Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds,

It was the biggest match to date of the season and Toronto FC failed to show up. Calvin Johnson Jersey . That was the basic premise in a 2-0 loss Saturday afternoon to the Philadelphia Union, capping off a thoroughly disappointing week. Three losses in three games against Eastern Conference rivals, a coaching change, more injuries and fresh questions about Toronto FCs playoff credentials remain in the aftermath. Adversity has come to the team and the bell has not been answered. The performances, subpar, out-scored 6-0 against teams ripe in the playoff hunt. Back-to-back losses against the Union particularly hurt, with Philadelphia leapfrogging Toronto in the standings. Four points out of six seemed a reasonable goal in the home-and-home with the Union. No points to show for constitute a failure. There is no sugarcoating it: the performance was poor and the boos ringing out at BMO Field were deserved. But before we go any further, please make note: All is not lost. Toronto FC is very much alive. The headlines and narrative surrounding the team has been decidedly negative, but completely overblown, considering Toronto FC were in position to control their own playoff destiny eight days ago, sitting in a playoff spot with at least a game in hand on all teams in and around them in the standings. An initial burst of energy or inspiration after a coaching change may not have played out. The depth on this team (or lack thereof) has not been fit to deal with a number of key injuries. And players playing through injury have not had a decided positive impact. Defensive errors and resorting to the long ball in attack featured in the lackluster performance. Confidence and communication are clearly lacking, leading to sloppy goals conceded. While the negative seems overwhelming, it must be said the team remains in a playoff spot, depending on the results of Columbus and New York this weekend. Regardless, Toronto FC is still right in the mix in a weak Eastern Conference. The MLS roster freeze comes September 15th and Im told the market is quiet, although as teams in the Western Conference fall to the wayside, perhaps there is possibility to add. General manager Tim Bezbatchenko is aware of the expectations and will certainly look to add to the team, particularly at the back. There is now a week before Toronto FC is next in action: a chance to breathe, refocus, and heal. Seven days to get things back on track. Here are my five thoughts on Toronto FC latest setback: 1) Missing Stevo – To say Toronto FC misses captain Steven Caldwell is an absolute understatement. Caldwell is the leader, key communicator, and glue across the backline. Without the Scotsman, Toronto FC is a vulnerable bunch lacking direction and positional discipline. Goals by Conor Casey and Andrew Wenger came from failure to clear and poor marking in and around the six-yard box. Such error is not expected as this juncture of the season. Countless times over the last two games, the back four has become stretched and the players have been forced to deal with being out-numbered. Without timely saves by goalkeeper Joe Bendik, the results could have been worse. There is talent in the unit, but the current composition, sans Caldwell, is just not right. Nick Hagglund and Doneil Henry each show promise, but are both 21 with brighter days ahead. Each are easily drawn out of position and left vulnerable by their own doing. Mark Bloom appeared in just six MLS matches before this season and hardly looks the player he was before injury. And Bradley Orr is playing through a toe injury: not an ideal situation for the lone veteran across the back. Each has positive moments, but are failing to gel as a collective. Defensive composure is essential through growing pains. That has to be fixed. Caldwell understood how much he was missed and came back from injury too soon. Patience is required to heal. In the meantime, the team struggles without Captain Caldwell. 2) Broken Wings – The one noticeable change from former head coach Ryan Nelsen to Greg Vanney is the wingbacks getting up the field into the attack. The thought behind the tactic is worthwhile, but fails to come off without Justin Morrow manning the left side. Toronto FCs current wingbacks havent provided the needed service and/or pace down the flanks to truly threaten. And in turn, getting too far up the field has left Toronto FC exposed on the counter. Philadelphia had a field day the last two matches exposing Toronto pushing forward. The problem isnt simply with the cover by the defenders. The central midfield has been slow to react. Collen Warner in particular failed to get back to cover, filling the space in rotation to make a back four. The recovery runs havent been made with purpose across the midfield. Warner was substituted in the 44th minute; a message sent by Vanney. If the wingbacks are going to continue to attack, communication, rotation, and defensive commitment from the midfield has to be better. 3) Central Midfield Dilemma – Vanney should consider switching up the central combination for next week in Chicago. Both Warner and Michael Bradley are good players, but play too similar a role in the middle, both regularly falling deep to build from the back. When they turn on the ball, there are few options available, with the preferable option consistently being to play the ball to either wingback. The wingbacks, in turn, play the long back, giving away possession. I blame a lack of options available through the middle of the park and too much congestion elsewhere. There is no texture to the central midfield and the build up wanes because of it. If Bradley is going to hold, a more attack-minded midfield partner may remedy what ails the position. When fit Jonathan Osorio is the option, that makes most sense. Osorio has struggled in his sophomore campaign playing most often out on the left. A move into the middle seems to be the better fit. Kyle Bekker wasnt up for it in the second half, so options in the role are limited. Or perhaps Vanney elects to move to a 4-3-3, which seems more suited to the personnel available. Vanney expressed his desire to have flexibility in terms of the tactics. Its a big ask of the players to make such a formational change this late in the season but this may be necessary based on current form. The attack needs be much better. 4) Short vs. Long Term – It was always a risk for Bezbatchenko to pull the plug on Nelsen and his staff when he did. Even Vanney himself couldnt recall a time in Major League Soccer when a manager had been fired while sitting in a playoff spot this late in the season. Its clear the front office and coaching staff needed be on the same page. Time will tell whether the timing on this one was right. The safer move for Bez would have been to keep Nelsen on until the end of the season, then make a change. If the team failed to make the playoffs, Nelsen could have been the fall guy. But time wasnt something the general manager thought he had. Bezbatchenko is confident he made the best decision for both short and long term. Its difficult for Toronto FC supporters to hear, but the franchise is going through yet another process of growth and identification. The financial commitment made raises the stakes but doesnt change the process. The balance between the push for the playoffs and lasting build is a difficult balance, especially for a rookie GM. Big picture, it remains about getting it right and creating something sustainable for the club to build off for years to come. Break-ups are never easy. This case is no different. 5) Defoe Story – Vanney says he expects Jermain Defoe to return to the team by the 20th. This comes after a Daily Mail story claiming Defoe is trying to negotiate a buyout from the club. Lets be clear, the Daily Mail is hardly a bastion of truth in sports reporting. And even if we assume Defoe (which very well may be the case) is angling for a way out of Toronto, there is no chance Toronto would give him a buyout after the team kept hold of a prized asset, resisting temptation to sell for a record number in the dying hours before the transfer window closed. Defoe is in Toronto until January, period. After that, all bets are off. Defoe needs to get back at it, prove he is fit mentally and physically, and be on the field for the stretch run. He makes the team better. And Toronto will feel much better saying goodbye if Defoe helps this team make the playoffs. This is more a test of Defoes focus and demeanor than anything at Toronto FC. Next up for Toronto FC is a visit to Chicago to take on the Fire next Saturday. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Darius Slay Jersey . The time off didnt slow them down. Tyler Zeller scored a season-high 18 points and grabbed a career-best 15 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 14 points and the Cavaliers pushed their winning streak to five games Tuesday night with a 114-85 victory over the skidding Philadelphia 76ers. Tracy Walker Jersey . A night later, he was back to help lead a rout of the Detroit Pistons. John Wall had 20 points and 11 assists, and Beal scored 10 of his 15 points during the second quarter as Washington pulled away for a 106-82 victory on Saturday. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Kenny-Golladay-Draft-Jersey/ . The Argentina striker has not played for the Premier League leaders since September when he refused to warm up during a Champions League match and only returned last week from a three-month unauthorized absence at home. City coach Roberto Mancini had initially told Tevez he would never play for City again after his act of public insubordination, but later softened his stance and only asked for an apology.EVANSTON, Ill. -- Gary Harris sees the wins piling up for No. 4 Michigan State. What he doesnt see is a finished product. The Spartans hardly looked like one against Northwestern on Wednesday night. They still prevailed 54-40, with Harris scoring 14 points to lead them to their ninth straight victory. "We know that we werent playing as well as we can offensively," Harris said. "We had to do something defensively to kind of get us going. Get stops and get the lead. Thats what we did. Thats how we pulled away from them." The preseason favourite to win the Big Ten, the Spartans (16-1, 5-0) continue to roll along, although it was hardly an easy night for them. They overcame a sluggish start and pulled away down the stretch even though they struggled in a big way from the outside. They were 2 of 16 on 3-pointers with six airballs, by coach Tom Izzos count. Harris missed all six from long range and Keith Appling was 0 for 3. Harris did have four steals, and Appling managed to score 11 points. Branden Dawson, fighting an illness, had 11 rebounds and three blocks, and the Spartans came away with the win even though they were missing one of their top players in Adreian Payne. The 6-foot-10 forward sat out his second straight game because of a sprained right foot and will have more X-rays on Friday. "Frustrating for him," Izzo said. "Although I have to admit he actually had better suggestions on the bench than he had in the games. I appreciated him as an assistant. I thought he did a good job in the huddles, and sometimes guys grow when they dont play. They appreciate playing." Izzo said Payne spoke in the locker room afterward. "That kids grown up so much. Its been a good year for him," Izzo added. Its been a great one for Michigan State, too, even if this game was a bit ugly. Tre Demps did his best to keep Northwestern (8-10, 1-4) in the game, scoring 10 of his 12 pooints in the second half. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Da-Shawn-Hand-Draft-Jersey/. . But leading scorer Drew Crawford never got going. He managed just six points with Denzel Valentine guarding him most of the game. Point guard Dave Sobolewski missed his second straight game because of a concussion, and the Wildcats came up short after beating then-No. 23 Illinois on Sunday night to give new coach Chris Collins his first Big Ten victory. They havent knocked off a top-five team since they took out fourth-ranked Michigan State on Jan. 27, 1979. But Izzo insisted Collins has them on the right path, even if its been a bumpy one. The Wildcats are moving to a more free flowing offence after running the Princeton set under former coach Bill Carmody, and it hasnt been the easiest adjustment. But they see the progress even though theyve failed to hit the 50-point mark the past two games. "Were really on the verge of something good," Crawford said. Coming off back-to-back overtime wins against Ohio State and Minnesota, Michigan State probably could have used a breather. The problem was, the Spartans had trouble sustaining a run. They looked as though they were poised to put this one away after Travis Trice nailed a 3 and Matt Costello scooped in a reverse layup to make it 40-31 with 11:36 remaining. But Demps answered with a basket for Northwestern. It was 44-37 when Alex Gauna banked in a shot to start a six-point spurt that gave the Spartans a double-digit lead. Harris hit two free throws and stripped Demps, leading to two more foul shots for Appling that made it 50-37 with 4:59 left, and the Spartans hung on from there. "(Northwestern) got loose balls," Izzo said. "They did the things theyve got to do. Its a sign of a good young team thats playing hard. Its the sign of a good coach whos getting them to play hard. I think theres a lot of positive things here. We have a good team. Were not playing real good right now." Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys ' ' '