SAN FRANCISCO - Patrick Willis so hoped he would be able to withstand the pain in his troublesome toe and play on this season, and ultimately help lead the San Francisco 49ers to another playoff run.Instead, Willis will miss the remainder of the season and require surgery for a strained muscle in his left big toe. He was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list Tuesday after getting hurt in the third quarter at St. Louis on Oct. 13.Its very frustrating, Willis said. My teammates mean everything to me and I want to be out there experiencing all the good times and all the rough times with them.A Pro Bowler in his first seven NFL seasons, Willis had missed six games in his career before this latest injury sidelined him for the final 10 games of 2014 for San Francisco (5-4). He had 34 tackles and an interception this season for the Niners.Willis is a captain and leader of a 49ers team that has reached the NFC championship game in each of the past three seasons.We havent lost him in the locker room, linebacker Michael Wilhoite said. Were still all together here. It hurts but at same time we need to keep going out and win games.Willis had hoped the injury wasnt so serious to sideline him long term. He missed practice last week after returning in a limited role the previous week.This is something I have been dealing with for a long time now, Willis said. I want to get it done so I can get back to rehabbing and get back to form.Willis indicated his toe has been bothering him for several years and that he continued to play as long as he could stand the pain.I always think I can do more than Im supposed to and tried to compensate, Willis said. Sometimes guys are hurting, and hurting bad, and still go out and play. You could say I should have done this earlier, before I hurt it worse against the Rams.After resting through the Oct. 26 bye, Willis was back as part of the 49ers full active squad on the field for the start of practice Oct. 29, but he had been limited primarily to individual work.I felt, maybe just give it a couple of weeks but it just didnt get better, Willis said. I feel like I have five or six years left in my body so I have to think about the big picture. I promise you when I come back I will be bigger and better than I was.This is a big loss to one of the NFLs leading defences, though the 49ers are expected to have Aldon Smith back Sunday on the road against the New York Giants.Hopefully I can get in there and play as much as I have, Smith said. I want to stay strong, keep my eyes on the prize and Im ready to do that.Smith is set to begin practicing this week after serving his nine-game suspension by the NFL for violations of the leagues substance-abuse and personal-conduct policies.I did everything that was necessary, Smith said. Ive learned a lot and ready to move forward.In addition, 2013 All-Pro NaVorro Bowman could be cleared to begin practice this week, opening a 21-day window for the team to activate him or place him on IR.Bowman is recovering from surgery on his left knee after he tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a devastating injury in the NFC championship game loss at Seattle last January.Rookie Chris Borland has filled in for Willis and been spectacular, recording 18 tackles in a loss to the Rams two weeks ago then 17 more tackles in an overtime win at New Orleans on Sunday.Im truly proud of the way hes playing, Willis said. Hes gone out and held down that position.The NFL Network first reported Willis would need toe surgery.The Niners signed running back Alfonso Smith to replace Willis on the roster and added linebacker Shayne Skov to the practice squad.___AP freelancer Rick Eymer in Santa Clara, California, contributed to this report. NBA Jerseys China . -- Arkansas didnt need a spectacular dunk to beat No. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . Steve has built a solid reputation throughout the years - first as a hockey player, then as an NHL general manager and now as a scout. https://www.nbachinajerseys.us/. Two-time Olympic bronze medallists Savchenko and Szolkowy received 79.02 points to finish ahead of world bronze medallists Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, who had 77.01 points. Stitched NBA Jerseys . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle.RECIFE, Brazil -- Germanys Thomas Mueller stayed on track to retain his Golden Boot title at the World Cup by scoring his fourth goal of the tournament in the 1-0 victory over the United States. U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann wasnt too upset. His team also qualified for the knockout stage after Portugal beat Ghana 2-1 in the other final match in Group G, which saw both teams eliminated. Mueller scored five times in South Africa in 2010 and scored his fourth on Friday in a rain-soaked Recife. With two wins and a draw, Germany topped the group with seven points, while the U.S. progressed with four. Portugal also finished with four points but the U.S. had a better goal difference. "We controlled the match and did not allow any chances until late in the match," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "We failed to score a second goal that would have settled the issue earlier." Mueller scored in the 55th minute with a side-footed shot from the edge of the area as tropical downpours drenched the Arena Pernambuco. He now has nine goals in nine World Cup games. "We clearly dominated the match and we played not a bad game against a top-fit American team," Mueller said. "I finally scored a pretty goal. I manage it every now and then. We still have big targets ahead of us." Germany, a three-time champion, now travels to Porto Alegre to play the runner-up in Group H on June 30. Both teams knew before kickoff that a draw would see them through, but neither held back. The game pitted Loew against his good friend and predecessor Juergen Klinsmann, now in charge of the U.S. team. The two coaches smiled as they shook hands and patted each other on the shoulder after the match. Klinsmann warmly embraced the German players/ Germanys goal came after a corner by Mesut Ozil. U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard did well to punch out a header by Per Mertesacker but pushed the ball into the path of Mueller who rifled a shot inside the far post from the edge of the penalty area. Mueller played despite needing five stiches to close a cut above his right eye sustained in the 2-2 draw with Ghana on Saturday and still visible five days later. TThe United States had a chance to level the match in stoppage time, but Alejandro Bedoyas low shot inside the box was swept away by the sliding Mario Goetze, a late substitute.dddddddddddd The Americans won a corner but Clint Dempseys header at the far post went high. Loew reshuffled his lineup by bringing in forward Lukas Podolski for Goetze and midfielder Sebastian Schweinsteiger for Sami Khedira. Center back Geoff Cameron was replaced in the U.S. lineup by Omar Gonzalez. There were many empty seats in the Arena Pernambuco when the match kicked off but fans streamed in during the first half, apparently delayed by traffic jams as torrential rain flooded parts of this northeastern Brazilian city. Germany was quicker off the mark and Howard intercepted a low cross from Podolski before Michael Bradley made a good clearance and Gonzalez defended well to deny Mueller a shot from close range. Howards 103th cap was a record for a U.S. goalkeeper and he did well to stop Ozils shot in the 35th minute. Graham Zusi had the first good shot for the U.S. but his effort in the 22nd went high. Referee Ravshan Irmatov of Uzbekistan collided accidentally with Jermaine Jones in the 28th and the American midfielder went down hard but got up. The referee shrugged off the challenge. Miroslav Klose came on for Podolski at the start of the second half but failed to score and grab sole possession of the World Cup scoring record that he now shares with Brazils Ronaldo at 15. Ozil beat Gonzalez to a cross at the start of the second half but sent his header high, while Klose connected with a cross from Schweinsteiger but was off balance and did not get off a clean header. Lineups: United States: Tim Howard; Fabian Johnson, Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, DaMarcus Beasley; Jermaine Jones, Kyle Beckerman, Graham Zusi (DeAndre Yedlin, 84th), Michael Bradley, Brad Davis (Alejandro Bedoya, 59th); Clint Dempsey. Germany: Manuel Neuer; Jerome Boateng, Per Mertesacker, Mats Hummels, Benedikt Hoewedes; Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Mario Goetze, 76th), Mesut Ozil (Andre Schuerrle, 89th), Toni Kroos; Lukas Podolski (Miroslav Klose, 46th), Thomas Mueller. ' ' '