Brisbane Roar will be forced to travel to secure their place in next years AFC Champions League partly because of the Socceroos recent downturn in form.The Roar were planning for a one-off, win-and-youre-in match at home on February 7, but they now face a far more arduous task to qualify after China overtook Australia in the latest annual member associaton rankings, released last week by the Asian Football Confederation.The member association rankings system was introduced in December 2014 by the AFC, and is used to determine how many slots each country is allocated for competitions like the Champions League.The system accounts for both the nations FIFA ranking as well as performances of clubs in the AFCs competitions over a four-year period.However, because the system is only two years old, more weight is given to the FIFA ranking.Last month, the Socceroos dropped eight places to 48th in the FIFA rankings after World Cup qualifying draws against Saudi Arabia, Japan and Thailand.It means the Roar will play at home on January 31 in the preliminary round, against either Filipino club Global FC or Singapores Tampines Rovers.But to ensure their spot in the tournament proper, theyll need to also win a play-off the following week away to Chinese powerhouse Shanghai Shenhua.The AFC is yet to officially confirm the fixtures but its understood the Roar has already contacted Football Federation Australia to ask if their February 3 home A-League clash against Sydney FC can be postponed.If there is a silver lining to the news, its that the Roar will be able to stage their match on January 31 at Suncorp Stadium.The club had been scrambling to find somewhere to play on February 7, with Suncorp booked out that week because of the Brisbane Global Tens rugby tournament.The RNA Showgrounds and Ballymore Stadium were being investigated as possible alternatives but its unlikely either would have been up to AFC standards. Jonas Brodin Wild Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. Zach Parise Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Jordan-greenway-wild-jersey/ . "It doesnt get any better than that," Giambi said. "Im speechless." The Indians are roaring toward October. Giambi belted a two-run, pinch-hit homer with two outs in the ninth inning to give Cleveland a shocking 5-4 win over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night, keeping the Indians up with the lead pack in the AL wild-card race. Mikko Koivu Jersey . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Luke Kunin Jersey . Wall made the comment in a speech to a Regina business crowd that included Lesnar. The U.S. wrestler and retired mixed martial artist says he was visiting his brothers farm in Saskatchewan and decided he wanted to hear what the premier had to say. The International 6 (TI6), the most prestigious Dota 2 tournament and undoubtedly one of the biggest events on the annual esports calendar, is nearing its conclusion this week before a sold-out KeyArena in Seattle. Though it boasts a prize pool in excess of $20 million, double that of golfs Masters, the ramifications of TI6 will go far beyond making millionaires out of the five teenagers and twenty-somethings who win the grand finals. This event is also a watershed moment for virtual reality (VR) in sports.As a new feature for TI6, Valve added the Dota VR Hub, which allows fans to watch every game in three unique VR modes: in a theater surrounded by other fans; above the map as if flying around on the Goodyear Blimp; and in the thick of the action at true scale. I tried out the various modes for myself, and while the technology isnt quite there yet -- it is still a little clunky and can be harder to follow the action on than by simply watching the stream -- there can be little doubt that this is a major step toward something big for fans of esports -- and sports all over the world.VR is going to revolutionize how we watch sports, and esports is going to be at the forefront of that movement.Its often taken for granted how much augmented reality (AR) technology has changed sports viewership as we know it. Try watching football without the projected first-down line, hockey without puck tracking or Olympic swimming without the moving world-record meter. In nearly every sport, AR enhances our ability to follow the game in real time and better understand what we saw on replay.VR is the next frontier for improving sports viewership. It can virtually deposit the viewer right into the stadium or even in the game itself. And its already being applied to traditional sports. Certain programming at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games can be viewed in VR. This years Home Run Derby also dabbled in VR viewing opportunities. NextVR, the market leader in live virtual reality broadcast technology with a wide array of sports applications, just closed an $80 million series B. But the current traditional sports VR experiences pale in comparison to what is happening at TI6 this week, and for good reason.Live action sports are limited by the nature of VR technology. To give a viiewer the experience of being in a seat at Madison Square Garden, there need to be special VR cameras placed throughout the stadium in order to capture the action.ddddddddddddBut for esports, those barriers are considerably smaller. An esports match necessarily exists in a more digitally translatable format (either on PC or console). This means that VR efforts will focus less on how to capture the game and more on how to create uniquely immersive viewer experiences from the comfort of your living room couch.The marriage of VR and esports is also crucial given the more global nature of the esports industry. Unlike traditional sports, esports teams arent defined by a geographic nexus. I grew up a fan of the Seahawks, SuperSonics (may they rest in peace) and University of Washington, because thats where Im from. It also came with the added bonus of being able to drive only 10 minutes to watch these teams play throughout the year.In stark contrast, the fans of any given esports team are spread out throughout their home country and even all over the world. This means that the fan of a team can literally go their entire life without ever having an easy opportunity to watch that team play in person.Enter VR.While it might never be exactly the same as going to the event in person, the evolution of VR technology will create the opportunity for a fan to have a truly immersive experience when they are either unwilling or unable to travel to the venue. Someday, a sports fan will be able to put on a pair of goggles and be transported into a stadium to watch their favorite team play alongside thousands of fans, all without the hassle of traffic, lines and overpriced beer.No one knows exactly when that day will come, but it is undoubtedly a question of when, not if. Weve already started down that path, and TI6 was a giant leap forward.So whether you tuned into TI6 or not, this was a big week for you as a sports fan. VR is going to continue to evolve, and it will ultimately revolutionize the way sports are consumed all over the globe. Esports will be a driving force behind that transformation. To the rest of the world, youre welcome. ' ' '