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Apr 20 2014, 09:44 AM
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TORONTO -- Toronto FC faces a tough early-season road in its bid for a first MLS win since last July. The Montreal Impact, meanwhile, gets their first taste of the fervent fans in the Pacific Northwest while the Vancouver Whitecaps look to take advantage of a schedule that opens at home with games against Toronto and the Columbus Crew. Major League Soccer had previously announced the first three weeks of its 2013 schedule but fleshed out the rest Wednesday. Each of the leagues 19 clubs will play 34 matches, 17 at home and 17 away, over 35 weeks. "I like it," Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie said of the schedule. "I think that its fairly balanced. Theres not too many long spells, either at home or away. Thats more in line with what you would expect, and I think that will be a benefit to us." The season kicks off March 2, the earliest start date in MLS history. It will conclude Oct. 27, with 10 teams moving into the playoffs with an eye to the MLS Cup scheduled for either Dec. 7 or 8. Toronto lurched to a league-worst 5-21-8 record last season, finishing with an 0-10-4 league run. Its last league win was a 2-1 decision over visiting Colorado on July 18. New president and GM Kevin Payne has remade Toronto and hired Ryan Nelsen as coach, although it is unclear whether the veteran New Zealand defender will be clear of his Queens Park Rangers playing commitments in England by the time the MLS season starts. This season, Toronto opens March 2 in Vancouver before hosting Eastern Conference champion Sporting Kansas City on March 9, likely at the Rogers Centre. Toronto plays in Montreal on March 16 before hosting the defending champion Los Angeles Galaxy on March 30 at BMO Field. The Whitecaps are unbeaten (2-0-4) at home against Toronto, although the two teams have never played a league match at B.C. Place and Toronto holds an overall series edge at 5-3-5. Kansas City, meanwhile, boasted the best road record in MLS last season. Ten of Torontos 17 home matches come against clubs that made the playoffs during the 2012 season. The Toronto-Montreal game in Week 3 of the season is part of the leagues new Rivalry week. Other fixtures that weekend include Seattle against Portland and a Texas derby between FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo. The Impact, under new coach Marco Schallibaum, open their second MLS season on the road with games March 2 in Seattle and March 9 in Portland before hosting Toronto on March 16 and the New York Red Bulls on March 30, both at Olympic Stadium. It will be the Impacts first league visit to the Pacific Northwest, with games at Seattles CenturyLink Field -- where the Sounders led the MLS in attendance last season at 43,144 per game -- and Portlands JELD-WEN Field. Montreal will play its first game at Saputo Stadium on April 13 against the Columbus Crew. The Impact plays 15 of its 17 regular-season home games on a Saturday, along with a Sunday afternoon matchup versus Chivas USA on July 7 and a Wednesday contest June 19 against the Houston Dynamo. "Working in collaboration with the league, we are pleased to have developed a more balanced calendar in 2013," Impact executive vice-president Richard Legendre said in a statement. "The season is spread out over the length of the schedule to avoid playing games over short stretches or to have too many gaps in between games." Toronto will play 14 of its home matches on Saturdays, two on Wednesdays and one Friday. Vancouver wraps up its March schedule with away games against Houston and Chivas USA. The Whitecaps play in Montreal for the first time in MLS on Sept. 21. The Impact also visit the Galaxy at the Home Depot Center for the first time on April 6. Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi is also happy that regional rival Portland and the Galaxy will each will pay two visits to B.C. Place Stadium. "Although Im suggesting that its a great schedule, what you need to do is win more games than you lose, and thatll be up to us," he said. "But it certainly does more going for it than it did last year." The Whitecaps will not confirm times for some home games until the NHLs Vancouver Canucks release their revised schedule. "Obviously, the broadcasters (who also air hockey games) will have to determine the time on those games," Lenarduzzi said. Vancouver will play FC Edmonton on April 24 before hosting the North American Soccer League side on May 1 in the two-leg semifinal series of the Amway Canadian Championship. In the other semifinal, Montreal plays Toronto in BMO Field on April 24 and Stade Saputo on May 1. The Amway final series will be played May 15 and May 29. Toronto and Montreal close out their season Oct. 26 in BMO Field, one day before Vancouver hosts Colorado. More than 90 per cent of all regular-season MLS games will take place on weekends or holidays. All three Canadian teams open training camp later this month. Montreal and Toronto will hold the bulk of their camp in Florida, where they will take part in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic tournament in Orlando from Feb. 9 to 23. Vancouver is playing its pre-season schedule in Arizona and South Carolina. -- With files from Monte Stewart in Vancouver. wholesale jerseys . Shipley tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Sept. 18. He was limited during drills in the off-season and wasnt allowed to practice when training camp opened on Friday. cheap nfl jerseys china . Balls regularly clear the fences and drive people in when he faces San Franciscos two-time NL Cy Young Award winner. http://www.jerseysfromchinacheapwholesale.com/ .1 million) for 2013 in response to player concerns about compensation at Grand Slam tournaments. Tournament director Craig Tiley said the A$4 million ($4. wholesale jerseys Give away price free shipping . -- The first call that Andy Reid received came from Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt. cheap jerseys from china . Theyve now set the Open-era Grand Slam title record, but the pair doesnt plan to stop adding to that total anytime soon. The American twins won the U. NEW YORK -- Jose Bautista was worried his injury was worse. The star slugger landed on the 15-day disabled list Tuesday but was relieved to learn theres no structural damage in his ailing left wrist. He thinks he could return to Torontos lineup as soon as hes eligible, though manager John Farrell said its too early to tell. "The last thing that we want is to push this to the point of any kind of relapse or the potential for any other damage that might be incurred if hes not fully ready to go," Farrell said. "So we can fully appreciate his eagerness, but well monitor this closely daily as we go through at least these first 15 days." Bautista left Monday nights loss to the New York Yankees after feeling pain in his wrist on an eighth-inning swing that produced a long foul ball. X-rays were negative and the Blue Jays said the All-Star right fielder had an MRI on Tuesday that revealed inflammation. Bautista called the injury a strain. "Just as I was finishing my swing, I felt something weird around my wrist, and on the recoil is when I felt sharp pain," said Bautista, who had started all 90 games this season before Tuesday night. "So obviously a little scary at the time. You cant help but think the worst. "I thought I had torn something or maybe broken my wrist, but thats not the case and Im happy to know that." Bautista wore a brace on his wrist as he answered questions from a pack of reporters in the centre of Torontos clubhouse. "The only thing that I can think of is I held on with both hands maybe longer than I usually do, and maybe my wrist got turned in a direction that it never gets turned," he said. "That just maybe put too much stress in the area and maybe kind of hyperextended it. "Just one of those freak things that you cant control or predict. Its just unfortunate that it happened at such an important part of the season and such an important game," Bautista added. "Its going to be tough to sit in the dugout." Without their biggest bopper, the Blue Jays fizzled at the plate in a 6-1 loss to CC Sabathia and the New York Yankees. Sabathias successful return from a groin strain overshadowed an encouraging outing by Brett Cecil (2-2) in his sixth major league start of the year. The 26-year-old lefty, demoted to Double-A New Hampshire at the beginning of the season, held the powerful Yankees in check for six innings and retired his final eight batters. He struck out five and walked two. Rafael Soriano entered with the bases loaded and earned his 24th save in 25 attempts when pinch-hitter J.P. Arencibia lined into a game-ending double play. The runner doubled off first base to end it was speedy prospect Anthony Gose, just called up from Triple-A Las Vegas to fill Bautistas roster spot. Gose made his big league debut as a pinch-hitter in the seventh and got his first career hit on a bunt single back to the mound in the ninth. The ball was tossed into the Toronto dugout to be saved as a souvenir. "Its a great feeling to get that one out of the way," Gose said. "Whatever it takes to get on base and scorre runs.dddddddddddd" A left-handed hitter, Gose was expected to start Wednesday against right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. Ben Francisco replaced Bautista in the lineup Tuesday against Sabathia (10-3), just activated from the disabled list after missing three weeks. The two-time defending AL home run champion, Bautista was tied for second in the majors with 27 homers. He is batting .244 with 65 RBIs and a .360 on-base percentage. "His absence will certainly be more of a challenge for us. Anytime you take one of the premier right-handed power hitters in baseball out of the lineup, its going to create a little bit of a hole," Farrell said. "But much like the injuries weve sustained in our rotation, we havent used it as an excuse. We havent allowed that to distract us." Bautista wont be able to pick up a bat for a couple of days, but hes already on medication to alleviate the inflammation. Doctors told him he wont make the injury any worse with activity, so his progress will be determined by how much pain he can tolerate. "When I move it in certain directions, its pretty tough," Bautista said. "But thats what Ive got to try to avoid. Thats why Im wearing a splint, to protect the area, too, from bumping against anything. As long as I dont move it in certain directions, Im comfortable." He can begin full treatment right away, but he cant do any strength exercises at first. "Its a good and bad news situation," Farrell said. "The bad news is hes going to be lost for some time, but the worst that we feared has been alleviated by the negative X-rays, negative MRIs, in terms of the fact that theres no tear. So at this point were just going to let the symptoms subside and then gradually bring him back based on his tolerance." The 21-year-old Gose played in the Futures Game for top prospects last week in Kansas City and said he was "shocked" to get his first call-up to the majors. He said he struck out leading off the game Monday night for Las Vegas and when he returned to the bench, he was told to stay in the dugout. Because of Bautistas injury, his next stop would be Yankee Stadium. "Strike out and next thing you know youre going to the big leagues," Gose said, adding that he had a hard time sleeping on his red-eye flight across the country. "Exciting, nerve-racking. The feelings indescribable. ... I still dont know what to think right now." But he has a simple plan for his first stint in the big leagues. "Put the bat on the ball and run fast," Gose said. "From where I started to where I am now, its night and day." Gose was hitting .292 at Las Vegas and leading the Pacific Coast League with 29 stolen bases. He had five homers, 10 triples and 41 RBIs. He was acquired by the Blue Jays from Houston in July 2010 for first baseman Brett Wallace. Farrell said Gose will likely play right field against righties and could be in the leadoff spot Wednesday. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays transferred right-hander Brandon Morrow from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day DL. ' ' '
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