Professional surfers and paddlers Fernando Stalla and Javier “Bicho” Jiménez each snagged two first place awards during their US tour this past June, in addition to other awards garnered during the five stand up paddle (SUP) and paddleboard competitions where they represented Sayulita, the Riviera Nayarit’s Surfing Capital.

Every four years, a handful of players come out of nowhere, play well at the World Cup, and end up transferring to big clubs for a ton of money.
Some of these guys pan out, while others fail.

Here are the candidates this year.

• James Rodriguez (Colombia)

James was already on the map after getting sold to AS Monaco along with Joao Moutinho for a combined $102 million last summer. At the World Cup, though, he looked like one of the best players on earth. He outplayed Ronaldo and Messi, scoring six goals in five games for a Colombia team that was the most exciting squad in the entire tournament.

According to the Spanish newspaper AS, he will be sold to Real Madrid for $107 million.

• Toni Kroos (Germany)

The 24-year-old finished the World Cup with two goals and four assists. In a team filled with star players — where the likes of Mario Gotze, Andre Schurrle, and Sami Kheidra came off the bench at times — Kroos stood out.

Three days after the final Bayern Munich sold him to Real Madrid for $34 million.

• DeAndre Yedlin (U.S.)

Yedlin makes $92,000 for the Seattle Sounders, 72-times less than teammate Clint Dempsey. He might be the most underpaid player in the world. At age 21, he came into three World Cup games and was one of the USMNT's most threatening players. He still has to learn to defend, but he looked like he belonged against Belgium.

The Sounders have reportedly set their price for Yedlin at $6.5 million. Italian giants AS Roma are interested.

• Matt Besler (U.S.)

The Sporting Kansas City player was the best defender on a U.S. team that did a ton of defending in Brazil. At 27-years old it might be now-or-never for him making a move to Europe.

Besler told a radio station this week that he has two offers on the table from English teams, believed to be Fulham and Sunderland. If he stayed with Sporting Kansas City, they'd have to use a designated player slot to give him a raise from his current $200,000 salary.

• Enner Valencia (Ecuador)

There was a strange lack of standout strikers at the World Cup. Of the top-five goalscorers in Brazil (James, Neymar, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, Robin Van Persie), only Van Persie is a true center forward. Enner Valencia was one of the only No. 9's to break out. He scored three goals in three games.

He's moving to West Ham in the Premier League from the Mexican club Pachuca for $20 million.

• Divock Origi (Belgium)

Origi played so well that he took Romelu Lukaku's starting spot after just two games. He scored a game-winning goal against Russia, and could have had multiple goals against the U.S. if it wasn't for the heroics of Tim Howard.

The 19-year-old played for Lille in France last year. Now there are rumors that Liverpool wants him to replace Luis Saurez.

• Keylor Navas (Costa Rica)

It was truly the World Cup of CONCACAF Goalkeepers. Mexico's Memo Ochoa, the U.S.'s Tim Howard, and Costa Rica's Navas all played great. Navas may have been the best of the bunch. He helped the Ticos to their best World Cup ever, letting up just two goals in the process.

Like some other World Cup standouts, he's now heading to Real Madrid from Levante for a $13-million fee.

• Memphis Depay (Netherlands)

The Netherlands wasn't supposed to do anything in Brazil. Most people had them going out in the group stage. Yet they made it all the way to the semifinals, mostly because unproven players like Depay turned out to be better than expected.

A handful of Premier League teams are now interested in snatching him away from PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.

• Paul Pogba (France)

The 21-year-old looked like the best box-to-box midfielder in the world in Brazil. His game is drawing comparisons to that of Yaya Toure, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's being linked to Manchester City should Toure leave.

He won't come cheap, though. Reports in the English media put his price at $102 million.

[readon1 url=">http://www.businessinsider.com/world-cup-transfer-market-2014-7?utm_source=feedburnerutm_medium=feed;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider+%28Business+Insider%29"]Source:www.businessinsider.com[/readon1]

The Heineken-owned brand has agreed a five-year regional partnership with the La Liga runners-up, with promotional and advertising rights in Mexico. The agreement may also see Barcelona make a pre-season visit to Mexico in future years.

The deal was announced at an event at the Tecate headquarters in Monterrey, attended by Barcelona marketing director Laurent Collette. No financial terms were released.

Tecate, which is a sponsor domestically of Liga MX sides Guadalajara, Cruz Azul and Tijuana, joins Thai beer Chang and South Africa’s Castle Lager in Barcelona’s portfolio of regional partners.

Barcelona’s official beer, which is sold at the Camp Nou, is local brand Estrella.

[readon1 url="http://www.goal.com/en-ke/news/4631/soccerex/2014/07/17/4964650/tecate-to-bring-barcelona-to-mexico"]Source:www.goal.com[/readon1]

At a press conference led by coach Joel Sanchez, the Coras Tepic Deportivo hobby invited to attend this Friday at Stadium Arena opening match between Cora Cora against Zacatepec in scheduled for 8:30 pm game.

The Shark thanked the media, urging the fans to support the club, "and this place deserved a team of Liga de Ascenso. We know Tepic has always been very football, who know and demand positive results. "

Accompanying Manager, auxiliary Naples and Guillermo Gustavo Hernández who said they expect two very tough tournament, "we have a squad to face both championships. Come senior games and for that we have approximately 30 players will fight in every game. "

Table:

Coras FC squad for the 2014 opening

Source: Coras FC.

Mexico's team also loved up north

There are a couple of reasons why Chivas Guadalajara is Mexico's most beloved soccer team.

For one, Chivas has won 11 titles In Liga MX, the country's top league.

The other was apparent Tuesday night at Miller Park.

After a workout in preparation for Wednesday night's friendly against Swansea City of the English Premier League, every Chivas player signed autographs for several thousand adoring fans who watched the spirited training session.

"As you can see, we have a lot of fans who follow us," said Chivas general manager Francisco "Paco" Palencia, a former Olympian who was one of Mexico's most popular players.

More than 30,000 fans are expected for the exhibition match, and many will side with Chivas.

"It will feel like home," Palencia said. "All these people are huge fans of us. Mostly the fans follow us on TV. Now, we can show them our game."

So what would be Chivas' American counterpart on the popularity scale?

"It's like the Cowboys and the Yankees," goalie Antonio Rodriguez said. "And the Packers. Say hello to Aaron Rodgers for me."

Chivas is the country's only team to exclusively field Mexican players. Midfielder Carlos Salcido is a multiple World Cup performer. Forward Omar Bravo recently played for Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer.

An international friendly such as Chivas and Swansea means that the match will not include overtimes. The pitch has been squeezed to 66 yards wide inside the baseball stadium — about 14 yards narrower than optimum — and might have impact on passing. Forecasts call for temperatures from the mid-50s to the low 60s and the roof will be open unless it rains.

Rodriguez reported no problems with the temporary turf that covers the infield.

"It's a beautiful field," he said. "It's going to be no problem. The field is definitely great."

As for the level of competition, Palencia said Chivas would play its starters and treat the exhibition, which is sanctioned by MLS, seriously because its regular season begins Sunday.

"Both teams are going to take it seriously," he said. "We're here to play a serious game. It's important to make all these people enjoy the game."

Swansea City, the first Welsh team to join the Premier League, opens its season on Aug. 16 against Manchester United.

"It's one of the best teams in England," Rodriguez said. "We know the league in England is a great league. It's one of the best in the world. It's going to be a nice match for us."

Chivas is winding down a five-city U.S. tour that will take them twice to Los Angeles before returning to Guadalajara.

"We are one of the most popular teams in America," Rodriguez said. "That's a blessing coming from God."

Swansea City trained in Chicago for the last week. The Swans, who practiced Tuesday morning at Marquette, will play Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League later this week before returning to England.

The effervescent Rodriguez said he was familiar with the Brewers' home field from afar.

"It's beautiful," he said. "I love baseball. I watch this stadium and the Brewers on TV."

So he's a Brewers fan?

"I'm a Yankees fan, but nobody wants to know that here in Milwaukee," he said.

[readon1 url="http://www.jsonline.com/sports/soccer/chivas-guadalajara-on-road-trip-that-feels-like-home-b99311573z1-267278151.html"] Source:www.jsonline.com[/readon1]

Miller Park officials want to create a soccer pitch for the Swansea City-Chivas Guadalajara exhibition at 8 p.m. Wednesday that has the illusion of permanence.

"We're going to do our best to make sure this soccer field looks like it's been here for a while, whether that means a little fertilizing, a little bit of paint, a little bit of mowing pattern," head groundskeeper Michael Boettcher said Monday.

But the overriding goal is to ensure the baseball field is exactly as it was left Sunday for when the Brewers return on July 21.

"Keeping the turf major-league ready is our highest priority," said Jason Hartlund, vice president of Brewers enterprises and events services.

Somewhere in between, the Brewers hope to put on a good show for the 30,000-plus expected to attend.

When the Brewers left Sunday for the all-star break, the infield was skinned and prepared for five truckloads of turf that began covering the base paths and the pitching mound Monday.

For the first time since the park opened in 2001, the mound was leveled and removed. Boettcher said he's confident it would be properly restored.

"That's what baseball is about, locations and numbers," he said. "We're making sure that's 100% kept. We've got markings underneath that make sure we're 100% where we need to be.

"The great thing is the mound is exactly how we thought it was built. We'll be able to put it back together very strategically."

Miller Park cannot accommodate a World Cup-size pitch, which is between 110 and 120 yards long and between 70 and 80 yards wide. Boettcher said the field would be 109 yards long and 66 yards wide, which is approved by Major League Soccer as sufficient for a "friendly" or an exhibition match.

The pitch will run from the first-base dugout to the left-field wall, providing the best views from the third-base side.

Hartlund said no seats would be blocked off in the 41,900-seat stadium. The Brewers are hoping for a good walk-up crowd after selling more that 30,000 advance tickets to buyers from more than 30 states. Chivas, one of Mexico's most successful and popular teams, and Swansea City of the English Premier League have sizable national and international followings.

The match could get a nice bump from the recently completed World Cup.

"There's no doubt the timing is perfect," Hartlund said. "I wish I could take credit for that, but I can't. I do believe soccer fever is at an all-time high. I believe that will translate into a good crowd for Wednesday."

Miller Park has played host to concerts and conventions, but covering the infield with turf is something new. Boettcher said the entire process of placing extra sod to lie flush with the existing turf should take 44 hours. He hopes to complete work by early Tuesday afternoon, when Chivas will arrive for a workout.

Hartlund said he did not want to reveal the cost of the conversion until the final bills were in, but he did mention that a portion of the trucked-in sod would be recycled.

"Some of the turf we'll provide to outside entities," he said. "We don't want to throw it away if it is usable for someone else."

Hartlund said the match experience for fans would be strictly soccer with no baseball trappings.

"I think we'll have a number of people who will be coming to Miller Park for the first time, so we've been in contact with our guest-relations staff and ushers who do a great job 81 times a year," he said. "But I think we need to go above and beyond this time so these soccer fans will come back to Brewers games."

The Brewers approached MLS almost two years ago about playing host to a soccer exhibition. Based on advance sales, Hartlund said soccer would likely return to Miller Park.

But would the Brewers consider staging a football game?

"We have toyed with it," Hartlund said. "I know in the state we have two great football stadiums in Camp Randall and Lambeau Field that actually have capacities quite a bit larger than Miller Park.

"I don't know what the appetite would be to put a football game here, but we'd consider anything."

[readon1 url="http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/a-different-kind-of-pitch-at-miller-park-b99310715z1-267102591.html"]Source:www.jsonline.com[/readon1]

LAS VEGAS – The Canelo Alvarez-Erislandy Lara fight featured the combination of two legendary Latino boxing traditions. Alvarez, the 23-year-old matinee idol from Guadalajara, represented the Mexican school of boxing – the art of controlled aggression. Lara, the amateur world champion from Guantanamo, represented the Cuban school of boxing – mastery of the ring and technical precision.

Both junior middleweight contenders upheld the storied boxing traditions of their proud cultures during their hotly contested bout at the MGM Grand on Saturday. Alvarez marched forward and attacked the body of his elusive opponent, landing especially hard with the signature punch of Mexican boxing – the left hook to the body. Lara employed a stick-and-move strategy, making Alvarez miss and making him pay.

