TORONTO -- Raptors rookie Jonas Valanciunas suffered a broken right ring finger and left Fridays game against the visiting Orlando Magic in the first quarter. The Lithuanian forward got tangled up when battling for a loose ball under the basket and fell, and was favouring his hand when got up. X-rays revealed the break. The 20-year-old, whom the Raptors selected with their No. 5 pick 2011 draft, is averaging 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds a game. He has started all 28 games for Toronto. Official CFL Jerseys ." The former U.S. Postal Service rider failed an out-of-competition doping test on Aug. 29, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport said, and was provisionally suspended by Cycling South Africa ahead of an independent tribunal. He now faces a two-year ban. Authentic CFL Jerseys . And while it doesnt always work out, these 17-, 18-, and 19-year-olds will have at least given fans, the media, and NHL scouts something to get excited about over a two-week stretch at the turn of the year. http://www.cflofficial.ca/ . "But its always going to be about that last game," Hart said. A day after Hart resigned as Canadas mens soccer coach, he told the media that the humiliating 8-1 loss to Honduras that knocked the team out of World Cup qualifying left him with no choice but to leave.There is little doubt about the standout performance from Canadas three MLS teams over the weekend. Montreal Impacts 3-1 win at home to Eastern Conference leaders New York Red Bulls leaves the expansion team five points outside the playoff places. A couple of Montreals new additions shone at Stade Saputo as Jesse Marschs men looked far from a first-year side. The team came together to provide a fairly complete performance which combined solid defending with free flowing attacking soccer. The result was the Impacts best performance of the season. Marco Di Vaio scored his first goal in Major League Soccer and with each passing game looks to be finding his feet in his new home. Di Vaios intelligent thinking and vision has been clear to see during his eight appearances since joining Montreal, but now the understanding is growing between him and his teammates. Di Vaios fellow Italian Alessandro Nesta made his first league start for the Impact. Despite not quite being at full fitness, Nesta showed the quality you would expect from someone of his calibre. He started alongside fit-again Nelson Rivas at the back and it seemed his calmness settled the whole team down. The Impact also have Matteo Ferrari available again, and all of a sudden after a few weeks where injuries have been an issue at the back, Marsch now finds himself with three of leagues top defenders to call upon. While the night of firsts for Di Vaio and Nesta grabbed the headlines, a comment from New Yorks Thierry Henry caught my attention. He said despite the star power within Montreals line-up, it is Canadian Patrice Bernier who is Montreals most influential player by some way. Its hard to disagree of Berniers importance to the team. Since returning to the Impact after a decade playing in Europe, Bernier has six goals and five assists, but beyond the stats, hes really proving to be the heartbeat of the team in midfield. Berniers play isnt just good news for Montreal. After being left out of Canadas squad for the last round of matches in World Cup Qualifying he has played himself into contention for a recall to Stephen Harts squad for the matches coming up in September. The Case For The Defence In the press conference following Saturdays defeat to Houston, Toronto FC coach Paul Mariner was once again asked about signing a new defender. He responded by saying that the search goes on but that he hoped to conclude it in the next 48 hours. Mariner explained that he could have signed many defenders over recent weeks, but is waiting for the right one. He says hes in this for the long haul and wants to ensure he gets it right. Just a couple of weeks ago, Mariner reportedly close to adding two central defenders with international experience, but the club fell short in being able to close those deals and seemingly hhad to turn attention elsewhere, slowing down the process of adding the most important piece needed in their team.dddddddddddd However, defensive improvement isnt just about central defenders. The first goal scored by Houston was about missed marking assignments on a corner. The way the Dynamo were able to get two free headers on the play was concerning, but leaving Calen Carr unmarked at the back post to head home from close range was inexcusable. After three wins in a row, TFCs performance at BMO Field on Saturday was a major letdown. Mariner admitted Houston were by far the better side. Unfortunately for Toronto supporters, their team just didnt show up against the Dynamo. Whitecaps Undone In Rockies Toronto FC isnt the only club looking for a defender. Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie is keen to add depth to his backline, and Fridays defeat at Real Salt Lake was evidence of why that is necessary. After playing in the home win over San Jose the previous Sunday, then 90 minutes in the MLS All-Star match last Wednesday in Philadelphia, it looked like a step too far for Caps captain Jay DeMerit to be back on the pitch dealing with the heat and altitude of Salt Lake just 48 hours later. The Whitecaps shouldnt have been put in a position to have their Captain running on empty in a game on the road against a team above them in the standings. MLS All-Star coach Ben Olsen should have adhered to Martin Rennies request to just play DeMerit for 45 minutes. The Salt Lake match shouldnt have been scheduled for two days after All-Star. However, Vancouver had to deal with the adversity and DeMerit paid the price. Its a disappointing situation for Rennie to have to deal with, but not something he will use as an excuse. The Caps certainly had plenty of chances to take something from the match. Barry Robson excelled again in midfield with his impressive range of passing. Just as they had done in the previous home match, Darren Mattocks and Dane Richards caused plenty of problems for the opposition defence with their lightening pace. This Whitecaps team has a different feel about it now. They have the quality to be able to win any match in MLS. Earlier in the season, their attacking play wasnt quite where it needed to be. Whilst being solid defensively, there were many times when they didnt create enough going forward. The Caps current run sees them playing five of six matches against teams that currently occupy the Western Conference playoff places with them. They started the run with a tie against LA in a match they should have won. They then beat leaders San Jose at BC Place, and against Salt Lake on Friday, probably deserved to have taken a point. Its a far cry from last years expansion season. They are now an entertaining team to watch at home or away. ' ' '