Community » Bradleys goal in the 11th minute was enough for TFC

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Michael Bradley has a special place in his heart for Columbus Crew Stadium and now his Toronto FC teammates do as well. Bradleys goal in the 11th minute was enough for TFC to end the Crews unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory on Saturday. Bradley scored from a tough angle, beating goalkeeper Steve Clark at the near post with a shot taken two yards from the end line. Substitute Issey Nakajima-Farran added a goal in the 85th minute off a cross by Justin Morrow. Crew Stadium is where Bradley scored twice for the U.S. national team in a 2-0 victory against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier on Feb. 11, 2011. "Ive been fortunate to get a few goals here," he said. "Great stadium and the atmospheres always good. So far my records not bad here." Bradley played 90 minutes and had a goal and an assist vs. Mexico in 2-2 friendly on Wednesday but showed few effects against Columbus although he was replaced by Jeremy Hall in the 73rd minute. "The idea is to always go 90," Bradley said. "Physically I started to feel it a bit. The important thing now is to recover and get ready for the weekend." TFC coach Ryan Nelsen says he was not surprised by Bradleys effort. "Thats Michael," he said. "He has this willingness to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Its instinctive." On the goal, Bradley ran onto an entry pass from Mark Bloom on the right side of the box, outpacing Crew midfielder Bernardo Anor. Bradley then startled Clark with a shot that went five-hole. "At first I was just thinking of getting there before the ball gets out of bounds," Bradley said. "At that point youre looking across. Given the field and the way the goalie is positioned, if I can really nail this ball low and hard its got a good chance." The goal was his second in MLS and first with TFC (3-1-0) in his fourth game after returning from Europe. His previous league goal was Oct. 16, 2005, with the New York MetroStars. TFC was minus several starters, most notably forward Jermain Defoe. He had scored all three of Torontos goals this season before suffering a hamstring injury in the last match against Real Salt Lake in a 3-0 loss. Also, defender and captain Steven Caldwell was suspended for the match, midfielder Jonathan Osorio was out because of a hamstring problem and defender Doneil Henry sat due to a knee injury. TFC did get midfielder Jackson back from suspension and rookie Nick Hagglund, raised two hours south of Columbus in Cincinnati, made his first appearance, starting in the central defence with Bradley Orr. "He was fantastic," Nelsen said of Hagglund. "I thought the centre backs, Nick and Brad, were incredible. Youd never know thats those guys first games at centre back in an MLS game." Hagglund had about 50 family members and friends on hand and said the game was almost perfect. "I could have scored a couple of goals," he joked. "No, absolutely it was an incredible experience to play in Columbus on this pitch with these guys and get the shutout." TFC goalkeeper Julio Cesar had critical stops on Bernardo Anor and Tony Tchani in the second half when it was 1-0 to preserve the lead against the Crew (3-1-0) before a crowd of 12,045. "I attribute this loss to two things, a bad start to the game and to a very well organized Toronto FC," Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said. Toronto returns to BMO Field April 12 to host the Colorado Rapids. Nike Vapormax Sale Nz . Its great to be back for another season in Banditland, and Im looking forward to another competitive season with my teammates, said Tavares. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . The injury could land Machado on the 15-day disabled list, but its not as serious as it looked on Monday night, when the third baseman crumpled in a heap at the plate after taking an awkward swing in a game against the New York Yankees. http://www.airvapormaxnz.com/vapormax-plus-sale-nz/womens.html . -- Barry Bonds is all set to return to the San Francisco Giants. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Ultra Nz . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign. Vapormax 95 NZ .35 million. The right-hander had agreed last February to a deal that pays him $3.775 million this year and allows him to earn an additional $225,000 in bonuses based on games finished.Peoria, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Seth Tuttle finished with 15 points and seven rebounds as No. 23 Northern Iowa held off Bradley for a 63-52 victory on Tuesday. Natt Buss supplied 11 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Paul Jesperson was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with nine points for the Panthers (14-2, 3-1 MVC), who have won four straight games. Auston Barnes netted 14 points, Warren Jones scored 10 and Josh Cunningham had nine points and 11 boards for the Braves (6-11, 1-3), who were coming off a 66-56 loss to Evansville on Saturday. Deon Mitchells 3-pointer broke an early tie and ignited a 14-2 run that ended on a pair of Wes Washpun free throws, making it a 19-7 game nearly seven minutes in. After KaDarryl Bells layup, the Braves went over six minutes without scoring. During the drought, the Panthers scored 12 unanswered points and took a 31-9 lead on four straight free throws from Tuttle. Northern Iowa led 35-18 at halftime.dddddddddddd Jesperson hit back-to-back triples for a 45-22 Panthers lead less than five minutes into the second half. Trailing by 22 points, Bradley used an 21-6 burst, which included 10 points from Jones, to get within 54-47 with 3:02 to play. Buss made two free throws with 1:29 to play, but Barnes went down the court and drained a 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game. Tuttle and Jeremy Morgan combined for seven made free throws with under a minute to play as the Panthers held on for the win. Game Notes Northern Iowa head coach Ben Jacobson won his 91st game against MVC teams to tie former Bradley coach Joe Stowell for ninth in conference history ... The Panthers have won nine of the last 11 matchups between the two programs ... Bradley made just 15-of-51 shots (29.4 percent) ... Northern Iowa improved to 10-1 when holding the opposition to less than 40 percent shooting this season. ' ' '