ped when they picked them up in the off- season. Outfielder

TORONTO -- Michael Bradley sat dejected in his locker stall, almost lost for words as Toronto FCs season looped to another loss. Cant defend. Cant score. Cant win. Repeat and add another loss to the standings. That was the bottom line of a 2-0 defeat Saturday afternoon at the hands of the Philadelphia Union that saw first-half goals by Conor Casey and Andrew Wenger extend Torontos MLS misery. "Weve been through this before," Bradley said with a sigh after a long pause. "To be quite honest, you get sick and tired talking about it . . . When you constantly dig yourself these kind of holes then you know its going to be hard to come back and get anything out of the game." Toronto (9-11-6) has lost three straight via shutout, is winless in five (0-4-1) and has just three victories in its last 15 outings (3-7-5). Toronto has dropped 31 of 45 points over that period. The club that once talked of making BMO Field its fortress has not won there since July 12 (0-3-2) and now has a 5-6-2 record at home in 2014. Still Toronto came hard in the second half at a Philadelphia side that had two first-half goals in its back pocket. The home side hit the woodwork three times, only to see its goalless streak stretch to 280 minutes. "I think we have more," said manager Greg Vanney, whose record at the helm dropped to 0-2-0. "We have to be better. It wasnt good enough. "We have eight matches left. We have a full week of training next week. I think its important that we take a good hard look and set our identity, the identity of this team and how were going to push forward for the next eight games and get everybody on the same page. Were still sort of a group moving in one direction and another group moving in another direction" Vanney has been handed an almost impossible task, trying to arrest the slide of a team whose bad habits have been amplified by injury and lack of squad depth at certain positions. Once again, Toronto paid the price for early slack defending before a disappointing crowd -- announced as a sellout of 22,591 but showing plenty of empty seats -- that booed them off the field for the second home game in a row. Toronto is 2-8-4 when it allows the first goal and 7-3-2 when it scores first The team is sliding down the standings like they were a greased pole. Toronto, with 33 points, started the day fourth in the Eastern Conference. It finished the game in fifth and could end up in seventh if Columbus and New York both post wins. "We played like we were a little bit underwater," said Vanney. "Maybe fatigued at a third game in seven days." There was some good news for TFC supporters. Fan favourite Dwayne De Rosario got his first start since April 12 and injured star striker Jermain Defoe, whose future with the club has come into question lately, is expected back in training in Toronto on Sept. 20. Vanney said he expected Defoe to play "soon thereafter." Toronto has games Sept. 21 and 27 and then five more in October. Defoe offered cause for hope for Toronto fans by tweeting: "Big game for boys tonight good luck cant wait to be back out there scoring" Apprised of the Sept. 20 return for Defoe, Bradley said: "Awesome. Sounds good." And he insisted Toronto can turn things around and make the playoffs. "Frustrated for sure but not even close to giving up," said Bradley before taking a glass-half-full view of the schedule. "Theres still a lot of games left, a lot of soccer to be played and a lot of points still on the board. "Anybody that thinks that were ready to pack it in has another thing coming." While Toronto players take a long hard look at themselves, the well-drilled Union (9-9-9) are headed in the other direction. The victory, Philadelphias second in three days over Toronto with Casey scoring in both games, means the Union have won three of four and lost just one of its last nine (5-1-3). Philadelphia is 6-2-3 in MLS play since Jim Curtin was hired as interim manager. "Im happy with the guys performance," said Curtin. "Toronto is a very good team who are missing some pieces right now and we are a little bit fortunate to get them at the time we did." Toronto was without injured defenders Steve Caldwell and Justin Morrow and Canadian midfielder Jonathan Osorio. Veteran Bradley Orr, who played at centre back despite a painful toe injury, declined comment after a difficult day at the office. Vanney said he chose a sore Orr to play because the backline badly needed some experience. Canadian coach Benito Floro did the team a solid by releasing De Rosario and fellow midfielder Kyle Bekker from the national team game for Saturdays game. The 36-year-old De