aining 19 out of a possible 21 points since Sept. 26, Atalanta has rocketed up the standings to fifth place to make qualifying for Europe a distinct possibility.The Bergamo squad has won fo

ROME -- In terms of salaries, Atalanta ranks 15th in Serie A. On the field, however, its been a different story for the provincial club, which has relied on homegrown talent to become the best team in the Italian league over the last seven rounds.After gaining 19 out of a possible 21 points since Sept. 26, Atalanta has rocketed up the standings to fifth place to make qualifying for Europe a distinct possibility.The Bergamo squad has won four straight and achieved three consecutive clean sheets in which it has outscored the opposition 7-0.Were on a fantastic streak but the most important thing has been the way weve been playing and that the squad and players have been improving continuously, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said.Gasperinis job was at risk when Atalanta lost four of its five opening matches, but club president Antonio Percassis faith in the coach has proved decisive.Atalanta features nine homegrown players on its first team -- the most in Serie A -- and regularly uses them.Players like 22-year-old defenders Mattia Caldara and Andrea Conti, 21-year-old striker Andrea Petagna -- all members of Italys under-21 squad -- and 22-year-old midfielder Roberto Gagliardini, who was given his first call up to Italys senior national team this month after only nine Serie A appearances, are in the team.Then theres 19-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, who first spent time on the youth squad after arriving in January 2015. He leads the team with four goals this season.Its a matter of pride for us and for the club, Gagliardini said of the widespread use of homegrown players.Added Caldara: Were friends before were teammates.The youth movement was on full display in Atalantas last match, a 3-0 win at Sassuolo in which Caldara and Conti scored and Gagliardini provided the assist for the opening goal by Alejandro Papu Gomez.The victory over Sassuolo was significant because it gave Atalanta bragging rights as the leagues top provincial squad.Sassuolo set a club record by finishing sixth last season to qualify for the Europa League, an achievement Atalanta would like to emulate.In its 109-year history, Atalanta has spent 56 seasons in Serie A -- more than any other club which has never won the top division.Its only major trophy was the 1963 Italian Cup, besides six Serie B titles. Atalanta also reached the Cup Winners Cup semifinals in 1988 while competing in Serie B -- one of the best performances by a non-first division club in a major UEFA competition.The club has also had its troubles, getting docked six points in 2011-12 for a widespread betting and match-fixing scandal that ended the career of club captain Cristiano Doni, who was arrested.Atalanta was also docked two points the following season but it managed to avoid relegation from Serie A on both occasions.With a population of 120,000, Bergamo is a mid-sized city that is considered part of the wider Milan metropolitan area, which made a 2-1 win over Inter Milan last month especially sweet.Gasperini, in his first season at Atalanta, was hardly given a chance at Inter, where he was fired after five winless matches in September 2011.Bergamo attracts many Milan residents for its airport that is home to low-cost airlines and the club is also a relatively low-cost affair.Atalanta, which pays its players a total of 24 million euros ($26.5 million) per season, is level on points with fourth-place Lazio, which pays its players more than twice as much.In July, Atalanta sold Marten de Roon to Middlesbrough for 14 million euros ($15 million), a year after paying Heerenveen 1.5 million euros ($1.6 million) for the Dutch midfielder. That helped Atalanta earn a 6 million euro ($6.5 million) profit in the offseason transfer market.Were enjoying the moment and it provides us with extra motivation to continue along this path, Gasperini said.Having helped launch the careers of players like Roberto Donadoni, Christian Vieri and Filippo Inzaghi -- plus current AC Milan standouts Riccardo Montolivo and Giacomo Bonaventura -- Atalanta has long been a starting spot for players who later achieved greatness.And with coaches like Marcello Lippi, Cesare Prandelli and Antonio Conte making stops in Bergamo, its also been on the road to managerial success.The clubs current fortune will be tested against Roma on Sunday and in games against Juventus and Milan -- the top three teams in the standings -- before the holiday break.Weve got a Tour de Force awaiting us until Christmas but weve got enthusiasm, Gasperini said. So lets see where it takes us.---Andrew Dampf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/asdampf Wholesale China Jerseys . 