At Tuesdays pre-match press conference, Toronto FC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen attempted to explain to the English media the difficulty of having to play a mid-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur at this particular time of the year. [url=http://www.baseballnationalsauthority.com/Trea-Turner-Jersey/]T

At Tuesdays pre-match press conference, Toronto FC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen attempted to explain to the English media the difficulty of having to play a mid-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur at this particular time of the year. Trea Turner Jersey . “It would be like us playing a game in the Christmas period when youre third in the league and youve got Man City to play on Saturday,” he said. The timing couldnt be much worse. The Champions – Sporting Kansas City - are due in town on Saturday, as Nelsens team moves through its busiest month of the MLS season with seven league games during the month of July. Hes already without some of his key players through injury, including captain Steven Caldwell and starting right back Mark Bloom. But whatever problems are posed by playing the extra game, I agree with Michael Bradleys assessment of the situation. International friendlies are of benefit to Major League Soccer and the growth of the game in North America. While they are certainly far from ideal, they are here to stay, and they have an important role to play. For a start, Wednesdays game against Tottenham is about much more than welcoming international opposition. This match is part of a four-year marketing and commercial deal struck between the two clubs as part of Jermain Defoes transfer. For both Toronto FC and Spurs, its about the bigger picture. Soccer is a global game, and a big part of achieving success is about building and managing relationships, not just within your own league, but around the world. As Toronto FC – and MLS as a whole – aims to continue its rapid growth, international friendlies are an important piece of the puzzle as they provide an opportunity to get a wider circle of attention both in the local community, across North America, and in other countries as well. From a playing perspective it can also have a positive impact. Its a chance for some of the squad players to get a competitive game, and for some of the clubs youngsters to test themselves against a standard of opposition they wouldnt usually face. In 2010 when Toronto FC played Bolton Wanderers at BMO Field, the Man of the Match was a young teenager who hadnt even signed a professional contract at that stage. Doneil Henry has gone on to become a first team regular with the club who has aspirations of playing in Europe. That Bolton match was an early stepping stone for the Canadian international. As he sat alongside Spurs star Christian Eriksen and manager Mauricio Pochettino at BMO Field on Tuesday, Henry said: “This is where I want to be and where I want to play one day. I just want to learn and show what I can do.” So this match is another opportunity for him to prove himself. We likely wont see much of Torontos leading players against Spurs. Ryan Nelsen needs to be cautious, and rightly so. He will give some of his starters 45 minutes, and rest others completely. But for a number of men within his squad this game will provide a chance to shine and it will be interesting to see if they can take it. Tottenham arrived in Toronto on Monday direct from Seattle where they tied the Sounders 3-3 in an entertaining game in the first game of their three-match North American tour. They are without their World Cup players who have been given extra time to rest, and last years leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor who is recovering in London following a mild bout of malaria. But young Danish star Christian Eriksen is expected to see his first action of preseason as Spurs continue to prepare for the Premier Leagues opening weekend in mid-August. Last year Spurs finished sixth in the English top flight, but are under new management with a new direction after Mauricio Pochettinos arrival from Southampton. Eriksen was pretty blunt when asked what Tottenham will need to improve upon this season, with consistency the theme. “We had some really good games and some really bad games,” he said. “For us its about being more stable and also getting points against the big teams.” Watch Toronto FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur live tonight on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt. Anthony Rendon Jersey . - All-Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked spry enough in pregame warmups Sunday for Green Bays divisional playoff game against Dallas. Sean Doolittle Jersey . INJURIES - Reds RF Jay Bruce is facing knee surgery for a torn meniscus and it could cost him a month of playing time. Chris Heisey, who has shown some pop (43 home runs, . http://www.baseballnationalsauthority.com/Howie-Kendrick-Jersey/ . -- Albert Pujols is thrilled to have a reason to forget about his first two disappointing seasons with the Los Angeles Angels.Henrik Stenson can secure the Race to Dubai crown with a tournament to spare at the Nedbank Golf Challenge, where several players still have hopes of ending the year as Europe’s No 1. Stenson currently holds a 252,164 points advantage over nearest challenger Danny Willett, who struggled to a tied-68th in Turkey last week, with 2015 order of merit champion Rory McIlroy in third spot.Victory in Sun City would guarantee Stenson his first Race to Dubai title since 2013, the same year the Swede also topped the PGA Tours money listings, providing Willett finishes the week outside of the top 10. Stenson won the 2013 DP World Tour Championship to end the year as European No 1 Sixth place or better for the Olympic silver medalist is enough to end Rory McIlroys hopes of finishing the season top of the standings for a third year running, as the Northern Irishman already trails by more than a million points and doesnt feature this week.Willett led the Race to Dubai for the majority of the season until a recent dip in results, but the Masters champion remains the only player able to move above Stenson in the standings in South Africa. McIlroy is the only player inside the current top 10 on the Race to Dubai not featuring in South Africa. A win at the Gary Player Country Club - the venue where Willett won the opening event of last season - would leapfrog the Open champion back in to top spot, while a top-five finish could be enough depending on Stensons performance.The current top 10 in the standings all have a mathematical chancee of ending the season top of the rankings, although those outside of the top two would need a series of scenarios to go in their favour to claim the Harry Vardon Trophy. Daniel Murphy Jersey. Alfred Dunhill Links Champion Tyrrell Hatton and three-time European Tour winner Alex Noren can both significantly close the gap on the leading trio with a win this week, while only victory will keep any kind of hope alive for those currently between sixth and 10th spot.Further down the standings, the race is on to move inside the top 60 and secure a spot in the field for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. A look at the Race to Dubai standings with two events to go The winner of this weeks $7million event will earn €1,048,522, with the player finishing bottom of the 72-man field collecting just over €10,000 in prize money.Who will win the Race to Dubai? Watch the final two events live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Live coverage of the Nedbank Golf Challenge begins on Thursday November 10 from 9am. Live European Tour Golf November 11, 2016, 9:00am Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Also See: McIlroys 2015 R2D victory Willett misses out on top spot Turkish delight for Olesen Golf live on Sky Sports Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '