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TORONTO -- A red card, combined with a possible case of mistaken identity, made for a disappointing 1-1 tie for Toronto FC. Troy Aikman Womens Jersey . "Its a pity that we have given away the game," Toronto coach Aron Winter said. "Because we started very well." For the Columbus Crew, Saturdays MLS result was also a missed opportunity as the visitors could not manage more than one goal despite their numerical superiority for the last 48 minutes. "The red card was huge," said Columbus captain Chad Marshall. "Obviously it was nice playing a man up the second half. "The way we came out in the second half and tied the game up pretty quickly, I think were all disappointed that we didnt carry that on and get another one and get the three points. "But its a tough place to play so well take the point." Toronto outshot Columbus 4-3 in the first half (3-0 in shots on target) but the visitors led 9-2 (3-0 on target) in second-half shots. The Crew have never lost to Toronto, with a 5-0-7 record. The last five games between the two at BMO Field have ended in ties. The game, played before 20,145 on a sunny, windy day, turned around both sides of halftime. After dominating the first half, Toronto (1-2-4) went ahead in the 41st minute when Julian de Guzman sent a looping ball over a defender to Tony Tchani, who beat goalkeeper William Hesmer with a left-footed shot to the corner in the 41st minute. Tchani celebrated his first Toronto goal by jumping over the advertising boards to share the moment with the fans. As a result, he got a second yellow card -- he had been cautioned four minutes earlier after a melee at the Columbus bench -- and was ejected. Venezuelan striker Emilio Renteria evened the score on the other side of halftime, with a glancing header off a cross from the right flank in the 49th minute. And Columbus (2-1-3) began to take control. Tchani thought his first yellow was a case of mistaken identity. He said he was playing peacemaker after Columbus midfielder Kevin Burns was cautioned for a reckless tackle. "It wasnt me ... one of my teammates came from behind and just pushed the guy," he said. "I think the ref thought it was me." Winter agreed with Tchani on the first yellow. But he did not dispute the second. "It was not clever," he said of the exuberant celebration punished by referee David Gantar. But TFC players wondered about the consistency of officiating when it comes to goal celebrations and going to the stands, pointing to recent unpunished celebrations by Charlie Davis of D.C. United and Torontos own Alan Gordon. Tchani didnt think it rated a yellow. "Ive seen players do it before," he said. De Guzman understood Tchani getting caught up in the moment. But he also said his action was a gamble having already got a yellow. "Another lesson to take from this game is not to jump over the boards ever again," said de Guzman. For Columbus, the tie extended its current league unbeaten string to five games. The Tchani goal ended Columbus 414-minute shutout streak, which reached club record status one minute into the game. Columbus came into the contest riding a streak of four Hesmer shutouts, two of which were 0-0 ties. The goal also ended a 284-minute scoring drought for Toronto. "We showed a lot more passion than in our previous games," said de Guzman. "A lot of positives to take out of this game. "But at the end of the day, the result isnt something we were looking for. We were looking for three points." For Winter, it was a tie that felt like a loss. "Its not the first time," he said. English defender Richard Eckersley made his TFC debut, coming on as a substitute with 27 minutes remaining. He praised the atmosphere, saying the 20,000 fans "sounded like 50,000, to be honest." Justin Durant Jersey . The Predators announced that Rinne had been cleared for the next step of his recovery after meeting with doctors earlier Monday. Coach Barry Trotz said a meeting was planned for later Monday to set a weekly plan for Rinne. Michael Irvin Womens Jersey . The team said Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche also had operations this week. Harper had the bursa in his left knee repaired after it had hampered him last season.LOS ANGELES -- The Miami Heat played the final minutes the way championship teams are supposed to. The Los Angeles Clippers are still perfecting the art of closing out games against the elite teams. LeBron James had 31 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, Ray Allen hit a clinching three-pointer in the final minute, and the Heat snapped a five-game road losing streak against the stubborn Clippers with a 116-112 victory on Wednesday night. Allen had 15 points off the bench for the two-time defending NBA champions, who began a six-game road trip that will be interrupted four games in by the All-Star break. Dwyane Wade, one of seven Miami players scoring in double figures, had 14 points and eight assists in his 700th regular-season game. The Heat had lost 10 of their previous 12 road games against the Clippers, and hadnt beaten them at Staples Center since Dec. 9, 2007. Los Angeles, coming off Mondays stinging 116-115 loss at Denver on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by ex-Clipper Randy Foye, got a season-high 43 points and 13 rebounds from Blake Griffin and 31 points from Jamal Crawford. DeAndre Jordan extended his franchise record of consecutive double-digit rebound performances to 29 games with 16 boards and 16 points. The Pacific Division champions are 11-6 since Chris Paul went down with a separated right shoulder on Jan. 3 at Dallas. With Darren Collison and Crawford replacing Paul and J.J. Redick (sore right hip) in the starting lineup, the Clippers bench produced only two points -- a 20-foot jumper by Jared Dudley with 3:17 left in the first quarter -- until Willie Green hit a pair of free throws to pull Los Angeles within 91-84 with 9:51 to play. Allen, who holds the NBA record for career three-pointers, converted a four-point play after Green fouled him behind the arc. That extended Miamis lead to 99-87 with 8:07 remaining. His second three, a rainbow from the left corner, made it 112-107 with 42.4 seconds to go. "Thats when the talent kicks in," James said. "The play was broken down a little bit, but D-Wade made a heck of a play by getting into the paint, and Ray just kept moving into his favourite spot -- one of those corners. D-Wade found him with a great pass, and Ray nailed it." Allen, in his 18th NBA season, played in his 1,271st regular-season game and overtook John Havlicek for 19th place all-time. "Hes a pro and he takes care of himself. Hes in just phenomenal shape, and he can run forever," said Clippers coach Doc Rivers, who had Allen for five seasons with the Celtics. "Whhat impressed me the most when we were in Boston was his professionalism and his ability to make big shots. J.J. Wilcox Womens Jersey. Ray could go 0 for 20, or 20 for 20, and the next day hed be the first guy in the gym, shooting all of his shots from his exact spots at the exact speed. Ray lives that." The Clippers, who held Miami to just two field goals over the first 7:47 of the fourth quarter, narrowed the gap to 99-95 with a 10-0 run capped by Griffins tip-in with 5:15 left. But James responded with a three-pointer and a layup 53 seconds apart. "Obviously weve had our battles with Doc, being in the Eastern Conference for so long, so we know how well his team is going to be prepared," James said. "I think it was just our mental toughness, especially in the third quarter when they made their run. We just stayed composed and found a way to get a win. We made stops and executed offensively." The Heat opened the third quarter with an 11-5 run that extended their seven-point halftime lead to 73-60. Wade set up an alley-oop dunk by James, and Mario Chalmers hit a three-pointer from in front of the Clippers bench to cap the rally with 8:48 left in the period. Chalmers basket put all of Miamis starters in double-figure scoring. Griffin led all scorers in the first half with 22 points and Crawford added 18, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the second quarter. But the Heat led 62-55 at intermission after shooting 57 per cent. Miamis ball movement was superb from the outset, recording assists on all but one of its first 18 field goals and building a 43-24 lead with 9:44 left in the second quarter. The Heat had 33 assists on 41 field goals overall. "We pride ourselves on moving the ball, and we know that makes it easier for all of us," James said. "We keep everyone in a rhythm when were passing the ball and sharing the ball. Tonight we had some turnovers, including myself. I mean, I was the main culprit (with seven), and Ive got to be more conscious of that and not turn the ball over so much." NOTES: James was called for a reach-in foul against Griffin with 3:17 left in the third quarter, his first of the game, and was assessed a technical foul by referee Bill Kennedy for complaining about it with Miami leading 81-69. ... The Clippers began a five-game homestand that includes four opponents that entered Wednesday with a combined 126-62 record -- Portland and division leaders Miami, Toronto and San Antonio. ... Miami improved to 8-2 against teams that currently lead their division. The Clippers are 3-6 in that department. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
