SEATTLE -- Jermain Defoe gave Toronto FC its moneys worth on Saturday. [url=https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/bill-kirchiro-jersey-retro/]Bill Kirchiro Jersey Retro[/url] . Defoe, one of Torontos marquee off-season signings, scored both of his teams goals in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Sounders to

SEATTLE -- Jermain Defoe gave Toronto FC its moneys worth on Saturday. Bill Kirchiro Jersey Retro . Defoe, one of Torontos marquee off-season signings, scored both of his teams goals in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Sounders to start TFCs Major League Soccer season. It was Torontos first win to open a season since 2009, and only the second in its seven-year existence. "I thought the guys were magnificent in the first half when it came to their football and magnificent in the second half when it came to their desire and their character," said Toronto head coach Ryan Nelsen. Defoe, who hadnt scored since Jan. 11 for former club Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, needed just 24 minutes to secure the win for his new team. He spoke earlier this week about his desire to perform well in case England coach Roy Hodgson was watching. With his two-goal performance on Saturday, Defoe has renewed hope for inclusion in Englands squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this summer. "To score two goals on your debut, its a dream," Defoe said. "The England thing is obviously going to be at the back of my mind." After early pressure from the Sounders, Defoe made a run between two Seattle defenders in the 17th minute. Jonathan Osorio, on the ball in midfield, slipped a perfectly weighted pass through the gap, and Defoe nestled the ball into the goal. Seven minutes later, Defoe picked up a loose ball after a Sounders giveaway near their own penalty area. He found space to cut to the right and fire another shot past goalkeeper Stefan Frei. "The first goal was a great ball, and you just have to finish it off," Defoe said. "The second half, we showed great character because they put us under a lot of pressure. Youve got to do that sometimes away from home." Seattle began the second half as it did the first, pressuring Torontos goal. Another big-name signing, Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, made his first important intervention in the 53rd minute. He fell to his right and stuck out his left leg, deflecting a close-range shot from Obafemi Martins out for a corner kick. However, the Sounders pressure would eventually pay off. Seattles own Designated Players, Martins and Clint Dempsey, combined down the right flank in the 68th minute, putting Dempsey in space on top of the penalty area. The U.S. international took a settling touch with his left foot before slamming a right-footed shot low and to Cesars left. The CenturyLink Field crowd of 38,441 came to life, and the Seattle attack continued to press. Torontos back line held, helped by several foul calls by referee Ioannis Stavrides close to its goal, despite dropping into a defensive shell for the last 15 minutes of the game. Notably, Seattle substitute Kenny Cooper got behind the defence with five minutes remaining, but his central pass went wayward under pressure from Cesar rushing out of his goal. Osorio headed clear a tame Sounders corner kick in stoppage time, which effectively closed out the match. "Theres no doubt in my mind that as the season goes on, well continue to improve, and our football will be good," said Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley, another one of the clubs big off-season signings . "Tonight was different. Tonight was about the spirit, the mentality and doing whatever it took to come away with three points." Nelsen downplayed the result throughout his post-game talk with media, choosing instead to expound his desire for consistency over a long MLS season. "Weve got so much to improve on. Were not stupid," he said. "What I like about this team is their heart, their character, their desire -- that they want to win. Thats what you hope for. You build your house on that type of foundation." Toronto (1-0) plays its first home game of the season on March 22 when it hosts D.C. United at BMO Field. Seattle (1-1) takes to the road for the first time the same day, playing the Montreal Impact. Buy Cheap Jerseys . And Richard Bachman, their rookie goalie, is facing a penalty shot a few seconds after the opening face-off. No pressure, right? Bachman stood his ground against Zack Kassian and saw the puck dribble off the Canuck rookies stick, then settled in and backstopped the Stars to a 5-2 win over Vancouver Tuesday that put Dallas in first place in the Pacific Division. Kevin Wyatt Jersey Retro . After missing 20 games as a rookie a year ago, Valanciunas - like the Raptors as a whole - has been fortunate to be in good health this season. As he spoke about it, the Raptors sophomore centre scanned the room for wood to knock on. "It is disappointing because we lost today so thats the worst part of the day," said Valanciunas, who left Tuesdays game with a lower-back sprain in the third quarter, missing the rest of Torontos 118-113 overtime defeat at the hands of the Hawks. https://www.cheapjerseyslines.com/les-dodson-jersey-retro/ . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night.Salt Lake City, UT (SportsNetwork.com) - Jordan Loveridge tallied 14 points in 16 minutes in his return from injury, and 10th-ranked Utah had no trouble with Carroll College in an 85-49 rout at the Huntsman Center. Brekkott Chapman added 11 points and six rebounds against the overmatched Fighting Saints, an NAIA program out of Montana. Chris Reyes finished with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting for Utah (10-2), with Delon Wright had seven assists in the easy victory. Loveridge, who had missed the Utes past seven games after undergoing knee surgery nearly a month ago, went 5-of-6 from the field and made three 3- pointers in four tries. Oliver Carr paced Carroll (10-4) with 10 points, while Zach Taylor and Nick Williams had nine each in the lopsided loss. This one was over early, as Utah hit its first seven shots while opening the game on a 16-2 run. The lead was 23-4 less than nine minutes in after layups by Chapmann and Jeremy Olsen were followed by two Chapman free throws. Matt Szymanski Jersey Retro. The Utes continued to score at will throughout the first half, with the margin reaching 30 when Wright converted a 3-point play to make the score 44-14. Utah was up by as many as 34 points and cruised into the break up 54-23 after shooting 71 percent from the field for the period. Carroll was more competitive as the Utes played most of their starters sparingly in the second half, but never got the lead under 29 points following the intermission. Game Notes Utah was playing as a top-10 team for the first time since it was ranked sixth in the final Associated Press poll of the 1998-99 season ... The Utes shot 64.7 percent overall for the game and went 8-of-16 from 3-point range ... Utah finished with a 38-15 advantage in rebounds ... The Utes will open Pac-12 play on Friday, when they host USC. ' ' '