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Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Shin-Soo Choo let his bat and his teammates do the talking for him Wednesday night. Choos two-out single in the 11th inning drove in Todd Frazier from second base, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 3-2 win over the San Francisco Giants. Frazier walked to lead off the 11th against left-hander Javier Lopez (1-1) and went to second on Chris Heiseys sacrifice. After Devin Mesoraco was intentionally walked, pinch hitter Ryan Hanigan popped out before Choo came up with his second hit of the game, giving the Reds three straight wins for the first time since June 10-12 against the Cubs and thrilling a sellout crowd of 40,757. The left-handed Choo almost won the game in the ninth, but his sharp one-hopper up the middle with Mesoraco on second was picked off backhanded by second baseman Tony Abreu for a groundout. "Ive been saying that hes one of the best hitters in the game, and Im sticking with that," said Frazier, whose bobblehead was one of the games attractions. "He makes adjustments. Thats what he did his last two at-bats." Choos hard-hit ball to Abreu was typical of his recent bad luck, according to manager Dusty Baker. After a hot start, Choos average was .269 going into the game. "The guy he got the hit off of is tough against left-handers," Baker said. "Hes been hitting the ball well lately with nothing to show for it." Choo was working out rafter the game and wasnt available to speak to the media. J.J. Hoover (2-5), Cincinnatis seventh pitcher of the game, struck out four batters in two innings for the win. "We were down to our last man," Baker said. "We cleared the bench trying to win that game." The spiraling Giants have lost nine of their last 10 games, including eight of nine on the current road trip, and have scored two or fewer runs in 10 of their last 13 games. They fell six games below .500 for the first time since the last day of the 2008 season, which they finished 72-90. "We had a good effort from our bullpen," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We couldnt get a hit with men in scoring position. We have too many guys scuffling. I dont know why, whether they are pressing or trying too hard. I wish I had the answer. It seems like weve been saying this for quite a while. We need someone to give us a spark and get a big hit. When you get in a rut like this, you try too hard. We were playing to win one game to get us out of it." In their first game after being held hitless by Homer Bailey on Tuesday, the Giants needed just two batters to remove any doubt.dddddddddddd Abreu, San Franciscos No. 2 hitter against Tony Cingrani, reached second base with a bloop double down the right field line for the Giants first hit in 11 innings since Brandon Belt led off the fifth with a home run in an 8-1, six-inning loss to the Reds on Monday. The Reds took a 1-0 lead in the second, which Giants starter Barry Zito opened by hitting Jay Bruce with a pitch. Bruce went to third on Fraziers single to centre field and scored on Heiseys sacrifice fly. The Giants took their first lead of the series in the fifth when Blanco drew a two-out walk and Abreu followed with a 442-foot blast into the upper deck in left field on Cingranis 1-1 pitch. The homer was Abreus first since last Sept. 16 for Kansas City against the Angels. Cingrani, making his eighth start of the season and first since Johnny Cueto went on the disabled list June 29 with a strained back muscle, allowed four hits and two runs with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 2-3 innings. His walks were a single-game career high as a starter. Zito left the game after Choo and Zack Cozart led off the fifth with singles. Zito allowed seven hits and one run with a walk and three strikeouts. Heisey, on the disabled list from April 29 to June 25 with a strained right hamstring, tied the game with a 422-foot solo homer into the left field seats on a one-strike pitch from George Kontos. The homer was Heiseys third of the season and first since April 23 against the Cubs in Cincinnati. "It seemed like Heisey had no interest in the fastball," Kontos said. "It was a slider low and away. Unfortunately, it didnt bounce. He hit it off his front foot, and it carried. It is definitely frustrating." NOTES: Heisey made his first start in the field since coming off the disabled list on June 25. Heisey started at designated hitter in one game each at Texas and Oakland on Cincinnatis last road trip. ... The sellout crowd that showed up for Fraziers bobblehead night and postgame fireworks was Cincinnatis ninth of the season. The team had a club-record 15 last season. ... Tightness in Marco Scutaros back prompted Giants manager Bruce Bochy to give the second baseman Wednesday night off. ... 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