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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. “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. Cheap Dortmund Jersey . There is no argument that the line of Pacioretty, David Desharnais and Thomas Vanek was one of the hottest in the NHL leading into the post-season, and they did combine for three goals and seven points, but it was the depth of all four lines that helped propel Montreal. Manuel Akanji Jersey .TV Series: Duck Dynasty. http://www.footballdortmundpro.com/Kids-Dzenis-Burnic-Jersey/. Justine finished first with a score of 22.44 while Chloe was second with 21.66 points. Defending champion Hannah Kearney of the U.S., was third at 21.49. A third Dufour-Lapointe sister, Maxime, failed to make the final group and finished 12th while Audrey Robichaud of Quebec City was 10th. Jadon Sancho Jersey . -- Wes Welker is unlikely to suit up for Denvers game Thursday against San Diego after leaving Sundays win over Tennessee with his second concussion in four games. Sergio Gomez Jersey .C. -- Jackson Whistle made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season as the Kelowna Rockets blanked the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-0 on Saturday in Western Hockey League action.Brooklyn, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Joe Johnson scored 27 points to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 102-96 triumph over the Denver Nuggets at Barclays Center. Mason Plumlee added 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Jarrett Jack supplied 17 points and eight assists for the Nets, who have won two in a row following a three-game skid. I thought it was a great grind-it-out game. We showed a lot of composure and a lot of mental toughness, Nets coach Lionel Hollins said. Brook Lopez (lower back strain) returned from an eight-game absence and had six points in over eight minutes of court time for the Nets. Ty Lawson scored 29 to go with nine assists for the Nuggets, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Theyve also dropped six straight on the road. Kenneth Faried had 20 points and 14 rebounds for Denver, which grabbed an 87-86 edge with 6:20 left following a pair of JJ Hickson free throws. Johnson then responded with a 3-pointer. Hicksons driving layup tied the game at 89, but the Nets scored the ensuing eight points. Johnson capped the flurry by fading away at the foul line to drain a jumper over a leaping Wilson Chandler with 2:41 remaining. Faried then cconverted an alley-oop jam off a feed from Lawson, but Denver didnt get any closer the rest of the game.dddddddddddd We just did some unfundamentally sound things, Nuggets coach Brian Shaw said. The Nuggets scored the first eight points, but a layup from Sergey Karasev at the first quarters end provided Brooklyn with a 30-27 edge. Bojan Bogdanovics 3-pointer widened the gap to 47-37 five with minutes left in the half, and the hosts went into the break with a 58-54 edge. Faried finished the period with a highlight-reel, one-handed tip slam off a miss from Chandler. Denver led by as many as four in the third, but Lopezs turnaround shot with 9.6 seconds remaining had Brooklyn within 77-76 going to the fourth. Game Notes The Nets posted consecutive wins over the Nuggets for the first time since Dec. 16, 2005 and Jan. 27, 2007 ... Karasev had 12 points ... Brooklyn forward Kevin Garnett, who had two points on 1-of-5 shooting, played in his 1,400th career game ... Arron Afflalo had 11 points and nine rebounds for Denver ... Nets guard Deron Williams (right calf strain) missed his second straight game. 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