Greece, Japan eye improvement - 6pm et/3pm pt (TSN 1050, TSN 690, TSN 1200, TEAM 1410) Natal, Brazil - Two teams hoping to rebound from tough opening-game losses will meet when Greece clashes with Japan in Group C action Thursday at Estadio das Dunas. Custom Cleveland Indians Jerseys . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute. The Elephants picked up serious momentum in the second half, though, scoring in the 64th and 66th minutes to pull ahead and grab a 2-1 victory. Both teams will be looking to hang onto their hopes of pushing through to the knockout stage with a crucial three points. Greek midfielder Georgios Samaras insisted there was reason for his side to remain positive moving forward after being held without a goal. "We have more to give at this tournament, but I think we showed something today," he said. "It was a strange game. For the first five or six minutes, we didnt seem to be 100 percent in it and we conceded a bad goal. But after that, we had a lot of possession, a lot of pressure, and created some quite good chances." Japan boss Alberto Zaccheroni claimed his men gave their all but were not quite cohesive enough. "We werent aggressive enough and we need to improve on that because weve been playing better than that," he said. Honda had his own take on where things went wrong, believing that Japan didnt have enough possession. "Possession, that is our strength," said Honda. "When we have the ball we just need to keep the ball and not give it away easily. When we do lose the ball we should press immediately. That is our philosophy. The last game we lost the ball too easily so that is how we spent a lot of energy in the first half, that is the point. That is why we must concentrate on keeping the ball." Given the defensive lapses that contributed heavily to these teams opening- match defeats, Greece will be looking to build on those aforementioned positives, while Japan will be hoping to stay composed for a full 90 minutes and do better on the ball. Both teams will also be hoping for a draw in the match between Colombia and Ivory Coast, the two teams looming overhead at the top of the group. Eddie Robinson Jersey . Grimes signed a $32 million, four-year contract to remain with Miami. The deal, which includes $16 million guaranteed, rewards Grimes for his recovery from an Achilles tendon injury that forced him to miss almost all of the 2012 season. Kenny Lofton Jersey . Modin, 36, tallied seven goals and three assists in 36 games with the Thrashers this season. The Sundsvall, Sweden, native has posted 232 goals and 230 assists in 894 career NHL games with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Columbus, Los Angeles and Atlanta and has appeared in 57 post-season contests, helping the Lightning capture the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-jim-thome-jersey/ . Defenceman Tessa Bonhomme was among three players released from the team Tuesday morning along with defenceman Brigette Lacquette of Waterhen, Man.ATLANTA - The Raptors will be without their sixth man for at least another week, they learned on Tuesday. After a re-evaluation of the ulnar collateral sprain in his right elbow on Monday, Patrick Patterson, who has missed the teams last five contests, was ruled out of game action for another seven days, though he will be able to return to limited basketball activity. Patterson, wearing a supporting brace on his injured elbow as he got some work in during Raptors shootaround, was disappointed to hear the news. "[Its] more bad news than good," he admitted ahead of Tuesdays game in Atlanta. "I had hopes that I would be able to come out here and participate with the team and get back to basketball." The Raptors versatile back-up said hes experiencing very little pain in his right arm, just discomfort, one of the reasons why he had hoped to be back on the court by now. "From when it initially happened up until now I had pain, constantly, on the court, certain types of movements or certain types of contact would aggravate it," said Patterson, who leads all Toronto reserves in scoring, averaging 9.7 points along with 5.2 rebounds since being acquired from Sacramento on December 9. "But now, today, theres very little pain. All the movements that hurt before dont hurt now. In my mind, Im thinking I can [play] just going off that pain factor, but doing the ultrasound and seeing the images and seeing how far its come along to today, Im definitely happy to know how soon I can return." Its not clear exactly how Patterson initially sustained the injury. He believes it originally occurred in a game against the Wizards back in February and he aggravated it in a win over the Kings on March 7. "It is frustratting," he said, not being able to pinpoint exactly how he hurt his elbow. Joe Carter Jersey. "If I knew what happened, hopefully I could prevent it from happening again." Patterson had become one of the teams most valuable and consistent contributors, anchoring a second unit that has been much improved since his arrival in December. In his absence, Dwane Casey has used the trio of Steve Novak, Chuck Hayes and Tyler Hansbrough as stopgaps off the bench. Unlike Patterson, a well-rounded, two-way player, his three replacements are best suited in situational roles. Each forward has stepped up to some degree, but Pattersons shoes have not been easy to fill. Without Patterson in the lineup over the previous five games, the Raptors bench has been outscored by a total of 50 points. The oppositions reserves have bested them by 65 alone over the last two contests. "At least we have to hold serve," Casey said of his second unit. "Weve got to find a go-to player or a guy that can produce for us, point-wise, with that second unit. Pat was giving us some points or at least spacing the floor for us where it did give [Greivis Vasquez] opportunities to drive to the basket." Casey would not call the latest news on Pattersons injury a setback. The team was not expecting him to be able to return right away. The Raptors forward will be assessed again after this seven-day period and if the new timetable holds true he should miss another four-to-six games. "It could be worse, thats the way I always look at it," said Patterson. "Thats what my team and the training staff is telling me, it could be worse, but youre in a positive situation, at least you know where you stand and how soon you can come back." ' ' '