TORONTO - While England seems destined for "massive change" in the wake of its failed World Cup campaign, Jermain Defoe says he can still contribute goals to the national cause. Nike Roshe Run Floral Print Shop . "Ill never turn my back on my country," the Toronto FC striker told reporters after training Wednesday. "Like I mentioned before I still feel like Ive got a lot to offer. If I didnt feel that way, Id say theres no point because youre not doing anyone any favours if youre sort of like being selfish (and) you havent got much to offer. "But I still feel strong, I feel sharp. So hopefully at some point Ill get called up (again). How I feel at the minute, Im still ready to play and score goals for my country." The 31-year-old Defoe, who has 19 goals in 55 appearances for his country, was named to Englands 30-man World Cup roster but did not make the final 23. At the time, he said he was devastated by the snub. England (0-2-1) finished last in Group D behind Costa Rica, Uruguay and Italy, managing to score just two goals. "Spain are out, Italy are out," Defoe said. "Some big nations are out but obviously it would have been nice to see (England) progress to the later stage of the tournament. But it wasnt meant to be. A lot of young players, they still have opportunities again to play in tournaments and Im sure theyll do well. But this year it wasnt meant to be. It was a tough group." England captain Steven Gerrard and vice-captain Frank Lampard have said they will take some time to ponder their international future. Veteran fullback Ashley Cole opted to retire prior to the tournament. Veteran midfielder Michael Carrick was also left out of the England squad. "I think its a change," Defoe said, "because obviously theres so many young players coming through — good young players. Obviously theyre inexperienced but theyll get experience with games and I suppose thats what the manager wanted to do when he left me out, Michael Carrick, Ashley Cole, he wanted to go with the younger players. "Hopefully theyll do well but its going to be a massive change ... but well see what happens." Meanwhile, Defoe said he did not take offence at former manager Harry Redknapp saying some of his England players at Spurs had tried to shirk national team duty. Current England manager Roy Hodgson and Gerrard both said Defoe should not be tarred with that brush. "Its difficult for me (to react) because Im not one those players," said Defoe. "Ive never missed a squad and obviously I dont know who those players are. At the end of the day, when youre playing for your country, its the greatest honour ... I always turned out for my country, even if I was half fit." Gerrard urged Redknapp to name names but the veteran manager, who now runs Queens Park Rangers, said it would not be fair to the players in question. Defoe was one of a dozen England players at Tottenham during Redknapps tenure. Toronto manager Ryan Nelsen, a former New Zealand international who played under Redknapp, said he thought the comments might have been taken somewhat out of context. Nelsen, who captained the All Whites, said he would be outraged if anyone suggested he didnt love playing for his country. But he said theres give and take when it comes to club versus country, acknowledging he had asked not to be picked for some friendlies when they were largely commercial ventures on the other side of the globe and they bumped heads with major club clashes. While he had hoped to be playing in Brazil, Defoe welcomed the MLS break during the group stage of the World Cup. Toronto gave its players eight days off following the 1-0 win over San Jose on June 7. Still he admitted to having "itchy feet," wanting to get back to playing. Toronto (6-4-1) returns to action Friday in New York against the Red Bulls (4-5-6). Nelsens only injury concerns are winger Daniel Lovitz (concussion) and Brazilian striker Gilberto (hip flexor). Nike Roshe Run Flyknit Baratas . Click here for TSN.cas 2014 NHL Playoff Payoff, a full team-by-team stats breakdown for your playoff pool prep. When it comes to playoff pools, the basic strategy is simple: pick players from the four teams you think will reach the Conference Finals; that will give the players selected ample opportunity to score enough points for your squad. Nike Air Huarache Light . They did take one chance on a free agent-to-be however, and it didnt pay off. Rory Kohlert, selected by the Redblacks in the expansion draft from Winnipeg, has signed as a free agent with the Blue Bombers.Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Bosh is back in the spotlight after taking a back seat to LeBron James the last four years in South Beach. He got off to a great start in the post-LeBron era Wednesday. Bosh had 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Miami Heat defeated the Washington Wizards 107-95 in the season opener for both teams. Bosh, who saw his numbers decline each year with James in town, signed a five- year $118 million deal in the offseason to remain in Miami. He hopes to return to the 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game averages during his final season with Toronto in 2009-10. The 29-year-old lefty had averaged 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game with Miami coming into this season. Its one game. We need to stay focused on what we need to do as a team and individually, Bosh said. Dwyane Wade netted 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, while Norris Cole added 23 for the Heat, who made it to the NBA Finals in each of James four years and won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013. Luol Deng posted 12 points in his Miami debut. John Wall tallied 16 points and 11 assists, Marcin Gortat supplied 18 points and seven rebounds and Drew Gooden provided 18 points for Washington, which will be without blossoming third-year guard Bradley Beal for the first month due to a wrist injury. Throughout the whole game they got to every loose ball, Wall said. The Wizards, who went 44-38 last season, made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals before falling to the Indiana Pacers. Ten-time All-Star Paul Pierce had 17 points, six bboards and five assists in his Wizards debut, taking over for Trevor Ariza, who signed with Houston. Nike Zoom Fit Agility Precio. . Otto Porter scored the first four points during an 8-0 Wizards run to pull them within 84-83 with 5:22 left in the fourth, but Miami responded with the next six to push the margin back to seven. Mario Chalmers nailed a 3-pointer and Wade sunk two free throws for a 90-83 Heat advantage with 4:14 to play. Gortat split a pair of free throws to claw Washington within 99-93 a few minutes later, but Wade found Deng underneath for a layup and then hit a triple to seal it with 1:01 remaining. Earlier, Washington led 28-22 after a quarter of play before the Heat put in the first six points of the second to tie it, with Bosh netting the final four points of the spurt. The Heat held a 53-52 edge at the break. Miami took a 72-70 margin into the fourth, where the Heat used an 8-0 surge to build a nine-point cushion. Chalmers hit James Ennis in stride with a cross-court pass and he leapt over the top of Rasual Butler for an emphatic dunk. Ennis then knocked down the subsequent free throw for a three-point play. Shabazz Napiers steal of Wall and layup provided Miami an 84-75 lead with 8:35 to go. Game Notes The Heat went 224-88 and won 59 postseason games during the James era ... Napiers layup was his lone two points in his NBA debut ... Miami shot 48.1 percent (39-of-81) from the floor and was 87 percent (20-of-23) from the foul line ... Miami outrebounded Washington 44-36. NFL Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Authentic Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Deals Wholesale Stitched Jerseys ' ' '
