ekansekans's blog: "df"

Mathematics tells us the Impact are still in the playoff hunt - the law of probability says otherwise. Even though his attention has begun drifting towards sophomore season improvements and all those inherent responsibilities as the Impacts Sporting Director - Nick De Santis remains the rational optimist that the clubs season can somehow extend itself through November. "Weve got 12 wins, were still in a playoff hunt where the chances are very slim but we put ourselves in position to keep fighting and keep everyone still interested," De Santis explained to TSN Radio. A defining moment occurs Saturday afternoon when MLSs newest kid on the block has the opportunity to become the very first team in the league this season to record an 11th victory at home. Standing in the way for the Impact to reach that plateau is the Eastern Conference leading Sporting KC. A team that just this past Wednesday evening knocked the New York Red Bulls off their unbeaten at home perch. Apart from bringing the likes of one of the leagues most influential young players and 2011s rookie of the year in CJ Sapong and, to many, the leagues best goalkeeper in Jimmy Nielsen for good measure Sporting KC also come packed with one of the most promising and gifted players in the entire league, Graham Zusi. More significantly than all this unbridled individual talent, no team performs better on the road than Sporting KC. Not only has the club accumulated more wins than any other team in the league this season, they have suffered just the solitary away defeat courtesy of more than the solitary goal. Zusi puts Sporting KCs road warrior status down to a club wide ethic and attitude. Explaining to TSN Radio, "Its a mentality that weve been able to establish. You see a lot of teams in this league when they go away from home and theyre pretty satisfied with playing for a draw." "A lot of the teams will bunker in and produce some damage control for the whole match. Thats something we dont do, really at all. Its something we pride ourselves on being able to go away from home and really push the tempo of the match to our liking." Zusi theorized. "I think thats really bode well for us this season especially with our record on the road and our ability to score goals on the road as well." Even though on their previous trip to la belle ville they came away with the points, Zusi scoring the eventual winner from the spot, he was highly respective of his opponent back on July 4th. "That was one with tough conditions, a tough environment to play in. For us to come out on top, especially after going down early in the 2nd half it took a pretty gutsy performance from us. It really boosted our confidence headed home." Was how MLSs most outstanding playmaker described it. De Santis echoing Zusis take. "KC have proven that theyre a team that has a certain mindset whether they are at home or on the road. There is a certain system in place that they follow and abide by it. Theres continuity, theres consistency, theres confidence and we know that were up for a big challenge. "They want to come in and for sure theyre looking at the points they have and they want to finish 1st so we know we have a big challenge ahead of us but we know as well that at home weve beaten the best." Since the Impact returned to their spiritual home in mid-June significant scalps at Saputo Stadium include Seattle, Houston, New York, Columbus and most recently DC United. Five magnificent victories at a combined rate of more than three goals a game.  Not a shabby return on the investment as the club upgraded and redefined a stadium that is one of the leagues true fortresses. Or as De Santis preferred to put it, "Weve shown that are quality of play and our mentality and with the help of our support and our fans its a difficult place to play in" Adding to Saturday afternoons occasion is Saputo Stadium; the finished article. Having arrived back on October 4th last year on the evening the club held its annual end of season awards banquet in a short ceremony club President Joey Saputo broke ground and now some 11 plus months on the hard hats have finally left the building. The match will be played out in front of the stadiums 20,341 capacity for the very first time.  Something De Santis is very much looking forward to. "Its special and I think thats why we feel that responsibility of making sure that we keep showing them [the fans] that were totally committed. I can assure you that the players are going to come out there to win the game." Charged by what is sure to be a frenzied and highly partisan home crowd. That in parts will stand and stomp for the entire 90 minutes alongside a packed out prawn sandwich brigade clapping and cheering along from their luxurious look out posts. The immovable home object going for a football dance off against the road savvy irresistible force.  The match has all the ingredients to be the most epic MLS encounter ever witnessed so far in this, Montreals latest most memorable of football seasons. GONE CURRENTLY FORGOTTEN NOT A CHANCE. Thursday afternoon over at Saputo Stadium was official MLS photo day. An event the club ordinarily would have staged much earlier in the season. Bernardo Corrardis season ending injury suffered in training back in June where he returned home for surgery put paid to that idea. The clubs early season goal scoring leader returned to the Impact fold for a flying visit earlier this week and will take in Saturdays match before returning home to continue his 6-month long recuperation period. ZUSI ON ZIZOU When asked who he models his playing style on Graham Zusi disclosed he could not get enough Zinadine Zidane as a kid growing up in Fort Lauderdale. "I was a huge Zidane fan growing up. He was a guy who I was constantly watching video of and he was by far my favorite player. I try to model my game on him as much as possible." RETURN TO SENDER SAN SIRO RUMORS In some quarters speculation is rife Alessandro Nesta would return to the San Siro for a short loan period next January. In between bouts of giggles when the question was put to him De Santis did manage to compose himself long enough to state the 5 words that will gladden the cockles and hearts of all Impact fans plus many of the top quality forwards that litter Serie A. "No substance what so ever," was all De Santis would offer as response. Over to you rumour mill. Maybe the next one will involve a Ferrari. Montreal Impact v Sporting KC Live on TSN Saturday – Kick Off 1:00pm et / 10:00am pt Wholesale NFL Jerseys China . The Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie quarterback replaced an injured Darian Durant in the first quarter and put together a winning drive that ended with Sandro DeAngelis last-play 40-yard field goal in a 25-24 victory over Winnipeg. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap . -- The Langley Thunder took a 2-0 stranglehold on the best-of-seven Mann Cup series with a 15-14 overtime win over the Peterborough Lakers on Sunday, bringing the B. http://www.wholesalechinajerseysmall.com/ . The general manager, however, understands things certainly need to be tweaked after another early playoff exit.Added-Time takes a look back at Week 3 of the English Premier League season to get you caught up on all the important results, stories and moments.  This week, Arsenal finally got its first win of the post-van Persie era, while the Dutchman terrorized St. Marys with his new squad. STORIES OF THE WEEK: That sound you around 11am et on Sunday was a large swath of the City of London exhaling all at once. After a pair of scoreless draws - at home to Sunderland in the opening week and at Stoke in Week 2 - Arsenal finally earned its first victory of the season on the strength of its first two goals of the campaign, netting a 2-0 win at Anfield. Lukas Podolski got the Gunners on the board after a nice cross-box feed from Santi Cazorla found him with room to convert, but it was the second goal that sealed the game and hammered home a recurring nightmare for Liverpool fans. Cazorla, this time taking a pass from Podolski, put the ball within reach for Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina. However, the former Villarreal man misplayed the shot and it went rocketing off his arm and into the top of the net. It was another crucial mistake from the man who almost cost Liverpool a spot in the Europa League with a late howler against Hearts earlier in the week. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger praised the play of Podolski and Cazorla, who both came over to his squad over the summer transfer window. "You have to convince people when you come to a club like Arsenal that you have the quality of your predecessors," Wenger told BBC Sport. "I think they are doing that very quickly." Meanwhile, it was a high-profile former Arsenal man that single-handedly salvaged a victory for Manchester United. With 10 minutes remaining in Uniteds tilt against Southampton at St. Marys, the Saints looked - for the second time in this young season - primed to stun a more powerful side from Manchester. The result looked even more likely after Kelvin Davis saved van Persies penalty attempt in the 68th minute. But in true United fashion, the final 10 minutes would prove decisive. After Rio Ferdinands header hit the woodwork, RVP would hammer home the rebound to tie the match in the 87th minute. The Dutchman would turn the trick in the second minute of added-time to seal the victory in Sir Alex Fergusons 1,000th match managing United. Fergie expressed surprise at van Persies cheeky penalty attempt - a chip-shot that Davis was able to get a hand to - but acknowledged that his new acquisition was the difference-maker. "I was surprised because every time I have seen him take a penalty he rattles it in the corners," Ferguson told the UK Press Association. "He made up for it, though. He had six attempts on goal and was a real threat." Manchester City was able to stay ahead of much of its competition with a 3-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. In a re-match of last seasons thrilling final match, the Citizens looked much the better side and rattled off a convincing win, despite some tentative moments. Yaya Toure got the squad on the board in the 16th with a nice volley off a Carlos Tevez reboundd.dddddddddddd Bobby Zamora would equalize for QPR in the 59th, but the draw would last just over a minute until Tevez found Edin Dzekos head for the eventual-winner. Tevez would deflect home an insurance mark in stoppage time to seal the three points for City. The points keep City in the first pack chasing table-toppers Chelsea (who were off this weekend but remain the EPLs only perfect squad at 3-0) but ahead of the likes of United, Everton and Arsenal who have all dropped costly points in the early-going. City captain Vincent Kompany applauded his team, despite criticisms that the club might not be playing up to its Premiership calibre. "If we are able to get results playing what people say might not be our best, then what will happen when we do?" Kompany told The Telegraph. "The best is yet to come." Tottenham, however, is not enjoying the success management envisioned when they brought in former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas to the sidelines. For the second straight week, Spurs blew a late lead and had to settle for a draw. The club now sits with just two points and is winless so far under AVBs tenure. RESULT OF THE WEEK: Dont look now, but West Ham United is tied for fifth in the table in this young Premier League season and is ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle and Spurs. The Hammers improved to 2-1-0 with a convincing 3-0 victory over Fulham. The bounce-back effort was much needed after the team was thumped by the surprising Swansea City in Week 2. New addition Andy Carroll paid immediate dividends as his flick-header sprung an offensive break in the very first minute of the match. The play would end with Kevin Nolan finding twine with what would stand up as the game-winner. West Ham manager Sam Allardyce needed to do some convincing to get Carroll out of Liverpool, but he feels the move will end up being in the best interest of both the club and the England national. "Its all right saying: Ill sit at Liverpool on the bench because hell lose his England place then," Allardyce told The Guardian. "Come and play first-team football in the Premier League, were not as big a club as Liverpool I know but come and be the big fish in a small pond." The win netted the Hammers some valuable early-season points, as the team needs to rack up as many as it can in the early-going before a tough November-December stretch sees them face City, United, Spurs and Chelsea in a six-week span. LOOKING AHEAD: The EPL breaks for international play next weekend, but the action will return to TSN in two weeks with two clubs fighting to maintain their spots in the top half of the table. Everton sits on six points thanks in large part to its Week 1 home win over Manchester United and will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 2-0 Week 3 loss to West Bromwich Albion. Newcastle has struggled after its fifth-place finish a year ago following up a Week 1 win over Spurs with a Week 2 loss to Chelsea and a Week 3 draw with Aston Villa. You can catch Everton vs. Newcastle Monday, September 17 on TSN2 at 2:45pm et/11:45am pt. ' ' '