Rosario, showing bursts of energy, got a standing ovation in some quarters when he came off in the 69th minute. Bekker started on the bench, coming in just before halftime for an injured Collen Warner. Vanney and his players had hoped for a fast start to get the fans into the match. Instead it was a late-arriving crowd and Philadelphia went ahead in the eighth minute after a series of botched Toronto clearances allowed Sheanon Williams to deliver a perfect cross to Casey. The burly striker, who played two games for Toronto in its inaugural 2007 season, made no mistake with the header for his eighth of the season. Philadelphia went ahead 2-0 in the 44th minute off a corner and yet another failed clearance. Mark Blooms header went to Williams, who headed it back it to Wenger at the other end of the goal. Wenger, free of any Toronto pressure, headed it in for his fifth goal. Bloom had Torontos best chance to date in the 54th minute when his long-range shot bounced off the post. Nick Hagglunds bicycle kick went just wide minutes later. Bradley forced a save off a diving Zac MacMath in the 66th minute. A header by Brazils Jackson hit the crossbar in the 77th minute and Bekker slammed a ball off the crossbar in the 90th minute after his free kick came back to him. The Philadelphia defence bent but didnt break. Toronto had 16 attempts on goal -- including 12 in the second half -- but only put three on target compared to 12 (seven on target) for the Union. Julius Erving Jersey . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Cheap Nets Jerseys . -- The Sacramento Kings have signed first-round pick Nik Stauskas to his rookie contract. http://www.cheapnetsjerseys.com/?tag=che...z-napier-jersey. "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. Allen Crabbe Jersey .S.-Portugal game on June 22 in the Amazonian jungle city of Manaus. FIFPro, the international soccer players union, had pressed FIFA to avoid the earliest kickoffs in the hottest and most humid weather. Drazen Petrovic Jersey . They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves.Baseball season is just around the corner and TSN.ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. Check in every day this week for two new division previews, finishing up with Scott MacArthurs look at the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Heres what to expect out of the National League East in 2014. Atlanta Braves GM: Frank Wren Manager: Fredi Gonzalez 2013: 96-66, 1st in NL East. Lost to Los Angeles in National League Division Series. That Was Then: Picked by many to be a wild card team at best, the 2013 Atlanta Braves stormed to a 96-win season and a division title. The acquisition of the Upton brothers was the blockbuster move of last off-season but it was the development of young pitching and a few surprise offensive contributions that ended up making the difference for the Braves. Chris Johnson, an added piece to the Justin Upton trade, finished second in the league with a .321 batting average and swatted 12 homers in an unexpected breakout season. Andrelton Simmons provided high calibre defence at shortstop and was also a very capable producer at the plate. Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Kris Medlen all emerged as top of the line starters and it was their contributions that were leaned on the hardest to push the Braves right back to the top of the NL East. This Is Now: Everyone was prepared for the Braves to deal with pitching regression during the 2014 season but instead Spring Training has been a disaster of injuries. Both Medlen and Brandon Beachy were forced to undergo their second Tommy John surgeries ending both of their seasons before even throwing one pitch that counts. Much sought-after free agent Ervin Santana eventually landed in Atlanta after the injuries on a one-year deal but a clear strength of the team has been wiped out before even one game at Turner Field. Prior to the injuries, the Braves spent the off-season locking up the core of their team long term. Freddie Freeman, Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward, Simmons and Teheran, who will now get the opening day assignment, are all locked up, allowing the team to move forward with certainty. After being wiped out by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series last year, the Braves will be looking to build on a strong season. Expect their biggest challenge to come in division from the Washington Nationals. It should be a two horse race that comes right down to the wire. Whos In?: SP Gavin Floyd, SP Aaron Harang, SP Ervin Santana. Whos Out?: RP Luis Ayala, 3B Blake DeWitt, RP Scott Downs, SP Tim Hudson, IF