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Wed Dec 04, 2019 6:33 am
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Hope. Cesar Cedeno Jersey . Thats all Toronto FC supporters have asked for. Wins have been priority, too but its true, unmitigated hope of positive direction thats been desired. Progress. Commitment. Hope. Hope has been fleeting before. Julian de Guzman, the clubs first designated player brought hope as did the addition of hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario. Toronto FC turning orange, the Dutch total football revolution under Aron Winter brought hope as well. But thats about it. Spare me hype surrounding some unknown international prodigy that has come and gone, or the legendary Mista. Genuine belief has been temporary and few and far between. Unfulfilled promise. Pandering of false hope. Rinse, wash, repeat. Then Wednesday happened. True hope came calling. As often the case may be, good things came in three; each story bigger in importance, potential impact and surprise. De Rosarios return to Toronto was publicly confirmed with a Thursday press conference ahead. My colleague Luke Wileman reported coveted Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will land in Toronto this weekend with an expected Monday introductory press conference to follow, unveiling the prized acquisition. The bells and whistles surrounding Defoes arrival are said to be impressive. Lastly, the most audacious, unexpected news of all; a deal all but done to bring 26-year-old US international midfielder Michael Bradley to TFC in the absolute prime of his career. Surprised? Yes we are. Three signings dont get much bigger than this in MLS. Make it four with last months arrival of Brazilian Gilberto. If no curveballs are thrown and once the ink is dry, just like that, the inferior, miserable, beaten down landscape of Toronto FC forever changed. Toronto FCs new promo campaign, Its A Bloody Big Deal! – 01.13.14 couldnt ring more true. The YouTube video shows a bald-headed man spit take in shock, presumably about Defoes arrival. Well add another spit take for Bradley; the kind of choke on your coffee and have it pour out your nose sort of disbelief. In North American soccer circles, this is the kind of impact and magnitude were talking about. Defoe entering the fray isnt much a secret. The 31-year-old English international had fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane. The crafty forward still has pace and ability and could have a similar impact in MLS to Robbie Keane. Toronto FC spared no expense to convince Defoe Toronto was right for him. Flights, houses, family considerations - Toronto bent over backwards, realizing treatment and paycheck would be sufficient to supplant a Premier League caliber talent and bring him to Canada. Many expect Defoe to score 30 goals in Major League Soccer. Along with on-field expectations, off-field ambassadorship is expected. Defoe instantly becomes one of MLS top players. Ditto for Bradley. A work engine in the central midfield, the current AS Roma player is a warrior. The ferocity of Bradley, with ability to move forward in attack, would make him a special breed in MLS, where most central midfielders are either preferred attacking options or stay at home, hold the shape kind of players. Bradley is an all-action type player, and all-important for the US Mens National team and a move to MLS comes at a peculiar time with World Cup preparations first and foremost. US Mens National team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was critical of Clint Dempseys move to Seattle last fall. So a return to North America comes as a shock. The story behind the potential move has yet to be revealed, but considerable dollars are at play. A rumoured salary ballpark of $6.5 million per year would do the trick, roughly six times his current salary. Playing time is also an issue. The arrival of Kevin Strootman last summer, along with last weeks signing of Radja Nainggolan put the writing on the wall at Roma: Bradley must leave. Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star reports upwards of $100 million is being committed to Defoe and Bradley in transfer fees and salary. Its an incredible commitment for soccer in this city. These kinds of dollars cannot be justified by pure economics of the game alone. The MLS salary cap for 2013 before designated player commitments sat at just shy of $3 million. MLSE obviously has the funds but to make this kind of financial commitment to soccer and a team that had operating revenue in the ballpark of $4.5 million last season (according to Forbes) shows true ambition. This is what it takes to compete. For Bradley, whose father Bob is a former US National team coach, to choose a Canadian club no less over a US-based team speaks to the show me the money type mentality of the modern game. Credit Tim Leiweke. He said he would turn Toronto FC around, and quick. This is beyond the expected. Dion Phaneuf salaries to soccer players in Toronto will never make sense. But MLSE using its financial strength to turn an embarrassment into a pillar of the organization is money well spent. Many south of the border will question what a move like Bradleys says about the growth of MLS. Id argue it has less to do with MLS than it does Leiweke. With a network, resources and desire to win, hes what TFC desperately needed. MLS plays a big role in player acquisition and obviously contracts, which they control. Toronto FC failed to play nice in the sandbox regarding specific targets and team performance in recent years. Squabbling and the perennial disappointment of TFC, whose supporters are credited for league growth and expansion, was a black eye for MLS headquarters. Leiweke was an ideal buffer between club and league. Theres a history and understanding. It then made perfect sense to hire the young and bright Tim Bezbatchenko, an MLS staffer to take over as general manager - a calculated move, facilitating congruence with MLS to provide much needed stability. It has not been disclosed who is funding the transfers. MLSE stepping up assuming the cost would be seen as extending the olive branch. Leiwekes fingerprints are all over these transactions. They signal a donning of a new era for the organization. MLSE has a face. Its Leiweke, and all that comes with him. In a city with too few victories and forced tradition rather than substance, Leiweke is filling a void, one handshake and dollar at a time. These signings are an investment as will a stadium makeover in the coming years. Its part of a bigger plan, where reputation speaks for itself. For MLSE to gain credibility, they need to show they are serious about winning. No more talk; actions. No more wrangling with agents. No more disagreement with the league. No more ostracizing fans. Moves like these wins people over. This is how you win. This is how you sell hope. The cynic will remain. Signings alone dont equal results. Even more work is to be done to the roster. The heavy lifting is near complete. Toronto FC will be able to compete. True hope. Thats all it takes. Its a reasonable thought that the vibe, the fun, and actual winning football can all live simultaneously at BMO Field. We hope. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Bronson Arroyo Jersey . "That was a great lift for the staff," Padres manager Bud Black said. Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal homered, and Chase Headley drove in three runs, as the Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 11-1 on Friday night. Reds Jerseys 2019 . The Reds will host the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the opener of a four-game series at Great American Ball Park, and the debut matchup will feature a pair of pitchers whose recent resumes have included a fair number of bases-clearing hits. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/295s-frank-robinson-jersey-reds.html . Mike Babcock has turned to the Montreal Canadiens goalie over Roberto Luongo, who backed Canada to a gold medal in Vancouver in 2010, for Canadas final preliminary round game against the ailing Finns. CHICAGO -- The fast start for the New York Rangers was erased by the Chicago Blackhawks in a couple minutes during the first part of the second period. Playing the Stanley Cup champions in their building, Henrik Lundqvist and Co. came up with an encouraging response. Carl Hagelin scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead the Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Blackhawks on Wednesday night. "We worked so hard, so this is a big one for us," said Lundqvist, who had 35 saves. "Playing such a good team and the position were in, were desperate for points and wins, so just a great feeling the way we played and got rewarded in the end with that big goal." The Rangers (22-20-3), who began the day in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games. They were coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at home against Columbus. Asked if the victory over Chicago could be a tipping point for New York, coach Alain Vigneault responded: "All I know is beating the Stanley Cup champions in this building is not an easy task." Jonathan Toews and Brandon Bollig scored in the second period for Chicago (29-8-9), which had recorded at least one point in a season-high 10 games. Coupled with Sundays shootout loss against San Jose, the Blackhawks lost consecutive home games for the second time this season. It was Chicagos first regulation loss since it was blown out at Toronto, falling 7-3 on Dec. 14. "Weve got too many guys right now that arent contributing to that level we saw most of the season," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. Marc Staal started the winning sequence with a long slap shot that was stopped by Corey Crawford, who also got in front of Hagelins first rebound attempt. But Hagelin stayed with the play and flipped the puck into the open right side with 5:57 left. It was Hagelins fourth winning goal of the season, tops on the team. He also is tied for the team lead with 11 goals overall. "Lately, we have a lot of confidence and try not to get too frustrated," Hagelin said. "Some games the puck goes in and other days it doesnt. But I think when youre creating chhances you stay positive. Joe Morgan Jersey. " Brad Richards and Mats Zuccarello also scored for New York, which earned its first win in Chicago since a 3-2 victory on Jan. 16, 2009. The Rangers and Blackhawks took turns controlling the action in the first two periods. The first belonged to New York, which made the most of a disjointed start for Chicago. Richards scored on a wrist shot at 5:06 and Zuccarello made it 2-0 when he skated behind the net for a wraparound that banked off the paddle of Crawfords stick for a power-play score at 9:29. Lundqvist had the secondary assist on Zuccarellos 11th goal. It was Lundqvists second assist of the season and 14th of his career. "Especially there in the first we were sloppy," Blackhawks defenceman Duncan Keith said. "We got better as the game went along, but unfortunately, they were able to get one late." Chicago bounced back in the second, using a power play to get back in the game. With Derick Brassard in the box for interference, Toews beat a screened Lundqvist high on the stick side for a rebound goal at 6:17. It was Toews 16th of the season and first since Chicagos captain scored twice during a 7-2 victory over Colorado on Dec. 27. The Blackhawks struck again 1:48 after Toews goal. Bollig skated alone down the left side and tied it at 2 with a well-placed wrist shot into the lower left side of the net. It was Bolligs fourth goal of the season. Crawford settled down after the uneven start and finished with 29 saves. He made a nice glove save on Rick Nash on a semi-breakaway with 2:05 left in the second, keeping the game tied at 2. He also used his right pad to deny Brassard early in the third. NOTES: The 26-year-old Zuccarello is tied with Richards, Hagelin and Chris Kreider for the team lead in goals. Zuccarellos previous career high was six goals when he was a rookie with New York in the 2010-11 season. ... The Blackhawks recognized their 10 Olympians on the centre-ice videoboard during a break in the first period. ... New York C J.T. Miller and D Justin Falk were scratched. ... Defencemen Michael Kostka and Sheldon Brookbank were scratched for the Blackhawks. ' ' ' |
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