TORONTO - Jermain Defoe has been where Gilberto is — under the microscope and unable to score goals. Bobby Doerr Jersey . Defoe insists its only a matter of time before his Toronto FC strike partner starts finding the net. And hes told Gilberto the same thing several times. "Everyones trying to talk to him, not just me. The manager and everyone. . . all the boys are just trying to be positive," Defoe said. "Im sure hes experienced enough to know its just a matter of time. Hes been unlucky. "Hopefully when he gets the first one, hell score many more. Still got a long way to go, its a long season." Toronto FC (4-4-1) hosts the Columbus Crew (4-4-4) at BMO Field on Saturday, a game that coach Ryan Nelsen said, in the event of a victory, could "springboard us forward for the rest of the season" Gilberto was part of Torontos much-celebrated off-season makeover, acquired to boost the clubs underpowered offence. The 24-year-old Brazilian has come oh so close numerous times, banging shots off the post and sending balls just wide of the net. But he remains without a goal in eight Major League Soccer appearances. And with his near-misses comes increasing scrutiny, which Defoe said comes "part and parcel with playing football." "I suppose at any level really where youve got to perform, people will expect you to perform, and obviously if you dont people are going to ask questions," Defoe said after Fridays practice at the clubs sun-drenched training grounds just north of the city. "But on the flip side, when youre playing well and youre scoring goals, everyone loves it and you get all the praise. So if its not going well, I suppose you have to just take it on the chin, as they say in England." Nelsen joked that hes played through goal-scoring droughts that lasted years — he, of course, was a defender. But he believes the scrutiny is a bit unfair. "Strikers, they get referred to as goalscoring, with defenders its conceding, . . sometimes (playing) just feels wrong. And its not just in football, its in your job," Nelsen told reporters. "You have a couple of months where its just tough, things just dont seem to go your way. Its life. "The only trouble in our job is everybody is watching you when it happens. Everybody talks about it, everybody wants to know about it, everybodys picking your brain about it. You all go through it, sometimes its just more out front, its just right out there in the media." Gilberto scored 14 goals in 24 games for Portuguesa of Brazils top division last season. He signed with Toronto as a Designated Player in December, and is set to earn US$1.2 million this season — 12th highest in MLS. One TFC official mused before the season kicked off that the Brazilian may score even more goals than Defoe, but the former Tottenham Hotspur striker leads the way with four goals in six games. "I think every striker has been through spells where at some stage in the season you might go a few games without scoring," Defoe said. "But youve just got to keep working hard and getting into position where youre going to score. Youve got to remain positive and thats all you can do really. "Obviously its difficult because your confidence gets really low. But hes working hard. Im sure its just a matter of time before he scores." Defoe missed Torontos previous game against Columbus with a hamstring injury — a 2-0 road victory on April 5 that boosted the teams record to 3-1. Both Defoe and Nelsen said they like where the team is positioned right now. Theres a sense that its turned the corner after a disappointing stretch. "Were starting to strengthen ourselves and trust our squad and get a bit hardened," Nelsen said. "Going to have our ups and downs of course, but were starting to become an MLS squad which is literally competitive in every game. And considering what we inherited here, its a good little evolution. "I know everybody wants to just flip the switch and you go from nobodies to champions overnight and it doesnt happen like that. If you just step back, you can look where we were and look where we are, you kind of see an evolution or developments that other teams — probably because they werent as low as us — are not making. Thats what I like about our team, everybodys just getting a wee bit better, and the squads just getting a wee bit better every day." Nelsen was happy to have midfielders Jonathan Osorio (hamstring) and Jackson Goncalves (concussion) back practising Friday. The two will be available to play against the Crew. "Im anxious to come back. I hate missing games, obviously. I even hate missing practices," said the Toronto-born Osorio. "Im more excited that Im healthy, Im feeling good, so Im excited (Saturday) to just play without any worries, without any knocks on me, and to be 100 per cent." The club will be missing captain and defender Steven Caldwell, who will serve his suspension for a red-card he received in Torontos last league game — a 2-2 draw at Kansas City. Coincidentally, Toronto was also missing Caldwell in last months meeting. "Hopefully we can repeat that (win with him)," Nelsen said. "But I think youve seen in Bradley Orr, and Doneil Henry and Nick Hagglund weve got some pretty decent cover there, so hopefully whoever plays at centre back will be right up for it." Toronto will also be without recently-acquired midfielder Collen Warner. "His brother is getting married in Denver, and hes the best man," Nelsen said. "On several levels, us guys may have told him to tell his brother hes making a bad mistake," Nelsen added, laughing. "(Warner) says hes batting well above his average, so he should do it as soon as he can so. . . To tell you the truth, thats like me exactly." Joe Kelly Jersey . The Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 3-1 Tuesday night, their seventh defeat in 10 games. Rasmus was put on the 15-day DL on May 15 because of a sore right hamstring. Hes hitting .222 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs. Luis Tiant Jersey . - Diego Fagundez scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift the Revolution to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday night that kept New Englands playoff hopes alive. http://www.redsoxjerseyauthenticshop.com/authentic-mookie-betts-red-sox-jersey/ . Summers has seen scant playing time with the Coyotes since being selected 29th overall by the club in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, having played in 47 career NHL games. HOUSTON -- The Texas Rangers talked before their game Saturday about how they didnt need new right fielder Alex Rios to be their saviour as he takes over for suspended slugger Nelson Cruz. Rios ended saving his new team anyway in his debut. Rios tied the game with an RBI triple in the eighth inning and scored the go-ahead run to help the Rangers to a 5-4 comeback victory over the Houston Astros. "I came here to try to contribute in any way possible and take advantage of everything that Im given," said Rios, who fills the hole left when Cruz was suspended for 50 games in the Biogenesis investigation. "Tonight was a good game. We came up with some big hits." One of the biggest was a two-run homer by Elvis Andrus as the Rangers extended their winning streak to a season-high six games. Rios, who was acquired from the Chicago White Sox on Friday, tripled off reliever Lucas Harrell (5-13) in the eighth inning to tie it after a double by A.J. Pierzynski. Rios then slid feet first into home on a ball hit by Mitch Moreland, scoring when catcher Jason Castro dropped the ball in the collision for an error to put Texas up 5-4. "We had a contact play on and he ran down the line like a train," manager Ron Washington said. "Castro caught that ball and when he came around he knocked it out of his glove and that was the winning run. He can do some things out there on the ball field and thats all we want him to do, is just play the game the way he can play." The Rangers trailed by two in the seventh before the Astros bullpen failed them again, with Kevin Chapman allowing Andrus first home run this season to tie it at 3. The Astros regained the lead when Brandon Barnes scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of that inning. Pierzynski hit a solo home run in the sixth inning. Texas starter Derek Holland allowed six hits and three runs in six innings. Jason Frasor (3-2) allowed one run in the seventh for the win and Joe Nathan threw a scoreless ninth for his 34th save. Chris Carter had two hits, including his 20th homer, and Castro added a pair of hits to extend his hitting streak to 10 games. Carter is the first Astros player to hit 20 homers since 2010, when both Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence reached the mark. It was the first multihit game since July 3 for Carter, who has been in a monthlong slump. Jurickson Profar reached on an error by Jake Elmore to start the seventh inning. Chapman retired the next two batters before Andrus sent an 82 mph slider into the Crawford Boxes in left field and flipped his bat as he left the plate. "I always say if a guy hits 30 or 40, it doesntt look good," Andrus said of the bat flip. Steven Wright Jersey. . "I dont really hit too many. I have to enjoy it because I dont know when Ill hit my next one." Andrus was greeted by his enthusiastic teammates who jumped up and down, patted his head and gave him high-fives as he entered the dugout. The shot ended a 557 at-bat homerless streak for Andrus. He shook off a tough night where he struck out on his first three at-bats with his first homer since Sept. 4. Houston manager Bo Porter was more upset with the error by Elmore than the homer Chapman gave up to Andrus. "When you give a team extra outs, especially a team that has a good offensive team like the Texas Rangers, you put yourself at more risk to give up runs," Porter said. Barnes was at third in the seventh inning when a pitch by Frasor bounced in the dirt, off Pierzynskis arm and toward the Rangers dugout, allowing Barnes to easily trot home to make it 4-3. Houston took a 1-0 lead on an RBI double by Jose Altuve in the third inning. Carters no-doubter, which landed on the train tracks atop left field, pushed Houstons lead to 2-0 in the fourth inning. Leonys Martin walked to start the fifth before Andrus struck out for the third time. He had a few angry words with home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi before Cuzzi finally lifted his mask and told Andrus to get off the field. Pierzynski launched his homer into the second deck in right field with one out in the sixth inning to get Texas within 2-1. Houston got the run back in the bottom of that inning when Matt Dominguez hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to make it 3-1. Starter Brad Peacock yielded three hits and a run in six innings for the Astros. NOTES: Texas LHP Matt Harrison, the teams opening day starter before two operations on a herniated disk in his lower back, left a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Round Rock with numbness in his throwing hand. Harrison is returning to Arlington to visit a doctor about the problem and Washington said he didnt have a report on his condition yet. Washington wasnt sure how to respond to the setback. "I dont know," he said. "Many things have happened to us this year, and its another one we have to get past."... Houston LHP Travis Blackley, who was designated for assignment on Thursday, has been outrighted to Triple A Oklahoma City. He has three days to accept the assignment or become a free agent. ... Houston SS Jonathan Villar was out of the lineup for a third straight game with a sprained left thumb. He pinch-ran in the eighth inning. ... The series continues on Sunday when Texas left-hander Martin Perez opposes Dallas Keuchel. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '