At Tuesdays pre-match press conference, Toronto FC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen attempted to explain to the English media the difficulty of having to play a mid-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur at this particular time of the year.
[b]Vapormax Flyknit 2 Homme Pas Cher[/b] . “It would be like us playing a game in the Christmas period when youre third in the league and youve got Man City to play on Saturday,” he said. The timing couldnt be much worse. The Champions – Sporting Kansas City - are due in town on Saturday, as Nelsens team moves through its busiest month of the MLS season with seven league games during the month of July. Hes already without some of his key players through injury, including captain Steven Caldwell and starting right back Mark Bloom. But whatever problems are posed by playing the extra game, I agree with Michael Bradleys assessment of the situation. International friendlies are of benefit to Major League Soccer and the growth of the game in North America. While they are certainly far from ideal, they are here to stay, and they have an important role to play. For a start, Wednesdays game against Tottenham is about much more than welcoming international opposition. This match is part of a four-year marketing and commercial deal struck between the two clubs as part of Jermain Defoes transfer. For both Toronto FC and Spurs, its about the bigger picture. Soccer is a global game, and a big part of achieving success is about building and managing relationships, not just within your own league, but around the world. As Toronto FC – and MLS as a whole – aims to continue its rapid growth, international friendlies are an important piece of the puzzle as they provide an opportunity to get a wider circle of attention both in the local community, across North America, and in other countries as well. From a playing perspective it can also have a positive impact. Its a chance for some of the squad players to get a competitive game, and for some of the clubs youngsters to test themselves against a standard of opposition they wouldnt usually face. In 2010 when Toronto FC played Bolton Wanderers at BMO Field, the Man of the Match was a young teenager who hadnt even signed a professional contract at that stage. Doneil Henry has gone on to become a first team regular with the club who has aspirations of playing in Europe. That Bolton match was an early stepping stone for the Canadian international. As he sat alongside Spurs star Christian Eriksen and manager Mauricio Pochettino at BMO Field on Tuesday, Henry said: “This is where I want to be and where I want to play one day. I just want to learn and show what I can do.” So this match is another opportunity for him to prove himself. We likely wont see much of Torontos leading players against Spurs. Ryan Nelsen needs to be cautious, and rightly so. He will give some of his starters 45 minutes, and rest others completely. But for a number of men within his squad this game will provide a chance to shine and it will be interesting to see if they can take it. Tottenham arrived in Toronto on Monday direct from Seattle where they tied the Sounders 3-3 in an entertaining game in the first game of their three-match North American tour. They are without their World Cup players who have been given extra time to rest, and last years leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor who is recovering in London following a mild bout of malaria. But young Danish star Christian Eriksen is expected to see his first action of preseason as Spurs continue to prepare for the Premier Leagues opening weekend in mid-August. Last year Spurs finished sixth in the English top flight, but are under new management with a new direction after Mauricio Pochettinos arrival from Southampton. Eriksen was pretty blunt when asked what Tottenham will need to improve upon this season, with consistency the theme. “We had some really good games and some really bad games,” he said. “For us its about being more stable and also getting points against the big teams.” Watch Toronto FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur live tonight on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt.
[b]Vapormax 97 Blanche[/b] . "I just think what it does for everybody in life is real simple," said Babcock early on Friday afternoon. "You dont give in. You just keep on keeping on. Is it going to go your way every time? No. But you choose your attitude and how you perform and how hard you dig in." Nearly four years to the day of the 2010 gold medal match in Vancouver, his team dug in with its best effort of these Olympics, snuffing out the high-powered Americans for another opportunity at gold.
[b]Vapormax Plus Blanche Pas Cher[/b] .3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday.Sacramento, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Monta Ellis had 28 points, 10 assists and four steals and the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Sacramento Kings 108-104 in overtime on Tuesday night. Tyson Chandler posted 16 points and 17 rebounds, while Rajon Rondo added 21 points, seven helpers and four swipes for Dallas, which snapped a brief two- game losing streak on the heels of a six-game winning stretch. DeMarcus Cousins was an assist shy of a triple-double, tallying 32 points, 16 boards and nine helpers before fouling out late in the fourth quarter. Darren Collison provided 18 points and seven boards for the Kings, who have alternated wins and losses over their last seven contests. The game was tied 83-83 early in the fourth before the Kings ripped off nine straight points. Collison had a dunk and a three-point play before Cousins capped the flurry with a reverse layup for a 92-83 Sacramento advantage. Dallas, though, closed regulation on a 14-4 surge to force overtime. Chandler and Rondo sandwiched baskets around a pair of Cousins free throws to claw Dallas within 99-97 with 56.7 seconds to play. A loose ball foul on Cousins sent Chandler to the line with 33.5 ticks on the clock and Chandler sunk both foul shots to knot the contest at 99-99. Cousins foouled out of the game on Sacramentos next trip up the floor when he committed an offensive foul.
[b]Vapormax Plus Pas Cher[/b]. . Ellis then took the clock down but was off the mark on a right elbow jumper at the buzzer. Rondo nailed a right wing triple with the shot clock running down with 1:14 remaining in overtime to stake the Mavs to a 104-102 advantage. Jason Thompson was fouled on a rebound with 51.2 ticks left, but split the pair of bonus shots. Dirk Nowitzki missed a jumper at the other end, but Chandler Parsons snatched the offensive rebound and Ellis made two foul shots with 8.7 seconds to play. Dallas elected to foul Collison, who sunk 1-of-2 from the charity stripe and two Ellis free throws with 5.7 ticks remaining sealed the outcome. Earlier, Sacramento led 33-29 following a quarter of play and was up 63-60 at the break. Neither team held a margin more than five in the third and the Kings took an 83-80 edge into the fourth. Game Notes The Mavericks have won five straight and 36 of their last 43 meetings against Sacramento ... The Kings fell to 8-4 when Cousins scores at least 25 points ... Dallas scored 27 points off 20 Sacramento turnovers ... Carl Landry had 14 points and 10 boards off the bench for the Kings. ' ' '
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