NEW ORLEANS -- Former U.S. soccer star Lauren Holiday has been diagnosed with a brain tumor while pregnant, and her husband, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, is taking indefinite leave from the NBA club to care for his wife, the Pelicans said Sunday.We are all praying for a healthy delivery of their first child and a successful surgery for Lauren, Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said in a prepared statement provided Sunday by the club. Furthermore, we ask everyone to respect the Holidays privacy at this time.Lauren Holiday, who retired from soccer last year, was among the worlds most respected players in the womens game during a career highlighted by Olympic gold medals with the U.S. national team in 2008 and 2012, and a FIFA World Cup title in 2015. The midfielder played in 133 games for the U.S. team, scoring 24 goals. She also played professionally in the NWSL, winning a championship with FC Kansas City in 2015.Lauren Holiday met Jrue at UCLA, where she played soccer and he played basketball. Jrue Holiday has been with New Orleans the past three seasons, but has spent most of that stint injured. He expects to return this season in full health and the Pelicans see him as a core player along with All-Star forward Anthony Davis.The most important thing for Jrue to do right now is be with his wife and family, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said in a statement. Every one of our coaches and players understands what Lauren and Jrue are going through, and they know were behind them one hundred percent. Well continue to do everything we can to support them and help them get through these hard times.In an interview with the Times-Picayune/NOLA.com, which first reported Lauren Holidays condition and Jrue Holidays plan to take leave, Jrue Holiday said Lauren was diagnosed with a benign, operable tumor on the right side of her brain.Their baby is due in mid-October, and in the interest of the health of both mother and baby, Laurens brain surgery will take place about six weeks after delivery, Jrue Holiday said. The birth also could be induced early.Jrue Holiday told the newspaper that Lauren has numbness on the right side of her face because the tumor is pressing on a nerve.He said he and Lauren are still very excited about the birth of our first child, but our focus shifted from having this magnificent blessing to making sure everything is going to be OK with Lauren and the child.The couple has sought to guard their privacy during this time, and Lauren has yet to speak publicly about her condition.However, some member of the U.S. national team said Holiday had written them about her condition and they were eager to support her.Shes just a very resilient strong person and she has strong faith and thats helping her in keeping her strong during this time because it is scary, said Becky Sauerbrunn, a former teammate with the U.S. national team and FC Kansas City. If anyone could get through something like this, it is Lauren.Heather OReilly, another former teammate with the U.S. national team and FC Kansas City, said, Were there for her. Were all behind her. Thats kind of what times like these sort of show is how close-knit this soccer community is.For the time being, the Holidays plan to reside Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, near the Duke University medical specialists wholl handle Lauren Holidays surgery. After Laurens operation, Jrue will be a primary caretaker for both his wife and newborn. The Pelicans said they plan to send a trainer to North Carolina to help Jrue maintain his fitness and basketball skills during his absence.We encourage Jrue to take as much time as he needs to be with his wife and family before returning to the Pelicans, Demps said, adding that the top priority of team owners Tom and Gayle Benson is the health and wellness of the people in the organization.We understand that Jrue will miss some games, and his teammates are prepared to step up in his absence, said Demps, whose own wife, Anita, is a cancer survivor and also has had a benign tumor removed from her brain. We will welcome Jrue back with open arms when he is ready to return to the team.Last season, Jrue Holiday played in 65 games, averaging 16.8 points, six assists, three rebounds and 1.4 steals in 28.2 minutes per game. For about the first half of last season, he played under minute restrictions as he came back from a stress fracture in his lower right leg that sidelined him for the better part of the previous two seasons.His replacements to start the upcoming season could include Tim Frazier, who filled at the end of last season after Holiday was sidelined by fracture of his orbital eye wall. New Orleans also acquired former New York Kicks point guard Langston Galloway this offseason.Pelicans combo guard Tyreke Evans also has played point guard in stints throughout his career, but the timeline on his comeback from knee surgery remains unclear. Discount Saucony Shoes UK . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Clearance Saucony Shoes UK . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. http://www.wholesalesauconyuk.com/ . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Wholesale Saucony UK Online . Its sharpness matched my mind. This was no night to go to sleep. Saucony Shoes UK From China . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. TROON, Scotland --?Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Branden Grace. Six players in the worlds top 10 who will not be teeing up in Rio next month -- a damning indictment of the Olympics standing on a golfers wanted list.The Games, which sees a return of golf for the first time since 1904, could really do with a win right about now. It got that on Tuesday when Masters champion Danny Willett and former U.S. Open winner Justin Rose?-- ranked 9th and 11th respectively -- all but confirmed they will represent Great Britain in Rio.As Willett and Rose prepare for the Open Championship in Troon, both clearly had one eye on a six-week run that will see them compete in two major championships before joining up with Team GB in Brazil.With around half of the 15 players to have officially ruled themselves out of the Olympics citing the threat of the Zika virus as their reason, new-dad Willett admits it was a tough decision to play.Theres been a few discussions with me and [my wife] Nic, he told reporters at Troon. Its a tricky one. The opportunity was there to be an Olympian and that to me [is] going to be pretty cool. You dont know how many times you will be in the Olympics, if [golf] will be in the Olympics again. Obviously with how people reacted to everything, youre not quite sure.I was pretty sure all along I wanted to go play unless the threat would have gotten worse, then it would have been a very different story. But from what I understand in speaking to the guys, the threat is lessening every day. Its obviously winter over there, and the guys are taking precautionary measures to make sure things are as safe as possible. So Im willing to take that little bit of risk that there is and go play.It was something I wanted to do was to be supporting team Britain in the Olympics and its something Im still very much set for going.Rose, meanwhile, said he is excited to be headed to Rio. Im treating it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he said. Its sort of been my tag line, I suppose. I hhope that Ill be able to play in Tokyo [in 2020].dddddddddddd We hope that golf will be in Tokyo, but for the most part, at this stage of my career its something that comes around once every four years [so] its something you can certainly make an exception for. Thats been my attitude towards it.Just being a part of Team GB, in a sense you feel like youre part of something bigger than just your individual sport as well.Its going to be a fun occasion, and Ive never been to an Olympic games in any capacity. To go as an athlete is a huge honour. But as part of the whole experience, I want to take in the Games as a whole. So its something that my family and I have been very excited about.Both players, though, expressed sympathy with those who have pulled out due to the threat of Zika -- a virus that can cause defects in new-born babies.You look at a lot of people down there in their own sports and a lot of them are inside, Willett said. Were one of the only sports that are going to be outside for such a long period of time. You look at the golf course, its obviously very close to the water down in old marshland.So if you break it down, the risks are probably slightly higher for us than other sports just because of the nature that you could be having five-hour rounds with an hour warm-up and still be outside for long periods of time. And obviously, the mosquitos are going to potentially be there. But its winter [in Brazil]. The threat level has been lessening every week.Rose added: Its a sad situation to see those sorts of guys pulling out. Its obviously weakened the field. But youve got to respect their position. You do have to put your health and family first from that point of view.Willett and Rose are expected to be announced on Wednesday as Team GBs representatives for Rio, with Englishman Chris Wood first reserve should either of his compatriots have a last-minute change of heart. ' ' '