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In a short time at the helm, Tim Leiweke has made a massive impact on Toronto FC and his upcoming departure as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment will likely lead to some uncertainty as to how the club will move forward. After seven years of failure at TFC, Leiweke started the job of dragging the club off its knees and giving it relevance again in the countrys biggest media market. He has made big progress, but the task is nowhere near finished, and the departure of Leiweke will raise questions about Torontos future ability to compete as one of the top two or three power brokers in Major League Soccer. In MLS, you dont necessarily need to spend mega bucks to bring success – look at last years two MLS Cup finalists, Sporting Kansas City and Real Salt Lake for example - but with Leiweke in charge the goal wasnt just to be good in MLS, it was to become a "super club." He made big, bold promises, and he certainly delivered. On a cold, January day Toronto FC made one of the biggest splashes in Major League Soccer history, introducing not one, but two Designated Players arriving in the league from Europe. The signings of Jermain Defoe from Tottenham Hotspur and Michael Bradley from Roma marked a day in the clubs history that can only be matched in importance by the day the franchise was launched. "A very simple saying we will steal from the Kennedys is appropriate today," Leiweke said when opening the press conference on that day back in January. "Some people see things as they are and say why. Others dream of what can be and they say why not. Today is why not. Why cant we be great?" It was a day that made a big impact within the city of Toronto, but also changed the landscape across Major League Soccer. Those deals set a new standard for MLS, but they also saved the club from obscurity. Toronto had to commit what Leiweke called "financial suicide" to make the signings, but it was the only option at the time. In Leiwekes own words, "the patient was dying." The club was on "life support." You cant put a price on saving a club. Since bringing David Beckham to LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007, Leiweke shown he has the ability to operate superbly in the global football environment. That ability is something Toronto FC lacked in the past, and will need to ensure they establish post-Leiweke if they are to compete on the biggest stage. Without Leiweke there is no Defoe in Toronto. Without Leiweke there probably wouldnt be the signing of Michael Bradley either. It was his contacts, negotiating skills and sales charm that made those moves a possibility. Having him in charge of TFC opened doors. He also managed to convince the board of directors to splash out enormous sums of money to make those deals a reality. Leiwekes arrival in Toronto was a big win for the MLS team because of his soccer background. He had already achieved a lot within the sports and entertainment business, but he also had a track record in MLS. His interest in the team and the league meant he invested a lot of time into fixing the club. While others in that role may give more time and energy to the Maple Leafs and Raptors, Leiweke was just as invested in getting things right at Toronto FC. He fired TFCs vastly experienced president and general manager Kevin Payne and appointed rookie GM Tim Bezbatchenko from the league office. He stuck with head coach Ryan Nelsen. Its still too early to say whether those moves will prove to be a success, but at this stage the club is on course for its first ever playoff appearance. So as Leiweke exits, it will be intriguing to see how big the impact will be on Toronto FC. Will they still choose to go after the big names with the "anything is possible," approach? Or will they be much more reserved in their ambitions? Either way, Leiweke has laid a foundation and there is still much building to be done. Charles Barkley Jersey . They wanna make t-shirts about it and sell them at our next hockey game..DB: Wow, they want to make t-shirts? That sounds pretty amazing.MS: Yeah, I was also on the Top 10, I was number 1 today, so that was pretty cool. Shaquille ONeal Jersey . While the pair of Spain internationals return, midfielder Xavi Hernandez will not be included in the squad after failing to recover from a muscle strain to his left leg. http://www.officialsunsfanstore.com/george-king-suns-jersey/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at the Capitals possible summer plans, with the understanding that its tough to plot a direction without a general manager or head coach around which to set those expectations. Jamal Crawford Jersey . He looked very comfortable Wednesday night. Konerko had a big three-run double and Gordon Beckham homered for the second straight game, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-3 victory over the sliding Chicago Cubs. Mikal Bridges Jersey . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.MINSK, Belarus -- In winning its group at the world hockey championship, Team Canada beat goaltenders Jan Laco, Jakub Kovar, Patrick Galbraith, Daniel Bellissimo, Anders Nilsson and Steffen Soberg. None of them are Finlands Pekka Rinne, who stands as Canadas biggest challenge in Thursdays quarter-final round. Even while a young Finnish team has struggled with penalties, turnovers and a lack of offensive depth, Rinne has been a rock with a 1.65 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts. "Pekka is our most important player -- absolutely," coach Erkka Westerlund said Wednesday. "We built our whole system so that goalkeeping is No. 1, and then we try to build the strength (of) defence in front of him. Thats how it is, (how) hockey works." Westerlund said he was not yet satisfied with his teams defensive play but expects improvement. Even if that doesnt happen, Finland has a good chance in Canada if for no other reason than Rinne. Fortunately for the Finns, Rinne is not experiencing any injury problems after missing four months of the Nashville Predators season with a hip infection. Naturally, it took a while for him to get back to feeling right. "Its a process, and I think even when I came here (to Minsk) I thought that hopefully I can improve all the time and I didnt maybe feel 100 per cent," Rinne said. "But now I do, and Im really happy and I feel like my game has been getting better and (Im) just feeling more comfortable." Rinne is playing with confidence and instilling it in his teammates, only six of whom are back from the Sochi Olympics, where Finland won a bronze medal. Tuukka Rask and Kari Lehtonen were the goalies then, but as former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov pointed out, the best thing about his country is knowing there will always be great goaltending. Still, this isnt the Olympics. "Its a different roster, its a different tournament," said Komarov, who repeated his desire to return to the NHL last season. "Its a new day, a new life." But the same, old, reeliable Rinne.dddddddddddd Canadian defenceman Ryan Ellis knows all about that from parts of three seasons as a Predators teammate of Rinnes. Unlike a lot of other goaltenders, Ellis said Rinne doesnt let game action detract from his practices. "Every day, every practice its like a game," Ellis said. "He tries so hard in net in practice. I remember by first couple years there, I dont think I scored him in the first 10 or 15 practices. And then every time I did, I was pretty impressed with myself, pretty happy." Ellis said Canada was less concerned with how they were going to score on Rinne and more worried about his puck-handling thwarting attack time. "Hes active back there with the puck, so I think the biggest thing that were focused on is keeping the pucks away from him on dumps and stuff," Ellis said. "He gets out to play them a lot. Getting them in the glass and try to get them out of his reach." Thats especially important to a Canadian team that tries to play a hard, North American style on the bigger, international ice surface. Canada has succeeded at holding on to the puck to create chances and through seven games has averaged 34 shots a game. The strategy against Rinne is the same as many other elite goaltenders. "Were going to have to get pucks and traffic to the net," Ellis said. "Its tough for goalies when they get that kind of presence in front of him. Weve got some big guys, so hopefully we can get those guys going." Whether that happens or Rinne keeps rolling will go a long way to determining whether Canada has a date with the United States or Czech Republic in Saturdays semifinals. Westerlund said the Finns "dont have pressure (because) we are underdogs." Thats true. But Rinne still displays big-game confidence. "Im feeling good and Ive been enjoying hockey," Rinne said. "I think thats the biggest thing, when youre just having fun and just letting it go. Just dont think about anything, just play, and I feel like Ive been doing that." 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