Neues » play while Toronto went 1-for-5

SAN FRANCISCO -- Mix Diskerud figures the whole honour of wearing No. Dru Samia Youth Jersey . 10 is only temporary. He fully expects to play alongside Landon Donovan again down the road with the U.S. national team. For one night at least, Diskerud did that jersey proud. Diskerud and Aron Johannsson, a pair of second-half substitutes raised in Scandinavia, scored to lift a heavy-legged United States over Azerbaijan 2-0 on Tuesday night in the first of three World Cup warmups for the Americans. "Its an honour. A lot of great players have been wearing that No. 10 for the U.S. previously," Diskerud said. "Ill enjoy it. When it comes to Landon, Im sure that were going to be playing together again someday, and of course he has more caps than me so Im just borrowing the uniform right now." The U.S. needed a boost from the bench after captain Clint Dempsey was scratched just before kickoff because of a sore left groin. But the 14th-ranked Americans had trouble breaking down No. 85 Azerbaijan. Diskerud, born in Oslo to a father from Norway and mother from Arizona who met in college, entered in the 71st and scored four minutes later off Brad Davis free kick. With the ball high in the box, Diskerud headed it down to Michael Bradley, whose shot was cleared off the goal line by Elvin Yunuszade. Diskerud then banged the ball in with a right-footed shot 6 yards for his third international goal. "It deflected, and then it was just an easy job for me to score," Diskerud said. "I got tackled exactly when I was going to shoot, and I was just laying down on the ground in agony." He was wearing the No. 10 freed up when Donovan was cut from the roster last Thursday. Johannsson, who was born in Mobile, Alabama, and moved to Iceland with his family when he was 3, entered in the 62nd and scored his second American goal in the 81st with an open header from the top of the 6-yard box off a corner kick by Davis, who replaced Graham Zusi at the start of the second half. "I think we can be very happy with this game," Johannsson said. "Weve been working ridiculously hard in training." Tim Howard, making his 98th international appearance, got his 53rd win to tie Kasey Kellers U.S. record. The Americans began their intense two-week training camp May 14 at nearby Stanford University, and there appeared to be tired legs. "It was exactly what we need at this point of our preparation after two fully loaded weeks," U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "It was a tricky game. You want to open it up with a goal, and it gets easier. You want to score a bit earlier. Next up is a match Sunday against Turkey at Harrison, New Jersey, followed by a game with Nigeria six days later in Jacksonville, Florida. Then the Americans head to Brazil for their seventh straight World Cup appearance and first-round matches against Ghana, Portugal and Germany. "Its good to finally get going. Now we can play hard, recover, travel and go again," Howard said. "I thought it was good. I thought tonight was what we probably expected." The Americans arrived in a red-white-and-blue bus sporting the teams slogan: "One Nation. One Team." The focus was on Klinsmann, who made the controversial decision to cut Donovan, the American career scoring leader. Dempsey, slated to start up top with Jozy Altidore in a 4-4-2, was an unexpected absence. "We dont want to risk here anything," said Klinsmann, who estimated Dempsey would heal in two-to-three days. "Its not serious at all." Chris Wondolowski, a local fan favourite of the San Jose Earthquakes inserted in place of Dempsey, was stopped twice early by goalkeeper Kamran Aghayev, the first with a knee on a diving header in the fifth minute. Wondolowskis header off a cross from Alejandro Bedoya in the 15th was parried over the bar. "You have to be ready at a moments notice," Wondolowski said. "Thats why I was a bit disappointed not to find the back of the net. I had a couple of great opportunities that I need to find the corner and hit the back of the net." Azerbaijan, coached by U.S. team adviser Berti Vogts, was outscored 5-0 in a pair of World Cup qualifiers by Portugal. With wind whipping the corner flags early and even the ball out of place during restarts, a new-look U.S. defence was hardly tested. Fabian Johnson started at right back, with Matt Besler and Geoff Cameron as the central defenders, picked over Omar Gonzalez, who replaced Cameron in the second half. DaMarcus Beasley, looking to become the first American to appear in four World Cups, was at left back. Besler and Cameron played together in the middle once previously, against Jamaica in a World Cup qualifier last October. For the first time since 1990, the Americans have no central defenders with previous World Cup experience. Johnson started three games at left back last year but just once on the right -- in the clinching World Cup qualifier against Mexico in September. Klinsmann used a midfield diamond for the second straight game, with Michael Bradley at the top, Jermaine Jones deep, Zusi on the right and Bedoya the left. This match became the true final football game at Candlestick, former home of the NFL San Francisco 49ers through last season and baseballs San Francisco Giants until after 1999. NOTES: A foul by Azerbaijan D Evlin Yunuszade on Davis early in the second half appeared to be inside the box but was called a free kick by Costa Rican referee Henry Bejarano. ... Timmy Chandler played left back in the second half for his first appearance with the U.S. since a World Cup qualifier at Honduras in February 2013. ... Donovan was named MLS Player of the Week for his two-goal performance with an assist for the LA Galaxy in Sundays 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Union. ... Injured American MF Stuart Holden attended the game ... A Nike ball was used rather than the Adidas World Cup model. Jalyn Holmes Womens Jersey . Felton pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a firearm. He admitted he knowingly had a large-capacity ammunition magazine and a semi-automatic pistol without a license. Adam Thielen Vikings Jersey . Team spokesman Donald Beauchamp said there was no new information on the 80-year-old Hall of Famers condition. The family has requested privacy. http://www.authenticvikingspro.com/Fran-tarkenton-vikings-jersey/ .The Canadiens will visit the Boston Bruins at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on New Years Day 2016, taking hockeys oldest rivalry outside.It was special in 2010 just to be there with the history behind Fenway Park and all that, Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron said. TORONTO, Ontario -- Hamilton Bulldogs defenceman Greg Pateryn was in the right place at the right time, and he made the Toronto Marlies pay for it. Pateryn scored from the side of the net on a rebound of Jared Tinordis point shot at 3:53 of overtime, lifting the Bulldogs to a 2-1 victory over their provincial rivals in American Hockey League action on Thursday afternoon. "I knew I had to do something for my team," said Pateryn, who was whistled for a holding-the-stick penalty late in the third period. "I saw Louis (LeBlanc) on his forehand and Jared (Tinordi) ready with the one-timer and Louis threw it to Jared and he ripped it home, a perfect shot that came out to me. I didnt really think, I just put it in the net." The win snaps a five-game losing skid for the Bulldogs, who improve to 13-14-4. "Its one of those games where youre coming back from a three-day break and we werent playing that great before, a five-game losing streak," said Bulldogs coach Stephane Lefebvre. "So to get the win today, for us its a big win." The matinee affair was played in front of an announced crowd of 16,589 fans in the Marlies third annual Boxing Day game at Air Canada Centre, home of their NHL-parent club, the Toronto Maple Leafs. "I thought we controlled the game from start to finish," said Lefebvre, who watched his team outshoot the Marlies 40-18. "We turned the puck over a couple of times, especially in the second period which led to some scoring chances for them, but overall I thought we played a good game." Joonas Nattinen scored in regulation time for Hamilton, taking advantage of a second-period miscue by Marlies goalie Drew MacIntyre, while Bulldogs netmindder Dustin Tokarski made 17 saves. Fran Tarkenton Vikings Jersey. "Its hard sometimes when youre not getting shots and then suddenly they have a power play and shots are coming from every direction," said Pateryn about Tokarski. "Hes been good all year and just continues to bail us out." Defenceman T.J. Brennan had the lone tally for Toronto, who fall to 16-9-3 but remain in first place in the North Division. MacIntyre, with 39 saves, was sharp despite misplaying the puck on Nattinens goal. "Hes a good goalie, he always puts up a good fight," Pateryn said. "We really peppered him today and he definitely stood on his head all game." The game was tied 0-0 after the first period and the Bulldogs led 1-0 through 40 minutes. After a failed clearing attempt by MacIntyre, Nattinen opened the scoring when he pounced on a loose puck in the slot and lifted it over the sprawling Marlies goaltender at 9:59 of the second period. Brennan tied the game with a power-play marker, his team-leading 13th goal of the season, when his slapshot from the point beat a screened Tokarski at 12:20 of the third period. "We failed to clear the puck twice and it came back to haunt us, but we stuck with it and we didnt panic," Lefebvre said. "We knew we had a good chance to win because we were controlling the play." Hamilton was 0-for-7 on the power play while Toronto went 1-for-5 with the man advantage. The Marlies and Bulldogs complete their home-and-home series with a game in Hamilton on Friday. "Today was a good win, tomorrow is another big game for us against the same team," Lefebvre said. "Its a good time to get on a streak. Well take it one day at a time. ' ' '