ekansekans's blog: "df"

TORONTO -- Toronto FC is playing well but losing. Randy Moss Womens Jersey . At least, thats the official team line. That may be better than playing poorly and losing but Aron Winters squad is still in the MLS basement, looking up at a lot of other teams. The latest one step forward, two steps back was a 1-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday afternoon that extended Torontos winless start in the league to three straight games. "We deserved more. Much more," said Winter. "Im repeating the same thing. We played decent, very well," he added. "I cant change it. The only thing is that we played three games in the league and weve got zero points and all of the games we played well and that is the big difference. ... Nobody has to panic." Striker Danny Koevermans agreed, saying the result did not reflect the play. "I think everybody saw that we were the better team," he said. "We played better, we had more chances. And they had a penalty kick and the goal, which was a mistake by us." Milos Kocic saved the penalty in the 41st minute, justice perhaps for a call by referee Geoff Gamble that wasnt warranted according to the Toronto camp. Venezuelan midfielder Bernardo Anor broke the deadlock in the 56th minute after Toronto captain Julian de Guzman lost possession in midfield. Columbus drove at the goal and, after a nice give and go, a clearing attempt by defender Logan Emory bounced straight back to Anor, who banged it in from close range. "We had the ball, lost the ball then recovered the ball and, at a certain moment, instead of making the clearance, they scored," was Winters pithy assessment. Kocic also thought that Toronto deserved better given the balance of play. But he was frank about the consequences of the latest loss. "We dont want to get into losing ways and if you lose three games in the league, its just not the right position to be in," said the goalie. "Frustration is everywhere. "I know how everybodys frustrated about the sports in Toronto. We dont want to be part of that. We want to be better than that." The bottom line is the team has been outscored 7-1 in league losses to Seattle, San Jose and Columbus. Defensive mistakes -- and there have been a few in the absence of injured captain Torsten Frings -- are costly when you cant score at the other end. The home side had Columbus on its heels as the game ended but could not take advantage before 19,444 on a sunny, breezy day. Toronto had more possession than Columbus and outshot the Crew 14-10 but only managed three shots on target. Winter said while Toronto lacked "sharpness" in front of goal, "Its coming." Koevermans, still looking for his first goal of the season, didnt seem to buy the sharpness argument. "Sharpness. Its a simple word," said the big Dutchman. "Like, now we dont score so were not sharp. Thats not the thing, everybody wants to score when youre in a position to score. I was there three times today, and of course I want to score. "So what is the word sharpness? If it is a block that goes over the keeper, deflected, then maybe its sharpness. Its just unlucky today, the worst case scenario." One positive is that a big midweek stage awaits for Toronto with the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League semifinal against Santos Laguna in Torreon, Mexico. A more tenacious Toronto FC faced up to the Mexicans in a 1-1 tie at BMO Field on Wednesday. Kocic, for one, rued the lost opportunity against Columbus. "Its just a tough result going to Mexico. I think we lost crucial points at home." Columbus (2-1-0) has never lost at BMO Field, raising its record there to 2-0-5. It was Torontos third match in a week, with two more to come in the next seven days. In contrast, Columbus had played just once -- a 2-0 home victory over Montreal last Saturday -- since its season opener March 10. As an uneventful first half neared a close, Toronto defender Ty Harden gave up a penalty as Crew forward Olman Vargas went down in the box near the byline as the ball headed out of play. Harden vehemently disputed the call and the Toronto coaches were up in arms on the sidelines. "It wasnt a penalty. Thats one thing for sure," Winter said. A diving Kocic saved the ensuing Milovan Mirosevic penalty, palming it away acrobatically to his right. "I watched their penalties and I knew where he was going to go, so that helped," said Kocic. "I did my homework." Alex Smith Womens Jersey . FIFA pushed back plans until July to name independent outsiders who will spearhead a new investigations unit. Critics want these officials to probe past allegations of wrongdoing in their new jobs leading prosecution and judging chambers of a revamped ethics court. Colin Kaepernick Black Jersey . That just leaves John Isner to perform the unexpected against Spain if the U. http://www.the49ersfans.com/patrick-willis-jersey . Schafer was reacquired by the Braves on Thursday when they claimed him off waivers from the Houston Astros. "Im excited to go back," Schafer said during an interview with The Associated Press. Colin Kaepernick Grey Jersey . The 2012 Draft marks the 50th year the league has taken turns bolstering their line-ups with top junior talent. Aldon Smith Black Jersey . On Friday, the two-time Olympic silver medallist completed the dive that landed him in hospital with a concussion last month and put his London Games preparation in jeopardy.NEWARK, N.J. - The Eastern Conference Finals between the rival New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils finally got ugly - real ugly. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was sucker punched in the third period by former teammate Mike Rupp. Coaches Peter DeBoer of New Jersey and John Tortorella of New York screamed at each other after the incident. And the Rangers blew their cool, as the Devils rode two goals and an assist by Zach Parise to a 4-1 victory on Monday night that evened the series, 2-2. "Throughout a seven-game series," Parise said, "both teams are going to get frustrated with things." Well, Monday was New Yorks turn. And only time will tell if it spills over to Game 5 Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. As for Game 4, though, the story was the hit on Brodeur, who made 28 saves en route to his 10th win of the post-season. After all, the punch came out of nowhere and almost set off a battle on the ice before the coaches got into it on the benches. "You dont like to see that," DeBoer said of the hit on his goaltender. "Hes a key guy for us. Two teams battling it out. Hes a big boy. He can take care of himself." Brodeur was more surprised by the incident than anything else. "I didnt expect anything," the 40-year-old said. "I never got punched like that in my career. First time. It kind of surprised me more than anything, but now I know I can take a punch." Tortorella refused to say anything about his shouting match with DeBoer, with whom he has argued several times this season, including Sunday when he complained about the Devils using illegal picks and embellishing penalties. "This isnt about John and I," DeBoer said. "This is about the guys on the ice. So, I dont have anything to say about that." This game -- and its result -- seemed almost anticlimactic after the shenanigans. Bryce Salvador and Travis Zajac beat Henrik Lundqvist less than four minutes apart in the first to give the Devils their first two-goal lead in a series where the intensity and the emotions are picking up to the point where they now compare to the classic 1994 Eastern Conference Finals between these two rivals. In that series, there were suspensions on both sides, three double-overtime games, a Game 6 "Guarantee" by New York captain Mark Messier, and unparalleled drama. Well, this one is getting there. On Monday, Brodeur, the only remaining player on either side from that 1994 series, even notched an assist in the third, on Parises empty netter, capping a game in which the Devils maintained their composure and bounced back from a 3-0 shutout in Game 3, while the Rangers took several uncharacteristic penalties and seemed rattled from the start. And the chippiness increased with each period. New Yorks Marc Staal whacked Patrik Elias in the back of the knee with his stick in the second. Ryan Callahan, the Rangers captain, and New Jerseys Ilya Kovalchuk tussled and then jawed at each other from the respective penalty boxes. "There are going to be situations out there where we get into each others faces," Callahan said. "Thats playoff hockey." But the Rupp incident might have been a little over the top, even for the Stanley Cup playoffs. A former Devil who scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal for New Jersey in 2003 vs. Anaheim, Rupp jabbed Brodeur in his crease in the third after a stoppage in play. That almost set off a free-for-all among the players onn the ice, especially after Brodeur reacted like he had been hit by a roundhouse left. Tom Rathman Jersey. As Brodeur walked through the locker room, he was asked if Rupp was his friend. "Thats what I thought," he said before heading to the podium for a postgame news conference. Meanwhile, Rupp was not available for comment. The punch came about four minutes after Parise scored on a power play to give New Jersey a 3-0 lead and for all practical purposes, ended the game. Ruslan Fedotenko ruined Brodeurs bid for his 25th career playoff shutout with just over five minutes to play. The Rangers pulled Lundqvist, who had shut out the Devils in Games 1 and 3, with less than three minutes to play, and Brodeur made two outstanding saves to keep it a two-goal game. Parise -- two days after he did not speak to reporters after a disappointing effort in Game 3 -- finally iced it with his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs. It was a clearing pass that found its way into the net. Brodeur notched the assist on that play. It was his fourth point of the playoffs. But this game -- which did not include New Yorks Brendan Prust, who was suspended for elbowing Anton Volchenkov in Game 3 -- was decided early because the Devils finally found ways to beat Lundqvist. New Jersey dominated much of the play in Game 3, and the first period of Game 4 was even worse for the Rangers. They looked slow, were outhustled on nearly every shift, and they didnt get a shot on goal until roughly halfway through. By then, New Jersey already had a 1-0 lead, on a goal by Salvador, and was cruising. Salvadors see-eying shot through a half-dozen players from the left point sneaked by the Rangers netminder for New Jerseys first goal since the third period of Game 2. New Jerseys Jacob Josefson, playing for the first time since breaking his left wrist on April 3, failed to deflect the shot on the way in, and New Yorks Anton Stralman seemed to screen Lundqvist, who seemingly never saw the wristshot. Zajacs goal gave the Devils a 2-0 edge at 11:59, and the rejuvenated Parise had a big hand in it. New Jerseys Dainius Zubrus sent the puck along the boards and New Yorks Michael Del Zotto made two mistakes. He didnt flag down the puck and then, he allowed Parise to skate past him, setting up a 2-on-1 break. Parise lifted a pass over the stick of a prone Dan Girardi, and Zajac one-timed the pass into the upper portion of the net before Lundqvist could react. Parise extended the lead to 3-0 early in the third, just four seconds after New Yorks Derek Stepan was sent off for high sticking. Kovalchuk took a shot from the point that Lundqvist could not control and Parise whacked the rebound into the net. NOTES: Veteran Petr Sykora, who had played in every game for the Devils this season and won the 2000 Stanley Cup with New Jersey, sat, as Josefson returned to the lineup. ... With Prust forced to miss the game, the Rangers dressed seven defenceman, including Stu Bickel who returned to the lineup after sitting for Game 3. ... Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider had his three-game, goal-scoring streak snapped. ... The Devils win was played on the 18-year anniversary of New Jerseys 3-1 victory over the Rangers in the aforementioned 1994 series. That was also a Game 4, and that also tied that series, 2-2. New York went on to win in seven games. There were several former Devils from that series in attendance, including Jim Dowd, Bruce Driver and Slava Fetisov. ' ' '