Unfortunately for Lara, the Mexican style of boxing is more often rewarded by professional judges and that was the case on Saturday to the delight of the Alvarez fans who packed the Grand Garden Arena.

Alvarez won a split decision by scores of 117-111 from Levi Martinez and 115-113 from Dave Moretti. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight for Lara by a 115-113 tally. Many boxing writers and fans agreed with Roth’s score, and more than a few believe the fight could have been a draw.

There were also many fight scribes and fans who thought Alvarez deserved the decision and saw no controversy at all in the scoring. Those same observers thought Lara moved his feet more than his hands during the fight and has no right to cry “robbery.”

Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 knockouts) certainly agreed with that sentiment.

“There’s a saying that to make love, you need a partner, and it’s the same thing with boxing, to make a fight you need a partner,” Alvarez said through Golden Boy Promotions matchmaker Eric Gomez at the post-fight press conference.

“The first couple of rounds I was just trying to cut the distance,” Alvarez continued when asked if Lara’s stick-and-move tactics frustrated him, “but after a few rounds I was able to get inside and work the body. When I did that he started moving and running.”

After being soundly outmaneuvered and out-landed in the first two rounds, Alvarez’s vicious body attack enabled him to work his way into the fight during the middle rounds. The former junior middleweight champ appeared to take command of the bout when a big left uppercut landed to Lara’s right eye, producing a nasty cut that bled for the rest of the fight.

“When I cut him with that uppercut he ran even more,” Alvarez said, “but I thought I landed the harder punches and that’s why I won the fight.”

Alvarez threw more punches (415 to 386, according to CompuBox’s ShoStats) but connected with fewer total shots (97 to Lara’s 107). Lara soundly out-jabbed the crowd favorite, connecting with 55 of 246, while Alvarez only landed nine of 183 jabs (for a dismal 5 percent connect rate).

However, Alvarez made up for his lack of jabs in the power-punch department, connecting with 88 of 232 hard shots (73 of which were to Lara’s body). Lara landed 52 of 140 power punches, none of which were to the body.

Still, the shots Lara landed to Alvarez’s head – mostly jabs and straight lefts – were quality blows. Alvarez, however, appeared unfazed when he was caught and continued to march forward throughout the fight.

“I never really felt his punches,” Alvarez said during the post-fight presser. “You can’t really get hurt against a guy who is constantly on his back foot and backing away the whole fight. But I think he felt my power because he wanted to get away.

“I was prepared to pressure a boxer who moves a lot but I didn’t think it was going to be that long of a marathon.”

Lara and his team were unapologetic for the amount of lateral movement employed, reminding Alvarez’s fans at the post-fight press conference that art of boxing is to hit and not get hit.

“I did my job and it was disgraceful what they did to me,” Lara (19-2-2, 12 KOs) said through his co-manager Luis DeCubas Jr. at the post-fight presser. “Whoever that judge was who had it nine rounds to three for Alvarez, there’s no words to explain for him having Canelo winning that many rounds.”

When Lara’s trainer Ronnie Shields heard Martinez’s score of 117-111, he thought for sure it was for his fighter.

“The styles are different,” said Shields when he was asked why he didn’t implore his fighter to move less and punch more between rounds. “Canelo’s a guy who likes to stand in front of his opponent and throw punches, and as you saw, all night long Lara was making Canelo miss and he made him miss badly. Lara was landing clean punches, so I told him to continue doing what he was doing.”

“If you look at the first five rounds, we had it four-to-one. When you see your guy doing more than his opponent, that’s what you want to see, so you don’t ask for more.”

Lara staged a mini-rally in the final three rounds, when Alvarez typically fades a bit. The savvy southpaw landed one-two combinations and flashy right hooks on the fly as Alvarez loaded up and missed with big head shots, though he still continued to tag Lara’s body.

Roth scored Rounds 10 and 11 for Lara, which earned the Cuban the fight on the veteran judge’s scorecard. Moretti scored Round 10 for Lara. Martinez scored the final round for Lara. It wasn’t enough.

Lara lost for only the second time as a professional. His first setback came via majority decision against Paul Williams in 2012, a fight almost every observer apart from the official judges scored for Lara.

“This was worse than the Paul Williams fight,” Lara said of Saturday’s decision. “We need to do an immediate rematch, and I will show that I’m better than him just like I showed tonight. Oscar (De La Hoya) was a great boxer; he knows in his heart that this was a robbery, and so does Canelo.”

De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, which desperately needed Alvarez to win on Saturday due to the company’s recent split with former CEO Richard Schaefer and the potential loss of Al Haymon-managed fighters (of which Lara is one of), is not eager to grant Lara’s wish.

“There’s 10 guys in line who want to fight Canelo,” De La Hoya said. “Lara just got his shot, now he has to get back in line.”

De La Hoya acknowledged the trouble Lara gave the star of his promotional stable but he didn’t see any controversy in the decision.

“This fight reminds me of my fight with Pernell Whitaker,” De La Hoya said, recalling his somewhat controversial decision over the super slick American southpaw in 1997.

“Lara was the most avoided boxer on the planet. Why? Because of what he did tonight. And what did he do?”

The many Alvarez fans who attended the post-fight presser answered: “Run!”

“I apparently ran in my fight with Felix Trinidad and I lost the fight,” De La Hoya said, recalling his controversial majority decision loss in 1999. “And that was just for three rounds!”

De La Hoya’s showdown with Trinidad broke the pay-per-view buy and revenue records for a non-heavyweight bout, and a big part of the appeal of that fight was the Mexico vs. Puerto Rico angle.

Alvarez has a potential pay-per-view bonanza in front of him if a fight with RING and WBC middleweight champ Miguel Cotto, Puerto Rico’s most beloved fighter since Trinidad, can be made. The only fight bigger than Cotto vs. Canelo is Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, which most fans have given up on due to boxing’s Cold War.

However, De La Hoya has pledged to try do business with his former promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, which currently works with Cotto, and Arum seems willing to give peace a chance (provided Schaefer and Haymon aren’t in the mix), so Cotto-Alvarez is one super fight that might get made.

Alvarez and De La Hoya didn’t want to speculate on who might be next, but the soon-to-be 24-year-old star reminded the media that he will never avoid a challenge.

“I wanted to take the Lara fight because you guys said that I wouldn’t, and because he talked too much about me,” Alvarez said. “He said he’d take me to school, well guess what? I don’t think anybody wants to go to that school.”

Alvarez’s final comment was for the fans.

“I’m always going to take the best fights and the hardest fights, the fights you want to see.”

Alvarez beats Lara

[readon1 url="http://ringtv.craveonline.com/news/347705-alvarez-beats-lara-but-the-debate-on-who-really-won-continues?utm_source=rss;utm_medium=rss;utm_campaign=alvarez-beats-lara-but-the-debate-on-who-rea"]Source:ringtv.craveonline.com[/readon1]

Germany had a hisrotical semi-final, when they defeated The samba dancers, Brazil, with the score of 7 – 1, in a record breaking score in the history of the World Cup to qualify to the final as a serious favorit to win the title.

In the other semi-final, Argentina met one of the best teams in this World Cup, The Oranje, and Argentina made it to the final through penalty shootouts, to meet Germany in the Final. Let’s take a close look at the head to heads between the teams, and compare their perfomance so far in this World Cup.

The facts:

• Germany are set to play in their eighth World Cup final; more than any other nation. They have won three titles, and just one of their last four appearances in the World Cup final (1990 vs Argentina).
• Germany have now reached a World Cup final in each of the last seven decades (1954, 1966, 1974, 1982 and 86, 1990, 2002 and now 2014).
• Argentina are set to play in their fifth World Cup final, they have won two and lost two of the previous four.
• This will be the third World Cup final between Germany and Argentina. They met in successive finals in 1986 and 1990, with each team lifting the title (3-2 Argentina in 1986, 1-0 Germany in 1990).
• Germany v Argentina is the most played match up in the World Cup final.
• This is the 10th time that teams from Europe and South America face each other in the final. Seven of these finals have been won by the teams from South America.
• Both sides will face off for the seventh time at the World Cup, the only fixtures that have been played as often are Brazil v Sweden and Germany v Yugoslavia/Serbia (seven times).
• Germany have won three and lost just one of the previous six World Cup encounters with Argentina.
• Germany had eliminated Argentina from the 2006 World Cup (1-1 AET and 4-2 on penalties in the quarter-final) and from the 2010 World Cup (4-0 in the quarter-final).
• The 4-0 defeat in 2010 is Argentina’s heaviest World Cup defeat in the last 40 years (0-4 v Netherlands in 1974).
• Argentina have won nine out of 20 games against Germany (D5 L6), though. The last meeting (August 2012, Frankfurt) saw Argentina win 3-1.
• No side have kept as many clean sheets as Argentina in the 2014 World Cup (four, Germany have three).
• Argentina are yet to concede a goal in the knock-out stages at this tournament (despite playing extra-time in two of their three games).
• On the last five occasions that Germany have failed to score in a World Cup match, they have lost.
• The last time Germany scored in a World Cup match and lost was the 1994 quarter final defeat to Bulgaria (1-2).
• Germany are unbeaten in 17 internationals (W12, D5).
• Argentina have won four out of five penalty shootouts at the World Cup, Germany won four out of four (including the one against Argentina in 2006).
• Miroslav Klose has scored more World Cup goals than any other player in history and as many as the entire current Argentinian squad (16).
• Only Lothar Matthäus (25) has played more World Cup games than Klose (23, as many as Paolo Maldini).
• Klose is the only player in both squads who has already played in a World Cup final (2002, 0-2 v Brazil).
• Argentina’s Angel di Maria and Marcos Rojo lead the way in terms of crosses attempted from open play, with Rojo’s haul of 25 so far bettered only by team-mate di Maria (32).
• Thomas Müller has played a hand in 16 World Cup goals in 12 appearances at the finals (10 goals and six assists).
• Müller (2010 and 2014) and Klose (2002 and 2006) are the only players in history to score 5+ goals at consecutive World Cup tournaments.
• Müller is the first-ever Golden Boot winner to reproduce his number of goals at the following World Cup (five goals in 2010, five in 2014).
• Müller could also become the first player ever to win the Golden Boot at successive World Cups.
• Lionel Messi has been the most creative player at World Cup 2014, setting up a tournament-high 21 goal-scoring chances for team-mates.
• Messi has embarked on a tournament-high 65 dribbles so far, completing (another-high) 39 of them.
• No German player has created more chances for their teammates in the 2014 World Cup than Mesut Özil (15).
• Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has attempted a competition-high 509 passes so far.
• Mascherano has also made the most tackles so far – 28.
• Andre Schürrle has scored three times in just 156 minutes of action so far at this World Cup.
• Only Tim Howard (27) has made more saves in the competition than Manuel Neuer (23).
• Lionel Messi has scored five World Cup goals to date, but none of them in the knockout stages.
• Angel di Maria or Sami Khedira will become the 10th player to win both the Champions League and the World Cup in the same season. Seven of the previous nine have been German (Bayern Munich 1974) along with Christian Karembeu in 1998 and Roberto Carlos in 2002.

[readon1 url="http://en.starafrica.com/football/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-wolrd-cup-final-between-germany-vs-argentina.html"]Source:en.starafrica.com[/readon1]

While racing around blind corners, speeding along dirt roads in rural Mexican communities, and splashing through mud puddles, I quickly realized I could get used to this ATV thing.

I had never been behind the wheel of an all-terrain vehicle, but the hills of Puerto Vallarta seemed like the perfect place to give it a try. So when it came time to find some outdoor adventure in the Mexican resort town, Felip and I headed to the mountains for an ATV riding excursion.

PV in the summer can get very hot, but up in the mountains it’s cool, foggy, and comfortable. That’s the perfect setting in which to spend a June morning.

A few different companies offer ATV riding tours in Puerto Vallarta. We went with Canopy River, which conveniently picks up visitors in downtown PV and gives them a ride up to the mountains and back.

We were issued our own vehicles and given helmets and some basic instructions. Driving an ATV is not a hard skill to pick up, so there wasn’t much that needed to be explained, aside from how to brake and change gears.

