TORONTO -- After digging deep into its roster for a midweek friendly against Tottenham, Toronto FC gets back to business Saturday when it hosts defending MLS champion Sporting Kansas City. Yadier Molina Jersey . Four days later, Toronto wraps up a busy July with a visit to D.C. United (10-5-4), which trails Eastern Conference leader Kansas City (10-5-5) by one point. It speaks volumes about the turnaround in Toronto FC that midfielder Michael Bradley sees the two games against elite opposition as an opportunity rather than just a chance to see how his team measures against the best in the East. For Bradley, the K.C. and D.C. contests are a chance to move up the standings. Toronto (7-5-5) has two games in hand on D.C. United and three on Kansas City. "When you play the teams right around you these are six-point games and so if we can now, over this next week, come out with some good results, then still it gives us a chance to keep the games in hand but move right up the table," said Bradley. "Thats our goal. "Seventeen games gone, 17 to go. We feel like its been a good first half of the season for us but we still hold the bar high for ourselves and want to continue to move on up." Manager Ryan Nelsen says his team continues to be a work in progress. "Even now, were still learning about each other.," said Nelsen. "Im still learning about (designated players) Michael and Jermain (Defoe) and Gil(berto). And theyre still learning about us. Are we the finished product? Of course not. Were nowhere near that. But are we getting better? I think so. Were evolving quite nicely." This year has already been a success compared to previous seasons. Nelsens team is headed to a first-ever playoff campaign and has already exceeded the number of wins posted each of the 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2103 seasons. Three more victories and it will match the club single-season record of 10, set in 2009. With 13 leagues wins in his 1 1/2 seasons, Nelson is already the club leader for managerial victories. Toronto will have to face Kansas City without Defoe, the star striker who is suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Brazils Gilberto is expected to start up front with Englands Luke Moore. Defoe has 11 of Torontos 26 league goals. Next on the list is Moore with three. Gilberto has two, although he has shown signs recently that he is finding his feet in the league after a lengthy scoring drought. Gilberto attributed to his slow start to the layoff since the Brazilian season ended in December. "It was tough getting used to the MLS because Id been off for so long," the 25-year-old said through an interpreter. "So the road was a little bumpy but now things are starting to progress." Is he having fun, he was asked. "Its good," he said in English with a smile. Bradley says the team is rooting for the likable Brazilian to succeed. "Sure. Hes a good guy. Hes somebody that has come in and shown such a willingness to work and run and fight and really do everything he can to help the team," he said. "We have total confidence in him," he added. Bradley did not figure in Torontos 3-2 midweek loss to Tottenham as Nelsen looked to give his midfield star time to rest. Kansas City also played a midweek friendly, losing 4-1 to Manchester City. Unlike Toronto, K.C. played its first team against the English side. Captain Matt Besler seemed unfazed by the defeat, telling local reporters that the focus was on Toronto -- "which is a huge, huge match, probably our biggest of the season so far." Nelsen said Brazilian winger Jackson is fit after an Achilles knock and is available for selection. Captain and centre back Steven Caldwell (quad) and right back Mark Bloom (knee) remain out. Kansas City has not lost in the league since dropping a 1-0 decision to D.C. United on May 13. The champions arrive on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). "Theyre a team that grinds out results," said Nelsen, before delivering one of his biggest compliments. "Theyre very good at not playing well and winning." Nelsen sees Kansas City as one of the leagues model franchises and values how they got there. "Theyve done a really good job there," he said. "I think they went through two or three years of really tough times. "Its really easy to see the beacon that they are now but to actually get there, they went through some really hard times. And you kind of have to live that when youre in the situation that they were and potentially where we were. But theyre an example of a team, like Real Salt Lake, that built it right, built it well. And that gave it longevity. Theyve got a foundation now where they can just spit out these good players because the clubs got such a good, stable foundation. NOTES: Toronto tied 2-2 at Kansas City earlier in the season in the strength of a stoppage-time goal by Bradley Orr. Torontos career record against K.C. is 4-10-5, but it is 3-3-3 at BMO Field. Marcell Ozuna Jersey . The Oilers jumped into the free agent market early by signing defencemen Keith Aulie (six-foot-six, 228 pounds) and Mark Fayne (6-3, 210 pounds) and left-winger Benoit Pouliot (6-3, 197-pounds). Two days earlier MacTavish traded lightweight forward Sam Gagner to Tampa Bay for 6-3, 203-pound right winger Ted Purcell. Matt Carpenter Cardinals Jersey . