Toronto FC supporters have heard all about it. They have watched it from afar. And now they have seen it for themselves. Jermain Defoe is a difference maker. Just two matches into his Major League Soccer career, the England international now has three goals. He followed up his opening day brace by scoring the winner against DC United in the clubs home opener on Saturday. MLSE has spent big bucks bringing the former Spurs forward to Toronto as part of a remarkable offseason transformation and even at this early stage, they are seeing a return on their investment. On Saturday, BMO Field was alive again. It was like 2007 all over again. A stadium and fan base that has seen the life gradually sucked out if it, year by year, failure after failure, was reinvigorated. With Defoe, its not just about the goals. Far from it. His movement is exceptional. Against D.C. United he created three first half chances which showcased his exceptional reading of the game - he was one or two steps ahead of the D.C. defence every time he sensed a potential opening in front of goal. An MLS coach told me last year he believes when LA Galaxys Robbie Keane is on his game, he is "unstoppable." Defoe has shown in his first two matches that he has the ability to have that same impact in Major League Soccer. And its not just Defoe. MLSE President Tim Leiweke must have been grinning from ear to ear when he saw three of the clubs big offseason acquisitions involved in the only goal of the game against D.C. Michael Bradley played a lovely ball through for Brazilian Gilberto who saw his shot saved by Bill Hamid, only for Defoe to pounce and score his third goal in just two matches. For the second week in a row, Bradley ran the midfield. Prior to signing Bradley, TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko described him as "the heart and soul" of the U.S. Mens National Team. He has very quickly become he heartbeat of Toronto FC as well. It was also the first chance we got to see Gilberto. The 24-year-old missed most of preseason through injury but started against D.C. and was impressive showing some quality touches as well as the physical attributes necessary to succeed in MLS. Defensively, Toronto also looked solid. Brazils number one goalkeeper Julio Cesar kept his first clean sheet for the club while the central defensive tandem of veteran Steven Caldwell and young Canadian Doneil Henry continues to develop a strong understanding. The quality on the pitch and the atmosphere in the stands was night and day compared to six months ago. There have been false dawns before, but this time it feels different. For the first time in club history the Reds have won back-to-back games to start the MLS season. There is of course still much work to be done. This is a team in the early stages of its life together and there will be setbacks and bad days ahead. There are questions about the depth of the squad should some of the key pieces be missing for an extended period of time. Head coach Ryan Nelsen talks often about the fact the team is not anywhere near where he wants it to be - he told me he wants the team to be able to win playing beautiful football and also learn how to win ugly. Saturday was probably somewhere in between. It is very much a work in progress and will remain so for many weeks ahead, but after seven years of missing the playoffs, on Saturday at BMO Field it was a celebration for Toronto FC fans as their team finally gave them some hope for the future. Custom Raiders Jerseys .J. -- All those records, all for naught. Johnny Townsend Raiders Jersey . JOHNS, N. http://www.shoptheraidersonline.com/Elit...Raiders-Jersey/. -- Sonny Grays fastball wasnt as sharp as it usually is, and the Oakland Athletics young pitcher even had a quirky replay go against him. P.J. Hall Raiders Jersey . Louis Blues were workmanlike, methodical and -- most of all -- effective on Monday night. Johnny Townsend Jersey . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat.Urijah Faber cant wait to hear the cheers when he climbs into the cage in Sacramento on Saturday night. The California Kid loves fighting in his hometown, and hes bringing a whole bunch of his friends along with him when he takes on Michael McDonald. "Im a big guy on energy," Faber said. "Being in a place thats really comfortable and having a crowd thats going to be putting off some great vibes and having my whole team with me is going to be huge." The UFC is back in Californias capital city this weekend for a show that might as well be called the Team Alpha Male Invitational. Faber and three of his teammates are all competing on the card, headlined by UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnsons title defence against Alpha Males Joseph Benavidez. Benavidez is in the main event, but the star attraction is Faber (29-6), who hasnt been the hometown favourite for a while. He is fighting in Sacramento for the first time in nine bouts since April 2010, and for the first time since he joined the UFC when the lower-weight WEC promotion was absorbed by the sports dominant organization. Faber is on a roll with three straight stoppage victories in 2013, and the former UC Davis wrestler should be in line for a bantamweight title shot if he gets past McDonald (16-2), who has won nine of his last 10 fights. Hes grateful for the chance to do it at home. "As Ive matured and gotten older and understand things a little bit better, I just realize how important it is to stay behind a community," Faber said. "And I feel like Ive really become a part of this community on bigger level. Were fighting for a lot of different things. Were fighting for the pride of an area. Were fighting for the economy. It was really cool to see everyone come together and save the Kings, so I see this is as me and my guys doing our part.dddddddddddd" McDonald isnt an Alpha Male, but hes also NorCal to the core, born and raised in Modesto -- and hes 12 years younger than the 34-year-old Faber. McDonald lost his bantamweight title shot in February when Renan Barao stopped him, but bounced back with a submission victory over Brad Pickett in August. McDonald got into the sport during Fabers rise to the top, and he isnt worried about getting local love in Sacramento. "I dont really think about it so much at all," McDonald said. "No matter where I am, whether Im in England or Washington or San Jose, I really dont look at the crowd. I dont think about the crowd. I actually completely disconnect myself from everybody before the fight. Afterward Ill go out and Ill enjoy it, but I just do like I have something on my mind." The arena thats normally home to the NBAs Sacramento Kings will host the towns MMA royalty. Alpha Male coach Duane Ludwig will be busy with fighters in each of the cards last three bouts, but Faber believes his team can handle it. Alpha Males Chad Mendes takes on Nik Lentz in a 145-pound bout, and teammate Danny Castillo has the earliest fight against Edson Barboza. The main card on Fox also features crowd-pleasing lightweight Joe Lauzon against Mac Danzig. The scheduling already helped the Alpha Males with their training, since all four fighters ramped up their workouts on a similar timetable. "I think its all positive," Faber said. "Everybody is working toward the same goal, and the attention level is there. Everyone is understanding you have to take care of each others bodies, so youre not getting too beat up. Were basically a (family) anyway, but its nice to have that focus all at one time." Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Stitched Jerseys ' ' '