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TORONTO -- All the stars have arrived. Hyun-Jin Ryu Jersey . Now the work can really begin. Jermain Defoe practised with Toronto FC for the first time Monday, and declared himself "100 per cent" healthy and keen to start when the club opens its Major League Soccer season on Saturday in Seattle. "Its been a long time talking about it and stuff, so to actually get over (to Canada) and put my boots on and start playing, training. . . its good," Defoe said. "It feels good. Obviously a little bit strange when you first come in, but the lads have been fantastic. Good training session. I feel sharp. So yeah, happy." The 31-year-old striker had been battling a nagging hamstring injury, and didnt play in what would have been his farewell game for Tottenham Hotspur on Feb. 27 at White Hart Lane. Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen said hell wait and see how quickly Defoe adapts to his new teammates this week before deciding if he will start. "Hopefully," Nelsen said. "Weve obviously got to get him up to speed with everything, but if hes fit and raring to go it will be hard to turn down a player of that quality." Some two dozen journalists turned out to Torontos training ground just north of the city to watch the clubs biggest star practise. At one end of the pitch, the five-foot-six striker in electric-blue cleats took turns with Andrew Wiedeman and fellow newcomer Michael Bradley firing shots on Torontos goalkeepers. Defoe shook hands with his teammates, he applauded their efforts. He then dropped to the pitch for a series of crunches, and was the last player off the field. Nelsen practically scoffed when asked how Defoe did. "He was awful. Hes done," the coach said, prompting much laughter. "Again, he came in on Saturday, so we just have to be careful, just with the artificial field and a flight," Nelsen added. "Hes still got that goofy smile, and still enjoys it in the back of the net. Thats all Im worried about." Defoe missed Torontos off-season due to commitments to Tottenham and England. He was the last player to arrive among a group of key off-season acquisitions that included American Michael Bradley, Brazilians Gilberto and Julio Cesar, and Dwayne De Rosario, whos back in Toronto after three seasons with New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. "To see (Defoe) in the locker-room this morning, now its like, alright we can start now," Bradley said. Gilberto, who has been slowed by a quadricep injury, believes it wont take long to develop chemistry with the England striker. "Now that everybody is here, were able to connect, get the chemistry working together as a team, and hopefully within the week well be ready to go," Gilberto said through an interpreter. "I think the chemistry will work right away, Toronto has got no time to wait." Defoe left Spurs with 143 goals to his credit, behind only Cliff Jones (159), Martin Chivers (174), Bobby Smith (208) and the legendary Jimmy Greaves (266) in the club record book. He was sidelined by the hamstring injury when he said his farewell to the fans at White Hart Lane late last month during halftime of a Europa League match against FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Defoe was on the bench for Englands friendly against Denmark last Wednesday at Wembley but didnt get a chance to earn a 56th cap in the 1-0 win over Denmark. He said "obviously" it would help if he had participated in Torontos pre-season, but added that "hopefully in training they will understand how I play, and vice versa, and it will be OK." Defoe was asked if he had concerns about playing on the artificial turf Saturday in Seattle, and he said that even practising on artificial turf might take some getting used to. Torontos indoor training is on turf, and with no warm weather in sight, it remains to be seen when the team can head outdoors to the pristine grass practice pitches. "Obviously its not something Im used to, to be honest, and even training today, it was the first time in years where Ive actually trained on this kind of surface," Defoe said. "But again, I suppose its something youre going to have to get used to. And you cant really make excuses because its the same for both teams. Same for all the players. Its something you get used to, I suppose its just part and parcel to travelling away and playing on these kind of pitches." Nelsen said the artificial pitch at Seattles CenturyLink Field may determine who plays and for how long on Saturday. "You get the travel, and then you get, not just an artificial field, its a bad artificial field. Its not like this one," Nelsen said. "Its like playing one-and-a-half. . .one-and-three-quarter games in terms of damage to your body. So weve got guys who are healthy but just dont have that hardness of fitness under them, which is a concern." This past Saturday, New York held Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave out of the Red Bulls opener versus the Whitecaps on the turf in Vancouver. Nelsen cautioned it may take some time for the newcomers to develop on-field chemistry, but pointed out the pedigree of his players will help hasten the process. "Theres no magical formula, its not like switching on a light," the coach said. "But when youve got good guys, good character, and good winning mentality, they want to learn. And everybody knows their roles. The right back on this team knows what the strikers are doing, and vice versa. So when everybody knows everybodys jobs it comes quicker." Defoe said he has no concerns about getting to know his new teammates. "Obviously its important around the training ground trying to get to know each individual and how they play," he said. "But I suppose off the pitch is important, getting to know your teammates, because you become a family. So I think thats important, but thats obviously thats something Ill do around the training ground." After the flurry of off-season signings, Defoe and Nelsen shoulder lofty expectations from fans and a front office gunning for the teams first playoff appearance. "The way I deal with it is, weve got a great bunch of guys, theyre all hardworking, they all want to win, well be very well-organized, and weve got players that can turn games," Nelsen said. "So do I worry at night when I go to bed? No, of course not. Its because of those reasons. Youre either going to win and youre going to lose, but what I can tell is all the variables and all the stuff that happens amongst a team Im really happy with. So I can sleep at night very, very well." Defoe, who has scored 19 goals for England, is also hoping to earn a spot in Roy Hodgsons World Cup squad. His competition includes Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck of Manchester United, Daniel Sturridge of Liverpool, Rickie Lambert and Jay Rodriguez of Southampton and Andy Carroll of West Ham. "Obviously its at the back of my mind, but first and foremost its important to concentrate on your club, and make sure your form is good," Defoe said. "As a forward you get judged on scoring goals. I think thats on my mind first and foremost, and then well see what happens with World Cup." England has three friendlies left before the World Cup -- Peru at Wembley on May 30 before games in Miami against Ecuador and Honduras Babe Herman Jersey .com) - World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and four-time Australian Open titlist Roger Federer were among Mondays fourth-round winners at Melbourne Park. Enrique Hernandez Dodgers Jersey . -- At the beginning of training camp, Andrew Bogut set a goal to play all 82 regular-season games and regain his place among the NBAs best centres. http://www.dodgerssale.com/dodgers-justin-turner-jersey/ .ca look back at each of the Top 10 stories of 2013. Today, we look back at LeBron James and the Miami Heat winning their second straight NBA championship. SAN JOSE, Calif. -- San Jose Sharks general manager Doug Wilson is wasting no time making changes after perhaps his teams most crushing playoff collapse. Wilson said Thursday that he told pending unrestricted free agent defenceman Dan Boyle that he will not be re-signed, informed unproductive forward Marty Havlat that he will not be back next season and moved top-line wing Brent Burns back to defence after spending more than a year as a forward on captain Joe Thorntons line. These changes all come two weeks after the Sharks became the fourth team in NHL history to lose a best-of-seven series after winning the first three games. Wilson spent the past two weeks meeting with coaches and players to help determine what went wrong in the final four games against Los Angeles and how to get a team that has been one of the best in the regular season the past decade over the playoff hump. "You want to be careful not to change too many things, but you better be really careful that youre not just avoiding what really needs to take place," Wilson said. "Theres two sides to that. I think what we need to do is much more drastic than just putting a Band-aide on it." Wilson said the moves this off-season will build on the moves made at the trade deadline in 2013, when the Sharks dealt away Ryane Clowe, Douglas Murray and Michal Handzus in an effort to become a faster and younger team. Those moves helped San Jose make it all the way to Game 7 of the second round before losing to Los Angeles a year ago and Wilson said the team is about two-thirds of the way to completing the overhaul. The team appeared closer than that after winning the first three games against the Kings but was unable to close the series out. Wilson blamed the collapse on allowing too-many odd-man rushes, a power play that went scoreless on its last 16 chances, a lack of effort in Game 5 and a late-game collapse in Game 6 after a disputed goal was allowed. "Our relationship with our fans has been strained and weve got to go and re-earn that trust," Wilson said. Boyle has been a key part of the Sharks since being acquired in a trade from Tampa Bay in July 2008. His 68 goals annd 201 assists in six seasons make him the career leader in both categories in franchise history and he has been a staple on the power-play unit. A. J. Pollock Jersey. He will be replaced on the blue line by Burns, who spent his first year and a half in San Jose on defence before making the move to forward in March 2013. Burns had a career-high 22 goals this season along with 26 assists as he teamed with Thornton on a physically imposing line that controlled play for much of the season. But Wilson said he is needed now on defence and compared Burns potential impact there to Montreals P.K. Subban, Winnipegs Dustin Byfuglien and Los Angeles Drew Doughty. "When you take a look at that type of dynamic on the back end, guys that move the puck up, shoot the puck on the power play, it creates a tough matchup," Wilson said. "When he was originally moved up to forward, it was because of an injury. He was coming back and he was having trouble with certain parts of his skating." Havlat scored 27 goals in three injury-plagued seasons with San Jose after being acquired from Minnesota in a trade for Dany Heatley. Havlat fell out of favour with the coaching staff and was a healthy scratch in six of seven playoff games. He is owed $6 million in the final year of his contract and will either be bought out or dealt. Wilson would not divulge what other changes he had planned but did say some of those could come in the teams player leadership. Boyle must be replaced as an alternate captain and Wilson said he expected some of the younger core, including forwards Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski and defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, to possibly take a bigger role. "I expect our young players to take this as probably one of the great extreme learning moments to say, You know what? Thats not happening again," Wilson said. NOTES: Assistant coach Larry Robinson will be back but could have an expanded role that includes some front-office duties. ... Wilson said talks have already begun to keep backup G Alex Stalock, who can be an unrestricted free agent. ... Pavelski (shoulder) and F Raffi Torres (knee) had operations after the season. ' ' '