At Tuesdays pre-match press conference, Toronto FC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen attempted to explain to the English media the difficulty of having to play a mid-season friendly against Tottenham Hotspur at this particular time of the year. “It would be like us playing a game in the Christmas period when youre third in the league and youve got Man City to play on Saturday,” he said. The timing couldnt be much worse. The Champions – Sporting Kansas City - are due in town on Saturday, as Nelsens team moves through its busiest month of the MLS season with seven league games during the month of July. Hes already without some of his key players through injury, including captain Steven Caldwell and starting right back Mark Bloom. But whatever problems are posed by playing the extra game, I agree with Michael Bradleys assessment of the situation. International friendlies are of benefit to Major League Soccer and the growth of the game in North America. While they are certainly far from ideal, they are here to stay, and they have an important role to play. For a start, Wednesdays game against Tottenham is about much more than welcoming international opposition. This match is part of a four-year marketing and commercial deal struck between the two clubs as part of Jermain Defoes transfer. For both Toronto FC and Spurs, its about the bigger picture. Soccer is a global game, and a big part of achieving success is about building and managing relationships, not just within your own league, but around the world. As Toronto FC – and MLS as a whole – aims to continue its rapid growth, international friendlies are an important piece of the puzzle as they provide an opportunity to get a wider circle of attention both in the local community, across North America, and in other countries as well. From a playing perspective it can also have a positive impact. Its a chance for some of the squad players to get a competitive game, and for some of the clubs youngsters to test themselves against a standard of opposition they wouldnt usually face. In 2010 when Toronto FC played Bolton Wanderers at BMO Field, the Man of the Match was a young teenager who hadnt even signed a professional contract at that stage. Doneil Henry has gone on to become a first team regular with the club who has aspirations of playing in Europe. That Bolton match was an early stepping stone for the Canadian international. As he sat alongside Spurs star Christian Eriksen and manager Mauricio Pochettino at BMO Field on Tuesday, Henry said: “This is where I want to be and where I want to play one day. I just want to learn and show what I can do.” So this match is another opportunity for him to prove himself. We likely wont see much of Torontos leading players against Spurs. Ryan Nelsen needs to be cautious, and rightly so. He will give some of his starters 45 minutes, and rest others completely. But for a number of men within his squad this game will provide a chance to shine and it will be interesting to see if they can take it. Tottenham arrived in Toronto on Monday direct from Seattle where they tied the Sounders 3-3 in an entertaining game in the first game of their three-match North American tour. They are without their World Cup players who have been given extra time to rest, and last years leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor who is recovering in London following a mild bout of malaria. But young Danish star Christian Eriksen is expected to see his first action of preseason as Spurs continue to prepare for the Premier Leagues opening weekend in mid-August. Last year Spurs finished sixth in the English top flight, but are under new management with a new direction after Mauricio Pochettinos arrival from Southampton. Eriksen was pretty blunt when asked what Tottenham will need to improve upon this season, with consistency the theme. “We had some really good games and some really bad games,” he said. “For us its about being more stable and also getting points against the big teams.” Watch Toronto FC vs. Tottenham Hotspur live tonight on TSN at 7pm et/4pm pt. Aaron Ekblad Panthers Jersey . This is Lowry’s third time winning the award in his career. He won the award last season and as a member of the Houston Rockets in 2011. Ian McCoshen Jersey . According the CSNBayArea.com, the 31-year-old suffered an ACL injury in his right knee on Friday when he collided with Anaheims Emerson Etem during a pre-season game. http://www.hockeypanthersofficialonline....key-jersey/.com) - Wimbledon runner-up Eugenie Bouchard notched a win, while second-seeded two-time champion Ana Ivanovic, third- seeded Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova and fifth seed Sabine Lisicki all exited the draw at the Generali Ladies Linz tennis event. Ian McCoshen Panthers Jersey . Mickelson shot a 2-under 70 after opening with a 77 -- his worst score of the season -- on TPC San Antonios AT&T Oaks Course. Lefty was 11 strokes behind leader Steven Bowditch, the Australian who had a 67 to reach 8-under 136. Florida Panthers Jerseys . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag.WINNIPEG - Winnipeg Blue Bombers coach Mike OShea knows exactly what the Toronto Argonauts and quarterback Ricky Ray can do to an opponent and Ray isnt all the Bombers have to worry about when they meet Thursday. "Theyve got a lot of weapons," said OShea, Torontos former special teams co-ordinator until he got the top coaching job in Winnipeg. Catch all the action on TSN and TSN 1050 starting at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt, with pre- and post-game coverage available on TSN 1050 and TSN 1290. "It just so happens that the ball always travels through Ricky first. But, obviously, Im quite familiar with all the guys they have and what they can do offensively." The Bombers play the Argos in the CFL opener at Investors Group Field. It kicks off an expanded season with the addition of the Ottawa Redblacks to the CFL East this year and the return of the Bombers to the CFL West. The Bombers made a lot of changes between seasons and likely arent finished. The Argos have also made changes, although on offence coach Scott Milanovich says theyre ready to go. "I expect us not to miss a beat offensively," he said after the Argos landed Wednesday. "Our expectations are pretty high, weve got a lot of players returning," agreed Ray. "Youve still got to do it on game day." But he also said with little pre-season experience, he expects to make a few mistakes. The Toronto defence sounds more like a work in progress under the guidance of former Bomber head coach Tim Burke, now back in a more familiar role as defensive co-ordinator. "Well have a good defence, I think its going to take us some time," Burke said. The Bombers have their own holes to fill. The depth chart for Thursdays game includes six players at middle linebacker, where they lost Henoc Muamba to the NFL. On Wednesday, they added Canadian offensive lineman Gord Hinse, who played in Edmonton last season, although he immediately went on the six-game injured list. Starting well is important to OShea. "Wed like to come out there and be as physical as we can and set a standard, set up a minimum standard for us and keep building from there," said OShea. "Were going our there to win and set a pace for the season." If the Bombers want to see how rookie starting quarterback Drew Willy performs under pressure,, they couldnt ask for a better opponent.dddddddddddd Ray has thrown 3,780 completed passes for 251 touchdowns and three Grey Cups over 11 seasons in the league with Edmonton and Toronto. "Sometimes I cant believe Im going into my 12th year," he said Wednesday. Willy has completed just 101 for nine touchdowns and has only four starts in his prior two seasons as a backup in Regina. The Bombers are staking a lot on Willy as they try to appease fans turned off by recent struggles, while the Argos want to get back to the Grey Cup after stumbling in last years East final. Willy says keeping Ray off the field as much as possible is going to be a key for the Bombers Thursday. "We definitely need to be efficient," he said of the offence. "We need to make sure our drives take some time." Oh, and scoring touchdowns rather than field goals would also be good, he noted. One thing Willy brings to the table is durability. He says he has only missed two games due to injury in his career, a hand injury in practice that cost him two games when he was in his sophomore career at the University of Buffalo. The Argos brought rookie running back and Winnipeg native Anthony Coombs along. He sits third on their depth chart behind imports Curtis Steele and Jeremiah Johnson. "This time its for keeps so Im exited to be out there," said Coombs, who also saw action in their exhibition game in Winnipeg. Veteran Winnipeg offensive lineman Glenn January couldnt promise a win but he did promise a lot of effort come Thursday night "I think were going to be a passionate team and were going to be a well-prepared team," he said. "If we go out there and we do stumble and dont get the win, its not the end of the world. Its an 18-game season." The Argonauts finished 11-7 in the regular season last year but then fell to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East final. Hamilton went to the Grey Cup but lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home in Regina. "Right now were an average football team. We have a potential to be more than that," said Milanovich. After a 3-15 season that cost Burke his job, the Bombers were a long way from average last year. The Argos beat the Bombers all three times last season and also beat them in their first pre-season game this year, 24-22. ' ' '