but it bogged down on the 7 and Evan Sobiesk

It was supposed to be a dream come true. A marriage made in soccer heaven. The hometown star returning back to his roots to help guide his new team to a level of success he had reached many times. Sure, there were some good moments. The all-star appearances, the first goal at BMO Field when he headed the ball into the net against Dallas, but for Dwayne De Rosario it wasnt enough. This was not how he had imagined it going. On the field, De Rosario was able to forget the issues, play a game he loved in front of fans he adored. Sometimes the result would even go the teams way, but often it wouldnt and after the match, as he made the walk from the dressing room to his car, his mind would be cloudy and full of distractions about how the club was run. "Id definitely sit in my car and shake my head," he admitted in a sitdown with TSN.ca. "I know it was my hometown but I never wanted them to take that for granted and use that as leverage against me. I wasnt willing to stand for anything, its who I am, I am very passionate and hungry for success." As he started his third season with Toronto FC in 2011, it became very clear the two were heading in different directions. De Rosario had hoped to be loaned to Celtic during the offseason but didnt get his wish and three months later he was packing his bags from Toronto for, what appeared, good. It wasnt an April Fools joke, but on April 1, 2011, De Rosario was dealt to New York Red Bulls for what can now be labeled nothing more than a bag of balls. On a flight later that day, De Rosario thought he would never play for Toronto FC ever again but admitted he hoped to one day return when the direction of the club was different. "I never closed the door and turned my back on that option. How it was presented to me this time was a situation I couldnt refuse, I always wanted to create special moments and have special memories with my hometown, Toronto FC, and I am looking to live those moments I envisioned and hopefully we can create those this season." It is clear the Canadian international spent many hours dreaming of playing for his hometown club before it happened and it is also clear that a lot of those dreams didnt come true the first time around. "I demand success, first and foremost from myself, but from my teammates and from the organization and to have a situation where we now have it demanded from the top is absolutely ideal. Its the right way and I am happy to be a part of that." When Toronto FC kick off the new season in Seattle on Saturday afternoon, much of the attention will, rightfully so, be placed on star signings Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar. The club has completely reinvented itself this winter and the return of De Rosario is almost an after-thought, a small scene in a blockbuster movie. With De Rosario now 35 that is, probably, the right thing for a team who want to contend for the MLS Cup this season, but the 2011 league MVP believes he can still play a major part on and off the pitch. He said: "I am really looking forward to this year. Jermain Defoe is a world class player, a winner, throughout the season it will be great to pick his brain and see how he runs and moves and create that relationship. Gilberto has a very bright future and so far I have enjoyed playing together with him. Anytime you have an opportunity to play alongside players of that calibre it is always fun, the most important thing is developing the understanding. So far its come along and we are excited to get it started." De Rosario has been in MLS long enough to know that tough times will still come Torontos way this season, even if they are successful. He admits expectations are high but thinks the team is ready to drag themselves through the rough patches because of the personnel general manager Tim Bezbatchenko has assembled. "Thankfully when we look at every position we have strong leaders. Julio Cesar to Steven Caldwell in central defence, Michael Bradley in the midfield and myself, Defoe up top, all strong personalities with experience, its important. All of these guys know its a long season, they understand we havent done anything yet, on paper it looks good but we have to continue to show that on a day-to-day basis and we have to work hard to accomplish something." De Rosarios second stint in Toronto gives the club a player whose best days are clearly behind him but he still thinks his versatility can help head coach Ryan Nelsen in many areas throughout 2014. "I dont have a specific favourite position. I like creating and scoring goals, up top, on the left, attacking mid, all these provide those opportunities for me but it depends on the team and its shape. Sometimes I am on the left and I dont really like it because I dont feel I get as much ball as I would like, sometimes I am in the midfield and you just defend a lot so that can be frustrating but sometimes, even, up top you can not get the balls, so it depends on the situation and the team." Throughout his career, he admits he is constantly learning and developing more and more on the tactical side of the game: "Spatial awareness is a big part of my game, knowing when to leave it and attack it and I have been working with a lot of the forwards here about that as well. You want to continuously move but sometimes you need to stop and let the space develop and attack it at the right moments." De Rosario will be hoping to find some of the space in behind Brad Evans and Osvaldo Alonso against the Sounders on Saturday. (You can read my piece on Toronto FCs strategy against Seattle here) March 15 has been circled on the calendar for many Toronto FC fans because it is their first game but De Rosario cannot wait for the following week when he will get to pull on the red number 14 shirt in front of the home fans. "Those fans are my family, the relationship with them means everything to me. Every time I step out for training or in a game with that badge it is for them. I do not just represent myself, I represent my direct family and the fans and I take a lot of pride in that. One day I want the youngsters to look at me and say I want to be like him, and because of that, I want to set as good an example as possible." On paper, the words look cliché but you dont have to be around De Rosario for long to know just how much he truly