Brisbane Roar coach John Aloisi believes they are in better shape compared to this time last year as they prepare for their final pre-season match against A-League opposition.The Roar will field a near full-strength team for Tuesdays friendly against Perth Glory in Sydney, with new signing Brett Holman, star winger Tommy Oar and goalkeeper Jamie Young the only senior faces to sit out.Holman is still being eased into full training while Oar (groin) and Young (finger) are dealing with minor injuries.However, former Danish international Thomas Kristensen - the replacement for Brisbanes departed player of the year Corona - has overcome some recent knee troubles and will play.Weve had a bit of turnover but the core group is still here, Aloisi told reporters on Monday.If I look back and see where we were last pre-season to where we are, we feel were ahead.Weve changed a little bit, the way we play, but not too much. I feel were a lot more fluent than where we were, this time last year, when weve got the ball and defensively, were ahead.Its nice to see the progression of the group.Brisbane finished one game short of the grand final last season, losing 5-4 away to Western Sydney in their semi-final.The Roar only faced the Glory last month in the FFA Cup, losing 2-0 at Ballymore Stadium in the round of 32, but sought an extra pre-season game after their scheduled clash with Central Coast last weekend was washed out.They also face an NPL Queensland select team on Saturday before hosting Melbourne Victory at Suncorp Stadium in the A-League season opener on October 7. Air Force 1 España Baratas . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Air Force 1 Rebajas . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division. http://www.airforce1baratas.es/ . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Comprar Air Force 1 Baratas . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Air Force 1 Baratas España . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. NEW YORK -- If this is how Serena Williams serves when she cant practice properly because her right shoulder is sore, watch out when shes 100 percent healthy.A year after falling two wins short of a calendar-year Grand Slam by bowing out in the U.S. Open semifinals, Williams showed zero signs of shoulder trouble Tuesday night as she began her bid for a record-breaking 23rd major title.She hit 12 aces and reached 121 mph on her powerful serve during a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ekaterina Makarova, a potentially tricky first-round opponent at Flushing Meadows.I was pleased with my serve, because I havent been hitting a lot of serves at all, the 34-year-old Williams said. In practice, none of them were going in, so I was definitely excited about that.Since equaling Steffi Grafs mark for most Grand Slam singles trophies in the Open era, which dates to 1968, by earning No. 22 at Wimbledon in July, the No. 1-ranked Williams had only entered one event -- the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, where she was upset in the third round. She cited a sore shoulder in withdrawing from a hard-court tournament a week later.Looked perfectly fine against Makarova, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist who is ranked 29th and beat Williams in straight sets at the 2012 Australian Open.I knew today I needed to be focused because Ive played her. Shes gotten to the semifinals. She goes deep in majors. She knows how to play big matches on big courts. Shes not intimidated, Williams said. I knew I had to really come out today. It was my only option, really.Well, consider that done.Wearing black sleeves on each arm -- she called the accessoories definitely functional because they keep my muscles warm -- Williams averaged 108 mph on first serves and won 17 of the first 20 points she served, 36 of 46 overall, never appearing to be the least bit bothered by anything.ddddddddddddAnd she even figured maybe the time she couldnt spend serving during training sessions paid off, in a way, because she was forced to work on other aspects of her game, including footwork.I couldnt hit any balls. I wanted to stay fit, so ... I guess that kind of helped me out a little bit, she said.In 2015, Williams arrived at the U.S. Open having won four consecutive major titles for a self-styled Serena Slam. But had she won the championship in New York, too, she would have made it 4 for 4 within a single season, something no one had done since Graf in 1988.But that pursuit ended with a surprising semifinal loss to Roberta Vinci of Italy.Later, Williams acknowledged what was at stake had been a burden.Williams was asked Tuesday whether this edition of the U.S. Open might be a more pleasant experience than a year ago, without the same sort of history on the line.I had a great experience last year. I was going for something that no one has done in a really long time, she replied. Yeah, it didnt end out wonderful for me, or the way I wanted it to end, but it was all I could do. Thats all I could do. If I could make the semis this year, Id be excited about that.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '