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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. Discount Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . 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. John Randle Jersey .Y. - The Buffalo Sabres reassigned forward Sam Reinhart to the WHLs Kootenay Ice on Friday. Kevin McDermott Jersey . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders.BALTIMORE -- If the Baltimore Ravens performance in their preseason opener served as a sneak preview for the regular season, then Gary Kubiaks new offensive scheme could be a smash hit. Joe Flacco produced an 80-yard touchdown drive in his only series, and the Ravens amassed 386 yards in offence en route to a 23-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. It was the third time in three tries that Ravens coach John Harbaugh got the best of his brother, Jim Harbaugh, coach of the 49ers. Baltimore previously defeated San Francisco on Thanksgiving 2011 and in the Super Bowl ending the 2012 season. "Weve got some work to do," Jim Harbaugh said. Especially on defence. "Thats probably the biggest concern coming out right now," Jim Harbaugh noted. "We got pushed around a little bit." Each team played its starting unit for one series before the backups took over. After Colin Kaepernick moved the 49ers 66 yards for a field goal, Flacco made himself right at home in Kubiaks variation of the West Coast offence, going 4 for 5 for 52 yards during a 10-play scoring drive. "Ten plays in a new offence, that doesnt happen very often," wide receiver Steve Smith said. "We were high tempo, high paced, so that went well." Kubiak, the former head coach of the Houston Texans, replaced offensive co-ordinator Jim Caldwell, now Detroits head coach. "The execution by the offence on our first drive was what we like to see," John Harbaugh said. "Our technique and assignments were sharp. It was good, fundamentally sound football." Four different receivers caught passes from Flacco, the former Super Bowl MVP: Dennis Pitta for 14 yards, Jacoby Jones for 12, Kyle Juszczyk for 17 and Smith for 9. "You expect to go out there and have a good drive," Flacco said. "You envision good things happening. You have a good idea of what plays youre going to run. It kind of went on schedule." Ray Rice ran three times for 17 yards after receiving a warm ovation from the home crowd during pregame introductions. Rice has been suspended by the NFL for the opening two regular season games after being arrested for domestic violence in February. A year ago, the Ravens averaged a meagre 3.1 yards per carry. In this game, they totallled 237 yards rushing on 48 tries, a 4. Dalvin Cook Jersey. 9 average. "The thing that was good was that we went out the first drive, Joe and all of us, and we executed," Rice said. "But when we came out, the same level of execution came in. It was good to see that there was no dropoff from anybody." Bernard Pierce will probably start while Rice is serving his suspension. Pierce ran for 37 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run to end Baltimores opening drive. Kubiaks offence is different for the running backs, too, and Pierce appears to have made the adjustment. "Its definitely a one-cut system," he said. "Its not that complicated to run." John Harbaugh was predictably low-key about the success of the running game. "Its just one day and you have to build on top of it," he said. San Francisco had offensive co-ordinator Greg Roman back from last year, but he streamlined the playbook during the off-season in an effort to make it easier for Kaepernick to get the call in. Kaepernick appeared relaxed at the helm during his lone series. He completed his only pass, 17 yards to tight end Vance McDonald. "Ended up in the red zone with an opportunity to score a touchdown, so thats all that really matters," Kaepernick said. "The biggest thing for us was we were trying to get points on the board, regardless of how we get there." San Francisco running back Frank Gore did not play. Rookie Carlos Hyde started and gained 39 yards on five carries. Jonathan Martin started at right tackle for the 49ers in place of injured Anthony Davis (shoulder). Martin, who was in the centre of the Miami Dolphins bullying scandal involving former teammate Richie Incognito, came to San Francisco in an off-season trade. Kaepernicks backup, Blaine Gabbert, went 3 for 11 for 20 yards and an interception. Flaccos replacement, Tyrod Taylor, completed 13 of 21 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 59 yards on five carries. Justin Tucker kicked three field goals for Baltimore, including a 55-yarder that made it 16-3 late in the third quarter. NOTES: The 49ers rested, among others, Gore, WRs Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd and LB Patrick Willis. ... Ravens top draft pick C.J. Mosley had a sack. Cheap Soccer Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys China Wholesale Baseball Jerseys ChinaWholesale College Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys Near Me Cheap Jerseys Online Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys AuthenticCheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic MLB Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Throwback Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China ' ' '
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