Stars und Sternchen! » substance on defence in one fell swoop

TORONTO - Judging from first impressions, Toronto FC has added style and substance on defence in one fell swoop.Newcomer Damien Perquis, a French-born Polish international, will likely partner with Scottish veteran Steven Caldwell in what could be a hard-nosed centre back pairing.Hes a leader. Hes aggressive, Toronto head coach Greg Vanney said of the former Real Betis defender. Hes a guy who doesnt give away a lot of space to attackers, he gets tight. Hes challenging balls that are coming into forwards.Hes sort of a no-nonsense fellow, Vanney added of Perquis. Hes a guy whos definitely going to have presence when theres time to have presence on the attackers. Thats part of our strategy — we dont want to concede space this year, we want to take away space and look to get the ball back as soon as we can.The 30-year-old Perquis has flair off the pitch as well. Resembling a younger version of French actor Tcheky Karyo (The Missing) he met the media Monday looking like he had just walked off a Milan runway with am oversized scarf casually arranged around his neck.On that score, he will blend well with the 34-year-old Caldwell, a fashion plate of his own off the field. The six-foot-one 165-pound Perquis played for Troyes, Saint-Etienne and Sochaux in France before moving to Spain to sign with Real Betis ahead of the 2012-13 season.Of Polish decent through his grandmother, Perquis has won 13 caps for the Polish national team.Hes happy to be wanted after falling off the radar with his Spanish club, which was dealing with relegation and financial issues.I dont play and it was very difficult for me there, the former Real Betis vice-captain said in English. So I will enjoy my job and I will take pleasure doing what I love the most in my life. Now Im here to help the club to get to the playoffs at the end of the season.Perquis, who arrived in Toronto last Thursday, has not played since a Copa del Rey game in mid-December.He got a heads-up on MLS from friends like French midfielder Vincent Nogueira of the Philadelphia Union and New England Revolution forward Charlie Davis.He (Davis) said Bro, you must be here because the new football is here, recalled Perquis, who speaks French, English, Spanish and a little Polish. So I said OK.Seeing Torontos well-appointed training centre sealed the deal.Toronto was thin at centre back last season and the cupboard got a little more bare in the off-season when Doneil Henry joined West Ham United. That left Toronto with just Caldwell and Nick Hagglund, a rookie last season.The addition of Perquis, Eriq Zavaleta (acquired from Seattle for a second-round draft pick) and draft choices Clement Simonin and Skylar Thomas gives Toronto the six centre backs it wants to stock its MLS and USL Pro rosters. Toronto FC II will make its debut in the USL Pro League this season.For GM Tim Bezbatchenko, bringing Perquis on board represents one of Torontos bigger off-season moves.Im over-the-moon excited about having Damien on our roster, he said. Because this league is hard and theres a lot of travel. People will get injured. You need leaders, people with experience and thats what Damien brings.___Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Matthew Tkachuk Jersey . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. 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Tanner Glass Jersey . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans.ASHBURN, Va. - Of course Matthew McConaughey would want to hang with Robert Griffin III after a Washington Redskins practice. The Oscar-winning actor, a huge Washington fan who was in town to appear at a team charity event, wore an old-style Redskins yellow T-shirt and walked buddy-buddy with the franchise player as they strolled away from the field following Wednesdays off-season workout. Griffin was asked if he noticed McConaughey on the sidelines during practice. "I think if I was a woman, I would notice it a lot more," Griffin quipped. Still, RG3 was the player who drew the biggest scrum of reporters, and he remains the linchpin of the teams championship hopes. But this off-season is bit more tranquil for the 24-year-old quarterback with the disarming smile. Its not two years ago, when he was the shiny new centre of attention, the No. 2 overall pick with unlimited potential. And its certainly not last year, when he heaped attention on himself with his "All in for Week 1" campaign while recovering from a serious knee injury amid growing discord with coach Mike Shanahan. The RG3 of 2014 still loves his slogans — "The Movement" and "Win everything, win every day" are his current chart-toppers — but the knee brace is gone, and so is Shanahan. All is calm under new coach Jay Gruden, and, at least for the moment, Redskins stock doesnt soar nor crash every time Griffin opens his mouth. "Weve got a new coach, and weve got new additions, whether its DeSean Jackson, Ryan Clark, (Jason) Hatcher, all those guys that are here doing great things," Griffin said. "And the story lines dont all lead back to me. And thats fine." Its a firm reset for Griffin after a 3-13 year that included a late-season shutdown, but hes still the same image-conscious perfectionist. Hes learning a new offence, and his fundamentals are getting some tweaks under the new coach. Overall, however, Grudens take on Griffin sounds somewhat similar to Shanahans. "Hes mature beyond his years already," Gruden said. "Hes obviously got a lot more maturing to do, but as far as his work ethic is concerned, about how he handles himself on and off the field, I dont think thatts going to be that big of an issue.dddddddddddd Its just a matter of how you handle the media scrutiny sometimes. "Like I said, hes a perfectionist. He doesnt like negative publicity. He doesnt like negative plays to happen. He wants everything to be right. He wants everybody to love Robert, and thats not going to be the case at the back position." True to form, Griffin tried to set the record straight about his views on off-season work. A year ago, he was confident he could make a strong return from the knee injury despite missing off-season practices. He now wants all to know that he didnt mean to devalue the importance the April-June workouts. "When you have a hand dealt to you where you dont have an off-season, you dont use it as an excuse," Griffin said. "And that was the message that was trying to be sent last year. I didnt have the opportunity to have that off-season. I was getting healthy, getting ready for the season. You dont whine about it; you dont cry about it, and I think maybe it was taken the wrong way and people thought I didnt need it. You always need it." For the most part, though, Griffin has avoided talking about last year — because it would be tricky to do so without dissing Shanahan. No sense rocking the boat while everything is good. "Everybody wants me to compare this year to last year," Griffin said. "We havent played any games yet, and even when we do play the games, Im still not going to compare them. That question will not be answered." NOTES: WR Jackson remains sidelined with a hamstring injury. Gruden called it a "minor tweak" and said he hopes Jackson is back next week. ... Gruden for the first time experienced the sauna-like conditions of the Redskins garage-style news conference room. "You guys cant afford an air conditioner in here?" the coach said. "You guys quit writing bad stuff about us and maybe well get an AC in here and move you out of the garage." The remark earned a rare ovation from reporters, and Gruden was brought a green towel to help wipe away his sweat. ___ AP NFL websites: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ___ Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '