Ed Carpenter Racing signed with Chevrolet as its engine provider for the upcoming IndyCar season. http://www.shopjerseyslions.com/Womens-Golden-Tate-III-Authentic-Jersey/ . Carpenter confirmed the deal with Chevrolet to The Associated Press on Monday morning, hours before IndyCars planned State of the Sport presentation. He was to be officially introduced as a Chevy driver during the evening events. Carpenter, who left Sarah Fisher Racing at the end of last season to start his own team, had found landing an engine deal to be one of the most difficult elements of team ownership. IndyCar this season is going to three engine manufacturers -- Chevrolet, Honda and Lotus -- but supply is somewhat limited. Chevrolet went into the off-season with four teams already signed consisting of 10 cars. Carpenter should push Chevrolets total to 11 full-time teams, more than any other manufacturer. But he said his first choice was always Chevrolet. "It took a little longer to get to this point than I thought it would, it was a long process," he said. "We came to the table late compared to everyone else, and Chevrolet all through the process had been the choice for us. But everyone was trying to make sure they didnt overextend, and that they protected the teams they had already signed." Chevrolet is also partnered for 2012 with Penske Racing, Andretti Autosport, KV Technology and Panther Racing. The automaker is making its return to IndyCar after a six-year absence from the series. In previous participation, Chevrolet powered teams to 104 victories -- including seven Indianapolis 500 wins -- and six drivers championships. "Ed is a winning driver and we hope hell put the new Chevrolet engine back in victory lane this year. We are anxious to see Eds new car on the track with our new partnership," said Jim Campbell, Chevrolets vice-president of Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. Carpenter is one of only a handful of American drivers in IndyCar, and hell be only owner/driver in the series this year. Hes got lucrative sponsorship from Fuzzys Ultra Premium Vodka, and Zoeller, the former Masters and U.S. Open Champion, was pleased to get the deal with Chevrolet. "American made, American driven. Outstanding," Zoeller said. "Weve teed it up a few times with the IZOD IndyCar Series in the past and now weve hit the hole-in-one with Ed and Chevrolet in 2012." Carpenter, who scored his first career victory last October by beating Dario Franchitti to the finish on the oval at Kentucky, left SFR a few weeks after that win to start his own team. Because he put the key components together during the off-season, getting an engine package had proved challenging. He missed the open test at Sebring late last month, and said Monday he hopes to get at least two days on the track before the scheduled March test at Sebring. But he doesnt think his team is too far behind the competition. "I am behind in the aspect Ive been out of the car, and theres people who have started to learn the new car ahead of us," he said. "But we built our staff back in November, and our engineers are doing a good job. I feel like we are going to be really prepared when we get to the race track, and theres still a lot of people who havent been on the track at all. So were a couple of steps behind, but in the grand scheme of things, were in good shape." At least two other teams are still without engine deals as IndyCar closes in on its March 25 season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla. Fisher, who has teamed with IndyLights champion Josef Newgarden, hasnt announced an engine manufacturer yet. And Michael Shank Racing, which had previously been linked with Lotus when announcing its formation, is at a stand-still as the teams tries to put together a package for driver Paul Tracys final year in IndyCar. Eric Ebron Lions Jersey . Instead, he held a tight grip on the Cincinnati Reds offence to end the Cubs eight-game losing streak. Montell Owens Elite Jersey . -- Jimmy Walkers first PGA Tour trophy came with a special gift tucked inside.TORONTO -- Teenage defender Kadeisha Buchanan was a revelation in Canadas 3-0 loss to the United States last Sunday, one of the bright spots on an otherwise dreary afternoon for this countrys womens soccer team. With exactly two years to go until Canada hosts the FIFA womens World Cup, coach John Herdman is hoping to unearth more talented youngsters like Buchanan. "Were looking everywhere at the minute," Herdman said. "We are genuinely looking anywhere." The coach who led the Canadian women to Olympic bronze last summer in London addressed the media on a conference call Thursday, two years to the day Canada will kick off the womens World Cup in Edmonton, the site for Canadas group play. On the top of his to-do list: bring in good young players to bolster a lineup lacking in depth. Buchanan, a 