Much was decided during an enthralling penultimate weekend of the 2011 Major League Soccer season as teams jostled for post-season positions. With the regular season set to wrap up next weekend, there is now just one playoff place still to be secured with four teams remaining in the hunt. For Canadas two teams, the post-season has long been out of reach, but Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps both had the opportunity to face playoff-bound opposition over the weekend and have a say in how the top three would look in both the Eastern and Western Conference. While Toronto FC will be proud of their afternoons work in tying Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, it was another disappointing effort from Vancouver Whitecaps on the road in Dallas. With a decisive CONCACAF Champions League game looming in mid-week, Toronto FC Head Coach Aron Winter chose to rest some of his usual starters and will have been pleased with the resolve shown by his undermanned team against a Union side that came into the match on top of the Eastern Conference. It was a far cry from the abject display his side put in when they were thumped 6-2 by the Union at BMO Field back in May. There were some familiar failings. The goal scored by Sebastian Le Toux to give Philly the first half lead was entirely preventable. As Jason deVos highlighted at half-time of our TSN broadcast on Saturday, there were three reasons why the goal shouldnt have happened. First, there was an uncharacteristic mistake from goalkeeper Milos Kocic, who cleared poorly from inside his own penalty area. Then, there was Ty Hardens decision to try and keep the ball in play instead of letting it run out for a throw. And finally, having turned the ball over to the Union, Torsten Frings backed away from the play instead of closing Le Toux down as he was preparing to shoot. Down a goal with very little on the line and an important challenge on the horizon, Torontos players deserve credit for fighting back and coming away with a point thanks to Ryan Johnsons second-half strike. It was a wonderfully worked goal that was started by great vision and execution from the fit again Joao Plata. The Ecuadorians cross-field ball picked out Nick Soolsma superbly and the cross from the Dutchman was pinpoint to allow Johnson to score. Torontos Designated Player forward Danny Koevermans was an unused substitute during the game, but still had an influence on the game. Johnson gave credit to Koevermans for the goal saying the big Dutchman worked on that move with him on the training ground and has been helping him develop his attacking play. The biggest positive from the afternoon was the fact that Aron Winters squad now seems to have some depth. Not enough, but certainly more than earlier in the season. Although I expected much more from Philadelphia, there was a determination in Torontos performance that was hardly evident at all during the first half of the season. It cant have been an easy afternoon for those in red seeing Philadelphia secure a playoff place in just their second year, something TFC is still trying to achieve in Year 5, but it was a deserved point, and another step forward in Winters new-look world. Road Woes Continue The Whitecaps missed their final opportunity to get a road win in their inaugural MLS season. Their 2-0 defeat in Dallas gives them the unwanted notoriety of being only the fourth team in the history of the league to go an entire season without a win away from home. After two wins in a row on the Bell Pitch at BC Place, the Whitecaps looked lost at times in Texas and were once again made to pay for poor defending. The Caps gave the ball away far too cheaply, and didnt do enough with the possession that they did have. When asked about the teams road futility, goalkeeper Joe Cannon said post-game "when you have 17 chances, you should probably get one." Hes not wrong, but when you look back over the course of the season, there have been very few times when the Whitecaps have even come close to deserving a win away from home. Stunned In Seattle There were many highlights during the weekends action, but it was in the Pacific Northwest where Major League Soccer was shining brightest once again as Seattle Sounders continue to set the standard for all teams to aspire towards. The attendance of 64,140 at CenturyLink Field on Saturday was in the top five anywhere in the world over the weekend, amongst the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and very few in the stadium will have gone home disappointed. Two late goals secured Seattle a win against San Jose Earthquakes on a night where the people of Washington State turned out in big numbers to honour one of their own. Veteran goalkeeper Kasey Keller was playing in his last regular season home match for the Sounders before hanging up his gloves after a distinguished career that has seen him play at the top level in England, Spain and Germany. It was a fitting send-off for a player who gave so much to his country and was a trailblazer for those in the U.S. who wanted to play in Europe. The Sounders also lived up to their reputation as a classy organization by holding a superb ceremony for Keller at the end of the match when they presented him with a number of retirement gifts, including a motorcycle, customized helmet and an off-road vehicle. The 41-year-old will be missed in Major League Soccer, but was certainly given a fitting send-off. Added to Kellers farewell was the drama from around the