RIO DE JANEIRO -- Chapecoense was gaining respect and support from across Brazil even though it was a small club with a short history. Here are some key facts on the club:HistoryChapecoense, founded in 1973, reached Brazils first division in 2014 and was in ninth place ahead of this weekends last round of games.The club is based in Chapeco, a city of about 200,000 that is known for its poultry industry and is located about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) south of Rio de Janeiro.Form this seasonOn its way to the Copa Sudamerica final - for which it was flying to Colombia - the team known as Chape beat major clubs such as Argentinas San Lorenzo and Independiente.Chape strikers Bruno Rangel and Kempes, both 34 years old, are among the top scorers in the Brazilian league, with 10 and nine goals, respectively. One of the teams top players is 35-year-old midfielder Cleber Santana, who played for Atletico Madrid from 2007-10.Chape had its best season ever in 2016, earning 52 points from 37 matches. On Sunday, the team lost at Palmeiras 1-0, a result which clinched the Brazilian league title for the host team.Gaining respectThe club, which doesnt have any players in Brazils national team or in the under-20 team, plays its home matches at the 22,000-seat Arena Conda. But it had been scheduled to play the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final at the Couto Pereira Stadium, a 40,000-seat venue in Curitiba, a city 300 miles (480 kilometers) north of Chapeco.A group of rival fans, however, became so impressed with Chapecoenses amazing run in the competition that they started a campaign on social media to move the final to the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.The team was due to host fourth-place Atletico Mineiro at the Arena Conda on Sunday and then face Atletico Nacional in the second leg of the Copa Sudamericana final on Tuesday.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report Stitched Custom Basketball Jerseys . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. Custom Basketball Jerseys Store .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. 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Vitale expects to top the $10 million mark with his eighth annual celebrity gala in Sarasota, Fla., on Friday night. The event will honour former Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, former Connecticut basketball coach/cancer survivor Jim Calhoun, and Kansas basketball coach Bill Self. The gala raises money for the V Foundation in honour of the late Jim Valvano. Net proceeds go to pediatric cancer research. "It should be really, really special," Vitale said in a phone interview Thursday. "It has gone way beyond my dreams." More than 70 sports celebrities are scheduled to attend, including Florida coach Billy Donovan, Indiana coach Tom Crean, Kentucky coach John Calipari, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, Miami coach Jim Larranaga, Villanova coach Jay Wright and Florida State coaches Jimbo Fisher (football) and Leonard Hamilton (basketball). The guest list also includes former major leaguer Gary Sheffield, former NFL running back Ricky Watters and 2000 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke. Vitale has a few special guests planned, too. He will have Michigan State junior forward Adreian Payne and his friend, 7-year-old Lacey Holsworth, in attendance. Holsworth has cancer and is scheduled to have a bone-marrow transplant soon.dddddddddddd She has become close with Payne over the past year and met Vitale before the Indiana-Michigan State game in February. "She just got clearance to join us," Vitale said. "I guarantee there wont be a dry eye in the place." Vitale also is flying in the parents of Justin Miller, who died April 3, less than three weeks shy of his 21st birthday and after a five-year battle with epithelioid sarcoma. Miller continued playing the drums even after having his dominant arm amputated in 2011. Vitale will present Millers parents with a grant in Justins name for $250,000. "Nothing pleases me more now," Vitale said. "Im selfish. I have five grandchildren. Im about to go watch the kids play tennis. Thats what every kid should be doing. Instead, we have so many doing chemo and radiation. Its just not fair." In total, Vitale will have 11 families of cancer survivors, including eight of the survivors, on hand at the Ritz-Carlton. Everyone there should witness a record-breaking night for the event, topping the $1.8 million raised last year and reaching the $10 million milestone over eight years. "People have been great to me," Vitale said. "Ive got goose-bumps thinking about it." ' ' '