atically late in the regular season while Kendrick Perkins was out with an injury, then conti

In 2013, it took Toronto FC 21 matches to earn just three wins. Jim Thome Jersey . A year later and it is a very different story. Instead of starving the fans of success and making them wait until the end of July to reach that three victory mark, the Reds have managed to achieve it just four matches into the season. Heading into the year, expectations were high, driven by the star power that had been added in the offseason, but as Toronto sits second in the Eastern Conference heading into Saturdays home match against Colorado Rapids (live on TSN at 4pm ET) the story developing is showcasing the supporting cast as well as he big names. One of the big question marks around this team is whether there is enough depth to rely on within the squad when they lose their top players. Last Saturday in Columbus, there were plenty of players eager to prove that depth is there as the team had to face the Crew missing some key pieces including leading scorer Jermain Defoe and first choice central defensive pairing: Steven Caldwell and Doneil Henry. The win in Columbus probably told us more about the reality of Torontos playoff hopes than the previous wins against Seattle Sounders and DC United. Players such as Bradley Orr and Nick Hagglund made significant contributions, as did young Canadian midfielder Kyle Bekker. While Torontos post season ambitions will rest on the consistently high level performances of their big wage earners, having reliable options to call upon within the rest of the squad will also be extremely significant. So in Columbus, it was three points that certainly werent expected. It was a win that proved the new look TFC has the potential to be about more than just the stars. Defoe remains a major doubt for the match against Colorado with the hamstring injury that forced him off in the second half of the 3-0 loss at Real Salt Lake, but Ryan Nelsens men have already shown they can win without the England international. They will however be desperate to have Michael Bradley available. The United States international has been magnificent through his first four games with the team. He has missed training this week but is expected to be ready to face the Rapids. Bradley is the heartbeat of Nelsens team. He scored the opening goal in Columbus a week ago, but his performances so far have been of a consistently high standard, driving the team forward from midfield. While everyone has played a part in the excellent start to the season, Bradley has been the key to success. Rapid Response Toronto FC certainly have history on their side heading into Saturdays match. Colorado have visited BMO Field on seven occasions and only won once. However, that match was the most important of them all, beating FC Dallas in extra time to win MLS Cup in 2010. When playing Toronto FC, the Rapids have lost all six. This is the second of back-to-back games for Colorado in Canada and they arrive in Toronto in a confident mood off the back of a 2-1 win against the Whitecaps in Vancouver a week ago. The Rapids were fortunate to see the sending off of Whitecaps midfielder Matias Laba turn the game in their favour, but they took full advantage to gain all three points at BC Place. The Rapids were undermanned in Vancouver with four-goal Vincente Sanchez and Edson Buddle missing the trip because they didnt want to play on turf, plus defender Marvell Wynne who was suspended. Despite the absences of key players, they were well organized against the Caps, led by their Spanish midfielder Jose Mari. He scored both goals, but his play throughout was very good, and his passing was exceptional with a 95% success rate. Colorado are yet to lose away from home this season, with a tie at New York to open the season and last weeks win in the Pacific Northwest. There will be a strong Toronto connection within the Rapids squad with four players having previously pulled on the Reds jersey, Wynne, Buddle, Nathan Sturgis and Nick LaBrocca. As they return, they will find a club far different from the one they experienced during their time in Toronto. Ryan Nelsens squad has proved it has the ability to grind out results at home or on the road, something we havent seen from a TFC team for a very long time. Omar Vizquel Jersey . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Ricky Vaughn Jersey . Pierre last November, only to watch St. Pierre leave the UFC octagon with his welterweight title belt and a split-decision victory. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-francisco-lindor-jersey/ . The 25-year-old Brazilian player has only made four Premier League appearances for United this season and underwent a medical test in Italy on Friday.OKLAHOMA CITY - Thunder general manager Sam Presti is aware of coach Scott Brooks critics. An NBA Finals appearance in 2012 fueled expectations, so when San Antonio beat the Thunder in Oklahoma City this season to close out the Western Conference finals, it didnt go over well with some locals in this era of winning coaches getting fired. Naysayers also believe Brooks offensive strategy gives point guard Russell Westbrook too much freedom at the expense of MVP Kevin Durant. Presti did his best to squelch the talk on Thursday. After all, he said, the Thunder finished with the second-best record in the NBA this season, despite numerous injuries to key players. "Scotty, I think, did an excellent job," Presti said. "I understand, we all have a tendency to look at the last game and the last series. I respect it. Thats part of sports. I cant do that." Brooks took over for P.J. Carlesimo during the 2008-09 season and led the team to a 22-47 record. The team has won at least 61 per cent of its games each season since. Brooks has a 293-170 record with the Thunder. "Hes stacking successful seasons on top of each other, increasing our odds to take a really unique amount of time that weve been successful and extend it to a very, very unique amount of time," Presti said. Durant said this week that he feels Brooks is the man to keep things moving. "Thats our guy," Durant said. "Im riding with him." Brooks has praised Westbrook while often publicly pointing out his three-time All-Stars need to find a balance between shooting and passing when he attacks. Westbrook also spoke highly of Brooks this week. "Hes done a great job of having confidence in me personally," Westbrook said. "Theres times when things have gone south and hes the only one that always — regardless of what happened — always had my back. Regardless if people were saying I was doing this or doing that, I was being selfish, he always was the first person to step up and have my back and suppport me regardless of whats going on. Manny Ramirez Jersey. " Brooks will have plenty to work with. Durant is signed through 2015-16, and Westbrook and defensive ace Serge Ibaka are signed through 2016-17. Backup centre Steven Adams figures to be a prominent part of the future. The 20-year-old from New Zealand improved dramatically late in the regular season while Kendrick Perkins was out with an injury, then continued to get better in the playoffs. Presti sees Adams talent, but says he has work ahead. Perkins is still a solid defender, but his offensive limitations allow defences to pay more attention to Durant and Westbrook. When Presti was asked about the amnesty clause, which allows a team to waive one player without his salary counting against the cap or luxury tax, he hesitated before offering perspective. He said though Adams was solid against the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio, Perkins played a key role in the grueling seven-game series against Memphis. Presti said he wouldnt consider waiving or trading Perkins unless it could help the team strategically long term. Shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha is an unrestricted free agent who lost his starting job during the playoffs. Caron Butler, a mid-season pickup, is an unrestricted free agent. He had his moments, but was out of the rotation by the end of the playoffs. The team has the option to keep Hasheem Thabeet, a 7-foot-3 backup centre. Thabeet played little, even while Perkins was injured. Presti was non-committal in each case. Presti seemed uncertain what unrestricted free agent Derek Fisher will do, but said he will be successful whatever he decides. The 39-year-old guard has been connected to the New York Knicks head coaching job. "We have absolutely no reason to expect Derek to keep us informed of his plans," Presti said. 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