TORONTO - While Toronto FC has spent the year scouring the globe for talent, its surprise player of the season is a local product acquired before the new management regime took over. cheap nfl jerseys . Rookie midfielder Jonathan Osorio, identified as a player to watch early in training camp by first-year manager Ryan Nelsen, has shown an opportune scoring touch in grabbing the spotlight. Osorio, who turned 21 in June, has started eight games and seen action in 10 more with Nelsen playing him both in centre midfield and on the flank. "Hes one of the absolutely top young talents in this league," said Toronto president and GM Kevin Payne. "I put him at the same level as (Gyasi) Zardes and the other forward (Jose Villarreal) from Los Angeles that everybodys making a big deal about. "I think Johnnys actually probably got a better all-round game than either one of them." Nelsen believes Osorio is a legitimate rookie of the year candidate. "For a guy who you could kind of say is coming out of nowhere in a way, its been an absolutely fantastic year," said the former New Zealand international. "But what I love about Jon is that he only wants to get better and wants to improve every day." Thanks in part to Osorio, Toronto snapped a six-game winless streak last weekend with a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew. Osorio scored in the 87th minute to pull Toronto into a 1-1 tie that set the stage for Andrew Wiedemans 94th-minute winner in a torrential downpour at BMO Field. While he had been shifted to the wing recently, the arrival of Spanish winger Alvaro Rey is likely to return Osorio to the middle. Osorios four goals are second only to Robert Earnshaws six on a team where goals have been hard to come by. Toronto has just 19 in 21 games. Top strikers Danny Koevermans (calf) and Earnshaw (hamstring) have both been sidelined of late. Osorio says hes always had "a nose for the (penalty) area." "Im one to always attack the box and I think I do it pretty well. So as long as I keep doing that — thats where more than 50 per cent of the goals happen in football." Osorios goals have all come late. And would have meant more had it not been for defensive lapses. Osorio scored in the 78th minute against Los Angeles (the Galaxy replied in stoppage time for a 2-2 tie), in the 66th minute against Philadelphia (the Union scored in stoppage time for a 1-1 tie) and the 83rd minute against New York (the Red Bulls scored in the 89th minute for a 2-1 win). "Its a great story for our other academy kids," said Payne. "When they see kids actually transition from the academy to the first team and get games and have the opportunities to make impacts, that really helps their confidence. They now believe that Wow if I work hard, there really is a pathway. "That kid is very talented. Johnny Osorio. Hes a tough kid ... He looks like a cool, detached sort of player on the field but he actually has a great deal of emotion within him. He plays with a lot of passion." Osorio didnt spent much time with the Toronto academy. He signed in September after impressing with SC Toronto in the Canadian Soccer League. In February, he was at Toronto FCs camp in Florida and was included in Nelsens his first starting 11, against the Columbus Crew. "You knew it right there, he had confidence in me to play and to be ready to play at a professional level," Osorio said. The young Canadian says he is growing in confidence every week. "I feel really good out there," he said. "Im always hungry to score goals or assists or help the team in any way." Said Nelsen: "Nothing fazes him. Not even bad moments in games. He always tries to do things positively. Instead of going into his shell, he tries to keep doing stuff. And I love that because the game and life in general rewards those people." Osorio took the long road to his home-town club, spending two years at Club Nacional in Montevideo, Uruguay, thanks to his talent and the connections of coach Jorge Amura at the Clarkson Sheridan Soccer Club in suburban Mississauga. He spent two years there, starting in the under-19 ranks before making his way into the reserves before deciding to return home at the end of 2011. wholesale nfl jerseys . "For the past several weeks, Logan has been dealing and playing with an upper body injury," said general manager Doug Wilson in a statement. "Despite his efforts to play through it, the injury has not responded as we had hoped and Logan has made the decision to undergo a surgical procedure to repair the problem. cheap jerseys From China . Milan Michalek had a goal and an assist as the Senators won their third game in a row on a long road trip, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 5-2 on Thursday.PORTLAND, Ore. - Once Gerald Green gets going, he doesnt think he can be stopped. Green scored 18 of his 32 points in the second half and the Phoenix Suns rallied for a 109-93 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. "Thats what Gerald does," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said of Green, who made 12 of 20 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. "When he gets going, you just kind of let him go. "There are times when you go, Uh, oh, what are we going to see next? He got a little wild, but he feels nobody can ever stop him. Thats the confidence he has." Eric Bledsoe finished with 30 points and Goran Dragic added 19 for the Suns (45-31), who denied the Blazers (49-28) a chance to clinch a Western Conference playoff berth while beating Portland for the third time in four games. Trailing 67-57, the Suns outscored Portland 22-13 over the final 6:48 of the third quarter to pull within 80-77, then scored the first seven points of the fourth to take the lead for good. Robin Lopez and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 18 points for the Blazers, who had their four-game win streak snapped and dropped two games behind Houston for the Wests No. 4 playoff spot. "Im glad we dont have to play Phoenix anymore," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. "Obviously, theyre active on the offensive glass and extra possessions hurt us. Usually I like our chances when we hold a team to 40 per cent shooting, but give the Suns credit." The Suns, battling Dallas and Memphis for the Wests final two playoff berths, took the lead for good at 81-80 when Green threw the ball off the backboard and dunked to open the fourth quarter, touching off a 20-5 run that all but put the game out of reach with 5:07 remaining. Markieff Morris scored 12 points for the Suns, who finished with a 59-48 advantage in rebounds, a 24-6 advantage in fast-break points, and a 48-32 edge in points in the paint. "We just had a little more determination, I guess," said Bledsoe, who scored 14 of his 30 pointss in the fourth quarter. cheap jerseys. "Everybody knew if wed lost this game, it was going to be tougher going forward." The Suns still face a daunting six-game stretch to close out the regular season, including home games against Oklahoma City and Memphis, and road games against San Antonio and Dallas. "Our destiny is in our own hands, because we still play Dallas and Memphis," Dragic said. "Those two games are going to be really huge for us. Win those games and its going to be really close." The Suns, looking to bounce back from Wednesdays 112-108 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, got a pair of 3-pointers from Green during a 13-2 run that gave them a 26-19 lead with 1:29 to play in the first quarter. They led 51-45 but then came up empty on their final nine possessions of the second quarter, going 0 for 11 from the field with two missed free throws and a turnover as the Blazers outscored them 9-0 in the closing 3:17 of the half to take a 54-51 halftime lead. Aldridge, held to four first-half points, made 5 of 8 shots from the field and two free throws, giving him 12 third-quarter points as the Blazers carried an 80-79 lead into the fourth. The Blazers, coming off Tuesdays 124-112 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers, got 15 points from Damian Lillard and shot 43 per cent (35 of 81) to the Suns 40 per cent (39 of 97). Both teams also made 6 of 21 shots from 3-point range. Notes: The last time the Suns had a player score at least 30 points off the bench was when Dragic had 32 points in a 124-115 loss at Utah on Jan. 25, 2010. . The 16-point loss was the second-worst loss for the Blazers at home this season, ranking behind a 98-81 loss to Memphis on Jan. 28. . The Suns went into Fridays gave averaging an NBA-best 18.6 fast-break points and had scored 20 or more fast-break points in 36 games this season. . Lopez was originally drafted by the Suns in the first round (15th pick overall) of the 2008 NBA draft and played four seasons with Phoenix from 2008-12, averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 242 games. ' ' '
