Frustrating. Authentic Soccer Jerseys . Sloppy. Forgettable. Choose your adjective. Toronto FC was poor in a 2-1 home loss to the New England Revolution. The play on the field resembled the dark and dreary day by the lake in downtown Toronto. The Revs may have come away with all three points, but they were no better than the home side. Two absolute gifts were the tangible difference on the day. An overall disappointing display and now three straight losses for Toronto FC. Head coach Ryan Nelsen said afterwards it was a "really good" performance by his team. Beauty must be in the eye of the beholder. Toronto FC out-possessed their opponent for the first time all season, which is progress. It should be noted there is a tangible difference between positive and negative possession. The attacking play was all too narrow and lack of cutting edge or decisiveness in the attacking end is a significant concern. Many will point to the 82nd minute penalty as Toronto FC reverting back to their old ways, conceding late. In truth, the full 90 was concerning. A fully healthy squad meant, for the first time all season, Nelsen had his full compliment of weapons. Coming off a bye week, playing at home should have given ample time for rest, recoup and regeneration. Instead, 50-50 balls were won by New England (56.5 per cent) and mistakes were more noticeable than sustained, meaningful build-up. Canadian mens national team head coach Benito Floro was in attendance to see three of his internationals feature in Toronto FCs starting XI. His analysis of the Canadian contributions had to be similar to the rest of the Canadian team: a work in progress. A late right leg/ankle injury to Jonathan Osorio left the Canadian international on crutches. If England manager Roy Hodgson were watching, he would have seen a rather anonymous performance by Jermain Defoe in his return from a long-term hamstring issue. Defoe played the full 90 (a positive) but lacked his typical sharpness. Service from the midfield remains an issue and certainly contributed to the non-descript afternoon. There is only so much he can do on his own. Here are my five thoughts on the 2-1 loss: 1) Shapes of the Midfield - Alvaro Rey was kept out of the starting XI in preference of Kyle Bekker and/or Osorio, however you want to look at it. Bekker was deployed in a holding role, which seems to be Nelsens preference, allowing attack-minded Osorio and all-action Michael Bradley to get forward. The outside left position is an interesting one for Osorio, giving him freedom to roam, checking in and out of the middle of the field. The question is whether the team is better off using a more traditional 4-4-2 with natural wing players or having Osorio in a freer role. All too often, the attack was too narrow and predictable, easy to play against. If this is the way Toronto FC wants to play, they need more overlapping runs from the wingbacks to make it work. And whether Bekker is ready/able to be a stabilizing defensive midfield player is highly debatable. Nelsen acknowledged he was happy how his new-look middle four worked. To the critical eye, it needs work. 2) Oh Henry - Centre-back Doniel Henry returned from a five-week absence (left knee sprain) and the early returns didnt flatter. It was a struggle throughout, with Henry the culprit for both goals conceded. In the first half, Henrys careless, errant pass straight up the middle went right to Revolution midfielder Daigo Kobayashi. A quick pass to Patrick Mullins and a powerful strike from distance beat Julio Cesar for the equalizer. Credit Mullins, as he still had much work to do. Henrys distribution and decision-making must improve for him to take the next step. Remember, hes only 20. With a physical maturity beyond his years, its the mental maturity that is a step behind. Hes a beast in challenges and will continue to be a frustrating asset for the time being. The final blow on a gut-wrenching day for the defender was his handball in the box, leading to the 82nd minute Lee Nguyen penalty winner. A controversial retaken corner kick and Justin Morrows ensuing poor clearance obviously played a role. All too often, Henry slides recklessly inside the 18-yard box and this time, he was punished with the ball hitting his arm. There was no argument whether it was a penalty. Henry will have better days. Hes still the starting centre-back for this team. That should not be debated. 3) In Bloom? - It remains somewhat a surprise Mark Bloom is the preferred option at right back. Bloom has done little wrong to start the season. Hes proven himself to be a valuable squad player on an incredibly team friendly contract. But is he the best option? Bloom provides little getting forward in attack. There were numerous opportunities to get forward and overlap, yet he stays put, falling deep in support. When he does get forward, good things happen. But hes not programmed to be that free-flowing outside back that is preferential in the modern game. Bradley Orr, on the other hand, has more to offer. The Englishman was outstanding deputizing at centre-back with Henry out through injury. Orr is a natural right back however, and seems a better fit to take over the position. Bloom should and will continue to play a role. But Nelsen may do better with Orr as his regular. 4) Action Jackson - The Brazilian midfielder was all over the field, in the middle of good and bad all day long. Jacksons goal was fortunate, taking a nasty deflection off AJ Soares, freezing goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth. Its Jacksons goal for now, but a case can be made for an own goal. The rest of the day was hardly a Picasso. The Brazilians work-rate is his biggest asset. A controlled temperament is not in his arsenal. Jackson has been involved in numerous questionable challenges on the year. In the 43rd minute, he was involved in the worst of any to date. Jackson failed to control and went in high and late on Chris Tierney, catching the midfielder with his studs up to the chest. Jackson was shown a yellow but he should have been sent off. A little more restraint is needed in a league where more times than not, hasty decisions are made. He needs to be more in control: of the ball, in his decisions, and positioning. 