“Not the prettiest game but we earned that point. DAngelo Russell Authentic Jersey .” – Mark Bloom (@markbloom21), on Twitter That one sentence sums it up, while at the same time, leaving so much out. Another workman-like effort on a difficult night for Toronto FC earned the team their first draw of the season in a 2-2 tie at Sporting Kansas City. The first half was among the worst 45 minutes of football you will see in Major League Soccer. The lone highlight/lowlight of the first half was Kansas City defender Igor Juliao vomiting on the field. Seriously...that was it...and those watching had the similar nausea suffering through the awful display. The second half was an entirely different game - Talking points...goals...a red card...and controversy. Through it all, 10-man Toronto FC goes home with a point in hand and thats four points in two league matches without Michael Bradley, for those counting at home. This wasnt the Sporting Kansas City team that won the MLS Cup last December. Top players Graham Zusi and Matt Besler are off with Bradley and the US Mens National team. Kansas City coach Peter Vermes was without his five - yes, five - first choice centre-backs unavailable through international duty, injury or suspension. Matters got worse with fill-in centre-back Chance Myers forced from the match in the 36th minute through injury and former Toronto FC midfielder Jacob Peterson moved to the backline. Anyone with experience watching Peterson over the years understands that defending is not exactly his forte. TFC manager Ryan Nelsen dealt with his own selection issues. Nelsen was minus three would-be regular starting midfielders. Debutant Collen Warner was forced to start at outside left, hardly his position of strength. Toronto struggled to maintain possession, yet again – a recurring theme this season. The field was tilted and, post-match, Nelsen complained all big decisions went against TFC. Any Baldomero Toledo-officiated match will leave one feeling that way. In fairness to Toledo, the 63rd-minute sending off of captain Steven Caldwell was most likely the right call – a high, studs-up challenge to the upper leg of Toni Dovante – and the 84th-minute penalty decision against Doniel Henry can easily be debated on both sides of the claim. Toledos decisions seem to be match-defining more times than not. This time around they should be considered harsh but fair. Yet, despite it all, Toronto FC outscored Kansas City 2-1 over the last 30 minutes of football while down a man. Make it two chances, two goals and two weeks in a row with Toronto FC scoring in stoppage time, flipping the script after years of conceding late. It will go down as a crucial point earned when it comes to eventual and expected playoff contention. You must pick up points on nights like these if you expect to be left standing when it comes to the post-season. Its a huge away point from a team with plenty to work on, but resiliency and push-back to be proud of.Here are my five thoughts on the 2-2 draw: 1) Warner Wins - Its incredible how segments of the Toronto FC fan base made up their mind on Warner before he ever touched a ball wearing red. “Not good enough” was a common sentiment. Suggestions as such were absolute garbage. The midfielder was solid in his TFC debut, growing into the match as it wore on. Warner was uncomfortable wide left, frequently moving inside. The team was far too narrow over the first 45 minutes. That isnt all on Warner. What we saw from the start was a player comfortable getting stuck in and one who puts himself in proper defensive positions. The newcomer showed his true worth after a double-change in the 53rd minute moved him inside. His physical presence was an asset and Warner played a massive role on TFCs first goal, not only winning the ball in the middle of the park, but also finishing his run, getting up the wing to provide Jermain Defoe another option on the break. The ball ended up on Luke Moores foot, scoring with a proper left-foot finish. But Warners run forced a defender to him and created a mismatch with Peterson late to recover on Moore. Warner will never be a flashy player, but every team needs honest, specific role players to be relied upon. Nelsen boasted about Warners physical presence post-match. “There was a reason we wanted him,” said Nelsen. Nevermind the detractors, the addition of Warner is welcome and true rewards of the trade will come after Bradley returns, giving him the freedom to get forward and attack. 2) Super Subs – Nelsen continues to get beat up by many for his “tactical” approach. Some may not like his 4-4-2 and team ball possession and consistency in attack must get better for the team to improve while getting the most out of the talented Defoe. Its far too early to make baseless claims that Nelsen doesnt know what hes doing. The head coach has only had a full squad at his disposal once all season, so its some patchwork stuff going on. What I do like is that Nelsens in-game management is growing by the game. Its been much better in recent weeks and particularly on Friday. Kyle Bekker and Alvaro Rey really struggled on the night and the midfield was a mess. Nelsen took off both players in the 53rd minute, bringing on Daniel Lovitz and Moore in their place. Lovitz went wide left and Moore straight-up front. Gilberto moved to a more outside role, almost turning the formation into a 4-3-3. It was a good move that entirely changed Toronto FCs shape. Even after going down a man, the shape was far better and more effective than anything over the first 45 minutes. Its moves like this that clearly suggest Nelsen gets it. Hes still young in his managerial career and is figuring out which buttons to press. I see progress here. Now, he needs a better-rounded team to get the most out of. Added quality at the outside midfield positions would certainly help. 3) Breaking Brad – In back-to-back games Bradley Orr has done a job for Toronto FC, from man-of-the-match consideration last Saturday to scoring the equalizer in stoppage time on Friday. Nick Hagglund did well to play the ball back inside the box after a scramble off a free kick and Orr exposed an inexperienced centre-back duo, finding a soft spot in limited space in front of the goalkeeper and keeping his cool to head home his first goal for Toronto FC for a great finish by a guy emerging as an important squad player. Look for Orr to partner Hagglund at centre-back for next weekends league match against Columbus. He deserves to stay in the team and Hagglund deserves to be beside him – a good combination of veteran presence and youthful exuberance. Caldwells upcoming one-game suspension opens the door for Orr to slide back to centre-half. Orr isnt ideal at centre-midfield and is better suited on the backline. 4) Challenging Challenges – Lets start with Caldwell - he knows better than to fly in for such a clumsy, unnecessary tackle around midfield that saw him sent off. The captain made the argument that, perhaps, it should be just a yellow. Any time you challenge studs-up high on an opponent with clear intent, youre asking for trouble and Caldwell knows better...and he is. Caldwell will now most likely play Wednesday night in the Canadian Championship against Montreal. Fortunate for Caldwell, his team picked him up and earned the point. On the other hand, Doneil Henrys untimely challenge leading to the Kansas City penalty and second goal is all-too- familiar. Its the fourth penalty on the year given up by the 21-year old. The penalty call itself was debatable as Henry came flying across the box to help cover in defence. Juliao played the ball past Henry and crashed into the defender. It was no surprise that Juliao dropped to the ground and the penalty was given. Juliao would have never got to the ball and I wouldnt have given a penalty. The collision was true, but the intention was not. I would have preferred discretion used by Toledo on a call inside the penalty area. An instant Twitter poll with over 50 respondents (@WheelerTSN) showed 52 per cent believing that the penalty was rightfully given. Henry was far too rash in his challenge, sprinting out to the player without any wherewithal to put his body in a position to react. Lumbering into a player just inside the 18 almost never ends well, no matter the intent. It was inelegant from Henry. More discipline and sound defensive one-on-one positional play is essential for the player to grow. I assume he will start alongside Caldwell Wednesday in another chance to prove he has the discipline to play at this level. 5) Cool Foot Luke – It was written in this space last week Nelsen must consider starting Moore over Gilberto for the time-being and Moores second goal in as many games reinforces the argument. The Englishman finished the type of chance Gilberto has let gone to waste in recent weeks. The suggestion Gilberto should head to the bench short-term isnt intended to bash the Brazilian. His work-rate and effort remains desirable, but strikers need do more than simply work hard. There needs to be proper link-up play and the ability to finish. Both need improvement. It looks as though Defoe and Moore have complimentary movement off the ball. Its tough to entirely tell with TFC playing so defensive with not nearly enough attacking play. Starting Moore over Gilberto isnt about killing his confidence - its about doing whats best for the team. Make him earn his way into the squad. It is not preferable, but designated players can be sent to the bench. Claudio Bieler has been banished to the bench at Sporting Kansas City and they keep rolling on. Nelsen has to do whats best for the team and thats not simply handing a spot to Gilberto in the starting XI because hes a designated player. Toronto FC welcomes the Montreal Impact to BMO Field Wednesday April 28th at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt for the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship. Timofey Mozgov Authentic Jersey . - The Jacksonville Jaguars are leaning more toward playing injured quarterback Blake Bortles against Tennessee on Thursday night. Timofey Mozgov Youth Jersey . LOUIS -- The Atlanta Braves used a two-run rally in the ninth to end their road trip with a win. http://www.nbanetsproshop.com/womens-dangelo-russell-basketball-jersey/ . The first of the three games will be played in Week 4, when the Oakland Raiders will take on the Miami Dolphins on Sept.INDIANAPOLIS -- Even in the midst of their worst month of the season, the Indiana Pacers are finding ways to win big games. On Friday night, the Pacers beat the Chicago Bulls 91-79 to take a 13-game lead on the Bulls in the Central Division. The Pacers have won five of their last six games after losing four straight earlier this month -- the teams worst skid of the year. The win couldnt come at a better time. "In the NBA, a week looks like an eternity, so it feels like we havent been playing great in a while," Luis Scola said. "We needed it. We needed the confidence and we also needed the win." Scola had 19 points off the bench and Lance Stephenson finished with 15 for the Pacers (51-18), who went on a 19-0 run in the third quarter. Carlos Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 foul with 7:31 left in the third, Roy Hibbert made two free throws and Stephenson made a basket to give the Pacers a 63-45 lead. DJ Augustin and Jimmy Butler each scored 17 points for the Bulls (38-31), who have lost two of their last three. The win also gave Indiana a 2-1 series lead over the Bulls. The Pacers will visit Memphis on Saturday and then Chicago on Monday before they host Miami on Wednesday. Paul George, who finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, also made a basket and dunked, David West scored twice and Stephenson made a basket, a dunk and converted a three-point play to help the Pacers pull away in the big run in the third quarter. "Im very proud of the team approach and the willingness to share the basketball and move the basketball," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "I think we did remind ourselves of who we are tonight." Vogels main point of emphasis heading into the game was sharing the ball. Indiana finished with 27 assists. The Bulls went on a 7-0 run early in the fourth quarter, but it wasnt enough. Joakim Noah scored a basket, Augustin made two free throws, Butler made another and Mike Dunleavy scored to make it 77-69 with 9:30 remaining. Scola scored to end the run and give Indiana a 779-69 lead. Timofey Mozgov Jersey. Augustin made a layup, but Scola scored again and later made a layup and a free throw to give the Pacers an 84-71 lead with 4:27 remaining. Not much went right for Chicago, who shot just 36.4 per cent and was outrebounded 51-36. Chicago forward Taj Gibson felt wronged, too. He fouled out with 7:07 left in the fourth when he knocked Scola to the ground on a rebound. He was called for his fifth foul on the offensive end of the floor 30 seconds before fouling out. "I thought there was a lot of flopping going on out there," Gibson said. "Anytime you see that, it makes you think that you dont want to get a ticky-tack foul. It was a dog fight, a slug fest, and I thought a couple of calls didnt go our way and took some of our momentum away." A potential upcoming playoff preview. Scola broke away in the second quarter with 12 points. He made back-to-back baskets, Evan Turner scored, and Scola made another jumper in an 8-0 run at the start of the second quarter to give the Pacers a 27-23 lead. Scola scored to give the Pacers a 42-35 lead with 3:54 left in the first half before the Bulls went on a 6-0 run. Noah scored a pair of free throws, Gibson scored and Augustin made a layup to make it 42-41 with 1:48 left in the half. George Hill scored for Indiana and Augustin scored to make it 44-43 at halftime. NOTES: Indiana announced about an hour before tipoff that Andrew Bynum was out indefinitely with soreness and swelling in his right knee and said he would "continue to undergo treatment." Bynum, who signed with Indiana on Feb. 1 after being suspended in December by the Cleveland Cavaliers, made his debut with the Pacers against the Boston Celtics last week and played in just two games. ... The Bulls handed Indiana its first loss of the season back on Nov. 16 after the Pacers got off to their best start in franchise history. Derrick Rose and Luol Deng combined for 43 points in that game. This time, the Bulls didnt have either. Deng has since been traded and Rose hasnt played since Nov. 22. Cheap Heat Jerseys Cheap Bucks Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Knicks Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Magic Jerseys Cheap 76ers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys Cheap Raptors Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Wizards Jerseys ' ' '