TORONTO -- Portland Timbers captain Will Johnson capped off a career year Thursday by being named Canadas male soccer player of the year. Junior Seau Womens Jersey . The Toronto-born midfielder was voted to the MLS All-Star Fan XI team and named to Major League Soccer Best XI after leading the Timbers to a first-place finish in MLSs Western Conference with a 14-5-15 record. In his first year in the Pacific Northwest after five seasons with Real Salt Lake, the 26-year-old set MLS career marks in goals (9), assists (5), points (23) and minutes played (5,250). He played the full 90 minutes in all 28 regular-season appearances. Johnson called it a year "of coming into my own." "I loved having that responsibility of leading this group," he said of being given the captains armband by coach Caleb Porter. "It was a welcomed challenge for me, something I just really got excited about and it just gave me a passion to excel and take my game to the next level." Johnsons hard-nosed play and leadership won admirers around the league, with Toronto FC casting envious eyes at him during the season. He is the 14th winner of the award and the third from MLS ranks, following Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad. Atiba Hutchinson was runner-up in voting by Canadian media, coaches and clubs. Midfielders Patrice Bernier of the Montreal Impact and Russell Teibert of the Vancouver Whitecaps were third and fourth, respectively. On the national team front, Johnson was part of Canadas CONCACAF Gold Cup squad but was sent home early due to illness. He had one assist in three appearances for Canada, with club duties restricting his time with the national team. Johnson said he looks forward to spending more time with the Canadian team, which is in a period of transition under new coach Benito Flores. Born to English parents, Johnson holds Canadian, American and English citizenship. He moved to England as an infant and then came to the Chicago area at the age of 10. After spending 2005 with the Chicago Fire, he went to Europe where he played for Heerenveen and De Graafschap in the Netherlands. Johnson says he is enjoying Portland and MLS but would be open to the right opportunity. "Id love to stay here, Im very happy here but Im not tied down here for too long so well see," he told a media conference call. "I do feel I have the quality to play in Europe but I also have a young family now." he added. "It has to be the right situation. Going to Scandinavia does not interest me. Top leagues in Europe would interest me but other than that, at my age with a young family, MLS is a great league. I very much enjoy playing here, I enjoy being an ambassador for the league. I love being part of the growth of this league. "So it would have to be something very special to entice me to leave a league I very much enjoy playing in." After beating archrival Seattle, Portland lost to Real Salt Lake in the Western Conference final. Real Salt Lake also ousted the Timbers in the semifinal of the U.S. Open Cup. "Weve got to take that next step now," Johnson said of Portland. "We set the platform and the minimum requirements that we all expect out of ourselves. I think that hunger will translate over to next year. "On a positive note, we now have guys who have played in the playoffs, have won a playoff series, have experienced what its like to get in there ... This will not be an acceptable season next year, thats for sure. The bars been set." Canadas female player of the year will be announced Friday with national team captain Christine Sinclair a favourite to claim the award for a 10th straight year and 11th overall. Dylan Carreiro and Kadeisha Buchanan were earlier named under-20 players of the year. Marco Carducci and Sura Yekka took under-17 honours. The awards are sponsored by BMO. Branden Oliver Jersey . Gonzalez participated in his final game on Sunday, Atlantas 21-20 defeat at the hands of the NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, having posted four catches for 46 yards. Doug Flutie Jersey . - Former NFL safety Darren Sharper pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges that he drugged and raped two women he met at a West Hollywood night club, while the emergence of a new accuser in Florida left him under investigation in five states.SAN DIEGO -- For one day at least, the moderate-payroll San Diego Padres are in first place in the NL West, ahead of the big-spending Los Angeles Dodgers. Seth Smith hit a towering drive for a tying homer leading off the eighth and Chris Denorfia singled home two runs to give the Padres a 3-1 victory against the rival Dodgers in baseballs North American opener Sunday night. Smiths first hit with the Padres came on a 2-0 pitch from Brian Wilson, who started the eighth after Hyun-Jin Ryu threw seven scoreless innings. It sailed an estimated 360 feet into the right-field seats. It was his seventh career pinch-hit homer. He was acquired in an off-season trade with Oakland for reliever Luke Gregerson. Wilson (0-1) walked pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal, who advanced when the veteran reliever couldnt handle Everth Cabreras bunt for an error. Grandal stole third and Cabrera took second on indifference before Denorfia hit a bouncer up the middle to bring them both in. "Theyre all just one game, but when youre facing a team like the Dodgers, full of great players, Brian Wilson, a guy who knows how to get it done in those situations, its not easy to do what our hitters did," said Huston Street, who pitched a perfect ninth for the save. "To come back and get three right there in that situation, especially after leaving guys on base early, thats what this team is going to have to do to win. Were going to have to battle all year long." The Dodgers set a record with an opening-day payroll of $234 million. The Padres are 23rd at just under $90 million. Street said he has no problem with the discrepancy. "Theyve got a lot of talent and their talent has earned those salaries," Street said. "Theyre not just given. At the same time, a lot of guys in this locker room are young guys. They havent hit that free agency mark. They havent hit those big salary years. We could be sitting on a higher payroll team. You dont worry about it too much just because baseball is such a game of execution." Dale Thayer (1-0) pitched a perfect eighth for the win. Smith was acquired to provide a left-handed bat off the bench. He went deep on a cutter. "You get in the box and its an at-bat," he said. "As a professional ballplayer you hope that you can kind of flush the fact that its yoour first at-bat with your team or its in a big spot or whatever, and just do what youve been practicing for the last six weeks. Philip Rivers Jersey. " Wilson said it was tough to deal with because Ryu "pitched such a marvelous game. Its a hard one to swallow." He said he threw a pitch "that was a little bit uncharacteristic of me. Right then and there, the tire deflated." The defending NL West champion Dodgers had started the regular season with a two-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Sydney. Ryu got the start after reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw was scratched due to a swollen back muscle and then placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his seven-year career. In a scheduling quirk, the left-hander started consecutive regular-season games. He made his season debut a week earlier, when the Dodgers beat the Diamondbacks in their second game in Australia. Ryu retired 16 in a row from the second inning until one out in the seventh. He then walked rookie Tommy Medica, who was then erased in a 3-6-3 double play. Ryu allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked three. The Dodgers grabbed the lead on a nice piece of hitting by Carl Crawford with two out in the fifth. Crawford went the other way with an 0-2 pitch from Andrew Cashner, hitting it over third baseman Chase Headley to bring in Dee Gordon from second. Gordon had reached on a walk and advanced when Cashner fielded Ryus bunt and forced A.J. Ellis at third. Cashner allowed four hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two. NOTES: The Padres renamed the broadcast portion of the press box the Jerry Coleman Broadcast Center in memory of the Hall of Fame broadcaster who died on Jan. 5 at 89. His widow, Maggie, and daughter, Chelsea, threw out the ceremonial first pitches. ... Sunday nights attendance of 45,567 set the Petco Park single-game record. ... Padres manager Bud Black said LF Carlos Quentins time on the disabled list will go beyond April 10, when hed be eligible to be activated. He was placed on the DL on Saturday, retroactive to March 25, with a bone bruise in his left knee. Quentin was hurt diving for a ball in a spring training game. ... Monday is an off day. Tuesdays scheduled starters are Zack Greinke for Los Angeles and Ian Kennedy for San Diego. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