5) Failure to Launch - Nelsen pointed to missed opportunities as being a disappointment. Misfiring Gilberto hit the post twice and still looks a step off and rather uncomfortable in his surroundings. Henry had a header on the far post go wide. And Defoe was crafty in manufacturing a chance late, putting a left-footed strike just past the left post. Its fair for Nelsen to point to the inability to take their chances as reason for defeat. Its also fair to say New England, despite only having 40 per cent possession, missed opportunities as well. Both teams were similar in attempts on goal (15-14), so its how Toronto FC uses possession thats the bigger issue. Bradley continues to be a powerhouse going forward through the middle. But on a day the opponent is content to sit back and welcome pressure through the middle, its all too predictable and easy to defend. Toronto FC needs to spread its tactical wings, developing layers of attack and giving more options through natural team movement. If they are unable to do so, they will remain best as a counter-attacking team, relying on the likes of Defoe to take whatever limited chances fall their way. This, perhaps, is not the best way to utilize millions of dollars of talent. Once again, this is a work in progress for all. Progress is essential over the next month leading into the World Cup break. There is still good reason to think this can all come together and work efficiently. Next up for Toronto FC is a date with the Vancouver Whitecaps in the opening leg of their Amway Canadian Championship tie, Wednesday (7:30pm et) at BMO Field. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Stitched Soccer Jerseys . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Soccer Jerseys China . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. https://www.fakesoccerjerseys.com/ .FIFA said its appeals panel ruled the case not admissible.The former U.S. Attorney had objected to ethics judge Joachim Eckerts summary of the World Cup bid investigation, claiming numerous materially incomplete and erroneous representations of his work.DALLAS -- After winning the last three games by a 14-1 margin, Dallas coach Lindy Ruff and goalie Kari Lehtonen believe the Stars latest win was their best this season. Lehtonen made 24 saves for his second shutout in three games to lead the Stars to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. "The last three games have all been excellent in all three zones," Ruff said. "This one against a highly skilled team and taking care of special teams probably knocks the other two down a little bit." Sergei Gonchar, Jamie Benn and Rich Peverley had Dallas goals, and Lehtonen also had an assist for the second consecutive game. "This is up there," Lehtonen said. "That teams really good. We were able to play a lot better than them. We dominated the power play and the penalty kill. Overall, it was a great effort." The Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins have lost two games in six days by a combined 8-1 to Dallas and Florida, teams fighting to get into playoff contention. Gonchar had a power-play goal, his second score this season, with just under 5 minutes remaining in the first period against his former team. Dallas has scored with a man advantage in seven consecutive games. Alex Goligoski, another former Penguins player, had an assist when Benn scored to make it 2-0 at 3:14 of the second. Peverley closed the scoring a little more than 7 minutes later. "This is desperation for (the Stars) and we saw that in their last two games. We saw it again tonight," Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma said. "This was a desperate team, played hard. We have to be able to match that regardless of where our position is or what the standings look like." Lehtonen faced only 12 shots during the first two periods, before the Penguins doubled their attempts in the third. "There were a couple of good (saves) in the second period when it was 2-0," Lehtonen said. "After that, we were able to score to make it 3-0. After that, it was quite relaxing. If I let one in, there would still be a two-goal lead." He stopped Pittsburghs Evgeni Malkin point-blank 9 1/2 minutes into the third. "With the team in front of him for the first 40 minutes, you couldnt find more than one or two good chance," Ruff said. "In the third period when he really needed them, he stood tall."t; Dallas line of Cody Eakin, Antoine Roussel and Ryan Garbutt neutralized the line centred by Penguins scoring leader Sidney Crosby. Custom Soccer Jerseys. "We were sharp, quick and crispy, and it worked out for us," Eakin said. Dallas dominated the first period, with 10 shots on goal to Pittsburghs 4, and scored first. Gonchar took a pass at the top of the slot from Ray Whitney on the right wing boards, and fired a high shot over Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Lehtonen also received an assist on the score. The Penguins Kris Letang went off for roughing at 1:14 of the second period. One second before the penalty expired, Benn took a pass from Goligoski in the right faceoff circle and shot over Fleurys shoulder to make it 2-0. The two power-play goals came against Pittsburghs league-leading unit, which entered the game with a streak of 11 successful penalty kills. "They capitalized on their power plays. We didnt," Crosby said. "We didnt execute when we got chances. They carried the play for the first two periods." Bylsma added: "I think momentum changed, we turn over the puck in the neutral zone. That led back to a chance against and then we took a penalty. That got their first power-play goal and in this game, were minus-2 in the special teams battle. That was a big part of the story tonight." Midway through the second period, Shawn Horcoff stole the puck in the neutral zone and passed to Peverley, who skated into the right circle and shot into the upper right corner of the net with 9:40 remaining. The Stars again outshot Pittsburgh in the second, 12-8. NOTES: Lehtonen leads NHL goalies with four assists this season. He has 31 in his career, with a high of six in 2010-11. ... Goligoski has five assists in his last three games. ... The Stars power-play streak is their longest since a seven-game run Dec. 11-23, 2010. They have improved from 29th in the league this season to 24th. ... Dallas penalty killers have succeeded on their last 15 opportunities, including four Saturday. ... Pittsburgh had won seven of the previous eight games against the Stars, dating back to 2003-04. ... Fleury had entered the game 6-0 with a 1.95 goals against average vs. Dallas. . Defenceman Matt Niskanens career-high six-game point streak ended for Pittsburgh. ... Benn has nine points in the past seven games. ' ' '