SAO PAULO - The World Cup stadium in the Brazilian host city of Cuiaba is staging its first official match with only half of its seats installed and construction work still underway. Calvin Pryor Jersey . The Arena Pantanal will open on Wednesday with a Brazilian Cup match between Santos and Mixto, but work is far from complete at the stadium, one of three yet to be declared ready for the World Cup in two months time. The official inauguration is set for April 26. The opening match in Cuiaba comes a day after labour officials prevented construction from resuming in part of the stadium hosting the World Cup opener in Sao Paulo. The decision was made because of safety concerns following a workers death over the weekend, the third at the venue and seventh overall. As in most World Cup stadiums in Brazil, infrastructure work around the Arena Pantanal continues at full speed, with bulldozers, cranes and dump trucks still at the site as hundreds of workers try to finish access roads, sidewalks and temporary structures. Wednesdays match will have limited attendance because organizers could only install about 20,000 of the 41,000 seats at the stadium. Fans will only occupy the lower seating sections. The delay came in part because the initial bidding process for the seats was suspended over prosecutors claims that they were overpriced. A court battle ensued over the suppliers and the installation took longer than expected to begin. The match is not going to be considered an official test event for local the World Cup organizing committee in part because not all security measures will be in place. The stadium was one of the six that were not finished by the end of last year as expected by FIFA. Sao Paulo was already behind schedule even before the death of a 23-year-old worker on Saturday, which prompted labour officials to halt the installation of the temporary seats that will be needed for the Brazil-Croatia opener. Work isnt expected to resume until next week as constructors scramble to add safety features to the site. Local organizers and FIFA said the work stoppage is not expected to significantly delay the stadiums date of completion. Local officials said it will be inaugurated in April, but FIFA expects the stadium fully ready only in mid-May, about a month before the opener. The Arena da Baixada, in the southern city of Curitiba, is also expected to be ready in May. But last week the local governments watchdog group recommended a halt on public financing for the stadiums renovation until organizers can explain alleged irregularities in the stadiums budget. FIFA almost excluded Curitiba from the tournament earlier this year because of the delays at the stadium. Ryan Quigley Jets Jersey . - The Oakland Raiders have signed quarterback Trent Edwards and defensive tackles David Carter and Torell Troup to reserve/future contracts. Chris Ivory Jets Jersey . Blake Griffin had 27 points and eight rebounds, Chris Paul added 19 points -- including a go-ahead layup in the final minute -- and the Clippers beat the Hawks 109-108 on Saturday night for their season-high seventh straight win. "In the locker room, I almost felt like we lost the game, because we expect a lot from themselves," Paul said.Its a nice situation to be in. As the Toronto Argonauts prepare to face their hated enemies from down the QEW, the Hamilton Tiger Cats, in this Sundays Eastern Final, theyre faced with something they havent experienced all season - a healthy receiving corps. There hasnt been one game this season where all five import receivers have been healthy, mainly because newcomer Romby Bryant suffered six broken ribs in a preseason game and wasnt able to get back in the lineup until Week 17. A CFL lineup consists of 42 players. At least 20 must be non-imports, with seven of them being starters. All of a sudden the Argos have a decision to make. Do they dress four or five import receivers? This season the Argos have dressed four import and three non-import receivers. Two of the spots have been filled with starting Canadians, Andre Durie and Spencer Watt, with Mike Bradwell and/or Julian Feoli-Gudino dressing as backups who also play special teams. Is there a chance they could dress five American receivers? "I dont know if were going to make major changes there" said head coach Scott Milanovich. "It will still probably be pretty similar (to what theyve done all season)." If thats the case, the Argos now have to deal with which four import receivers will run through the tunnel to play on Sunday. Here are the options. Chad Owens Theres no doubt he will play. Owens won the leagues Most Outstanding Player award in 2012 and led all CFL receivers with 94 catches this year. Hes also their primary returner. Owens missed all four games of a western road trip due to a rib injury. Dontrelle InmanInman is also a lock. The 62 second-year Argo battled hamstring problems early in the season. Hes back and is a major threat in the red zone. There are very few defensive backs who can beat him on a jump ball in the end zone. Jason BarnesA favourite of QB Ricky Rays, especially in the red zone. The two were teammates for three years in Edmonton before both headed to Toronto in 2012. Barnes had 44 catches this season, with seven of those being for touchdowns, and is the only one of the group that did not miss a game due to injury. John ChilesPerhaps the fastest receiver in the league. Clocked with a stopwatch at a free agent camp this year at 4.24 in tthe 40 (his fastest electronic time being a 4.Jace Amaro Jets Jersey. 29) He stretches defences and is a legitimate game breaker. Of the rookies 44 catches this year, eight were for touchdowns. He missed four games in October with a hamstring injury, but returned to the lineup in the season finale against Montreal. Romby BryantThe six-year veteran is the wild card here. Bryant suffered six broken ribs in an exhibition game this year, finally returning to the lineup late in the season. In Week 18, Bryant caught seven passes, two of them for touchdowns. He also possesses eight games of playoff experience. During Tuesdays practice, judging by the number of reps, Bryant seemed to be the odd man out. After the workout was over, TSN.ca asked Milanovich whether Bryant would be the man who got the short straw when it came to dressing on Sunday. "We have not made that decision yet" said the second-year head coach. "Thats going to be one thats going to take a couple of days in practice (to figure out)." How do they make that decision? "Its a comfort level with the game plan" continued Milanovich. "Its performance based off this week of practice. Its health." Figuring out any changes to the ratio is not a unilateral decision. Milanovich and offensive coordinator Marcus Brady discuss what they need on offence with defensive coordinator Chris Jones. "You have certain guys that you know have played and can play at this level" Jones told TSN.ca. "Those (players) are identified very early during the process of deciding who are going to be the Canadian players for you. Then, of course, injury has to play into the factor; you have to see who is healthy and who is not." The playoff bye week, coupled with most of the veterans being rested for the final regular-season game, have allowed the Argos to become as healthy as they have been all season. It will be interesting to see which receivers and which Canadians will be donning the double blue Sunday as they attempt to get to a second-consecutive Grey Cup final. Mike Hogan is the play by play voice of the Argos on TSN 1050 radio. You can listen to the game at 1pm Sunday on TSN 1050 or TSN1050.ca with a one hour pre-game show kicking off at noon. ' ' '
