TORONTO -- Toronto FC will end its seven-year post-season drought and make the Major League Soccer playoffs next season, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke promised Tuesday. The underachieving franchise finished 17th in the 19-team league with a 6-17-11 record this season. "Our soccer team is absolutely in complete disarray," said Leiweke, drawing laughs during an Empire Club luncheon speech about the future of MLSE teams and plans to improve them. But the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment boss said change is coming. "The team we turn the quickest will be TFC and well turn them next year," he said. "Mark it down, write it down, film it .... Were going to turn TFC around and were going to make the playoffs next year. We know where were headed, we know how to get there. Weve been given the resources of this ownership group and we will get to the right place." Leiweke, who brought David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy, says he knows how to work the designated player rules in the league. The soccer team has money to add designated players and still have about a third of its salary cap to sign two or three veteran MLS players. In detailing the MLSE clubs and their chances of success, he pointed to the hockey club first. "The Leafs are close," he said. Like the New York Yankees are to baseball and the Dallas Cowboys to football, the Leafs must become "the greatest hockey team in the history of the National Hockey League." "Toronto is the heart and soul of the great game of hockey," he said. Leiweke made headlines after taking over in July when he said he already had a championship parade route in his mind for the Leafs. He did not back down from that Tuesday. "I could not be more excited about the parade route and were going to throw you one, I promise," he said. Championships, he said are "not an unreasonable expectation," at MLSE. Leiweke ruffled feathers early in his tenure when he suggested some of the photos of past Leafs greats should be taken down at the Air Canada Centre. "No disrespect to the history and tradition of the 100 years of the Toronto Maple Leafs or any of the great players that have put on that jersey," he said Tuesday. "But these players know its now time to put their pictures up on the wall. Its time for us to hang Stanley Cup banners." As for the Raptors, he said it was tough to build an NBA team on the fly because of salary cap restrictions. Luck and skill are needed in drafting players, plus intelligence in signing other players. "To be honest with you, we havent done that here. And Im not blaming anybody. Now the blames on us." He dismissed the belief that NBA players dont want to come to Toronto. And he said the current roster is "ticked off" that some pundits are already writing them off. "Theyre out to prove something this year," he said of the Raptors, who open their season Wednesday. Build a winning culture and players will come to Toronto, he added. On other matters, Leiweke said: -- The chances of an NFL team coming to Toronto in the next decade are "pretty good." -- Given 17 of 19 Toronto FC games were played in rain at BMO Field this season, "weve got to put an end to that, its time to put a roof on BMO Field." -- At the requests of the city of Toronto, which owns BMO Field, MLSE is looking at whether the venue can be changed to accommodate the CFL. "The Argos are part of a conversation, not a decision thats been made." -- MLSE is looking at whether a larger block of tickets should be freed up to get some new Leafs fans in the ACC to make the venue livelier. -- The NHL needs to put hockey in the Seattle-Portland marketplace, as well as returning a team in Quebec. And that such expansion -- as well as possibly in Las Vegas and Kansas City -- is needed to grow the sport before talk of a second franchise in the Toronto area. cheap jerseys from china . -- Dmitry Kulikov had a rough start and a smooth finish in his first game back for the Florida Panthers. jerseys from china .Y. -- The underachieving Buffalo Sabres began retooling for the future by trading defenceman Jordan Leopold to the contending St. http://www.cheapjerseyssafe.com/ . The Knicks have lost two of their last three, including a tough home loss Sunday afternoon against the Los Angeles Clippers. L.A.s bench led the way in a decisive fourth quarter as Jamal Crawford and Eric Bledsoe anchored an attack that saw the reserves score 48 points. nfl jerseys china .J. Allmendinger this week to discuss his future with the team. Speaking to reporters at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway before Sundays Brickyard 400, Penske acknowledged that there were no guarantees Allmendinger would get his ride in the No. wholesale jerseys . "Theres no reason to think that I wont play on Sunday," Vick said. "Ive had two good days of practice. Im optimistic Ill be able to go out there and very excited to play." Eagles coach Andy Reid said that barring a setback, Vick will start against the team that has lost to Philadelphia six straight times.ST. LOUIS -- Evgeny Grachev scored two goals and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 in the pre-season opener for both teams. Matt DAgostini also scored for St. Louis, and Brian Elliott made 21 saves in his Blues debut after signing as a free agent on July 1. Jamie Langenbrunner and David Backes each had two assists. Steve Downie had a power-play goal for the Lightning, and Mathieu Garon and Jaroslav Janus split the game in goal for Tampa Bay.dddddddddddd DAgostini snapped a shot past Janus with 3:07 remaining in the second, giving the Blues a 2-1 lead. Grachev put the Blues on top with a power-play goal, knocking in a rebound of a Langenbrunner shot at 15:16 of the first period. Grachev also had an empty-netter. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '