The first American finals in the Dota 2 StarLadder i-League StarSeries will take place this weekend in sunny Los Angeles, California, and will be hosted by Beyond the Summit. Cheap Authentic Vapormax . With a mere $300,000 prize pool, its a smaller LAN at a time when all eyes are on next months big prize: The International 6, the gleaming diamond in 2016s Dota 2 esports crown.The StarLadder finals, though, might end up being an extremely important tournament for those eyeing the Aegis, TIs highly coveted trophy. Despite a smaller prize pool than TI6 in Seattle, events like StarLadder and last weeks The Summit 5 are seen as a proving ground, and many eyes will be scrutinizing the attending teams to see if they are TI-ready.The favorites among the participants are Evil Geniuses and Team Secret, two lineups that recently underwent major roster swaps and a long gantlet run through the TI Open Qualifiers. While both teams handily cleared the bar to make it to The International, they wont be competing against random teams from the NA and EU servers this weekend; instead, theyll be competing at a higher level against teams that were invited or have already been vetted through a regional qualifier. A StarLadder win would be a major landmark for these teams progress over the last few weeks.There are formidable challengers for the StarLadder title, however: Fnatic, the Southeast Asian champs who had a similar tough run through the Qualifiers, and Natus Vincere, who are fresh off a fourth-place finish at The Summit. The former will be looking to get some more experience against unfamiliar opponents, especially among the lower-tier American squads. NaVi, for its part, could use a shot of confidence after getting snubbed by Team Liquid at The Summit; this is a team that was directly invited to StarLadder and TI6, yet its had trouble asserting itself as a force to be reckoned with.The next two teams came up through the qualifiers for both StarLadder and TI6. Digital Chaos and Complexity will be seeking some redemption against EG, after losing to the reformed-and-renewed boys in blue during the North American Qualifiers. DC certainly has the right players in the right positions, but needs to show some stability and consistency this weekend to keep hopes high for TI6. Complexity has otherwise been in a slump, after a rough finish at the Manila Major, and could use any experience and hands-on learning it can get before facing down its upcoming Wild Card run in Seattle.Finally, theres always room for the unexpected. Any upsets this week will likely come from F.R.I.E.N.D.S., an unfamiliar team name which belies a roster with a couple of familiar players. Ilya ALOHADANCE Korobkin and Andrey ALWAYSWANNAFLY Bondarenko are no strangers to the game of Dota, and could easily catch an unwary team at the right moment to get some quality wins on their belts. CDEC.Youth are also an intimidating opponent; while it wasnt able to qualify for TI6, this team has been able to take matches off the topmost teams in China, and thats intimidating for any team in Los Angeles. Expect CDEC.Youth to be the hammer and anvil for the TI-bound teams, either sharpening and honing their play, or breaking them against the steel. Wholesale Vapormax Plus .05 million next season unless Graham and the Saints subsequently agree on a long-term deal. The designation was released Monday after the deadline passed for NFL teams to use franchise or transition tags on players becoming free agents. Cheap Nike VaporMax Moc 2 . Its an influence in football and a big part of the game. http://www.cheapvapormaxtrainers.com/ . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. NEW YORK -- It was perhaps the most disappointing night of the US Open. Only four sets out of a possible eight were completed. If you missed any of it, heres how the evening session unfolded.The short of it?Novak Djokovic won by the score of ...Moving on! No. 1 Novak Djokovic advances to the semifinals after Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired completing only 2 sets. pic.twitter.com/BXYW2zzIWo- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2016No third set?Less than 90 minutes into the match, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga retired with a left knee injury. Djokovic was the beneficiary of his third retirement/walkover in five matches. As if the world No. 1 needed any help. READ STORYLook whos backCaroline Wozniackis dream run continued at the US Open with virtually no pushback. The Dane won the first 10 games of her match, and it looked like we were headed for a ...However, there would be no double-bagel. Anastasija Sevastova finally won a game, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. Three games later, Woz won 6-0, 6-2 and was into her first major semifinal in two years. READ MOREMeet and greet between iconsThe great Shaquille ONeal showed up, and though he didnt get a full nights worth of tennis action, he got to hang with a fellow Hall of Famer.?Great to see @SHAQ supporting tennis tonight at the @usopen Never realized how tall he is. pic.twitter.com/JPKGnjldTM- Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) SSeptember 7, 2016In the day session, Kerber stepped it upWozniackis semifinal opponent Thursday will be Angelique Kerber, who didnt start the day playing her best tennis. Off White Vapormax Fake. The world No. 2 pulled it together, though, and afterward spoke like someone ready to win the title: I know that I can beat everybody, and this is what gives me also a lot of confidence and motivation. READ STORYThe fearless FrenchmanPerhaps the biggest surprise of the mens tournament is Gael Monfils. Were talking about the new, improved utilitarian competitor, who had little trouble Tuesday afternoon.US Open - Gael Monfils out to prove hes more than a showman https://t.co/X89AMn8IRS- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September 6, 2016Out with the oldFinally, we said farewell to an iconic tennis venue on Tuesday. Louis Armstrong Stadium was originally built for the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. Fifty-one years later, the arena held its final event. It didnt lead to the result the American faithful hoped for, as the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, fell to Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez in three sets. READ STORY?And we think to ourselves, what a wonderful world... ??????Thanks for the memories, Louis. #usopen pic.twitter.com/H8eyPgywu9- US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 6, 2016 ' ' '