TORONTO -- Almost three weeks after its last league outing, Toronto FC returns to action Friday night against the New York Red Bulls as the MLS season resumes with a vengeance following a World Cup break. Julian Edelman Youth Jersey . After just two league games in June, Toronto (6-4-1) will go on to play seven in July plus a friendly against Tottenham. Five of those contests are against Eastern Conference opposition, meaning valuable points in the playoff race are on the line. Manager Ryan Nelsen gave his players eight days off following the 1-0 win over visiting San Jose on June 7. They have been training ever since, albeit with sessions pushed forward a little bit to allow players to watch the World Cup in the afternoon. There are different allegiances, although the team is rooting for both Brazil and the U.S. given the presence of TFC goalie Julio Cesar and midfielder Michael Bradley at the tournament. Canadian international Jonathan Osorio is pulling for Colombia, where his parents came from. The U.S.-Ghana game pitted the 12 Americans on the Toronto roster against Ghana-born forward Dominic Oduro. Massage therapist and acupuncturist Marcelo Casal is cheering for Uruguay. The public relations department is still mourning the exit of Italy. While his players enjoyed time off, albeit with a prescribed gym regimen, Nelsen and his coaches were at work planning training sessions. "We might have worked around a nice glass of red," said Nelsen, whose business holdings include a winery back home in New Zealand. Nelsen is expecting a hard contest Friday against the Red Bulls (4-5-6) who are one point behind fourth-place Toronto in the East despite having played four more games. Toronto defeated New York 2-0 when they met in May at BMO Field, with Jermain Defoe scoring early and Luke Moore scoring late. "I think that game was a big game for us," said Nelsen. "We had a few guys out (injured) and wed just come back from the West Coast after 120 minutes (in an Amway Canadian Championship game in Vancouver) and it was a really, really good performance. "New York will have a lot of motivation, in all honesty, to put one back on us. Its at their home field. Ive got a real sense that everybodys desperate to play a game after the break. "Its nice to have a break but everybody wants to get back on the field. I can sense this games going to be a really good one, a good tough one. Im looking forward to it." The host Red Bulls will also be well rested. Star striker Thierry Henry, fresh from a stint as a BBC World Cup analyst, and Colombian defender Jamison Olave have not played since May 27 at Sporting Kansas City, skipping artificial turf games June 8 in New England and June 14 against the New York Cosmos (in U.S. Open Cup play). The Red Bulls Australian star Tim Cahill is slated to be back from the World Cup and could make an appearance Friday night. Cahill did not see action in the Socceroos 3-0 loss to Spain on Monday but scored two goals earlier at the tournament including a highlight-reel volley against the Dutch. "Were expecting them to play," Nelsen said of Cahill and Henry. While hes a Kiwi, Nelsen was raving about Cahills strike against the Dutch while saying it had not got the publicity it deserved. "For me, if a Brazilian did that, or an Argentinian, or a big-country-type player did that, theyd be raving about that for years to come. ... It was of such quality that I didnt think they gave him the credit he really deserved for an over-the-shoulder left-foot volley." "But thats Timmy," he added. "Timmys been scoring those type of goals his whole career. Thats why New York is so lucky to have him." Toronto has two injury concerns in winger Daniel Lovitz (concussion) and Brazilian striker Gilberto (hip flexor). LeGarrette Blount Jersey . The second-seeded Sharks bounced back from Saturdays 3-1 loss to win this Western Conference quarterfinal series 4-2. Antti Niemi made 26 saves for the Sharks, who are trying to embark on another deep playoff run after making it to the conference finals a year ago. Rob Gronkowski Patriots Jersey . The agreement comes a little more than one week after the video game manufacturer agreed to a $40 million settlement in a similar but separate case, bringing the total payout planned for athletes to $60 million, said Steve Berman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, and the NCAA.(SportsNetwork.com) - The San Jose Sharks hope to keep their offense on track Tuesday night as they resume a lengthy homestand against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Sharks halted an 0-2-2 skid with a 6-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. That came in the fourth contest of a six-game residency and saw San Jose net more than three goals for the first time in 10 games. Logan Couture scored twice and Tommy Wingels had four points off a goal and three assists as the Sharks scored more than three goals in a home game for the first time since a 5-4 loss to Columbus on Oct. 23. Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto also lit the lamp and Antti Niemi stopped 30-of-34 shots in the win. Hopefully, we can use tonight to turn the season around, Wingels said. We were able to find ways to score. The Flyers figure to be a good opponent for the Sharks to stay hot against. They beat them 7-3 in the last meeting on Feb. 27 in Philadelphia and are 12-1-0 with two ties in the last 15 encounters. Philadelphia did halt a seven-game winless streak (0-5-1 with a tie) in San Jose the last time in headed out west, but comes into this meeting having lost four in a row and eight of its last nine. James White Womens Jersey. The Flyers were recently swept in a home-and-home series with the New York Rangers, losing 5-2 on Saturday to begin a five-game road trip. Philadelphia had been shut out at home the previous day versus the Rangers and got goals from Nicklas Grossmann and Jakub Voracek in Saturdays rematch, while Ray Emery allowed four goals on 34 shots. We have a really good team. We just have to build that confidence and, I know its a cliche, but get that first win and build from it, said Flyers forward Vincent Lecavalier. Weve had spurts of playing the right way but not consistently. Lecavalier wont be in the lineup tonight for the Flyers, as the veteran forward will be a healthy scratch for the first time in his career. The 34- year-old Lecavalier, who has two goals and four assists in 16 games this season, told the Philadelphia Daily News he wont suit up for tonights game. wholesale stitched jerseys wholesale jerseys wholesale nfl jerseys cheap nfl jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china' ' '
