gareth. [url=https://www.cheapflames.com/]Calgary Flames Pro Shop[/url] .wheeler@bellmedia.ca (@WheelerTSN) As far as first impressions go, new-look Toronto FC delivered with rave reviews against the rave green of the Sounders in Seattle Saturday. A 2-1 victory in a tough venue against a difficult o

gareth. Calgary Flames Pro Shop .wheeler@bellmedia.ca (@WheelerTSN) As far as first impressions go, new-look Toronto FC delivered with rave reviews against the rave green of the Sounders in Seattle Saturday. A 2-1 victory in a tough venue against a difficult opponent eases potential early season tension. There was nervous energy among many Toronto FC staffers and front office making the trip west how their considerable investment would come together from the get-go. Its just one victory and theres a marathon ahead, but this one impressive, combative victory has kept the narrative positive. A disappointing performance/loss would have brought out same old TFC critics. Its one thing to make headlines; its another to keep them. The buzz is real. Theres a whole lot to like re-visiting Torontos season opening win. Here are five thoughts on the victory. 1) Defoe MLS Player of the Week – A dream debut brace by Jermain Defoe earned MLS Player of the Week honours, global headlines and most importantly three points. This is what Major League Soccer wants from their star, big money designated players: results and instant eye balls. TSN did big numbers on television and radio boding well for this weekends home opener against DC United (TSN 1050 Radio/TSN). Defoe did what top goal scorers do – three meaningful touches and two goals in the first 24 minutes set the tone. He didnt have to be a big part of the proceedings to leave his mark. The Sounders dominated possession to the tune of 68%. Defoe was a factor every time he was on and around the ball. Unlike ever before, TFC can be a danger on the counter with a proven difference maker in front of goal. Superior possession will come for Toronto. There were six new players in the starting XI and the difficulty playing on turf against a quality side cannot be understated. A consistent effort keeping the ball on the deck will be essential for Defoe to become an absolute force. His movement off the ball is slick and his ability to play off the back shoulder of a defender was key on the first goal. Based on initial returns, its not too much to expect upwards of 20 goals on the season from Defoe. Forget the long, high ball – give Defoe the service and reap the rewards. 2) Bradley Man of the Match – Defoe may have won Player of the Week, and its understandable, but we on the radio side crowned centre-midfielder Michael Bradley Man of the Match. Thats not to downplay Defoes contributions. Goal scorers get the glory. Bradley set the tone. Bradleys performance was all action, all over the field and of the highest quality. Bradley fell deep in defence in the early stages, recognizing the need to help his back-line as the three Sounders attacking midfielders were finding themselves in dangerous positions finding space between TFCs back and midfield four. After the first ten minutes and with the shape solidified, Bradley started flying about the pitch, putting all kinds of high pressure on the ball. He was winning tackles, forcing mistakes and maintaining a high tempo. Bradley, alongside Jonathan Osorio won the battle in the middle of the park and allowed the two TFC strikers to remain high and a constant nuisance on the counter. The American International is strong and quick, and not to be overlooked, his distribution was outstanding at CenturyLink Field. His deadball striking, whether on corners or free kicks, was spot on. Nothing was wasted. Many MLS analysts were quick to say Toronto over-spent bringing Bradley back to North America and chastised the club for paying so much for a central midfielder. For TFC, its about winning football matches. With Bradley dictating the tone, they are in good stead. A standout performance, through and through from Torontos number four. 3) Nelsen Adjustments – The superior work-rate of his players was the bright spot in an otherwise frustrating first year for head coach Ryan Nelsen. Theres no question Nelsen is a natural leader and his players will play for him. The tactical side is where many raise questions about his approach. Game one of season two was a very astutely coached match by the manager, pulling the proper strings throughout. Nelsens team will sink or swim in a 4-4-2 formation. Other than a hectic spell towards the end of the first half, Nelsen kept both strikers in high, trusting his team shape. It worked. Nelsen switched Alvaro Rey from left to right wing with Jackson moving to the other side 10 minutes into the match to find proper balance and match-ups. It was an important change both defensively and attack-wise. The shifty Spaniard Rey exposed the inexperience of young left-back Dylan Remick finding space down the flank. Jackson proved a better match as well against the talented DeAndre Yedlin, who didnt get down the wing nearly as much as Remick. The move stabilized the midfield, particularly in attack. A wide-open Jackson down the left served as a decoy on the 1-0 goal, and Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei denied Rey after running wild down the right flank. Nelsen got his substitutions bang on as well. Fresh legs of Andrew Wiedeman came on in the 63 for Dwayne De Rosario, not sacrificing or changing the shape in the team. The Sounders continued to press down their left flank, so a fatigued Rey (who was on a caution) made way for right-back Bradley Orr in the 65 minute, shifting Jackson back to the left, and Mark Bloom into the midfield. Bloom and Orr struggled with the constant Sounders attack, but it was the right call to make. And Ashtone Morgan as a late change killed the clock and was a no-brainer. Nelsens formation relies on a strong spine, and the players down the middle of the park shined for their manager. It is just one game, but a criticism-free match for the Nelsen is well deserved. These are important games in the early stages, as much for the players as the manager to reinforce confidence and develop proper role definition in the team. 4) Canadian Quality – 20-year old Canadian centre-back Doniel Henry played his 50th game in MLS and was absolutely solid. Henry continues to grow into his footballing body and has every quality necessary to excel at this level and beyond. Henry showed superior patience to last season and was consistently in good positions of support, winning critical balls in dangerous areas. His partnership with captain Steven Caldwell is all-important to sustained success. Previously mentioned centre-midfielder Osorio was likewise influential alongside Bradley. There is a smoothness and confidence to the 21-year old. Multiple times he was seen barking instructions to more experienced players, understanding the responsibility in the position he plays. The service on Defoes opener was superb, looking off Yedlin before sliding a perfectly weighted ball through to Defoe. Jackson was the easy pass, Defoe was the right one. Osorio playing at this level softens the blow of losing Matias Laba through trade to Vancouver. 5) Depth Discussion – Gilberto (hip flexor) and Jeremy Hall (hamstring) didnt make the trip to Seattle, but its concerning how little proven depth TFC has at present time. Bloom looked out of sorts in the midfield. Canadian midfielder Issey Nakajima-Farran is set to join the team and may add some quality down the wing, that remains to be seen. If he cant, TFC is paper-thin at the outside midfield positions. Where to play De Rosario is another question. When Gilberto returns, does De Rosario serve as a third striker? Or does he move back into the midfield? For all the effort Wiedeman brings, its unclear whether he can be a consistent scoring threat. General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko insists the team has flexibility against the cap. If so, the team will be on the lookout for help in midfield and attack. Toronto FCs Home Opener from BMO Field airs this Saturday on TSN and TSN 1050 Radio. Television - 4pm pre-match/430pm kick-off. Radio - 330pm pre-match. Cheap Flames Jerseys .2 million deal for the upcoming season with right-hander Garrett Richards.The person spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because the announcement hadnt been made. Calgary Flames Store . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . -- LeGarrette Blount wasnt satisfied with three short touchdown runs, not against a team coming off the second greatest comeback in playoff history. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Blue Jackets learned something from a humiliating defeat two nights earlier. Ryan Johansen and R.J. Umberger each scored two goals and the Blue Jackets pulled away in the third period to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-3 on Saturday night. The game came 48 hours after the Blue Jackets led 3-0 after two periods and 4-2 with 5 minutes left in Philadelphia, with the Flyers scoring five times in the final period in a 5-4 win. "(Tonight) we kept going after them," Umberger said. "We didnt sit back. We were on our heels in Philadelphia and they got some momentum. But tonight we just kept rolling." David Savard had a goal and an assist and Boone Jenner also scored, while Nikita Nikitin and Corey Tropp each had two assists for the Blue Jackets, who said they were embarrassed by the Thursday collapse. "We didnt play our game (in Philadelphia)," Johansen said. "From the first couple of shifts tonight, we were on. We stuck with it through some adversity -- a couple of injuries, a couple of penalties." Tempering the victory was the loss of Blue Jackets forward Marian Gaborik, who broke a collarbone in the first period and is out indefinitely. This time the Blue Jackets watched a 2-0 lead vanish in 20 seconds late in the second period, but then took control at the outset of the third. Savard took a pass from Nikitin at the 3:36 mark, adjusted to avoid a defender and then slid a rising shot from the right point that beat Ray Emery high on the stick side. Just over 2 minutes later, Savard returned the favour by passing to Nikitin at the left point. His shot, with the Flyers slow to flow back into position, was redirected by Jenner in the slot to push the lead to two. "Obviously, weve got to be better defensively," said Flyers captain Claude Giroux, who had two of his clubs late goals at Wells Fargo Arena. Johansen, who had opened the scoring, then flicked a wrister past Emery on a 2-on-1 break to make it 5-2 with 7:38 left. Umberger then added an empty-netter. "It was a gutsy win, for a lot of reasons," said coach Todd Richards. "You go back to Thursday night and how we lost that game. Tonight we gave up two quick goals as the second period ended, were missing two key elements of our team (forward Matt Calvert also had his arm in a sling after the game) so we were playing short-handed, and we gave up five power plays. And we still came out and won.. Calgary Flames Gear. " Curtis McElhinney, victimized for all the goals on Thursday night, made the lead stand up with 33 saves. "That was a tough game there on Thursday, to give up five goals in the third period," he said. "This is certainly a nice, big win for us. Its important that everybody relishes this tonight." The Blue Jackets, much like the earlier meeting, got off to a good start only to lose it. At the 10:43 mark of the first period, Gaborik, just back after missing 17 games with a sprained left knee, got off a shot that was pushed aside by Emery. Nick Foligno collected the puck along the back wall and skated to the other side of the cage where he fed Johansen, who lifted a shot from the right doorstep for his 13th of the year. Gaborik, sandwiched between Braydon Coburn and Zac Rinaldo on his shot, got up slowly and immediately skated off the ice to the dressing room. The club announced between periods that the veteran, with 341 goals and 345 assists in 686 games, had a broken collarbone and would be out indefinitely. After James Wisniewskis hard slap shot from the right point was redirected by Umberger into the net made it 2-0, the Flyers responded. On a 3-on-2, Wayne Simmonds, who had two goals for Philadelphia, pulled up and wristed a shot from the high slot that beat McElhinney. Before that could be announced, Matt Reads pass from the short boards skipped past three Blue Jackets to Sean Couturier, who buried it for his seventh goal -- quieting a crowd of 14,090. But unlike what happened two nights before, the Blue Jackets dominated the third. "I dont think we were flat," Flyers coach Craig Berube said. "We made mistakes on their goals that will be easy to correct. They didnt have to happen." Simmonds felt the Flyers could have done more. "I dont think we competed as hard as we did the other night," he said. "Thats what happens. They were definitely determined to win tonight. The looked like they wanted it more than us." Notes: Philadelphia also announced just before the game that D Nicklas Grossman (flu) would be out and that RW Steve Downie would miss 7-10 days (upper body). ... The Flyers Erik Gustafsson went off with a left knee injury after a third-period collision with Columbus Corey Tropp. ... Referee Dan ORourke, kicked in the chest by a skate in the first period, left the ice after Johansens first goal and did not return. ' ' '