ting KC out onto the pitch in Seattle on Saturday aft | Forum

LEVERKUSEN, Germany -- Manchester United routed Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 on Wednesday to cruise into the knockout stage of the Champions League. Custom Canucks Jersey . Wayne Rooney did not score but played a role in four of Uniteds goals. Antonio Valencia put United ahead in the 22ndminute, Emir Spahics own goal in the 30th doubled Uniteds lead and Jonny Evans got the third in the 65th. Chris Smalling steered home the fourth in the 77th and Nani completed the rout in the 88th. United won 4-2 at home and scored a total of nine goals against a team that sits second in the Bundesliga, but was outplayed on Wednesday. The victory gave United 11 points in Group A before its final match against second-place Shakhtar Donetsk, which beat Real Sociedad 4-0 to move onto eight points. Luca Sbisa Jersey . Already owning gold from competition in Vancouver in 2010, Loch posted a combined four-run time of 3:27.526. That included a track-record third run of 51. Daniel Sedin Jersey . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. http://www.officialcanuckshockeyshop.com/Igor-Larionov-Jersey/ . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66.As Manchester United were edging Manchester City in a five-goal thriller, Juventus were triumphing in the Turin derby and Barcelona squeaked home 1-0 at the Nou Camp, thousands of miles away in California something far more soccer-significant was occurring. The post-match fireworks were purchased. Final preparations were in place. The FIFA president was in town. It was April 6, 1996. Spartan Stadium, the home of San Jose State University, was about to play host to the inaugural match in Major League Soccer when the hometown Clash took on D.C. United in front of a sold-out crowd approaching 32,000. You have to trace it all the way back to American Independence Day, 1988 for when the first MLS seeds were sown. This was the day the US beat back other bids, including one from Brazil, for the rights to host the 1994 World Cup finals. Those rights came with a caveat, one condition from the world governing body: FIFA mandated the United States Soccer Federation to structure a top-flight league. Easier said than done. The year before those 1994 World Cup finals, which eventually would go on to draw a record number of fans, MLS hired its first employee - Mark Abbott. A lawyer by trade, Abbotts soccer connection came via a law colleague, Alan Rothenberg, who was also the president of the USSF. With Rothenberg appointed as CEO of USA 94, it was left to Abbott to draw up MLSs constitution. Then, in his spare time, Abbott criss-crossed the nation in the search for founding investors. A total of 10 clubs took part in that inaugural season.  D.C. United, defeated 1-0 during the season opener in San Jose, would eventually go on and be crowned champions when they beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 in the first MLS Cup. Saturday afternoon in Seattle, MLSs 19th season gets underway when the Sounders, a club like the Whitecaps celebrating their 40th-anniversary, entertain the current champions, Sporting Kansas City. To show the measure of how far MLS has journeyed in the intervening years, MLS Cup 1996, which was played in Foxboro, Massachusetts, attracted a crowd of just over 35,000. Today, the Sounders claim that same amount of supporters in season ticket holders. This is not to say that MLS has not had its share of let downs and disappointments. The leagues worst moment happened just ahead of the 2002 season with contraction occurring and gone were the Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Long gone, though, are the days MLS teams were merely tenants in NFL buildings - begging their landlords to go easy on the rent and allow them access to the stadiums to play matches on days and at a time of day which were most preferable to attracting in the fans the league so desperately needed. Like all sports teams who look to build on the previous seasons accomplishments, MLS will, as well, in 2014.  Nobody needs reminding that we are in a World Cup year and the mommentum those previous tournaments have provided the league. Trevor Linden Jersey. As it did for South Africa 2010, MLS will shut down for the opening fortnight of group games this June. During this time, the league has mandated each of its clubs, along with the players to be active in their communities. One of Toronto FCs newest designated players, Jermain Defoe, was part of Englands squad for their World Cup warm-up friendly against Denmark at Wembley in midweek. You can be guaranteed that, come the conclusion of Brazil 2014, a number of other players will make the transition to MLS. The most famous of the class of South Africa 2010 to do just that was Thierry Henry, who went into that World Cup still a Barcelona player. Three days after the World Cup final, Henry was introduced as a member of the New York Red Bulls (who visit the Whitecaps on Saturday, live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt). This year is also a pivotal one for soccer in Canada and not just for our three MLS clubs. In January, the Canadian Soccer Association announced it will bid to host the 2026 World Cup finals. In August, we host the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup finals and, in April, the Ottawa Fury kick off their inaugural NASL campaign. As for our three MLS clubs, Toronto FC have set the bar awfully high. Whilst they sit out the opening weekends fixtures and have a final week of preparation before opening their season in Seattle next Saturday, nothing short of a playoff berth will suffice. With new head coaches at the helm in Vancouver and Montreal, expectations are less lofty. The so-called opinion makers across the league have already written off their chances to make the post-season. However, thats on paper and we all know matches are won and lost on the pitch. Flying under the radar could work to their advantage. As MLS has blossomed and flourished over the years, it has given rise to allow the soccer-playing kids right across North America to dream and believe that they, one day, can fulfil their childhood ambitions. Tell Patrice Bernier when he was a prospect in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League that one day he would share a flight with the 1993 Stanley Cup-winning captain of the Montreal Canadiens, Guy Carbonneau. The Impact left for Dallas yesterday morning where they open their season on Saturday night. Bernier is now the captain of a club that just so happen to play in one of the best attended leagues in all of world football. Then, share a thought for Matt Besler, who will lead the MLS Cup holders Sporting KC out onto the pitch in Seattle on Saturday afternoon. During that inaugural MLS season in 1996, Sporting KC were known as the Kansas City Wiz. Playing their matches out of the NFL Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium , where a nine-year-old Besler served as a ballboy. You can reach and follow Noel Butler at:Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca  and @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '