Schwarzesbrett » tied the game after he took a pass through the creas

TORONTO -- Four games into the MLS season, the Toronto FC training room is packed. And more worrying, it is filled with marquee talent. Toronto (3-1-0) could be without as many as five starters for Saturdays visit by the Colorado Rapids (2-1-1) including two designated players whose combined pay this season is close to US$13 million. Catch the game on TSN starting at 4pm et/1pm pt. England striker Jermain Defoe (hamstring) is out for the second straight week. American midfielder Michael Bradley missed another practice Friday, his body feeling the effects of games for both the U.S. and Toronto last week. "Were giving him every single chance ... well make a decision (Saturday)," manager Ryan Nelsen said of his teams midfield general. Centre back Doneil Henry (knee) will sit out a second straight game. Jonathan Osorio (hamstring) is "probably a no" for the third week in a row and fellow midfielder Alvaro Rey (hamstring) is "very very questionable." Because of injuries and suspensions, Toronto has only five players who have started every game so far: goalkeeper Julio Cesar, defenders Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow and midfielders Bradley and Rey. And that number could be down to three after this weekend. Defoe was sidelined by a hamstring injury at Spurs earlier this season. Nelsen has said the two injuries are not linked and repeated Friday that the England star was dealing with a mild strain. Hamstrings are tricky things, especially for elite soccer players. Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke, for example, ran 12.2 kilometres in Wednesdays Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. Toronto, which has used 19 players to date, has had to put the brakes on Defoe, who has wanted to resume training. Nelsen, however, sees a bigger picture. "The one thing that we dont want is obviously him coming back and getting re-injured. And so if we have to sacrifice an extra week, we have to sacrifice an extra week." Nelsen said the team has been reviewing everything at its disposal -- from heart rate to distance travelled in training -- to see if things could be done differently. The club is also learning the ins and outs of the bodies of new players like Defoe, he added. The TFC manager says there are no alarm bells about the current spate of injuries. A challenging opening to the schedule and the long winter that has kept practices until this week to artificial turf under a bubble at the team training centre havent helped. Most top soccer pros would rather gargle cod liver oil than set foot on artificial turf. Nelsen believes that this is just the kind of injury run that all clubs go through at some point. "It happens at Chelsea, it happens at Man City, it happens at every single club. Hopefully were just getting all of them done now." Said captain Steven Caldwell: "Its disappointing that weve got a few injuries but a lot of them are nobodys fault." In the case of Toronto, this is a squad that brought in at least seven new starters this season. Time has been needed on the training ground to get everyone on the same page. Youre damned if you, damned if you dont, Nelsen said of practice regimens. "Because if you pull them out of training and just rest them, then theyre not ready for the demands of a game. Were sitting with three wins because the guys are fit and organized. But we couldnt have done that if we had all wrapped them up in cotton wool." Bradley presents an interesting case in point. Rested this week, he is probably the exception to the rule that starters need to practise. If he doesnt start, speculation will grow that he is dealing with more than the variety of strains the club has pointed to. The good news is the injuries have not slowed Toronto down so far. Missing Defoe, Osorio, Henry and the suspended Caldwell last week, it still managed to topple previously unbeaten Columbus away from home. Also on the plus side, squad players like rookie defender Nick Hagglund and second-year midfielder Kyle Bekker have stepped up. And veteran Bradley Orr showed his moxie in smoothly shifting over to centre back. Nelsen says his reserves have stepped up to the challenge during the current injury glut. But he is not about to say debate over his teams depth is over. "I always got told that anybody can play one, two, three games at any level," he said. "But its the ability to spit them out week in, week out ... thats the mark of what a really good player is." Orr will likely partner Caldwell in central defence with Bekker deputizing for Osorio in midfield again. Dwayne De Rosario could start on the flank for Rey with Issey Nakajima-Farran who scored off the bench last week, possibly partnering Gilberto up front. Jeremy Hall may get the nod if Bradley cant go. The pitch at BMO Field, poor for the home opener thanks to the brutal winter, should be better Saturday although the players know it will take time to return to top condition. "Its not going to be ideal," said Caldwell, who returns from his one-game suspension. Colorado, under new head coach Pablo Mastroeni, has already defeated Portland and Vancouver this season and tied the New York Red Bulls. The lone loss was a 3-2 decision to defending champion Sporting Kansas City. "Theyve got a really nice team thats been around together as well for a bit," said Nelsen. "Theyre a team, for me, that has no real weaknesses. Theyre just a lovely, solid MLS team thats going to be very difficult." Spanish midfielder Jose Mari -- real name Jose Maria Martin Bejarano-Serrano -- introduced himself last week with two goals against Vancouver. The first, a swerving left-footed rocket, was judged the leagues goal of the week. 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Oshie scored the lone goal in the shootout to lift the St. Louis Blues to a 5-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday. Oshie, the Blues first shooter, patiently skated through the slot, got Cam Ward to bite on a fake and lifted a shot into the top of the net. Jake Allen made Oshies effort stand as he stopped all three shooters, including a slick glove save on Alexander Semin to end the game. Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, Alexander Steen and Patrik Berglund all scored in regulation for the Blues, who won their fourth straight game. Allen stopped 19-of-20 shots in relief of Brian Elliott, who allowed three goals on 10 shots during the first period. Jeff Skinner and Victor Rask each tallied a goal and an assist, while Eric Staal and Riley Nash also lit the lamp for the Hurricanes, who were coming off a 5-2 win over Buffalo on Thursday. Ward allowed four goals on 35 shots in defeat. Carolina took a 4-3 lead with under five minutes to play in the second. Nash gathered a bouncing puck at the left side of the net and snapped a shot that deflected off a few players in the crease and off the goal post before crossing the goal line. Tarasenko worked his way off the boards, released a shot in close and knocked the rebound into the net for a tie game with 13:14 to play. With under two minutes to play in overtime, Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeestter had his goal waved off as it was ruled Berglund made contact with Ward at the top of the crease.dddddddddddd Carolina started the scoring just two minutes into the game. Rask slapped a shot from along the left boards that deflected off the skate of a St. Louis defender and into the net. Steen tied the game after he took a pass through the crease and fired a shot over the shoulder of Ward Skinner stripped a defender of the puck, stepped into the slot and sent a wrister over the glove of Elliott for a 2-1 lead at 7:23. The Hurricanes did not relent. Five minutes later, Staal charged into the zone on a breakaway and slipped a backhander past a sliding Elliott, giving Carolina a 3-1 lead and forcing the Blues to change goaltenders. St. Louis scored twice early in the second to tie the game. Schwartz intercepted a Carolina pass, faked a shot in the slot and jammed the puck past Wards stick at 4:07 and Berglund wristed a shot past a screened Ward for a 3-3 game 54 seconds later. Game Notes The NHL released its All-Star game roster on Saturday. Tarasenko and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will represent St. Louis, while defenseman Justin Faulk was selected from the Hurricanes ... Steen extended his point streak to six games ... Carolina forward Elias Lindholm played in his 100th NHL game ... The two teams will meet again on Jan. 30 at PNC Arena. ' ' '