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TORONTO -- Fresh from a trip to England and Italy in search of marquee talent, Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen says his MLS club is feeling optimistic about the future. Nelsen was accompanied overseas by general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. "We talked to a number of players, a number of friends," Nelsen said after practice Wednesday. "Hopefully we can get something done as soon as possible. "But I know -- having been in the middle of this myself before -- it does take time. But it was a really productive trip. Thats all I can really say. "Lets just say I came back very excited." Leiweke has said that the club hopes to sign two designated player strikers in the January transfer window. While Nelsen did not detail his itinerary, his travels took him to his former club Tottenham where talented striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been surplus to requirements this season. But the 29-year-old Togo international reportedly makes north of 125,000 pounds a week (C$210,000 or close to $11 million a year). Thats rich -- for MLS and MLSE. Former French international Thierry Henry of the New York Red Bulls leads the league salary table at US$4.35 million, according to figures released by the MLS Players Union. Adebayor, who once cost Manchester City 25 million pounds (C$42 million), may also not tick off all the boxes expected of a DP by Leiweke. Torontos immediate future, however, is its regular-season finale Saturday against a motivated Montreal Impact team. The visiting Impact (14-12-7) currently stand third in the East with 49 points. A win over Toronto (5-17-11) and Montreal automatically qualifies for the playoffs. New York and Sporting Kansas City have already earned two of the five playoff berths in the East. That leaves Chicago (49 points), Houston (48), New England (48) and Philadelphia (46) chasing Montreal. If Montreal ties or loses to Toronto, it will need help from its rivals in a convoluted playoff scenario further complicated by the Impacts 1-5-1 record in recent weeks. Should the Impact fail to win Saturday, it will have to wait on its fate until Chicago, Houston and New England play Sunday. Montreal has never won at BMO Field since entering the MLS, with an 0-2-2 record in all competitions. In the clubs previous meetings this season, the Impact won 2-1 in Montreal on March 16 and there was a 3-3 draw in Toronto on July 3. NOTES -- Toronto striker Justin Braun trained separately after taking a knock in a reserve game. Midfielder Darel Russell continues to nurse a muscle strain. On the plus side, Bobby Convey is back training and fellow midfielder Jeremy Hall is back from suspension. Mike Ivie Jersey .NYCFC confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that this week Lampard signed a contract to start in July — midway through the new teams first season in MLS. Luis Salazar Jersey .The 24-year-old quarterback spent four seasons at Northern Illinois and in 2013 was a finalist for the Heisman, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in U. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/733m-h...sey-padres.html. - PGA Tour rookie Tony Finau shot a 9-under 63 at Del Monte and had a two-stroke lead over Billy Andrade and Lee Janzen of the Champions Tour after Thursdays opening round of the Callaway Pebble Beach Invitational. Steve Finley Jersey . - Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte sees the commitment to the handoff and cant help but come away impressed. Padres Jerseys 2019 . The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.TORONTO - Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen says hes concerned about the rough treatment being meted out to star striker Jermain Defoe. The five-foot-seven English forward will have to sit out Saturdays game against visiting Sporting Kansas City after receiving a caution last weekend in Houston, when he was essentially hurled to the ground by six-foot-four Dynamo defender David Horst during an altercation. Only Defoe saw yellow, his fifth of the season which triggered a one-game ban. Nelsens beef is that officials seem to be swayed by simulation and the extras that can follow a foul rather the actual incident. "Hes such a honest player," Nelsen said of Defoe. "Especially in England, you dont dive, you dont fall down, you dont complain. You get that sort of treatment and you have to deal with it. "But over here, a lot of players fall and dive and roll. And the referees react on that. Where(as) our guys are sometimes a wee bit too honest and they take the punishment. The league talks about stamping out all that play, but just because our guys dont dive, it doesnt mean its not happening. "Thats the thing that frustrates me the most is that the referees, they react on what happened if its a dive or its a roll or something like that, then they react. And not the actual impact itself, which they should be doing." No stranger to having a target on his back, the 145-pound Defoe has not complained and has shown he can take care of himself, not backing down from anyone.dddddddddddd But the 31-year-old has surprised even himself with the five cautions so far in his first season in MLS. "Which is unusual for me," he said after the midweek friendly with Tottenham. "I dont normally get involved, I dont really get yellow cards and that." Defoe understands, however, that opposing teams are looking to get him off his game. "Well thats their job at the end of the day," he said after the recent 1-1 tie with Vancouver."Youve got to do whatever it takes to win the game. "Obviously Im not in their changing room, I dont know what the manager says or what they do, but at the end of the day, for me, Ive just go to get into the areas where Im going to score goals. And obviously theyre going to try and do stuff, I suppose, to put me off my game. But its not a problem. Its important just to keep focused and as a forward make sure when we get the chances, that we put them away." Going into this weekends round of play, Defoe was one of 13 players with five cautions. D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen led the league with seven yellow cards while six players had six cautions. Defoe leads TFC in yellows, despite only having played 14 of 17 league games. Portlands Darlington Nagbe led the league with 61 fouls suffered in 20 games. Defoe was not in the top 10. But as Torontos leading scorer, with 11 of the clubs 26 goals, he is a key to the attack. Defoe ranks fourth in league scoring. ' ' '