RIO DE JANEIRO -- Nigerias sports minister apologized to the Olympic mens soccer team and took responsibility Monday for the travel chaos that resulted in players arriving on the same day as their first game in Rio de Janeiro.The team was delayed last week in Atlanta, with one official saying it was because they tried to buy plane tickets to Rio de Janeiro at the last minute and then found a charter plane was too small to carry the entire delegation.They eventually all made it onto a chartered Delta Air Lines jet, arriving in the northern Brazilian city of Manaus about six hours before their first game at the Olympics against Japan on Thursday. Despite the issues, Nigeria won that game 5-4, and then beat Sweden 1-0 on Sunday to become the first team into the quarterfinals.Sports minister Solomon Dalung took responsibility for what he called the unfortunate incident and said in a statement that he went into the teams dressing room after the Sweden game to apologize to players. He didnt give details on how the mess-up occurred.I want to assure you that we appreciate your efforts, and I want to say that its when a man faces challenges that his true ability is tested, Dalung said. I am sure we all have learnt our lessons and will take the lessons to heart going forward.Delta said a communications mix-up had grounded an earlier flight the team was meant to take, but there were reports that the problem was because the Nigerian government hadnt paid for the original charter.Nigerias soccer team is regularly beset by problems, often involving money.A dispute over bonus payments for players at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil led to them refusing to attend a training session and almost caused the Nigerian team to go on strike midway through the tournament. The team also arrived late for the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil -- a World Cup warmup tournament -- after problems over player payments.Nigeria and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel recently denied reports that he gave $30,000 of his own money to some of his teammates on the Olympic team as an incentive. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Kevin-Johnson-Jersey/ . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/ . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Jadeveon-Clowney-Jersey/ . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Breno-Giacomini-Jersey/ . -- There were a lot of firsts for the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.texansrookiestore.com/Texans-Kendall-Lamm-Jersey/ . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season. AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Kevin Harvick has been backed into a corner before in NASCARs elimination-style playoffs. Put Harvick in a must-win situation, and hes proven repeatedly he can deliver.So here he is, again, at Phoenix International Raceway in need of a victory to continue his bid for a second Sprint Cup championship. If he is stressed, you cant tell. Harvick sat relaxed on the wall along pit road with the cavalier attitude of a driver who isnt at all worried about winning Sunday. Hell start sixth in the field.We just have to control the things that we can control, try and put ourselves in position to where we usually do and see where it all falls, Harvick said. What I like about it is the sense of the unknown, the competition, the effort, the thought and everything that goes into that is intriguing for me.From a team standpoint, to see where everybody is at and how they approach it, is fun to me and I like to see people performing and working at that level.Harvick has been in this position before at Phoenix, in 2014 when the elimination format debuted. He deserved to be in the championship race but had to win at Phoenix to qualify.He did win -- he routed the field, actually -- then won again the next week to claim his first career Cup title. Hes also been in must-win situations in earlier rounds of the Chase.Harvick has a stellar record at Phoenix, where hes an eight-time Cup winner. Hes won five of his last six visits to this desert race track -- four since he joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 -- and his only defeat was last November, when he led 143 laps but wound up second in a rain-shortened race.That defeat, by Mother Nature, has Harvick confident the odds of winning over and over again wont turn against him Sunday.You know, we dominated the end of that race and wound up losing it to rain, he said. They are a lot easier to lose than they are to win..dddddddddddd.Although he joked that his success at Phoenix was born after a trip to Disney World: I have magic ... I found this magic wand, and I wave it here, he finds it silly that so many people assume hes an automatic winner Sunday.Only the statistics back up the predictions of a Harvick win at Phoenix. Hes won six of the last eight races and has barely been contested. Harvick has led an astounding 1,016 laps in that span and has generally forced drivers to believe they are racing for second before they even arrive at the track.The only driver Harvick believes is in the same league as he is at Phoenix is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who is sidelined with a concussion and hasnt raced since July.Thats not a slight on his competition, and he knows hes racing five other drivers Sunday for one of two slots in next weekends season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Of the five Chase contenders in this third round of the playoffs, only Joey Logano has never won at Phoenix.But only Kurt Busch, Harvicks teammate at Stewart-Haas, is in the same precarious position. Both of them need to win on Sunday to advance, and if neither gets to victory lane, SHR will not have a car in the finale. And, because of the current points situation, its virtually impossible for both SHR drivers to advance.The rest of the field -- Logano, and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin -- are separated by just two points in the standings. As far as Harvick is concerned, the entire Chase field is racing with the same goal on Sunday.Everybody is in the same position that we are, Harvick said. If somebody (in the Chase) wins, there is only going to be one points guy that goes through, so you need to pretend like y