Presseberichte und -bilder » feelings known to the organization. Antho

TORONTO -- In playing Real Salt Lake this weekend, Toronto FC is taking on the kind of team it aspires to be -- a perennial playoff side with a winning tradition and championship character. Now in its 10th season, Real Salt Lake has made the playoffs the last six years, winning the MLS Cup in 2009. Until overtaken in the MLS record books early last year, Real Salt Lake held the league mark for consecutive home wins at 29. Rio Tinto Stadium was an impregnable fortress from June 2009 to May 2011. Toronto (2-0-0 this season) has a 1-5-0 lifetime record in Sandy, Utah. RSL (1-0-2 this season) was also the first MLS team to reach the CONCACAF Champions League final, losing to Monterrey 3-2 on aggregate in 2011. Last season Real Salt Lake made it to two finals but lost both: beaten in the MLS Cup by Sporting Kansas City in an agonizing penalty shootout and 1-0 by D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup. There has been stability on the sidelines with Jeff Cassar, who has been with the team since May 2007, moving up the ladder to head coach last December after Jason Kreis became the first head coach of New York City FC. Cassar is the third head coach in RSL history. Toronto was on coach No. 5 in Year 4 and is currently on its eighth manager in Ryan Nelsen. RSL captain Kyle Beckerman arrived in 2007 in a trade from the Colorado Rapids. The midfielder with the distinctive dreadlocks credits coaching and a little luck for the franchises success. "We were able to get players into this team that were ready to be coached by a coach like Jason and Jeff Cassar and Robin Fraser (a former RSL assistant coach who is now with the New York Red Bulls)," he said Thursday. "It just so happened that we were able to get a group of guys together that ... really just needed a good environment -- an ownership that cared, a coaching staff that did the right thing. A lot of the guys were coming from places that didnt do the game right. "A lot of us, that core group thats still here, it was a breath of fresh air that we really needed. And we just took full advantage because we knew exactly the opportunity that was in front of us, because wed had it the opposite way, where the owner doesnt care or the coach just doesnt get it. "So I think we lucked out a little bit that we had the core in the same place, here in Salt Lake, that was just absolutely ready to explode and take full advantage of what was in front of us. And thats what we did." The 31-year-old Beckerman is joined on the team by fellow U.S. internationals Nick Rimando (a goalie who came on board in 2007) and Luis Gil (a midfielder who joined in 2010). Other veterans include defenders Nat Borchers (2008) and Chris Wingert (2007), midfielders Ned Grabavoy (2009) and Javier Morales (2007) and forwards Robbie Findley (two stints since 2007) and Alvaro Saborio (2010). Players want to come to winning clubs. And RSL does a good job checking out new talent. "They want to bring in not only good players but good people," said Beckerman. Toronto FC has followed the same road this off-season, with marquee signings Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley, Gilberto and Julio Cesar all fitting in. Beckerman acknowledges that he respects Torontos search for success. "The thing that I really admire about Toronto is that they wont stop. Theyve kept at it. Theyve kept trying to fix and get the right recipe. And it doesnt seem like theyre going to stop any time soon. Theyre going to keep going and keep spending until they get the right recipe. "And I admire that. Thats something a lot of other teams would love to have that. With the fan base, theyve been loyal there and theyve stuck with them through tough times. The ownership and what theyre doing there, is kind of a reward to that loyalty and giving them a successful team. "Time will tell if this is the right one. But it seems so far that theyve brought in the right players so far. So I think its definitely on the up and up over there." Like Toronto, the early days were bleak in Salt Lake. The team went 5-22-5 with just 20 points in its inaugural season in 2005. In 2005-06, the fledgling franchise endured a league-record 18-game winless streak. But it didnt take long for Real Salt Lake to turn the corner. It had 39 points in Season 2 and 40 in Season 4, going 10-10-10 and reaching the 2008 playoff semifinals. In 2009, it was another 40-point season and the 11-12-7 team went on to win the title. Since then, RSL has collected 56, 53, 57 and 56 points. In contrast, Torontos points total since entering the league in 2007 is 25, 35, 39, 35, 33, 23, and 29. The two teams meet Saturday. Asics Shoes Uk Cheap .J. -- Patrick Sharp is on one of those streaks. Asics Shoes Clearance Sale . - Robert Griffin III has a sprained throwing shoulder that limited him in practice Wednesday as the Washington Redskins prepared for their season finale against the Dallas Cowboys. [url=http://wwNEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is preparing to honour Lou Gehrig on the 75th anniversary of his famed "luckiest man" speech. MLB will donate $300,000 to organizations that fight against Lou Gehrigs disease. The Hall of Famer was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis when he spoke at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939. The first baseman died two years later from ALS at age 37. MLB players, managers, coaches and umpires will wear a commemorative patch on July Fourth. The tribute will include a video shown at all ballparks featuring a first baseman from each team reciting a line from Gehrigs speech. MLB made the announcement on Thursday, the 111th anniversary of Gehrigs birth. "When Lou Gehrig delivered his historic farewell speech at Yankee Stadium 75 years ago, he indelibly linked our national pastime to the fight against the disease that would bear his name," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping . Its a blessing and a burden for nine sons of former NHL players who are all expected to be taken in the first four rounds of the draft this weekend. Discount Nike NFL Jerseys . - Young and old. http://www.jerseyswholesalenfl.net/ . -- Kevin Harvick pulled away on a restart with 47 laps to go and ended Chase Elliotts two-race winning streak in NASCARs Nationwide Series with a dominating victory early Saturday at Richmond International Raceway. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Fast Shipping . Funny, they looked like longtime friends during Pittsburghs 5-1 demolition of Dallas on Tuesday night. Quick to the puck and even quicker to the net, the Penguins top line overwhelmed the suddenly struggling Stars as Pittsburgh bounced back from a dismal weekend sweep at the hands of Philadelphia by jumping on Dallas early. China NFL Jerseys . Still, Inter moved one point ahead of Parma in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League spot. Udinese remained 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Inter was beaten 2-1 by Atalanta at home on Sunday and has won only seven of 16 matches at the San Siro this season, as the squad seems to still be searching for its identity under new owner Erick Thohir and first-year manager Walter Mazzarri.TORONTO – The Blue Jays made a roster move of some significance prior to the start of an important four-game series with their division rival Red Sox, designating for assignment struggling reliever Sergio Santos. It was a move of some time in the making. “He hasnt thrown well, clearly some guys are being used more than him right now and the only way to get out of this funk is to pitch,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. “But its hard to find a spot for him right now, certainly not a long guy, and hes not going to be used late in the game.” That much is true. Santos had fallen out of favour with manager John Gibbons and had lost the confidence of other members of the coaching staff. In his last four outings, the most recent of which was July 12, Santos allowed five earned runs on seven hits and four walks in just 2 1/3 innings. He hadnt been used by Gibbons since the club returned from the All-Star break. Long man Todd Redmond had taken the role once reserved for Santos. After his July 12 outing in Tampa Bay, in which he allowed two runs in one inning, Santos alluded to difficulty harnessing his slider due to a lack of work. It became clear, then, that the two sides were at a crossroads. The manager had no faith in the pitcher and, therefore, wasnt using him in critical situations. The pitcher knew he was on the outs and his performance reflected that doubt. Theres also the business of the game. First, the Blue Jays: Santos makes $3.75-million. Thats a team-friendly number. The contract, as a whole, is club-friendly because the guaranteed portion expires at the end of the season. Santos has club options for three years, through 2017, at these escalating numbers: $6-million, $8-million, $8.75-million. If in any year Santoss option is declined, hed be due a paltry $750,000 buyout. If Santos is claimed on waivers, the deadline for a team to do so is Wednesday and the remainder of his salary would be off the Jays books. Its not a lot of money, but its something, if the club is working on a strict dollar in-dollar out policy as the trade deadline approaches. Anthopoulos reacted to the contrary. The plan, he said, is to keep Santos in the organization.dddddddddddd “Like we told him, hes certainly not the first talented, good player to go through this before whether its the Linds or the Encarnacions,” said Anthopoulos. “The way to get things worked out is to go throw some innings. He was put on waivers today, Wednesday, well find out if he gets claimed or clears. Then, he would be active down there to pitch. We told him, hopefully, this is an Encarnacion scenario, go down there, throw a lot, hell be a priority guy, get back on track and be that dominant reliever we know he can be that we saw at the end of last year, that we saw at the beginning of the year before the rough trip with the Twins.” Its interesting that Anthopoulos references the “rough trip with the Twins.” Santos was part of that eighth-inning implosion the night of April 17. It was the back end of a doubleheader. The bullpen coughed up a late lead, allowing six runs on just one hit, eight walks and three wild pitches. Santos was responsible for three of the runs, three of the walks and all three wild pitches. Some believe he never recovered from the experience on that frigid night. Second, Santoss perspective: He surely knows the Jays are unlikely to pick up that $6-million option for 2015. It would be best for him to move to another organization, get a fresh start and, in the best-case scenario, find command of his wicked slider and finish the year strong. If that option isnt going to be picked up, at least a good final two months could result in a bump in next years salary. Santos wasnt happy. A source close to the pitcher told TSN.ca, hed recently made his feelings known to the organization. Anthopoulos said Santos did not request a trade. “No, no, not at all,” said Anthopoulos. “Hes a very accountable guy. He knows he hasnt pitched to his ability. He knows he can be a dominant closer, set-up guy, whatever is needed. Like anybody, he has all the belief in the world in himself, hell be fine. Hell get it back. He has way too much talent.” Chances are Santos gets it back somewhere else. ' ' 'w.wholesaleasicsuk.com/]http://www.wholesaleasicsuk.com/[/url] .Boston beat the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Tuesday night and celebrated consecutive wins for the first time in more than a month. Asics Outlet Uk Online .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Asics Wholesale Uk . In their first meeting for six years, the Frenchmen dropped serve twice in the first set, but Giquel broke Simon two more times in the second. 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