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TORONTO -- For once, expectations are sky high at the start of Toronto FC training camp. A team that has long been the MLS doormat --Toronto has won six, nine, 10, nine, six, five, and six games since coming into the league in 2007 -- enters the 2014 season as a shooting star thanks to the hoopla over high-priced signings Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Giberto. "Its a bloody big deal" is the already tired slogan around the acquisition of England striker Defoe. But the atmosphere is unmistakable. "Theres a buzz," said general manager Tim Bezbatchenko. The players started arriving late this week and most trained indoors Friday, although manager Ryan Nelsen did not involve those who were are the recent Canadian national team camp in Florida. He also gave Bradley a pass, given his recent involvement in Serie A. "Michaels had a lot of football," Nelsen said. "He doesnt need it now. He just probably needs a little rest." Captain Steven Caldwell sat out with a minor calf knock while the club waited on visa paperwork for Brazils Gilberto and Jackson. Toronto leaves Sunday for Florida. The 31-year-old Defoe will remain with Englands Tottenham until the end of February. Toronto opens the season March 15 in Seattle. Nelsen says the team will give Defoe time to bed in when he gets here. "We have to be very careful and we have to judge it. Hes here for four years, its not like were going to rush him back, patch him up if we have to and throw him out on the field. We have to think long-term. "So when hes ready to play, hell be ready to play. If thats Game 1, then brilliant. If its Game 4, so be it." In his second year on the job, the 36-year-old Nelsen finds himself in a totally different situation. He arrived last year with minimal knowledge of the talent that awaited him. He has the squad of his choice largely in place this time. "In all honesty I thought it might take a couple of years to get to the situation where we are right now," said Nelsen. There was short-term pain for long-term gain last season. Some 27 players came in -- if you count Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim whose loan deal from QPR never quite happened -- and 26 exited. The revolving door has slowed ahead of 2014 but those coming in have been quality additions. The three DPs are joined by American Justin Morrow and Englands Bradley Orr on defence, Jackson and Canadian star Dwayne De Rosario in midfield and teenage Canadian forward Jordan Hamilton. The team still has some roster work to do on the status of Argentine midfielder Matias Laba and English fullback Richard Eckersley. Laba is in camp while Eckersley, with the teams blessing, is not. Laba also has a designated player deal, meaning Toronto is one over the three DP limit. So the club has to find a way to restructure his contract or move him on. The club likes the Argentine, who at 22 has many years ahead on him. Heres guessing the team finds a way to farm him out without losing track of him. Eckersley is a victim -- sort of -- of a rich contract that grew fatter this year when the team was forced to restructure his deal to help ease its salary cap burden last season. Toronto could take a one-time contract buyout to get out from under the Eckersley contract burden without taking a salary cap hit. Toronto can also reach a settlement with Eckersley or deal him while eating some of the contract, which would impact the cap. Other MLS teams are unlikely to take Eckersley at his current number. Still, Bezbatchenko is confident he can find a way. Given his background as a former MLS insider and the leagues seemingly fluid rules, he is likely to succeed. When it comes to his starting lineup, Nelsen often says his players -- not him -- pick the team with their performance on the pitch. When all his pieces are in place, one would expect a likely starting 11 of Joe Bendik in goal behind a backline of Morrow, Caldwell, Canadian Doneil Henry and Orr, a midfield of Jackson, Bradley, De Rosario (or fellow Canadian Jonathan Osorio) and Alvaro Rey with Gilberto and Defoe up front. Its a good-looking team sheet, although the rest of the roster is young. Nelsen likes what he sees but is realistic. He knows it takes time to turn around a franchise and establish a winning culture. "It doesnt matter who you put out on the field, the clubs got to learn how to win ... we know weve got a long way to go." Nelsen adds: "I say that with one side of my face. The other side says if theres a group of guys that can live up to any expectations, I feel like these guys will really enjoy it and will enjoy the pressure. "It will be different for them because we will have a target on our back. Everybody will want to beat us. Everybody wanted to play us because they knew they could beat us in the past. Now theyll want to play us because they will want to try to prove a point to beat us. "Its a different mentality and its going to be difficult. But its a lovely challenge to be in." A one-year partnership with the North Carolina-based Wilmington Hammerheads of the USL Pro League gives TFC a place to give some of its younger talent a chance to play. Toronto may also look to loan a player within MLS. Bezbatchenko was part of the process in getting the newly installed loan format approved while he was working in the league office. Canadian international Issey Nakajima-Farran is in the Toronto camp on trial. Wholeasale Eagles Jerseys . The Italian side scored twice in a four-minute span in the second half to defeat former stars from S. Cheap Eagles Jerseys . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries. http://www.cheapeaglesjerseysauthentic.com/.Y. -- The Detroit Red Wings had just enough time to salvage a point. Eagles Jerseys China . Smith has spent the last three seasons with the Rockies, playing both left and right field, and has a .275 batting average with 51 homers and 181 RBIs in 487 major league games. Cheap Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . But this time, the Gunners weathered the storm. Arsene Wengers team was on the ropes in the early stages of a lively FA Cup tie, until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain scored a goal against the run of the play.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - With their captain under fire and their season on the brink of collapse, the Pittsburgh Penguins responded with a crackling show of force. Of course, having the New York Rangers look like a team only too happy to get back home with a split helped. Kris Letang broke a scoreless tie in the second period, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 22 saves for his franchise-record seventh playoff shutout to lift the Penguins to a 3-0 victory on Sunday night, tying the second-round series one game apiece. Letangs 15th career postseason goal matched Larry Murphys record for Penguins defensemen. Jussi Jokinen scored during a third-period power play, and Evgeni Malkin added an empty-net goal for the Penguins, who pushed around the suddenly weary Rangers. Fleury earned his 50th career playoff victory. "I thought to a man our players were extremely good all night," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "It was a huge win for us." Game 3 is Monday night in New York. Henrik Lundqvist made 32 saves for New York, but the Rangers mustered little offense while playing their fourth game in six days. Not that coach Alain Vigneault wanted to blame fatigue for a listless performance. "Did my goaltender look tired? He was on top of his game," Vigneault said. "If hes not tired, nobody else should be." The Rangers have lost eight straight Game 2s and have dropped 13 consecutive games when leading in a series. They had their chances to jump ahead early, only to be let down again by an anemic power play. Three times in the first 10 minutes a Penguins player skated to the penalty box, and three times the Rangers spent two minutes milling about as though they were killing time before getting back to even strength. The Rangers finished 0 for 4 with the man advantage and havent scored the last 29 times theyve had an extra skater on the ice. "It could have given us some momentum, and we didnt finish," Vigneault said. "Ive got to find the right trigger points here to make it work. Well spend the night trying to figure it out." Only Lundqvist seemed interested in sending the Rangers back to New York with a commanding 2-0 lead. He was typically brilliant, particularly when Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby was on the ice. The NHLs leading scorer and Hart Trophy finalist is in the midst of a lengthy postseason scoring funk. He began the night without a goal in 12 straight playoff gaames, a span that included 327 shifts and 275 minutes of ice time.dddddddddddd Bylsma insisted early Sunday that he anticipated seeing Crosby at his "best" with the season possibly at stake. Though Crosby failed to score, it was the only thing he didnt do. For the first time in weeks, he looked like himself. Relentless at both ends of the ice, the jump in his game that was missing at times during a listless performance in Game 1 returned. "To see Sid play like that tonight was really inspiring for everybody in our dressing room," Letang said. "He was really dangerous." Crosby finished with a game-high six shots. During one stretch at the end of the first period he produced a pair of scoring opportunities, including a nifty deke around two defenders, before he ripped a wrist shot that just missed the net. Each time Crosby appeared poised to end the drought, Lundqvist found a way to get a piece of the puck. He made a sprawling leg save on a tip-in attempt by Crosby, though Lundqvist wasnt so fortunate the next time the Penguins came at him. Chris Kunitz began a breakout by feeding Malkin at the New York blue line. Malkin slipped the puck over to Letang, who flipped it toward the net. Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi dived headfirst to block the attempted pass to Kunitz, but the puck deflected off Girardis stick and past a surprised Lundqvist to give Pittsburgh the lead. "They just spent a lot of time in our own end," Lundqvist said. "That was the biggest difference." Fleury had little problem letting the one-goal advantage stand up. The Rangers rarely challenged him over the final 30 minutes, and Jokinen and Malkin removed any remaining drama by scoring twice in the last 5 minutes. Jokinen banged in a rebound off a shot by James Neal for his fourth goal of the playoffs with 3:30 remaining. Malkin beat two Rangers to tap in an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left as the Penguins exhaled. "Now the series is tied 1-1, and two games in their building," Jokinen said. "Im sure theyre going to be better. We need to keep playing the way were playing." NOTES: Lundqvist made his 75th career playoff appearance. He will tie Mike Richters club record for games played if he starts, as expected, on Monday night. ... Pittsburgh D Brooks Orpik missed his fourth straight game with an undisclosed injury. ... The Penguins are 2-6 in their last eight Game 2s. ' ' '