"I was born in Florida and my father still lives there, so I have deep roots in the

Michael van Gerwen thrilled his compatriots by beating Phil Taylor in the first Dutch leg of Premier League Darts. MVG beats Taylor Full details of Dutch darts The result leaves Van Gerwen top of the pile at the conclusion of the regular season.Adrian Lewis was the other big winner, confirming his own play-off place at the expense of Peter Wright. Here are five talking points from Rotterdam...Premier League must return to the Netherlands Barney was given a special reception by the Rotterdam crowd Hordes of orange-clad fans descended upon Rotterdams Ahoy Arena hours before the first arrow was thrown in scenes to rival a Netherlands football match.The atmosphere was memorable and led Sky Sports commentator Wayne Mardle to suggest it was the greatest Premier League leg of all time.The timing from the PDC appeared perfect - enough demand had been built up in the Netherlands to see their home-grown heroes return as recognised sporting stars.Notably, it wasnt just Raymond van Barneveld and Van Gerwen who were afforded a rapturous reception. The crowd were respectful to Taylor, sang along to Wrights theatrics, and cheered every eye-catching checkout, suggesting there is mileage in the Dutch market.Whether it is a return to Rotterdam or a debut in the capital of Amsterdam, the Premier League should prioritise a return to the Netherlands next season.MVG copes with any pressure Michael van Gerwens 164 checkout against Phil Taylor Van Gerwen is a fiery, charismatic presence at the oche, but underneath it all he remains cool and collected.In a unique atmosphere where the entire crowd passionately chanted his name, he held his nerve to edge the greatest player of all time.A 164 checkout on the bull gave the home fans a reason to go bananas, but it didnt complete the job for Van Gerwen against Taylor. The wily veteran, locked at 5-5, played up to the crowd to incite even more pressure on Van Gerwen.The Dutchman refused to acknowledge the thousands in attendance, or his opponent, and kept his eyes on the prize. He duly broke Taylors throw and won the match.Wright has been the nearly man Peter Wright missed a golden opportunity to beat Barney I love that Peter entertains, I love that his action is superb, but he has got to stop changing his darts, Mardle told us earlier this season.Its becoming farcical. Whenever he plays badly, we blame the darts. There will come a point where he plays himself out of form because of the constant changing.Unfortunately for Snakebite, his Premier League campaign will be defined by what-ifs.His challenge for the play-offs slipped away due to a 6-6 draw with Van Barneveld, handing Lewis the straightforward task of requiring just two legs.To improve next year, Wright must heed Mardles advice and stick to some tried-and-trusted equipment or he will risk a further year floating outside of the top four. Worlds top players head to The O2 Defending champ Gary Anderson and world No 1 Michael van Gerwen made the play-offs Its easy to reflect now that the play-off participants have been confirmed, but how many darts fans would have predicted Van Gerwen, Taylor, Anderson and Lewis at the start of the tournament?On paper, they are the PDCs top four in their Order of Merit. It can scarcely be argued that any other player deserves a place at Londons O2 Arena ahead of the established quartet.It will make for a mouth-watering trio of matches next week when the best players in the world meet on the grandest of stages.What a difference a year makes Dave Chisnall lost in the 2015 semi-finals Along with Van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, last years semi-finalists were Van Barneveld and Dave Chisnall. Since then, its been a sharp decline for the latter two players.Chisnall was eliminated on Judgement Night and although Van Barneveld narrowly avoided that fate, he has languished at the bottom of the table for the duration of the tournament.Their descent, though not terminal for either player, proves that the landscape of darts is evolving faster than ever.Who will be at The O2 in 2017?Watch Premier League Darts play-offs next Thursday at 7pm, live on Sky Sports 1 HD. Also See: MVG stuns Taylor in Rotterdam WATCH: Barneys big entrance WATCH: MVGs big arrival WATCH: MVGs magical 164 Nike Air Max 270 Sale . Hes had three top-10 results this season and feels ready to put it all together and finally hoist a trophy at the top level. Fake Nike Air Max 270 .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. https://www.cheapnikeairmax270china.us/ . Masahiro Tanaka has touched down in the United States and the courting of the Rakuten Golden Eagles stud pitcher has begun in earnest by a bevy of MLB teams interested in the Japanese ace. Wholesale Nike Air Max 270 .In the Football Money League compiled by accountancy firm Deloitte, German champion Bayern Munich remained third but Barcelona dropped from second to fourth during its trophyless 2014.In the 2013-2014 financial year, Real generated 549. Clearance Nike Air Max 270 . The Brazilian heads into Saturday afternoons race coming off a close runner-up finish to Ryan Hunter-Reay in the Indianapolis 500.CHICAGO -- Bayern Munich forward Julian Green wants to play for the U.S. national team and has applied to FIFA to change his association from Germany. The 18-year-old, who was born in Tampa, Fla., played for Germany in three qualifiers for the 2014 European Under-19 Championship, making his debut last Oct. 10 against Belarus and getting assists two days later against Latvia and on Oct. 15 versus Scotland. He made his professional debut for Bayern on Nov. 27 as an 88th-minute substitute in a Champions League match at CSKA Moscow. FIFA since 2009 has allowed a one-time change in national team affiliation for a player who has appeared in an official match for a youth national team as long as the player had dual citizenship at the time. "We are absolutely thrilled," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement Tuesday. "He is a very special talent. We wanted him to feel comfortable with our program and listen to his heart when making this decision." Green trained with the U.S. team in Germany this month ahead of its exhibition game against Ukraine. "Obviously this was a big decision, and I spent a long time discussing it with my family,&quoot; Green said in a statement issued by the U.ddddddddddddS. Soccer Federation. "I was born in Florida and my father still lives there, so I have deep roots in the U.S. Im very proud to be representing the United States. "A big part of the decision was the experience I had in Frankfurt. All the players were super nice and welcomed me from the beginning. Clint Dempsey gave me a jersey with my name on it, and the way they supported me gave me a lot of belief. The coaches have shown a lot of trust in me, and now I hope to do everything I can to earn a spot on the World Cup roster." Green has been invited to the U.S. training camp ahead of an April 2 exhibition against Mexico in Glendale, Ariz. He will become the latest German-American to join the U.S. program under Klinsmann, following Jermaine Jones, Fabian Johnson, Daniel Williams, Timmy Chandler and Alfredo Morales. Klinsmann played for Germanys team that won the 1990 World Cup and the 1996 European Championship, and he coached Germany to third place in the 2006 World Cup. He moved to California after retiring as a player in 1998 and replaced Bob Bradley as U.S. coach three years ago. ' ' '