The biggest event of the Call of Duty competitive season, Call of Duty XP, is nearly upon us. Starting Thursday, 32 teams from across the world will compete for a chunk of the record-breaking $2 million prize pl, as well as the right to be called Call of Duty world champions.In order to win the coveted prize, teams must first survive a best-of-five, round-robin gauntlet against their respective group opponents, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the double-elimination knockout portion of the bracket.Lets take a lk at who should advance out of Groups A-D:Group ATeams: Millenium, Splyce, eUnited, Black Forest GamesAdvancing: Millenium and SplyceGroup A belongs to two of the powerhouses from the European Pro division, Millenium and Splyce. Millenium has had an up-and-down season, first winning the Stage 1 playoffs before an uncharacteristic stumble during the Stage 2 regular season saw the team nearly jettison slayer Dylan MadCat Daly in an attempt to quell roster turmoil. Cler heads seemed to prevail, however, as the group opted to stick together through the rest of the season, ultimately claiming the Stage 2 title on the heels of terrific performances from MadCat and veteran Callum Swanny Swan. Even with Swanny unable to attend CoD XP, Millenium should still advance out of the group stage. But replacement player Marcus MiRx Carter will need to gel with the group quickly if the group plans on advancing deep into the tournament.Splyce had similar ups-and-downs to its regional rivals. First came a surprise showing during Stage 1, which saw the team advance to the finals after a series of nail-biting matches, only to lose to Millenium. Then came a second-place finish during ESWC Zenith 2016 in which the team knocked off North American powerhouses FaZe Clan and Rise Nation before falling once again in the finals, this time to OpTic Gaming. Fast forward to the Stage 2 regular season, Splyce appeared to showcase a tantalizing amount of promise, finishing with a 12-6 record, gd for third place in the league. However, dreams of returning to the finals were dashed after the team fell to Infused in a tight, seven-game semifinal bout.While Splyce should make it out of the group portion of this event, streaky players such as Ben Bance Bance and Joshua-Lee Joshh Sheppard could carry the team even further into the tournament, should they catch momentum.Group BTeams: Rise Nation, HyperGames, Apotheon Esports, SupremacyAdvancing: Rise Nation and HyperGamesRise Nation appears to be head and shoulders above its Group B counterparts, despite the teams lackluster performance during MLG Orlando (finished in fifth/sixth place). Simply put, Rise Nation has one of the best lineups in all of the CWL, thanks in part to Sam Octane Larew. When Octane is playing at his best, Rise can be a handful, as evidenced by its thrilling finish during the Stage 1 playoffs, where the team narrowly lost to OpTic Gaming in the finals. A strong tournament run could be in the cards if the lineup plays up to its immense potential.The second team to advance out of Group B certainly feels like a toss-up, as both HyperGames and Apotheon Esports could make it into the knockout stages of the bracket. The advantage goes to the team who has competed in the CWL all season, but it certainly wont be easy. The No. 1 seed in Europe during Stage 2, HyperGames hasnt fared particularly well during LAN events, most notably losing in the first round of the Stage 2 playoffs. A second-place finish at the following Gfinity CWL Summer Masters tournament helped to wipe away some of the sting, but considering the team has just one member, Shea Qwiker Sweeney, who has participated in a CoD Champs event, the lack of experience coupled with inconsistent play on LAN could dm the group.Group CTeams: Luminosity Gaming, Mindfreak, FAB Game eSports, Chiefs eSports ClubAdvancing: Luminosity Gaming and FAB Game eSportsLuminosity enters Call of Duty XP as the favorite to advance out of Group C after conquering OpTic Gaming during the Stage 2 playoffs. A threat to make a run at any tournament, Luminosity has slowly started to build momentum in recent tournaments, losing in the semifinals to Dream Team in the Stage 2 playoffs and finishing in fifth/sixth place at MLG Orlando. Led by outspoken slayer/sniper Jeremy Studyy Astacio, Luminosity is versatile in most game modes, but seems to lack a level of consistency needed in order to achieve top-tier results. Like many other North American teams, Luminosity should have no trouble making it out of the group stage, but will need to rely on monster performances from its star players in order to make a deep run.Having recently acquired the entire Exertus roster heading into Call of Duty XP, FAB Game eSports might not lk like a championship-level team on paper, as the team didnt even manage to make the Stage 2 playoffs, finishing the regular season with an 8-10 record. But in group play, star power can make all the difference and FAB Game eSports hosts arguably one of the best players in the European region, Billy Hawqeh Harris, who finished with the highest Kill/Death (KD) ratio (1.36) during Stage 2. FAB Game eSports will need to lean on Hawqeh if the team plans to make it out of the group stage.Lming in the weeds is Mindfreak, the best team from the Australia/New Zealand region. While the team has yet to prove itself on an international level during Black Ops III, Mindfreak has dominated the competition in its respective region and boasts some experience at Call of Duty Champs, most notably finishing in sixth place last year. Mindfreak is certainly capable of a repeat performance, but the teams lack of exposure against other international competition might come back to hurt it.Group DTeams: Renegades, Allegiance, Epsilon, Pulse GamingAdvancing: Renegades and EpsilonIts fair to question which version of Renegades will show up at CoD XP, as the organization formerly known as Dream Team has had its share of success throughout the season, most notably placing second at the Stage 2 playoffs. But like many of the other second-tier talent in North America, Renegades has been plagued by inconsistency, as evidenced by the groups finish at both MLG Anaheim and MLG Orlando. While some have seemingly chalked up the teams Stage 2 playoff run as a fluke -- thanks in part to the tournaments single-elimination format -- Renegades does boast a player with championship pedigree, Adam Killa Sloss, who won CoD Champs in 2013. If Killa, who has suggested Call of Duty XP will be his last competitive event, can perform up to his lofty standards, Renegades should waltz into the knockout portion of the event.For a team that hasnt placed higher than fifth at a major event all season, Epsilon still joins a long list of European teams capable of making noise at Call of Duty XP. Just like FAB Game eSports, star power could play a major factor in whether Epsilon can advance through the group stage, as both Matthew Skrapz Marshall and Thomas Mse Handley have had their fair share of success during the Stage 2 regular season. Skrapz, in particular was impressive, posting a 1.21 KD, which trailed only Hawqeh for the best figure during the European Stage 2 regular season. In any other group, Epsilon would likely face an uphill battle in order to move on to the knockout round, but surrounded by a plethora of other unproven teams, Skrapz and the rest of the team should have enough firepower to continue competing into the weekend. Swell Italia Offerte . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. Swell Bottle Italia . Pierce was ejected in the third quarter of Indianas 103-86 win Monday. George Hill stole a bad pass and was going in for a layup, and Pierce hustled back and appeared to be trying to wrap him up. http://www.swellbottiglie.it/ . LOUIS -- Valtteri Filppula assisted on three of Tampa Bays four goals, and the Lightning beat the St. Swell Italia . No. 13-seeded John Isner and No. 21 Philipp Kohlschreiber were among six players who dropped out of the tournament on Tuesday, joining No. 12 seed Tommy Haas and two other players who withdrew on Monday. Swell Bottiglia Blanc . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. SEATTLE -- Make way for Andrew Benintendi with the Boston Red Sox.After refusing to include Benintendi in any deals before the trade deadline, the Red Sox plan to call up their 2015 first-round draft pick and top outfield prospect from Double-A Portland on Tuesday to join their road trip in Seattle, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed to ESPN late Monday night.Benintendi, 22, is batting .312 with 31 doubles, 12 triples, nine home runs and a .910 OPS in 97 games between two minor league levels this season. He was promoted to Double-A on May 15, and after a slow start, hes 54-for-159 with 14 doubles, four triples, eight homers, 19 walks, only 17 strikeouts and a 1.037 OPS in his past 43 games.Benintendi was ranked No. 3 by ESPN in Keith Laws midseason Top 50 prospects.Asked earlier Monday if he expected either Benintendi or fellow top prospect Yoan Moncada to make a contribution at the big league level this season, Dombrowski said, Maybe. It could be. Theyre close enough that they could be. Im not making that prediction, but they could be.In late June, Dombrowski balked at the idea of rushing Benintendi to the big leagues after veteran outfielder Chris Young strained his hamstring. It wasnt so much that Dombrowski was averse to calling players up directly from Double-A, but rather that he believed Beniintendi needed more at-bats at that level.ddddddddddddBut the wheels were set in motion for Benintendis eventual call-up when he began playing left field last month for Portland. Injuries to Brock Holt, Young and Blake Swihart have forced the Red Sox to use six left fielders. Lately, Holt has been splitting time in left field with righty-swinging Bryce Brentz, who was batting .288 with one homer and seven RBIs entering Monday nights series opener against the Seattle Mariners.Benintendis arrival will allow the Red Sox to take advantage of Holts versatility and use him in the utility role in which hes most effective.The Red Sox have not called up a player directly from Double-A since center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. made the team out of spring training in 2013 without having played at Triple-A. Bradley went 3-for-31 with 12 strikeouts in his first 12 games and was promptly sent to Triple-A.By calling up Benintendi now, the Red Sox are hoping for a jolt similar to the one provided by shortstop Xander Bogaerts when he was called up in August 2013. Bogaerts wasnt an everyday player immediately but tk over as the third baseman midway through the playoffs and helped the Red Sox win the World Series. ' ' '