Bar » APPROACH Brandon Morrow started for the Blue Jays. Base

MONTREAL - That Wandrille Lefevre and Maxim Tissot played a hand in the Montreal Impacts 2-2 draw at Chicago last week was not big news around Major League Soccer. But it was significant for Montreal, as both are graduates of the Impact Academy, which was set up in 2010 to develop mainly local talent for the pro team. Lefevre, and possibly Tissot, may see more action in Houston tonight when the third-place Impact (13-9-7) take on the fourth-place Dynamo (12-10-8) in a key battle in the Eastern Conference playoff race. "Weve always had a good pool of players in Quebec," assistant coach Mauro Biello said Thursday. "Now that we have the academy, we can mould them the way we want. "Itll be an advantage to us. I think well see the results over the next five to seven years." Against Chicago, Lefevre had a strong game replacing injured central defender Alessandro Nesta. Tissot substituted for Andrew Wenger in the midfield in the 67th minute. Twenty minutes later, he headed in the equalizer. The 23-year-old Lefevre, a native of France who moved to Montreal as a teenager, and 21-year-old Tissot, of Gatineau, Que., are among five academy graduates to sign with the MLS team. The others are defender Karl Ouimette of Repentigny, Que., Morocco native Zakaria Messoudi of Montreal and goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau of Greenfield Park, Que. Tissot has appeared in three MLS games and has a goal and an assist, both in matches against Chicago. Lefevre has played two. "Tissot had a very good training camp but then got injured," said Biello. "He came back and started a game against Salt Lake, but then broke a toe. "Hes shown good things. Hes got his rhythm back. He had a solid game against C.D. Heredia (in the CONCACAF Champions League) and then he got into the game in Chicago and scored. "Lefevres a little older. He had a solid game against Chicago." Before they joined MLS last season, the Impact were a power in various leagues for most of the previous 18 seasons, always with a strong core of local players. Some now coach or manage the club, including Biello, sporting director Nick De Santis, director of soccer operations Matt Jordan, team manager Adam Braz and academy coaches Jason DiTullio and Simon Gatti. But the calibre of play is higher in MLS, and the Impact have imported most of their starters from Europe and South America, plus Americans like goalie Troy Perkins, fullback Jeb Brovsky and midfielder Justin Mapp. The only local in the starting 11 is 34-year-old Patrice Bernier. The midfielder from Brossard, Que., began his pro career with the Impact in the A-League from 2000 to 2002, played nine seasons in Europe and returned when the club entered MLS in 2012. They hope to produce more and get back to that local flavour under Impact assistant coach Philippe Eullaffroy, the Frenchman who has been director of the academy since its inception. His work is beginning to pay off. "Were very happy with the progress of our young players," said Biello. The 37-year-old Nesta, nursing a groin injury, and midfielder Hernan Bernardello, who is recovering from a sprained ankle, did not make the trip to Houston. Bernardello has resumed practising with the team and may be ready for a home game next week against New England. Coach Marco Schallibaum keeps his starting 11 secret, but it is likely that Lefevre will be back in Nestas spot, with Tissot on the bench. Midfielder Felipe Martins will return after serving a one-game suspension for accumulating five yellow cards, which will bump a player, likely Wenger, from the formation. The Impact beat Houston twice at home this season 2-0 and 5-0, but they expect a tougher match at BBVA Compass Stadium. The Dynamo have found their legs of late, with two wins and a draw in their last three games. "As a coach, when you get beat by a team by zero, thats always the first reminder," said Biello. "Theyll be ready to make amends. "We expect a playoff-type game." Marco Di Vaio, the MLS leader with 19 goals, has three against Houston this season. Felipe has two goals and a pair of assists. The Dynamo are starting a run of three home games against the best of the Eastern Conference and hope to use that to nail down a playoff position. After Montreal, striker Will Bruin and his Houston teammates will face second-place Kansas City and first-place New York. Montreal, which has a win and two draws in its last three road games, holds a two-point lead on Houston with a game in hand. The Impact have five games left to play in the regular season, only two of them at home. "This is a good opportunity for us," Dynamo captain Brad Davis told the clubs website. "This Friday is the most important one. "We can jump Montreal in the standings and, hopefully, give ourselves room." Notes _ The game was to have aired in French on TVA Sport, but was bumped by an Ottawa Senators hockey game to RDSinfo, which normally runs sports news in a 30-minute loop. . . The Impact opened its new FieldTurf practice pitch next to Saputo Stadium this week. The field will also be used by the academy and some neighborhood teams, and will be home field for the University of Quebec at Montreal varsity squad. Marqise Lee Womens Jersey . Next up, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns in the AFC North. Baltimore Ravens In 2014, the 8-8 season that the Baltimore Ravens experienced was to be expected. Leonard Fournette Jaguars Jersey .Cameron sustained his third concussion in three seasons last week on a hit by Oakland safety Brandion Ross, who was fined $22,050 by the NFL for the helmet-to-helmet blow. http://www.authenticjaguarslockroom.com/Youth-Jalen-Ramsey-Elite-Jersey/ . This is the final meeting of the season between these teams.? The Capitals were 5-4 winners in a shootout Oct. Nick Foles Jersey . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension. Yannick Ngakoue Youth Jersey .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? Check out the duster for yourself.ST. PETERSBURG, Florida – Gareth Morgan sat in the dugout before Tuesday afternoons sun-soaked Baseball Canada Junior Teams tilt against the Blue Jays, visualizing what was to come both in the short term and in the future. "Its pretty cool and humbling," said Morgan. "Its an honour to be a part of this team and get an opportunity to do this. Its not everyday you get to put your uniform on and play against big leaguers." Morgan, who turns 18 next month, is a presence at 64", 220 pounds. He is the top-ranked Canadian heading into Junes amateur draft. Some projections have the product of Torontos Vaughn Road Academy going in the first round. An outfielder, he possesses all the tools over which scouts salivate. "Hes a high school player so sometimes I think the expectation is unrealistic given the skill set," said head coach Greg Hamilton. "He has tremendous talent. Hes got everything youre looking for. Hes got size. Hes got power. Hes got speed for a big man. Hes got a plus arm. Its a complete package. Its a major league right fielder in the making if everything falls into place and he stays healthy, obviously." Morgan grew up splitting his summers and winters between baseball and hockey. Three years ago, his first in high school, Morgan made a choice. He would commit to playing baseball full-time and, having already gone through a growth spurt, was showing signs of the imposing figure hes become. Fast forward three years, through all the games and the tournaments and the travel with the junior team, and he feels like he belongs. "I feel like Ive come a long way both mentally and physically," said Morgan. "I was a lot smaller back then and my skills werent as good. On the mental side, Ive gained more confidence and I just feel more comfortable with what Im doing." He recently spent a week visiting Larry Walker in West Palm Beach, Florida. They hit, shagged flies, worked out and talked the tools of the trade. It was an opportunity to pick the brain of a former great about life in the big leagues. "It was awesome," said Morgan. "We hung out, went kayaking, played a little baseball, hit with the Cardinals." Theres a big decision looming on the horizon. As he awaits the June draft, Morgan also has a scholarship offer from North Carolina State University. Hell have to weigh the value of signing with the pro club that selects him versus a free education at a strong ACC school. "It crosses your mind sometimes, of course youre going to think about it, but the less you think about it the better it is," said Morgan. "Just go out and play the game you love and have fun with it." "We try to give them the information thats objective so that they know all the opportunities available to them and then they qualify what resonates to them the most," said Hamilton. "As long as they understand what a Division I scholarship means and what that experience means; what signing out of high school and minor league baseball and the challenges that come with that mean, the day to day grind that theyre going to go through means to them on a personal level and where they are physically and mentally, I think if theyve got the comparables in front of them, everythings in order, then it becomes a personal decision. We try to convince them its not always about dollars." Morgan cites Brett Lawrie as his favourite ballplayer. The two shared the same field together on Tuesday.dddddddddddd A few years from now, it could happen again. ONYSHKO GRINDS IT OUT Left-hander Ben Onyshko, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, admitted to being nervous in the first inning. He walked the first two hitters he faced, Munenori Kawasaki and Colby Rasmus, almost hitting Kawasaki twice. Brett Lawrie followed with a single, loading the bases with nobody out for Jose Bautista. "I mean, I tried not to think about it," said Onyshko. "I tried to just execute pitches the same as always but Ive got to admit, my mind was racing a little bit. It was surreal." Bautista flew out to deep left centerfield for a sacrifice fly. "I was scared for a split second when he hit the ball," said Onyshko. "Once I was able to get that first out I think things started to roll a little bit better. I settled in." He certainly did settle in. Onyshko limited the Jays to that one run in the first and allowed two runs over his three innings of work. Onyshkos curveball caught the attention of onlookers. Its a pitch he started throwing when he was 12. "I just remember hanging in the backyard with my dad, just working on it, throwing it," said Onyshko. "He would sit there catching bullpens for me every couple of days." LAWRIE HAS FLASHBACKS It wasnt too long ago Brett Lawrie was playing for the Baseball Canada junior team in games like Tuesdays. "Its a lot of fun for me," said Lawrie. "Especially nowadays because theres a lot more guys coaching that Ive played with and had a chance to play with that are across the other way now. Its good to see those guys coming back and helping the young guys. It sets a good example for all them because the guys I played with were the good players and theyre fun to play with so things are probably pretty light in the clubhouse, which is cool." Lawrie and his Blue Jays teammates did most of the talking as they mingled with the young Canadians before the game. "I think its kind of keep your ears open, more or less," said Lawrie. "Theyre a little nervous, which I anticipated so I think, more or less, they just kept their ears open, listened to how the boys talked and just taking it all in." HAMILTON APPRECIATES BLUE JAYS APPROACH Brandon Morrow started for the Blue Jays. Baseball Canada alum Brett Lawrie, Jose Bautista, Colby Rasmus, Adam Lind and Dioner Navarro were in Torontos starting lineup on Tuesday. Head coach Greg Hamilton appreciated the Jays willingness to send some of the clubs top stars to the game. The rest of the roster was in Lakeland for a game against the Tigers. "Its a special day and an opportunity to come out on the field and play against the players that you watch on TV and aspire to be like is incredibly special," said Hamilton. Fans will follow the paths of these young players. Visit www.baseball.ca to learn more about the program. "Every player that weve got has a chance to play beyond high school," said Hamilton. "At minimum theyre going to go on scholarships and play collegiate baseball. You never know. You extend your playing career and you figure a few things out and there are some here today you think will be for sure potential major league prospects and there are others who will sneak up on you too just by having the opportunity to continue to play." ' ' '