From there, our group hit the road. It was a dirt road that wound up through the mountains, past several small communities and rural dwellings.

Setting aside the thrill of being on an ATV, the chance to see how some of these families live was very revealing. Many had farm animals on the property. I was impressed by the number of people who obviously grew and raised their food. I was especially intrigued by the pigs that sometimes wandered into our path. This one stayed off on the shoulder bathing himself in a nice oasis of fresh mud.

The road had some small mud puddles. At first, most people in our group tried to steer around them, but before long we were splashing through them at top speed.

Occasionally, trucks carrying local residents would drive past us. The guides mentioned that the dirt road continued for another 6 hours. I imagine if you really want to see rural Mexico, this would be a great way to do it.

Puerto Vallarta is known for its relaxing beach lifestyle, but the mountains are fun to explore too, so if you visit, try to take advantage of the wealth of outdoor adventure opportunities. In addition to ATV riding, you can find ziplining, river rafting, and rappelling trips.

And by the way, if anyone is doing some early Christmas purchasing, I’ve decided I would like my own ATV now.

Note: Images #1 and #6 in this article were taken and contributed by Canopy River photographers.

[readon1 url="
http://quirkytravelguy.com/riding-atv-mountains-puerto-vallarta/"]Source:quirkytravelguy.com[/readon1]

Canelo Alvarez is ready for Erislandy Lara on Saturday, and says that if he truly didn't want to fight Lara, the fight wouldn't be happening at all.

Canelo Alvarez has obviously heard enough from Erislandy Lara, who continues to claim that Alvarez didn't really want to fight him, and that the Mexican star was pressured into the bout via a social media campaign by the Cuban, who faces Alvarez on Saturday, live on Showtime PPV.

"I'm not going to get into his games," Canelo said this week. "If I didn't want the fight, the fight wouldn't be happening. The fight is here because I wanted the fight. And on July 12th we're going to see who hits who."

Alvarez (43-1-1, 31 KO) has admitted, and still does, that Lara (19-1-2, 12 KO) has gotten to him a bit, and that part of the reason he's fighting him is because he's been offended by some of Lara's comments.

"This is real. This is very personal," he said. "You guys know me. That's not my character to be promoting and be talking for promotional issues. This is personal. He offended me. He offended my person. He offended Mexican boxing. So, yes, it's very personal."

Canelo added another old adage: once it's all said and done, it will come down to the fighters only in the ring.

"Lara and his camp have their strategy and they're working their game plan. But I'm comfortable with mine," he said. "I'm working very hard. I'm working for this fight. Every fight is different. You prepare for every opponent differently. And I'm very confident that come July 12th once we're in the ring all the other stuff goes out the window and it's just him and I up in the ring. And that's what I'm preparing for, and that's what's going to take care of business on the 12th."

[readon1 url="http://www.badlefthook.com/2014/7/8/5880035/canelo-alvarez-if-i-didnt-want-to-fight-lara-the-fight-wouldnt-be"]Source:www.badlefthook.com[/readon1]

MEXICO CITY — Mexicans are refusing to move on from the controversial penalty awarded to the Netherlands that knocked them out of the World Cup, with many registering their disapproval at the ballot box on Sunday.

Many Mexicans wrote, “No fue penal” (“It was not a penalty”), on ballot papers for regional elections in Nayarit and Coahuila, local media reported, rendering their votes invalid.

Mexico led the Netherlands in the last 16 of the World Cup until the 88th minute of their game in Fortaleza on June 29, until Wesley Sneijder equalised.

Arjen Robben then won a disputed injury-time penalty that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar converted to send Mexico out of the tournament.

The phrase “it was not a penalty” has become common among Mexicans with president Enrique Pena Nieto even using it in a recent speech given to the tourism industry.

[readon1 url="http://www.witness.co.za/index.php?showcontent&global%5B_id%5D=121965"]Source:www.witness.co.za[/readon1]

From July 9th through the 16th, Nuevo Vallarta is poised to welcome 227 young sailors along with 176 vessels from 19 countries, including trainers, judges and the news media. About 1,000 adults are expected during the competition, which is estimated to bring in an estimated 20 to 30 million Mexican pesos.