Hope. Thats all Toronto FC supporters have asked for. Wins have been priority, too but its true, unmitigated hope of positive direction thats been desired. Progress. Commitment. Hope. Hope has been fleeting before. Julian de Guzman, the clubs first designated player brought hope as did the addition of hometown hero Dwayne De Rosario. Toronto FC turning orange, the Dutch total football revolution under Aron Winter brought hope as well. But thats about it. Spare me hype surrounding some unknown international prodigy that has come and gone, or the legendary Mista. Genuine belief has been temporary and few and far between. Unfulfilled promise. Pandering of false hope. Rinse, wash, repeat. Then Wednesday happened. True hope came calling. As often the case may be, good things came in three; each story bigger in importance, potential impact and surprise. De Rosarios return to Toronto was publicly confirmed with a Thursday press conference ahead. My colleague Luke Wileman reported coveted Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will land in Toronto this weekend with an expected Monday introductory press conference to follow, unveiling the prized acquisition. The bells and whistles surrounding Defoes arrival are said to be impressive. Lastly, the most audacious, unexpected news of all; a deal all but done to bring 26-year-old US international midfielder Michael Bradley to TFC in the absolute prime of his career. Surprised? Yes we are. Three signings dont get much bigger than this in MLS. Make it four with last months arrival of Brazilian Gilberto. If no curveballs are thrown and once the ink is dry, just like that, the inferior, miserable, beaten down landscape of Toronto FC forever changed. Toronto FCs new promo campaign, Its A Bloody Big Deal! – 01.13.14 couldnt ring more true. The YouTube video shows a bald-headed man spit take in shock, presumably about Defoes arrival. Well add another spit take for Bradley; the kind of choke on your coffee and have it pour out your nose sort of disbelief. In North American soccer circles, this is the kind of impact and magnitude were talking about. Defoe entering the fray isnt much a secret. The 31-year-old English international had fallen out of favour at White Hart Lane. The crafty forward still has pace and ability and could have a similar impact in MLS to Robbie Keane. Toronto FC spared no expense to convince Defoe Toronto was right for him. Flights, houses, family considerations - Toronto bent over backwards, realizing treatment and paycheck would be sufficient to supplant a Premier League caliber talent and bring him to Canada. Many expect Defoe to score 30 goals in Major League Soccer. Along with on-field expectations, off-field ambassadorship is expected. Defoe instantly becomes one of MLS top players. Ditto for Bradley. A work engine in the central midfield, the current AS Roma player is a warrior. The ferocity of Bradley, with ability to move forward in attack, would make him a special breed in MLS, where most central midfielders are either preferred attacking options or stay at home, hold the shape kind of players. Bradley is an all-action type player, and all-important for the US Mens National team and a move to MLS comes at a peculiar time with World Cup preparations first and foremost. US Mens National team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann was critical of Clint Dempseys move to Seattle last fall. So a return to North America comes as a shock. The story behind the potential move has yet to be revealed, but considerable dollars are at play. A rumoured salary ballpark of $6.5 million per year would do the trick, roughly six times his current salary. Playing time is also an issue. The arrival of Kevin Strootman last summer, along with last weeks signing of Radja Nainggolan put the writing on the wall at Roma: Bradley must leave. Cathal Kelly of the Toronto Star reports upwards of $100 million is being committed to Defoe and Bradley in transfer fees and salary. Its an incredible commitment for soccer in this city. These kinds of dollars cannot be justified by pure economics of the game alone. The MLS salary cap for 2013 before designated player commitments sat at just shy of $3 million. MLSE obviously has the funds but to make this kind of financial commitment to soccer and a team that had operating revenue in the ballpark of $4.5 million last season (according to Forbes) shows true ambition. This is what it takes to compete. For Bradley, whose father Bob is a former US National team coach, to choose a Canadian club no less over a US-based team speaks to the show me the money type mentality of the modern game. Credit Tim Leiweke. He said he would turn Toronto FC around, and quick. This is beyond the expected. Dion Phaneuf salaries to soccer players in Toronto will never make sense. But MLSE using its financial strength to turn an embarrassment into a pillar of the organization is money well spent. Many south of the border will question what a move like Bradleys says about the growth of MLS. Id argue it has less to do with MLS than it does Leiweke. With a network, resources and desire to win, hes what TFC desperately needed. MLS plays a big role in player acquisition and obviously contracts, which they control. Toronto FC failed to play nice in the sandbox regarding specific targets and team performance in recent years. Squabbling and the perennial disappointment of TFC, whose supporters are credited for league growth and expansion, was a black eye for MLS headquarters. Leiweke was an ideal buffer between club and league. Theres a history and understanding. It then made perfect sense to hire the young and bright Tim Bezbatchenko, an MLS staffer to take over as general manager - a calculated move, facilitating congruence with MLS to provide much needed stability. It has not been disclosed who is funding the transfers. MLSE stepping up assuming the cost would be seen as extending the olive branch. Leiwekes fingerprints are all over these transactions. They signal a donning of a new era for the organization. MLSE has a face. Its Leiweke, and all that comes with him. In a city with too few victories and forced tradition rather than substance, Leiweke is filling a void, one handshake and dollar at a time. These signings are an investment as will a stadium makeover in the coming years. Its part of a bigger plan, where reputation speaks for itself. For MLSE to gain credibility, they need to show they are serious about winning. No more talk; actions. No more wrangling with agents. No more disagreement with the league. No more ostracizing fans. Moves like these wins people over. This is how you win. This is how you sell hope. The cynic will remain. Signings alone dont equal results. Even more work is to be done to the roster. The heavy lifting is near complete. Toronto FC will be able to compete. True hope. Thats all it takes. Its a reasonable thought that the vibe, the fun, and actual winning football can all live simultaneously at BMO Field. We hope. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Zapatillas Nike Mujer Baratas . -- Josh MacDonalds second goal of the game kept his team alive as the Peterborough Petes edged the host Kingston Frontencas 6-5 in overtime on Friday in Ontario Hockey League playoff action. Replica Jordan España . Adding playoff teams. Monitoring instant replay from league headquarters. Possibly creating a set of guidelines to prevent locker-room bullying. https://www.zapatillasbaratasspain.es/za...nline-d988.html. Not because it was right, but because referees werent allowed to determine it was wrong. Zapatillas Nike Baratas Outlet . Hoffman, the former star closer, will evaluate and help co-ordinate all pitchers at Double-A, Triple-A and the big league team. Byrnes says Hoffman "will be a key part of finishing the development of our younger pitchers. Zapatillas España . The redshirt freshman finished the regular season with nearly 3,500 passing yards, and 35 touchdowns with another three on the ground while leading the Seminoles to the top of the BCS Rankings.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hello Mr. Fraser, Im watching ?the Toronto/San Jose game on Thursday and Im pretty sure that I just watched a blatant violation of an official rule. On the second goal at about 9:00 in the first period, officially awarded to Patrick Marleau, Matt Nieto drives the net going after the puck behind James Reimer and hits Reimers right pad with his stick and then ?Reimers pad pushes the puck is. This apparently is okay according to Rule 69.6 (I think) which says that if its incidental contact with the goalie in the crease, a goal that results is perfectly legal. On the other hand, 69.3 says that if a goal results from a player making contact with the goalie inside the crease, incidental or not, the goal is disallowed. It seems to me that the goal shouldnt count but it did. Am I missing something or is that correct? Cheers, Joe McLaughlin Joe, This is not a good goal as reported by referee Brad Watson following video review but more appropriately described as a dirty goal. The goal was credited to Patrick Marleau because he was the last San Jose Sharks player to touch the puck before the pad of James Reimer propelled the puck into the net. At least the player most responsible for the goal, Matt Nieto was credited with an assist after he contacted the puck on a one-touch pass in the neutral zone to Marleau. The reason Nieto wasnt credited with the goal is because he did not legally propel the puck into the net with his stick or by a deflection off his body. Rule 78 credits a goal in the scoring records to a player who shall have propelled the puck into the opponents goal. A goal shall be scored when the puck shall have been put between the goal posts by the stick of a player of the attacking side. The rule also states that a goal shall be scored if the puck is put into the goal in any way by a player of the defending side and the player of the attacking side who last touched the puck is credited with the goal. Two rules are potentially at play here, Joe, that in my judgment, should negate this goal. First, I do not believe the incidental contact application found in Rule 69.6 would apply. It states that in a rebound situation, or where a goalkeeper and attacking player are simultaneously attempting to play a loose puck, whether inside or outside the crease, incidental contact with the goalkeeper will be permitted, and any goal that is scored as a resullt thereof will be allowed.ddddddddddddNieto was not, by his actions, playing a loose puck. I doubt very much that he even saw the puck that was positioned behind the right pad and between the legs of Reimers butterfly set. Nieto deliberately struck and pushed Reimers lower pad and skate. This was a net crash on the goalkeeper that caused the puck to cross the goal-line. The actions of Nieto are more appropriately described in the spirit and intent of the second paragraph of Rule 69.6 that says, In the event that a goalkeeper has been pushed into the net together with the puck after making a stop, the goal will be disallowed. I say spirit and intent because while the force exerted by Nieto to Reimers pad was sufficient to cause the puck to be propelled into the net but the goalkeeper was not. If a common sense extension of this segment of the rule is too much for anyone to envision, the language found in Rules 69.1 and 69.3 offer more clear evidence as to why this potential goal should have been disallowed. The smoking gun is found in Rule 69.1. The rule states that goals should be disallowed if an attacking player initiates intentional or deliberate contact with a goalkeeper, inside or outside of his crease. For purposes of this rule, contact, whether incidental or otherwise, shall mean any contact that is made between or among a goalkeeper and attacking player(s), whether by means of a stick or any part of the body. The rule will be enforced exclusively in accordance with the on-ice judgment of the Referee(s), and not by means of video replay or review. Disallowing this goal is further supported by the specific language contained in Rule 69.3 (Contact Inside the Goal Crease) as you suggested, Joe. From his position behind the net, referee Watsons initial instinct was to wave off the goal. Something obviously didnt smell right for him as he looked through the back of Reimer and Nazem Kadri. The ref immediately looked for input from the other members of the officiating crew. A decision to allow the goal must have resulted from that conference. Since video replay is unable to rule upon a potential violation of goalkeeper interference, their only input on this play was to establish that the puck entered the net, hence the good goal terminology. General managers, please provide the referees with the capability to more accurately determine the presence of goalie interference through a video monitor located in the penalty box. Your team just might be recipients of the next dirty goal that is allowed unjustly. ' ' '