PORTLAND, Oregon - The MLS All-Star game was an entertaining affair on Wednesday night at Providence Park in Portland, as the hosts staged a second half comeback to defeat Bayern Munich by a score of 2-1. Nike Cortez Nylon . Goals from the New York Red Bulls Bradley Wright-Phillips and the Los Angeles Galaxys Landon Donovan saw the All-Stars overcome a wonderful Robert Lewandowski first half volley for the Germans. Purists are critical of the All-Star game; they believe that a mid-season fixture can only result in fatigue for the players at best, or injury and a lengthy spell on the sidelines at worst. Yet the game was played at a surprisingly lively pace, as Bayern showed their class early on. Regarded as one of the best club teams in world football, Bayern were excellent in the opening 45 minutes. Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri pulled the strings for Bayern in a central attacking midfield role, while the duo of Lewandowski and the ageless Claudio Pizarro caused havoc with their movement up front. That Bayern were only up 1-0 at the break was down to some desperate defending and heroic goalkeeping from the All-Stars. Wholesale changes at the half for the hosts made the second half a sight to behold. Wright-Phillips, the leading goalscorer in MLS right now, hammered a strike past Tom Starke in the Bayern goal to bring the All-Stars level in the 51st minute before 14-time All-Star Donovan scored the games winner in the 70th minute, latching on to a Diego Valeri cross before calmly beating substitute – and German World Cup winner – Manuel Neuer in the Bayern goal. The game even had a bit of bite to it in the second half, as Osvaldo Alonso and Canadian international Will Johnson made their presence felt in midfield, putting in the requisite crunching tackles that we have come to expect from both players. Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola was not a happy man at the final whistle – in part because of the rough treatment his star players came in for in the second half but also, Im sure, because he simply hates losing, regardless of the "friendliness" of the competition. It was a highly entertaining match in front of a raucous crowd – if youve never been to watch a game in Portland, put it on your bucket list because you wont regret it – but it would be foolish to draw any sweeping conclusions about the state of the game in North America from one result. Pre-season training is for players to find their form and fitness, and Bayern Munichs objective in this game was entirely different to the All-Stars. A glance at the Bayern bench in the first half showed just what a stunning wealth of talent Guardiola has at his disposal. World Cup winners like Neuer, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Müller, Jerome Boateng, Philipp Lahm and Mario Götze all entered the match in the second half for a short appearance, as did Dutch star Arjen Robben. Their brief cameos delighted the sellout crowd more than they did anything to rescue Bayern from defeat. The All-Stars looked a reasonably cohesive bunch – something that cannot always be said for such squads. Far too often, players in such games look like they have only just met, which is often the truth. Credit has to go to All-Star head coach Caleb Porter for scrambling together a simple, yet effective, game plan on such short notice. For the purists, dont expect this game (or the midseason "friendly" that is popular with MLS clubs) to go away any time soon. MLS is still in its infancy as a league, and the general consensus is that such games are growing the awareness of MLS around the world. My advice to you is to do what Luke Wileman and I did on Wednesday night – sit back, enjoy the ride and marvel at the talents of some world-class players on display. Nike Air Max 2015 Herren . Zach Randolph had 26 points and 12 rebounds and Memphis overcame another strong effort by Kevin Love to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-90 Friday night. Nike Cortez Schweiz . This week, topics cover the Blue Jays rotation, the futures John Gibbons and Alex Anthopoulos, protecting pitchers and a bonus question on his predictions for the MLB playoffs.Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week, they discuss preparations for the Rio Olympics, the exciting first round of the NBA playoffs, Mike Keenan victorious in Russia and the prolonged wait for the NFL Draft finally coming to an end. Bruce Arthur, Toronto Star My thumb is down to the International Olympic Committee and…I know, I know…you feel like weve been here before, but this is a new frontier because the concept of an Olympics in Rio was new when the IOC awarded Brazil the 2016 games seven years ago. Concerns about readiness, inequality and about the way the country might react? Dont worry! Rio! Now with two years to go, the IOC is shocked…shocked…to find that they gambled on a country that hasnt built the establishment. Seriously, Rio is in major organization trouble with whole complexes unbuilt and with public unrest still simmering, the IOC is lamenting the fact that they cant employ Beijing-style slave labour. Theyre blaming it on Rio. Guess who they should be blaming instead? Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun My thumb is up to the first round of the playoffs and Im not talking about the Stanley Cup playoffs, which have been marvelous, as usual. Im talking about the NBA playoffs, where, normally, the first round is about favourites winning and not much else, but not this year. A last-second three by the sensational Damian Lillard of Portland meant there were five Game 7s in the first round, instead of a record-breaking six. There have been eight overtime games and the road team has won 21 of the first 36 playoff games - this from a league that usually sees the home teams win 70 per cent of the time. Nike Air Max 90 Schweiz. And, of course, there is Game 7 in Toronto today with the possibility of 2 million people watching on TV. If this isnt fun, I dont know what is. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated My thumb is up to Mike Keenan, who reminds us that a coach is a coach is a coach, no matter the team or the time zone. Keenan always dreamed of winning a Cup, although probably not the Gagarin Cup. Two decades after the New York Rangers memorable Stanley Cup run, Iron Mike did it again on the far side of the erstwhile Iron Curtain, coaching the KHLs Metallurg Magnitogorsk to a Game 7 win over Lev Prague. Note one striking similarity in the championships: as he did after beating the Vancouver Canucks in 94, Keenan celebrated in the dressing room by singing karaoke - this time in Russian, of course. The Red Army choir is not giving up its day job. Dave Hodge, TSN My thumb is up to May 8, which is coming soon - on Thursday - and thats why my thumb is up, because when May 8 finally arrives, it brings with it the National Football League Draft…finally. Did I say "finally?" When the NFL moved the draft from April to May, we might have known wed be sick of mock drafts by now. There is actual analysis that proclaims winners and losers of mock drafts! Ive heard so much about Jadeveon Clowneys awesome talent and alleged laziness that Im sure there are two Jadeveon Clowneys. Im not sure if the Houston Texans will take one of them or which one or if the Texans will take Johnny Manziel or if theyll trade down - I only know they cant trade up and I dont care anymore what they do, I just want them to do it. On May 8. wholesale nfl jerseyswholesale jerseys ' ' '
