Former Tottenham Hotspur, Jermain Defoe - in hopes of making Englands squad for the upcoming World Cup - saw MLS as his best showcase. Yao Ming Jersey . Michael Bradley, who some argue to be the strongest American player in the world, also left soccers more glamorous European stage, departing AS Roma for more playing time in preparation for Brazil this coming summer. This weekend saw both players delivering on their marquee reputations in front of a sold out crowd at TFCs BMO Field. Defoe maintained his status as the sole goal scorer of the team, netting his third of the season, while Bradleys midfield presence and decisive passing continues to impress. A second-half collision forced Bradley to leave the field, only to return with his head semi- mummified with blood soaked bandages, displaying a trait that will undoubtedly endear him to Canadian fans. BarDown went to the game to bring the sights both on and off the field. Take a look. (All photos by Paul Harrington for TSN/BarDown) 1. Fans watch TFC players warm up before the teams home opener at Torontos BMO Field, Saturday, March 22nd, 2014. 2. Dwayne De Rosario puts hand-to-heart while the national anthem plays, in preparation for the home opener to start. 3. Coaching staff cheer on players as the home opener kicks off against DC United. 4. The off-seasons roster additions and a successful first away-game bring a sold-out crowd of 22,591 to the first home game of TFCs 2014 campaign. 5. Brazilian striker Gilberto participates in his TFC debut after missing the season starter with a leg injury. Gilberto brought speed and was an integral contributor to the one goal of the day. 6. TFCs English Premier League import, Jermain Defoe, takes the ball upfield. 7. Jermain Defoe fights Perry Kitchen for a header while TFCs Michael Bradley and DC Uniteds Nick DeLeon watch on. 8. The scoreless first half comes to a close as fans in the North East section of BMO Field endure cool temperatures to support the home team. 9. TFCs Michael Bradley takes a kick from midfield. Bradley came to the team via Roma of the Serie A, and has so far performed as advertised, being a dominant midfielder. 10. DC Uniteds goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, lunges to launch the ball back into play. Defoe described Hamids play during the home opener as "amazing," stopping 13 of the 14 shots he faced. 11. Players from both teams gather as TFCs Doneil Henry argues with the referee during the teams home opener. 12/13. Fans of the south side stands enjoy the second half. 14. The sun makes its appearance as TFCs Jermain Defoe watches the ball roll past DC Uniteds goalkeeper, Bill Hamid, and defenders Sean Franklin and Bobby Boswell. Defoe leads the team with all three goals scored so far in the 2014 season and was credited with half the 14 shots taken by TFC in the game. 15. Fans of the south east corner of BMO Field known as the Red Patch Boys celebrate Defoes goal by throwing fake money in the air, a means of representing the big money the team spent on bringing in imported talent at any cost. 16. Players gather to celebrate the first and only goal of the game. 17. South end supporters rejoice after the home squad takes a 1-0 lead by unleashing red smoke. 18. Hometown favourite, Dwayne De Rosario, is subbed into the game in the second half. De Rosario is a former TFC player who re-signed with the team early this year after stops in New York, playing for the Red Bulls, as well as DC United. 19. Players gather on the field and celebrate with fans after the game ends with a 1-0 win. 20. Michael Bradley leaves the field applauding an enthusiastic fan-base. A head-to-head collision with DCs Davy Arnaud led to a wound later repaired with staples. After the game, Defoe said of Bradley, "He gives everything, every game. Mikes winning mentality and his energy lifts the team…" 21. TFCs Jermain Defoe speaks with a reporter after the game. His legs display a hard played game, having taken 7 shots and netting a goal, his third in two games of the 2014 season. Clyde Drexler Jersey . Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Don Chaney Jersey . The Laval Rouge et Or defensive back/kick-returner gained the invitation following his showing Sunday at an NFL regional combine in Baltimore. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/ .com) - Joique Bells touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave the Detroit Lions a 20-14 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.Entering this season, the Winnipeg Jets talked frequently about improving from within. This meant increasing their win and point total - and subsequent playoff chances - by getting more out of the players already within the organization. The philosophy was two-fold: promotion of some players from their American Hockey League affiliate in St. Johns to take roster spots; and secondly, receive a production boost from the returning core group of players already established on the team. Thus far, theyve done both as centre Adam Lowry and defenceman Ben Chiarot have graduated from the AHL to become full-time players in the National Hockey League, while a veteran like Chris Thorburn has provided more scoring this season than he had the last two years combined. As a result, this combination of growing from within is highly evident on the clubs third forward line. Since being assembled five games ago, the trio of Lowry and Thorburn along with another veteran, Evander Kane, has provided the team with energy and offensive production. Even in the midst of a current three-game losing skid, the Lowry line has been Winnipegs best, frequently forechecking with zeal and spending the majority of their minutes inside the oppositions zone. In fact, the three have become the embodiment of what kind of team and style head coach Paul Maurice wants the Jets to become in perpetuity. That identity has certainly been on display for most of the clubs 51 games this season. We play to our strengths, said Thorburn, who signed a three-year extension with the club last off-season. And our strength is size and speed. If were going, its intimidating and hard to play against. An injury to star forward Mathieu Perreault before the all-star break forced Maurice to juggle his lines. One of the moves was to elevate Thorburn to the third line while Kane moved up to fill Perreaults spot on the left side beside Mark Scheifele on the second line. And even when Perreault returned after missing two games, Thorburn stayed put with Lowry and Kane slipped back to join them to form an impressive unit. I thought (Chris) game had started to come even prior to (Perreaults) injury, said Maurice. For Thorburn, its been about opportunity. And now at 31-years-old and a veteran of nearly 600 NHL games, hes seized it. The correlation between playing time and offensive production is relevant. Since the move into the Top 9, his minutes have doublled in the last five games from under six to 13 per game and the points have followed. Fake Rockets Jerseys. Over that span, the rugged forward has three goals and four points in the last handful of games, which includes scoring the game-winning goal in a recent victory over the Blackhawks in Chicago. Maurice credits Thorburn and recently injured forward Matt Halischuk with the ability to be interchangeable parts for the team. That includes sliding up and down from the fourth line to the third or being able to play left or right wing effectively. Either way, Thorburn understands the value he can provide in being that type of player for the team, especially with the way the game is changing and players with one dimension to their game finding less of a place on NHL rosters. Im just trying to help the team, he said. We have some big bodies and durable bodies. Its been a wolfpack mentality. Weve done a good job of sticking together and being difficult for other teams to play against. And while many thought the growing from within mantra by the Jets last summer was a recipe for mixed results at best, the returns to date have been positive. At this point, the club employs what is considered three scoring lines and one checking line and theyve managed that without spending a fortune in free agency and firmly have become a playoff contender. Stay tuned! NOTES: As a franchise, the Jets have lost 14 straight games in Pittsburgh... Centre Jim Slater is 41 games away from tying Ilya Kovalchuk for the most games played in franchise history (594)... Like the stat or not, the Jets boast their top 13 scorers as plus or even players in the plus/minus category... The quickest game involving the Jets this season is a two hour, 11-minute victory in Buffalo on November 26. The longest game this season was a road shootout loss to Anaheim that took two hours and 57 minutes... Here are your Top 3 minutes leaders on the Jets this season: Toby Enstrom (24:05), Jacob Trouba (23:24) and Dustin Byfuglien (23:05)... Last week, the Jets announced they will add 278 premium seats to the MTS Centre for next season, bringing the total capacity for hockey at the venue to 15,294. That might not seem like a major increase, but the extra seats should generate $3-5 million (all figures U.S.) in additional revenue for the club – something theyll need with the salary cap in the NHL expected to rise next season to over $70 million. ' ' '