an up-and-down day. Ko needed 31 putts to complete the round -- six more than the first day -- in part because of a three-putt bogey at No. 2 and then failing to get up-and-down at No. 4 in making another bogey. Both holes are par 4s. "I just give myself as many opportunities as I can," said the low-key Ko, who didnt touch a club during a recent five-day stretch because her swing was "on holiday." "I wish I was a long hitter," Ko said. "Im just trying to play to my strengths." Ko, a two-time winner this season, remained focused on the moment and just shrugged at the possibility of becoming the youngest winner of a major in LPGA Tour history. "I think about winning at the end of the week," Ko said. "Im going to go out there and just have some fun. Theres still two more days. Im pretty confident. Its good to be in this position." Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '