hard down the line, Florimon barely from zgr123's blog
Hope. Quincy Wilson Womens 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 Tarell Basham Womens Jersey .Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team. Malik Hooker Womens Jersey .J. -- All those records, all for naught.MINNEAPOLIS -- Phil Hughes didnt come to Minnesota to be a saviour. He just wanted to throw strikes and help his new team win some games. On Sunday, he gave the Twins more proof they made a wise investment. Hughes won his third start in a row, Trevor Plouffe and Kurt Suzuki hit two-run doubles and the Twins beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-2. "It starts with the starting pitcher and he gave us a great opportunity against a very potent lineup," said Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, who was especially pleased with Hughes control. "You put guys on base, you miss a play and youll wind up killing yourself against those guys." Brought in as a free agent to help cure some of the Twins starting pitching woes, Hughes (3-1) again pitched like the ace the team hoped hed be. Hughes gave up two runs and six hits in 6 1-3 innings, walking none and striking out three. He became the first Twins pitcher to win three consecutive starts since Sam Deduno won three straight in July 2013. "I said in the off-season when they signed him I thought he was a really good sign," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "He gives you a lot of confidence. (He can) go up and go away and let those guys who can really run the ball down run it down. He was effective. Hes added the cutter and a lot more." Hughes, who left the Yankees in the off-season to join the Twins, gave up four earned runs in each of his first three starts this season. He has given up a total of six earned runs and just one walk in 19 1-3 innings over his last three outings. The focus was on control the weekend after Twins pitchers issued 22 walks -- including 12 by their starters -- as the Dodgers swept three games at Target Field earlier in the week. Against the Orioles, the Twins walked just two batters in three games and took two of three in the series. "I always take pride in throwing strikes, making guys earn their way on base and not giving any free passes," Hughes said. "If were going to make mistakes in the zone and were going to get beat on aggressive pitches, so be it. Tarell Basham Jersey. But we dont want to let them on for free." After giving up a single to Nick Markakis to start the game, Hughes retired the next 14 batters. Nelson Cruz broke up Hughes shutout bid with two outs in the sixth, hitting a two-run shot for his ninth homer of the season. Glen Perkins pitched a scoreless ninth for his seventh save in eight chances this year. The Twins played most of the day without first baseman Joe Mauer, who left in the top of the third inning with lower-back spasms. Gardenhire said that Mauer underwent treatment throughout the game and said he thinks he could play on Monday. The Twins scored twice in the third, helped by the hustle of the Twins most slump-ridden hitter. Eduardo Escobar led off with a single off Miguel Gonzalez (1-3) and Pedro Florimon, who entered the game hitting .121, followed with a routine ground ball to second base. Running hard down the line, Florimon barely beat shortstop J.J. Hardys double-play relay to first base. Brian Dozier then singled and one out later, Plouffe lined a double into the left-field corner that scored both runners. Gonzalez walked the bases full with two outs, then walked Kurt Suzuki to force home a run. Reliever Troy Patton bailed him out of the jam by retiring Sam Fuld. The Twins tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh against reliever Ryan Webb. Chris Colabello hit a one-out double, Jason Kubel walked and Suzuki hit a double to left that scored both runners. Kubel slid home just ahead of catcher Matt Wieters tag, a call that was confirmed via an instant-replay challenge. NOTES: Plouffe leads the majors with 14 doubles. ... Minnesota wrapped up an eight-game homestand with a 3-5 record. RHP Kyle Gibson (3-2, 4.34) is scheduled to start on Monday when the Twins begin a four-game series at Cleveland. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '
The Wall