SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University men’s soccer team opens its 2012 season by hosting Ashland, Mercyhurst and Tiffin in a four-team tournament this weekend.

Tiffin plays Mercyhurst at 5 p.m., SRU faces Ashland at 7:30 p.m. today. The Rock is coming off a 7-8-2 season under third-year coach Michael Bonelli.

Local products Drew Donoghue and Blake McChesney of Butler, Michael Ramirez of Slippery Rock are among the seniors on this year’s team.

NFL players approve new rule changeNEW YORK — The players' union has approved a rule change that will allow one designated player to return from injured reserve and play this season.The NFL Players Association also agreed to move the league's trading deadline back two weeks to after games in Week 8.NFL owners voted for both changes in May. But the union had to sign off on them and did so Thursday, six days before the regular season kicks off.One “marquee” player placed on injured reserve will be able to return to practice after the sixth week of the schedule and to the lineup after the eighth week. That player must be on the 53-man roster after the final preseason cut, which comes Friday.

Hockey revenues still delaying NHLNEW YORK — The NHL's collective bargaining talks are on hold until Friday.Donald Fehr, the executive director of the NHL Players' Association, had originally said he was “optimistic” the union would table a counterproposal Thursday. Fehr could extend a counteroffer on Friday at the NHL's New York office.The current agreement expires Sept. 15, when the league has said it will lock out the players if a new deal is not in place.The two sides are at odds over hockey-related revenue. The league wants to knock down the players' percentage to 46. The players' share of HRR was 57 percent last season.

Strasburg shutdown within 3 startsWASHINGTON — Stephen Strasburg has “probably” two or three starts remaining before he's done for the season, and he can no longer claim he wasn't told the shutdown was coming.