momentum that we have.A fourth consecutive victory would put fif

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Howard Shu was just 10 when he lost a match in his first badminton tournament to the top junior in his class.Shus mother was wowed by the talent on the other side of the net and asked the winners mother if her son would like to compete with Howard in doubles.The mother was blunt:Your son sucks.Shu laughed as he recalled the story that would serve as motivation for him to become more a serious badminton player. He returned to the same tournament the next year and beat the kid who was too good to team with Shu.Shus been winning matches around the world for most of the last 15 years.The top-ranked American singles player has his biggest match yet when he opens play Friday in a sport known more as a lazy backyard summer game than a serious sport in the Summer Games.China won gold in all five badminton events in 2012, and many top Chinese will again be contenders when play opens Wednesday.Shu would love to leave with a medal to go with another passport stamp. Shus Instagram page looks like something straight out of Wheres Waldo. Theres Shu chilling in a pool after the Olympic trials in Tahiti. Or hes snapping a selfie from Table Mountain in South Africa.He even posted a short clip of the time he pulled on a wetsuit and went swimming with the sharks in Cape Town, South Africa after he won a major international tournament. Sometimes, hes just kicking up his Jordans and relaxing.Shus thirst for adventure and his world-class skills have made him the natural spokesman for an American team hopeful of bringing home the countrys first medal in the sport. Badminton is on the short list of sports the U.S. has failed to even medal in, joining handball, rhythmic gymnastics, table tennis and trampoline.The 25-year-old Shu, who graduated from UCLA, isnt a strong medal favorite. But he has the type of charisma that could help Americans take notice of badminton for at least a few days should he advance deep into the tournament.Badminton is stuck in the same Rio de Janeiro complex as other minor sports that include weightlifting and table tennis. At the Olympic level, badminton smashes reach over 200 mph and boast long rallies that could rival the most thrilling in tennis. The shuttle whizzes across the net like a darting mosquito and only the best make sure the shuttlecock -- made of 16 goose feathers stuck to a leather-covered round cork, that weighs only about 5 grams -- never hits the floor.Every player has a different style. When I go on the court, its really like art, Shu said.Shus parents are both from Taiwan and his father played badminton. Shu started playing at 8, running around like a little brat when he tagged along with his dad. Shu played soccer and baseball, even basketball, which forged what he called an addiction to sneakers.Yes, the Shu certainly fits when it comes to calling him a Jordan aficionado.The sneaker junkie has more than 100 pairs of sneaks and multiples of his favorites (one to rock, one to stock) with a fondness for the Air Jordan 11s.Hes put some serious miles on his size-10 soles. The 6-foot-1 Shu has dominated badminton around the world, especially last year when he hit 30 countries in 12 tournaments, including one six-week stretch where he played on six continents.And one serious plunge with great white sharks .I was on such a high from a winning a tournament, I just said, `Im doing it, he said.Back on dry land, Shu posed for a photo with Kevin Durant at the opening ceremony parade and later watched the U.S. squad romp over Venezuela with friends and family from home.Hes part of a seven-member delegation thats a longshot to medal -- but hopeful to open American eyes to an underappreciated sport.I just want to go out there and show people what the sport can be, Shu said.---AP Summer Games website: http://summergames.ap.org Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Black Friday . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Online . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/ . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. Custom Nike Detroit Tigers Jerseys . Nigeria beat surprise package Ethiopia 2-0 in the second leg of their playoff for a comfortable 4-1 aggregate victory. Victor Moses converted a 20th-minute penalty after an Ethiopian handball, and Victor Obinna made certain of Nigerias place in Brazil with his powerful free kick in the 82nd at UJ Esuene Stadium. Custom Nike Chicago Cubs Jerseys . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. Its win and get in for D.C. United in their match Sunday against David Villa and New York City FC, the only team to beat D.C. since late July.United is among the leagues hottest teams since the July acquisitions of forward Patrick Mullins and winger Lloyd Sam, having won their last three matches while going unbeaten in their last five.Mullins and Sam have combined for 10 goals and five assists with D.C. (10-9-13, 43 points), in the process turning a struggling offensive team into a dangerous one. United havent been shut out in 14 matches while scoring 31 goals -- 2.21 per game -- over that stretch.I think everybody could tell thats kind of when our team started to pick it up offensively, D.C. midfielder Lamar Neagle told mlssoccer.com. Guys have just kind of latched on and continue to kind of create that upward momentum that we have.A fourth consecutive victory would put fifth-place United beyond touching distance of seventh-place New England for one of six Eastern Conference playoff spots with a match to spare.It would mean defeating an NYYCFC side (14-9-9, 51 points) that pulled off a dramatic victory over D.ddddddddddddC. at Yankee Stadium 45 days ago in its pursuit of the conference regular-season crown.Frank Lampard scored in the third minute of second-half stoppage time in New Yorks 3-2 victory over D.C. on Sept. 1, canceling out Neagles equalizer two minutes earlier. Thats one reason NYCFC enters the weekend behind the New York Red Bulls for first place only on goal difference (plus 4 to plus 14).We cant feel like champions, even more so in this league because of the playoffs, NYCFC forward David Villa told mlssoccer.com. Were in the playoffs and we get to play in them for the first time in franchise history and itll be easier for us in the playoffs if were first (in the Eastern Conference).Villa has two goals in each of his last two games to make it 21 for the season, tying him with the Red Bulls Bradley Wright-Phillips for the league lead. ' ' '