17-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., has been a solid addition to Canadas back line since Herdman recently brought her into camp. But shes only one player. "I was speaking to Tommy Sermanni, the U.S. coach, and he said he could put two first 11s out there that could potentially go out and win a World Cup. Hes got such (an) amount of depth in that squad," Herdman said. "You think, he brings (Sydney) Leroux in off the bench (who scored the third goal for the U.S. last Sunday). (Megan) Rapinoe wasnt there to bring in off the bench. You can bring Christen Press, whos got an unbelievable goalscoring record for them. "And you look at that and go Wow. And you look at our bench, and you go You know, hopefully one of these players or two of these players will rise up over the next two years if we support them in the right way." On the heels of its bronze medal in London, Herdman has pleaded patience with Canadian soccer fans as he rebuilds his roster ahead of the 2015 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. The average age of his team, if it remained status quo, would be 31 years old in Rio, whereas the average age of a World Cup or Olympic champion is 27 or 28. Herdman didnt have time to look through Canadas talent pool last season, as he was hired barely a year before the Olympics. "We were literally operating with the group we had and couldnt put any attention to talent identification," he said. He and his staff have since looked at some 60 young women, and then narrowed that down to a small group that he hopes will graduate to the womens senior side. He has yet to find another player as good as Buchanan, who helped keep the score respectable last week in Canadas friendly against the U.S. at Torontos BMO Field. "In terms of finding another (Christine) Sinclair, we found Kadeisha Buchanan, whos pretty much moving down that track," Herdman said. "Its an absolute rarity seeing a 17-year-old playing at this level. Weve got to see if theres any more. Thats all Ive got to say, weve got to keep looking across the bench and see wwhat else is out there, and give some kids an opportunity over the next two years. Golden Tate III Camo Jersey. "Over the last nine games that weve played weve given a lot of opportunity, but outside of Kadeisha theres no one whos really said, Im here, heres my shirt. The others have still got work to do, but the work isnt insurmountable in a two-and-a-half hear period." Herdman said the biggest gaps are in Canadas attacking side. Canada has few offensive threats who can break down tight defensive units outside Sinclair, Melissa Tancredi, Diana Matheson and Sophie Schmidt. "While were giving several players opportunities to break through, weve got to hope those players keep breaking through quickly," he said. "Anyone out there in Canada, that play up front, theres definitely a few shirts available at this point." Despite the lopsided score against the world No. 1-ranked United States last week, Herdman said there was reason for optimism. "For 65 minutes we limited them to seven shots and five crosses, which is unheard of in our history of playing the U.S.," he said. "Theres something there about finishing stronger." At the London Olympics, the Americans produced over 38 attacking acts -- crosses and shots -- he said, in their semifinal versus the Canadians. Canada managed to cut that number down to 22 on Sunday, "so there was a major shift there." Still, Herdman said player-for-player, Canada has a tough time matching up with the best teams in the world such as the U.S. and Germany, and has to figure out how to beat them tactically. "We wouldnt have too many Canadians who could get into starting lineups (in the U.S. or Germany), so tactically we have to be very clear and with our clarity hopefully we get that energy and commitment that can produce results like we did in London," he said. The coach was pleased that his players didnt wilt in front of the capacity crowd of 22,453 fans -- a record crowd for a soccer game at BMO Field -- last Sunday. Herdman said Canada could easily have hosted a weaker team for their first game back home since the London Games, and sent the fans home happy with a victory. But he wants the women to get used to playing tough matches in front of packed crowds before the World Cup. "And we want the home crowd to see how tough its going to be and that we need their support," he said. "From that we learned a lot. I was absolutely impressed by my players, I thought they handled the week fantastically. And on game day, there wasnt one of them that choked in front of that massive massive crowd. You can say a slight underperformance from one or two players, but nobody choked. And thats a great sign." The seventh-ranked Canadians will play No. 2 Germany in Paderborn, Germany, on June 19. Canada will host South Korea in a friendly in Edmonton on Oct. 30. ' ' '