rest of the league. Chicago scored twice in stoppage time to win at DC and keep their playoff hopes alive, Houston went into Portland and came away with a 2-0 win, Thierry Henry was sent off for the New York Red Bulls in their loss at Sporting Kansas City, and a total of seven teams secured their place in the post-season. It was certainly a weekend to remember for fans of Major League Soccer. MLS on TSN returns on Thursday night as the New York Red Bulls host Philadelphia Union on TSN2 at 8pm et/5pm pt. Toronto FCs final game of the season against New England Revolution is live on TSN, Saturday at 12:30pm et/9:30am pt. nfl jerseys china . But one piece that should be sticking around - and the good news for Als fans is hes the most important piece - is general manager, Jim Popp. “Ive (talked to) three different teams this off-season but things have not materialized where Ive gotten a job and I dont really expect to,” Popp told Cybulski and Company on TSN Radio 1050. cheap jerseys . Gee shook off the rough patch in an otherwise strong outing, Lucas Duda backed him with a homer and single to drive in four runs, and the New York Mets beat the Colorado Rockies 7-5 on Saturday night. http://www.chinanfljerseyswholesal... . This week, Robin van Persie starts and shines for Manchester United as they earn their first win of the season, meanwhile the Swans show their teeth again and Chelsea is a perfect three-for-three. [url=http://www.chinanfljerseyswholesale.com/]cheap nfl jerseys .SPORT: SHOOTINGMens 50m Rifle ProneCory Niefer (Saskatoon, Sask.)What You Should Know: Niefer is making his second appearance of London 2012. He finished 46th in the 10-metre air pistol event on Monday in his Olympic Games debut. The 35-year-old was a coach for Canada at Beijing 2008. Two-time bronze medallist Sergei Martynov enters the competition as the gold-medal favourite. jerseys from china . Lampards agent Steve Kutner has told British media that Chelsea has no intention of offering the veteran midfielder a new contract when his current deal expires at the end of the season. MIAMI -- Miami reliever Heath Bell was critical of manager Ozzie Guillen in a radio interview Monday, the latest in a series of turbulent comments for the disappointing Marlins to deal with as their season winds down. "Its been an interesting year with Ozzie," Bell told Miami station WQAM. "Thats pretty much all Ill say about that. Its just been really interesting to have him manage." However, pressed with more questions, Bell kept talking, eventually saying the Marlins need a manager "that everybody respects and looks up to." Bells struggles were one of the biggest issues for the Marlins this season. He signed a $27 million, three-year contract over the winter, then eventually lost the closer role after a disastrous start to the season, which included an 8.47 ERA after his first 21 appearances with Miami. For the year, Bell has 19 saves in 26 opportunities, with a 5.40 ERA in those games. He has appeared 43 times in non-save situations, going 3-0 with a 5.06 ERA. Bells seven blown saves were the second-highest total in the majors this season entering Monday. Two players had blown eight opportunities. "You know, I stunk in April, plain and simple," Bell said in the interview. "I said I stunk, I worked hard, I busted my butt. I think the second half, Ive had a tremendous second half. Im not closing, I know that. But I just kept my mouth shut because I want to regain what I had, and I feel like I cant do that." Miami was off on Monday. At 66-87, the Marlins are in last in the NL East and have the sixth-worst record in the majors -- a far cry from what the team expected when it went on a spending spree last winter. The Marlins signed Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle and Bell to contraacts worth a combined $191 million.dddddddddddd But Bell was a bust as the closer, and the Marlins were plagued by poor hitting, especially in the clutch. Bell said he wants to be back with the Marlins "without a doubt" next season. Bells ERA since the All-Star break is 3.12. Prior to the break, it was 6.75. His statements came one day after Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria called his former manager, current Atlanta skipper Fredi Gonzalez, "a colossal failure" with the team. Loria was responding to statements Gonzalez made to The Miami Herald, which quoted Gonzalez saying "theres not a manager dead or alive that Jeffrey thinks is good enough." The Marlins will finish with a losing record for the fifth time in the past seven seasons. Their only two winning seasons in that span came under Gonzalez. Guillen is completing the first year in a four-year contract with the club. He said last week that he is not worried about where hell work next season. "Thats the last thing going through my mind every day, if Im going to have a job next year," Guillen said Friday in New York, before a series where the Marlins were swept by the Mets. "Im going to have a job. I dont know if its managing the Marlins, but I will have a job. I dont know if its managing in the big leagues, but I will have a job." The Marlins are wrapping up their first season in a $634 million retractable-roof ballpark in Miamis Little Havana neighbourhood. The season started coming apart when Guillen was suspended for five games in April following comments praising Cuban leader Fidel Castro, infuriating the Miami-area Cuban community. "Things can only get better," Bell said. "They dont always stay bad." ' ' '