Paul Janish, OF Reed Johnson, SP Paul Maholm, C Brian McCann, RP Eric OFlaherty. Miami Marlins GM: Michael Hill Manager: Mike Redmond 2013: 62-100, 5th in NL East. Did not qualify for playoffs. That Was Then: After unloading anything that wasnt nailed down prior to the season, the Miami Marlins were not expected to do much in 2013 and they didnt. They finished the year with a 62-100 record, which is a bad season even by their incredibly low standards and were led offensively with only two players passing even the 10-home run mark. What to make, then, of the incredible Rookie of the Year season of Jose Fernandez? Fernandez turned in one of the greatest seasons by a rookie pitcher in MLBs live ball era. Taking into account all first year hurlers since 1920, he finished fifth in ERA with a 2.19 mark, second in WHIP at .979 and sixth in K/9 at 9.7. His season is even more incredible when you see the team that was surrounding him when he posted those lofty numbers. He even hit his first career home run, which ties him with two players that had regular at bats over the course of the season. This Is Now: Henderson Alvarez, one of the players the Marlins acquired in last seasons blockbuster deal with the Toronto Blue Jays, threw a no-hitter in his final start of the season last year and his continued improvement is one of the keys to their season. Giancarlo Stanton is the only offensive weapon in the lineup and his tape measure blasts will once again be counted on by the Marlins to keep them in games. They will also hope Fernandez can be as good or better in his sophomore season. It is going to be another long year in Miami but this is a team with good young talent that will continue to grow. Whos In?: IF Jeff Baker, OF Brian Bogusevic, RP Carter Capps, OF Reed Johnson, IF Garrett Jones, RP Carlos Marmol, RP Henry Rodriguez, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, OF Jordany Valdespin, IF Ty Wigginton. Whos Out?: RP Duane Below, 1B Jordan Brown, OF Chris Coghlan, OF Matt Diaz, OF Logan Morrison, C Miguel Olivo, RP Chad Qualls, RP Ryan Webb . New York Mets GM: Sandy Alderson Manager: Terry Collins 2013: 74-88, 3rd in NL East. Did not qualify for playoffs. That Was Then: 2013 was another lost season for the New York Mets, as they finished under .500 for the fifth straight season and found themselves outside of the playoff picture for the seventh in a row. They were never a factor in the National League playoff race and even the two high points of their season were in the end bittersweet. All-Star third baseman David Wright was posting elite level numbers and was well on his way to being part of the end of the season MVP conversation when an August hamstring injury stole 45 games right out of the stretch drive of his season. As it was, he finished with 18 homers and 58 RBIs while providing the team with his usual defence and leadership along the way. However the story for the 2013 Mets was starter Matt Harvey, who was named as the NL starting pitcher at the 2013 All-Star game and was dominant in his breakout season. Harvey posted a 9-5 record and 2.27 ERA with 191 strikeouts in 178.1 innings but on Aug. 26 doctors discovered a partially torn UCL bringing his season to an end. He would eventually undergo Tommy John surgery that will also cost him his entire 2014 campaign. This Is Now: A healthy Wright will once again be one of the key cogs in the Mets machine in 2014 but without Harrvey they will have to compete all season with a huge hole in their rotation.dddddddddddd To help Wright, the Mets signed outfielder Curtis Granderson away from their cross-town rival New York Yankees and will count on his veteran bat. They splashed the cash for starter Bartolo Colon who cannot be expected to replace Harvey but will be a boost to their rotation. They will also rely on youngsters like highly touted prospect Travis dArnaud who should get his chance at some point this season to finally show what he can do at the Major League level. Whos In?: SP Bartolo Colon, RP Kyle Farnsworth, OF Curtis Granderson, SP Jeremy Hefner, SP John Lannan, RP Jose Valverde, OF Chris Young. Whos Out?: RP David Aardsma, OF Rick Ankiel, RP LaTroy Hawkins, SP Shaun Marcum, IF Justin Turner, OF Jordany Valdespin. Philadelphia Phillies GM: Ruben Amaro, Jr. Manager: Ryne Sandberg 2013: 73-89, 4th in NL East. Did not qualify for playoffs That Was Then: A 53-67 record over their first 120 games spelled the end of the line for long time manager Charlie Manuel, who was fired and replaced by Ryne Sandberg. This list of players that under-performed for the Phillies is long but is highlighted by slugger Ryan Howard who produced at career-low levels with 11 home runs and 43 RBIs in 80 games. He lost much of the season after having to undergo knee surgery. A shoulder injury hampered two-time Cy Young Award-winner Roy Halladay, who turned in a 4-5 season with a 6.82 ERA after being limited to only 13 starts. It would turn out to be his last Major League season, with the Doctor retiring over the winter. In a tough division the Phillies looked older and a step behind for the entire season. This Is Now: Coming into 2014 the question surrounding the Phillies was: Would they blow it all up or try to add a few pieces to their veteran lineup and take another run at being a real player in the NL East? Locking up starter A.J. Burnett in the off-season was as good a signal as any that the Phillies were indeed looking up instead of looking ahead. With a rotation that now includes Burnett along with Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick, they should be in most games. The problem they have is: What can they expect out of their aging lineup? A bounce-back season from not only Howard but former league MVP Jimmy Rollins will be key components to any success they have throughout the season. The addition of Marlon Byrd didnt make them any younger but it does make them stronger and deeper. Sandberg finished 2013 20-22 at the helm of a team that had already packed it in for the season , in his first full year in charge hell have a huge task in trying to get this ship once again headed in the proper direction. Whos In?: SS Reid Brignac, SP A.J. Burnett, OF Marlon Byrd, RP Shawn Camp, IF Ronny Cedeno, SP Chad Gaudin, SP Roberto Hernandez, RP Brad Lincoln, C Lou Marson, C Wil Nieves, OF Clete Thomas. Whos Out?: OF Roger Bernadina, RP Chad Durbin, SP Roy Halladay, C Erik Kratz, SP John Lannan, RP Zach Miner, OF Laynce Nix, IF Pete Orr, OF Casper Wells. Washington Nationals GM: Mike Rizzo Manager: Matt Williams 2013: 86-76, 2nd in NL East. Did not qualify for playoffs. That Was Then: After making the playoffs for the first time since the franchise relocated, the Washington Nationals were a team on the rise, with elite young talent at important positions ready to contribute and an old school manager with the moxy to label the 2013 season: World Series or Bust. Unfortunately, and despite a strong 29-11 finish to the season, Davey Johnsons Nationals went bust as they were only able to pick up 86 wins on their way to finishing outside of the playoff picture. It doesnt take a deep dive into the numbers to see what went wrong in the American Capital in 2013. The teams starters ERA which was a league best the season before slipped to sixth as did their overall defensive ranking. Additions of players like Dan Haren and Denard Span failed to have the effect that management had hoped when they picked them up in the off- season. Outfielder Bryce Harper showed a lot of heart and fearlessness as he twice made the highlight reel crashing into walls, unfortunately those incidents would end up costing him as the season wore on and staff ace Stephen Strasburg finished with an 8-9 record coming off a career best 15-win campaign. This Is Now: Matt Williams is now the man in charge, taking over for Johnson who retired at the end of the 2013 season and he will be debuting with a roster that is almost totally intact from the prior season. The two biggest additions to this years team are starter Doug Fister who was acquired from the Detroit Tigers and, of course, another year of experience under the belt of both Harper and Strasburg. In Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth, the Nationals will have one of the best combinations of speed and power in the outfield league wide and if these three can stay healthy and produce, should also form one of the best top of the lineup combinations. As far as starters go, it would be hard not to be excited by the combination of Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Fister. Again, with health on their side, it would be very difficult to find a better or deeper top-four rotation in the entire league. If the Nationals can also count on a bullpen that let them down last season but is chalked full of talent, there is no question they are once again among the favourites to make the post season. Just dont expect Matt Williams to label his new squad World Series or bust. Whos In?: RP Luis Ayala, RP Jerry Blevins, SP Doug Fister, RP Michael Gonzalez, C Koyie Hill, C Jose Lobaton, OF Nate McLouth, RP Daniel Stange. Whos Out?: RP Fernando Abad, SP Dan Haren, SP Nathan Karns, RP Ian Krol, IF Steve Lombardozzi, RP Mark Lowe, 1B Chris Marrero, RP Yunesky Maya, 3B Chad Tracy. 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