means it and how much he loves his city and his club. Toronto FC have lacked a lot of things in their short history. Above all else they have lacked wins, but in recent years there has been a distinct lack of people caring about this club. Whether the signing of De Rosario the player turns out to be a success only time will tell, but to have a winner talk so passionately about this club is already a positive step before a ball has even been kicked. Join Luke Wileman, Jason DeVos and myself in Seattle for Toronto FCs first game of the season live on TSN at 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. Randy White Jersey . Chan captured two silver medals at last months Sochi Winter Games — mens singles and the inaugural team event. But he doesnt have the urge to resume training to defend his world title when the event is held in Saitama, Japan, later this month. Bob Lilly Jersey . The team sent out a press release on Friday stating Poile was resting and recovering and that he will remain in hospital for further observation. The Predators were preparing for the game against the Wild when Poile was hit by a puck that flew off the ice at him where he was standing in a tunnel behind the bench. http://www.officialdallascowboysfootball...k-jersey-womens. Carling Bassett-Seguso was a world No. 8 almost 30 years ago. Currently 13th, Bouchard is assured of equalling that when the next rankings are released Monday. Brett Maher Jersey . Louis Cardinals. He was 48. The commissioners office said Bell died in his home state of Ohio. Bell had not been feeling well over the weekend and had been scheduled to see doctors later Monday at the Cleveland Clinic. Xavier Woods Jersey . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with safety Brock Vereen and QB David Fales on four-year contracts.STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Alabama looked lethargic, uninspired, sloppy and downright ordinary against a middling Southeastern Conference team on Saturday. And the top-ranked Crimson Tide still found a way to win by nearly two touchdowns. T.J. Yeldon rushed for 160 yards and A.J. McCarron threw two touchdown passes as Alabama overcame four turnovers to beat Mississippi State 20-7 on Saturday night. "We typically struggle here and we did again tonight," Alabama coach Nick Saban said. "But give Mississippi State credit, they had a good gameplan. They played very physical and we couldnt control the line of scrimmage." It was the lowest scoring game of the season for Alabama (10-0, 7-0 SEC), which led 10-7 midway through the third quarter before pulling away. Alabama has seemed invincible over the past two months, winning seven straight games by at least three touchdowns. But that aura wasnt anywhere to be found at Davis Wade Stadium, with Sabans bunch looking curiously mortal after last weeks emotional victory over LSU. "We came out sluggish and we were sluggish to the end." Alabama receiver Kevin Norwood said. Mississippi State (4-6, 1-5) kept the game far closer than most anticipated, but couldnt take advantage of Alabamas mistakes. Tyler Russell started for the injured Dak Prescott and completed 15 of 24 passes for 144 yards and an interception before leaving with a shoulder injury when the Bulldogs were trying to rally in the fourth quarter. McCarron tossed two rare interceptions and Yeldon had a costly fumble that led to Mississippi States only touchdown, but Alabama survived to set up a much-anticipated Iron Bowl with Auburn. Mississippi State had two chances to get back into the game in the fourth quarter after McCarrons second interception and a fumble by Kenyan Drake gave the Bulldogs field position in Alabama territory. But without Russell, Mississippi States offence went nowhere. Freshman Damian Williams didnt connect on any of his five pass attempts -- though two of them were good passes that were dropped. "If youre going to beat that team, youve got to make plays," Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen said. Mullen said Russell felt his throwing shoulder "pop&quuot; after trying to make a tackle following his interception late in the third quarter.dddddddddddd He played the next series, but struggled to throw and Mullen made the switch. McCarron completed 18 of 32 passes. His first interception in the second quarter was his first in 139 pass attempts. It was the third 100-plus streak without an interception during his career. Alabama parlayed a methodical 14-play, 59-yard opening drive into Cade Fosters 33-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. But the next four drives were brutal for the Crimson Tides offence, which managed just two first downs during that span. Mississippi State tried to take advantage with a long drive midway through the second quarter, but it bogged down on the 7 and Evan Sobiesk missed a 24-yard field goal that could have tied the game. A few minutes later, the Tide finally broke through with Yeldons 50-yard run down the sideline to Mississippi States 28. McCarron hit Brian Vogler five plays later for an 18-yard touchdown pass with 20 seconds remaining in the second quarter to give Alabama a 10-0 halftime lead. The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Vogler made a nifty move at the goal line, catching the pass and sidestepping a Mississippi State defender before diving into the end zone. It was his first career touchdown. It looked like that would be all the breathing room Alabama needed, but the mistakes continued in the second half. Yeldon fumbled after a 10-yard run and Mississippi States Beniquez Brown recovered at Alabamas 48. The Bulldogs then drove downfield and scored thanks to Russells timely passes and a stroke of luck. Russell fumbled just short of a touchdown, but right tackle Charles Siddoway fell on the ball in the end zone to pull Mississippi State within 10-7. McCarrons 11-yard pass to Norwood pushed the Tide ahead 17-7 with 5:46 left in the third quarter. Alabamas defence held an opponent to seven points or less for the sixth time this season. The Tides punter Cody Mandell might have been the team MVP, averaging 55 yards on four punts to constantly put Mississippi State in bad field position. "He did a fantastic job," Saban said. "He had a fabulous night on a windy night. One of those big kicks was into the wind." 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