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-ken-boyer-jersey/ . The Rangers announced after Thursdays 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees that they would purchase Williams contract from Triple-A Round Rock. The 32-year-old Williams was released by Houston earlier this month after going 1-4 with a 6.MIAMI -- Maybe in a video game. Possibly in the pregame layup line. But shoot this way in the NBA Finals, against the two-time defending champions? "Its not something you can plan for," San Antonio reserve Manu Ginobili said. "There was no magic plays. We just moved the ball and every shot went in." Not quite every shot. But just about. Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 29 points, and the Spurs made a finals-record 75.8 per cent of their shots in the first half in a 111-92 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead. The Spurs made 19 of their first 21 shots and finished 25 of 33 in the first half, bettering the 75 per cent shooting by Orlando against the Lakers in the 2009 finals. "Its a hit-or-miss league," Miamis Dwyane Wade said. The Spurs didnt do much missing. "I dont think well ever shoot 76 per cent in a half ever again," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. The Spurs led by as much as 25 and were only briefly challenged in their second lopsided victory in the series. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had 22 points for the Heat, who host Game 4 on Thursday. Returning to the arena where they were oh-so-close to winning a fifth championship last year, the Spurs came out playing like they were trying to build a lead that was impossible to blow. They shot 13 of 15 and led 41-25 lead after the first quarter, then hit their first six shots of the second in front of a stunned crowd in Miami to go ahead 55-30. Leonard scored only 18 points in the first two games, looking frustrated while getting into foul trouble trying to defend James in Game 2. But he had his outside shot working early, making his first six shots and finishing 10 of 13 from the field. "I just found a rhythm and my teammates found me the ball. I made shots," Leonard said. The last three NBA seasons ended in this building, the last two followed by Heat championship parades. The Spurs nearly cancelled the last one, building a five-point lead in the final half-minute of regulation of Game 6, a title seeming so certain that workers were already making preparations around the court. But the Heat rallied to win in overtime and took Game 7, leaving the Spurs with a summmer to think about the one that got away. Steve Carlton Cardinals Jersey. Theyre in good shape to get another chance. With the league scrapping the 2-3-2 format for the NBA Finals --in which the lower seed played three consecutive home games -- the Spurs would have a chance to wrap it up in San Antonio on Sunday in Game 5 if they can win Thursday. Chris Bosh took only four shots and scored nine points for the Heat, who for the second straight year will have to overcome a 2-1 finals deficit after being blown out in Game 3. This rout came on their home floor, where they had been 8-0 this post-season and had won a franchise-record 11 in a row since the Spurs beat them in Game 1 last year. San Antonio inserted Boris Diaw into the lineup, countering Miamis small lineup and creating more ball movement that clearly helped Leonard. The game got off to a crisp start, with the Spurs making their first five shots and Miami opening 4 for 4. Turned out the Spurs were just getting started. Coach Erik Spoelstra planned to communicate with James to make sure there were no lingering problems from the cramps that forced him to miss the final minutes of the opener. But there was no way he could rest James early, since he was the only one keeping the Heat in the game. He had 14 of their first 20 points, but even James couldnt keep up with the Spurs pace. The Spurs "came out at a different gear than what we were playing at, and it just seemed we were on our heels the most part of the first half," Spoelstra said. San Antonio led 71-50 at halftime. It was the first 70-point first half in the finals since the Lakers scored 75 against Boston in Game 2 in 1987. The Heat finally got into it in the third, running off 10 straight points to cut a 17-point deficit to 81-74 on a drive by Norris Cole, who had replaced an ineffective Mario Chalmers. That was as close as Miami would get, as the Spurs pulled away in the fourth. Notes: Wade appeared in his 150th post-season game and passed Dirk Nowitzki (3,455 points) for 17th on the post-season scoring list. ... The Heat fell to 68-20 in the post-season at American Airlines Arena. Their .782 winning percentage entering the game trailed only the Lakers .792 mark at Staples Center. ' ' '