RIO DE JANEIRO -- Ben Ryan took his gold-medal favorite Fiji mens squad along to watch the womens rugby sevens quarterfinals, hoping their presence would inspire another Fijian team to win a race for the Pacific island nations first Olympic medal.It wasnt to be, with the Fijian women losing to Britain on Sunday night and leaving it to coach Ryan and his sevens world series champions to make history in Rio de Janeiro.Fiji has competed at the Olympics since 1956 but never won a medal, although theyve never had a chance to compete in the national sport at the Summer Games. Rugby, in the abbreviated sevens format, is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 92 years.Fijians all over the world think thats all Ryans men need to break the medal drought in a competition that kicks off Tuesday.But a New Zealand squad containing Sonny Bill Williams -- a two-time World Cup winner in the 15-a-side game and the highest-profile star competing in rugbys return to the Olympics after 92 years -- won as many titles (3) as Fiji on the 10-stop world sevens circuit.The depth of the 12-team mens competition is considerably greater than the womens tournament, which ended Monday with No. 1-ranked Australia and No. 2-ranked New Zealand in the final.As well as the New Zealand men, 12-time world series champion in sevens, other genuine medal contenders include No. 2-ranked South Africa, No. 4 Australia, No. 5 Argentina, the No. 6-ranked United States and No. 7 Kenya, which had a breakthrough season in 2016.South Africa has been runner-up in the last four world series and contains some of the season-leading individual players, including prolific try-scorer Seabelo Senatla.It is an exciting time for the rugby sevens team here in Rio, South Africa coach Neil Powell said. There is a good spirit among the players and we are confident we can deliver the goods.Ryan, who took over as Fijis sevens coach in 2013, knows his team is expected to win and is trying just to ensure theyre peaking at the perfect time.The Fijians won the opening round of the world series the last two seasons, and have won four of the last five three-day tournaments, Ryan said, suggesting he knew how to time his run.The South Africans are in Pool B with Australia, France and Spain. New Zealand, Britain, Kenya and Japan are in Pool C and the Fijians were drawn into Pool A with the United States, Argentina and Brazil.The Americans are the defending gold medalists, having won in 1924, but the format for the Olympics and the rugby world order has changed significantly since then.Its nice having a little bit of history, I dont know if its something we can directly pull upon, said U.S. captain Madison Hughes, the leading point-scorer in the last world sevens series. It was so long ago, but its a cool bit of history and were definitely looking to go out there and defend that gold medal.The U.S. team won its first title on the world sevens circuit in 2015 and keeps growing in strength, with the speed of Perry Baker and Carlin Isles out wide to supplement the muscle of NFL player Nate Ebner, who was granted permission by the New England Patriots to play at the Olympics.We have such different talent on our team, and we have brought them together, and I think its about having those different balances of athletic background, Hughes said. You have got guys who are specialized in one area, guys that are specialized in another, and then weve got a couple of rugby heads in the middle, trying to pull it all together.Hughes said the nature of the fast and furious sevens game ensured any team could win the gold medal.You saw it in the World Series this year, there were so many different winners, he said. It is incredibly competitive, incredibly balanced, and I think if you were saying you know who is going to win the gold medal, youd be lying. Custom Nike Texas Rangers Jerseys . -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Custom Nike Baseball Jerseys Authentic . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. https://www.customjerseysnikebaseball.com/custom-nike-milwaukee-brewers-jerseys/ . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Custom Nike Cleveland Indians Jerseys . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Custom Nike Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August.Newly-appointed Everton manager Ronald Koeman wasted no time dipping into the transfer window upon his appointment in June. The Merseyside club spent over £45m on Yannick Bolasie, Ashley Williams, Idrissa Gueye and Maarten Stekelenburg, while also managing to keep hold of prized assets Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley.Their only significant loss was John Stones, who joined Manchester City in a deal reported to be worth £50m. With the help of our friends at Football Whispers, whose unique algorithm tracks the likelihood of deals being done, here are a few of names who are likely to be linked with a move to Goodison Park this January...Kevin StrootmanCurrent Club: RomaPosition: Centre-midfielderLinked By: Daily MirrorCurrent Football Whispers Rating: 3.6/5Highest Football Whispers Rating: 4.6/5 (15th June 2016)The Mirror are linking Everton with a move for Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman as manager Koeman looks to prepare for life after 35-year-old Gareth Barry. Strootman was arguably one of the most sought-after midfielders in world football when he signed for Roma in July 2013 for a fee that could potentially rise to €19m. His all-round performances at the heart of the PSV team had many of Europes big clubs pencilling him in as the man to build their midfield around, but it was the Italians who moved first. Everton vs West Ham October 30, 2016, 12:30pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass However, in March 2014 his promising career was put on hold after he sustained a knee injury which effectively kept him out of action for two whole seasons. His stock started to drop and due to the fact it was a recurring issue it meant teams were less inclined to take a chance on the industrious midfielder.The 22-year-old Dutch midfielder has started the current season as though hes a man looking to make up for lost time. Hes started eight of Romas nine Serie A matches and hes been back to his influential best at the heart of the midfield.Of the 599 passes hes attempted, 91.7 per cent of them have been successful. Hes won 52.8 per cent of his duels, and has also had an impact on the attacking side of Romas game. Hes created 14 chances so far this season and has two goals to his name. Strootman and Idrissa Gueye would make quite a formidable pairing for Everton and with a Football Whispers rating of 3.6, it could happen in the future.Soualiho MeiteCurrent Club: S.V. Zulte Waregem (on loan from Lille)Position: Centre-midfielderLinked By: The SunCurrent Football Whispers Rating: 2.3/5Highest Football Whispers Rating: 2.3 (10th September 2016)According to The Sun, Merseyside rivals, Liverpool and Everton are battling it out to sign Lilles Soualiho Meite. The midfielder, currently on loan at Belgian side S.V. Zulte Waregem, has caught the eye with a string of impressive performances and reports suggest parent club Lille are prepared to sell the talented 22-year-old for £6m just three years and 30 first-team appearances after signing him from Auxerre for £1.3m.Everton are in the market for a midfielder despite signing Aston Villas Gueye in the summer, with James McCarthy failing to impress, Ross Barkley being out of sorts and Barry coming to the end of his career. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Meite, who can play as a traditional box-to-box or as a holding midfielder, has been a revelation in Belgium as he helped his side take a surprise lead at the top of the table.Hes the prototypical modern day midfielder with powerful running, the ability to not only spot a pass from deep but execute it with either foot, good positional sense which helps him shield the defence and pick up runnerrs as well as being comfortable in retaining possession when pressed - a necessity in the Premier League.dddddddddddd. In the 959 minutes the 62 combative midfielder has played this season hes attempted a total of 499 passes and completed 80.6 per cent of them. Hes won 13 tackles and has a successful duel rate of 64.8 per cent. If Koeman was looking for Barrys long-term replacement then at just £6m Meite should be near the top of that list. His all-action performances make him an ideal fit for the Premier League. Soualiho Meite (L) is on loan at S.V. Zulte Waregem from Lille Ruben SemedoCurrent Club: Sporting LisbonPosition: Centre-backLinked By: CalciomercatoCurrent Football Whispers Rating: 2.1/5Highest Football Whispers Rating: 2.7 (21st October 2016)Italian media outlet Calciomercato are linking Everton with a move for Sporting Lisbons centre-back Ruben Semedo as the club look for a long-term successor to ageing centre-back Phil Jagielka. Semedo has a €45m release clause in the contract extension he signed with the Portuguese club in March but it is believed Everton are prepared to flex their new financial muscle as they look to secure the centre-back, who is capable of playing as a defensive midfielder, ahead of the likes of Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli. The 22-year-old, who only made his debut for the club in August 2015, has been a revelation so far this season. Hes played in 900 minutes of the Primeira Liga, winning 15 tackles and 60 duels, making 40 interceptions and winning 61.4 per cent of his aerial battles. After bringing in Ashley Williams in the summer, Koeman may look further into the future with the acquisition of Semedo. Ruben Semedo (R) in action against Borussia Dortmund Manolo GabbiadiniCurrent Club: NapoliPosition: Striker Linked By: Football Italia Current Football Whispers Rating: 2.5/5Highest Football Whispers Rating: 4.7 (20th August 2016)According to Football Italia, Everton bid £20m for versatile Napoli front man Manolo Gabbiadini in the summer. The Italian club couldnt get a replacement in so the move was put on hold, but it appears that Everton are keen to revisit this potential deal in January. The 24-year-old, who is capable of playing a variety of attacking positions, is said to want a move for first-team football and Koeman is keen on improving the attacking options he has at his disposal and has earmarked the Italian as a Kevin Mirallas upgrade on the left-hand side. Gabbiadini, who cost €13 million when he signed for Napoli in January 2015, is seen as a squad player for the Serie A side and is said to be getting frustrated with the bit-part role with five of his 10 appearances so far this season coming off the bench. Hes played just the 322 minutes so far this season and has just the single goal to his name. He gets 45.5 per cent of his shots on target, has a 73.2 per cent pass completion rate and wins 40 [er cent of his aerial duels. The left-footed attacker not only offers pace, creativity and goals, but hes also a set-piece expert. It was believed Napoli would be reluctant to sell in January after it was confirmed Arkadiusz Milik would miss months of the season with a knee injury, but Maurizio Sarri has opted to use Dries Mertens up front in recent matches. Manolo Gabbiadini has been linked with a move away from Napoli You can watch Premier League football, plus Englands tour of Bangladesh and the US Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy six months at half price! Also See: Jeffers back at Everton as coach Premier League questions Everton fixtures Get a ￡10 free bet! ' ' '