ERST LESEN! » Donovan combine for a dangerous one-two punch, but defende

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The roars from the field had died away. Kauffman Stadium had fallen silent for the first time all night. In the Royals clubhouse, Alex Gordon had finally peeled off his dirt-stained jersey.He had just watched the San Francisco Giants celebrate their third World Series title in five years, capped by a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Wednesday night. But all he could think about was whether he could have scored the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning.It was a good hold, Gordon said, eventually. Close, but just short.Summing up the Royals season along with their season finale.The Giants had taken the lead in the fourth inning, and the game amounted to a battle of bullpens. San Francisco turned to its ace, Madison Bumgarner, and he kept breezing through the Kansas City lineup, right up until Gordons two-out single to left field.The ball skipped past Gregor Blanco and reached the wall, and Gordon churned around third base and headed home. But he couldnt get a good read on where the ball was because of the lighted scoreboard in left field, so he relied on third-base coach Mike Jirschele for guidance.Jirschele said stop. Gordon put on the brakes.He was left standing 90 feet from home when Sal Perez popped out to end the game.Its tough to pick the ball up from the dugout with that board out there, Royals manager Ned Yost said. There was some hope that it might happened, but it didnt.Still, the season will be remembered for much more than how close the Royals came to forcing extra innings one more time. It will be remembered for their 12-inning wild-card win over Oakland, and sweeps of the Angels and Orioles in their first playoff appearance since 1985.It will be remembered for Yordano Venturas inspired pitching performance in Game 6. And the gutsy performances by the brilliant bullpen. It will be remembered for James Shields and Wade Davis, and the way they taught a losing clubhouse how to win.It will be remembered for waking a baseball-starved city from its slumber.The character we had in this clubhouse is what Ill remember the most, said Shields, who now becomes a free agent and will likely pitch elsewhere for next season.We battled, first baseman Eric Hosmer said. I think you saw how much heart we have.It was on display one last time in the World Series.After splitting the first two games at home, Kansas City lost two of three in San Francisco, returning to Kauffman Stadium needing a victory just to force a deciding Game 7.The Royals got it in a 10-0 rout behind Ventura, who dedicated the victory to the late Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras, his good friend who died in a car crash over the weekend.Kansas City rallied once more in the finale, falling behind 2-0 in the second inning when the Giants managed back-to-back sacrifice flies against Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie.In the bottom half, Butler laced a single up the middle, and Gordon drove in a run with a double. He later took third base on a fly out by Mike Moustakas, and then hustled home for the tying run when Omar Infante sent another flyball to centre field.Once the Giants regained the lead, though, the Royals couldnt find an answer.Obviously, we wanted to win, Gordon said, but to be in this situation with these young guys and what theyve done this post-season, Im just proud to be a part of this team.Now, the question is whether it will take them another 29 years to return.Along with the likely departure of Shields, the Royals will have to make some hard decisions with players such as Butler, who holds a pricy option for next season. But young cornerstones in Hosmer, Perez and Lorenzo Cain should provide the foundation for the next few years.You know, the organization has a special time to build on what we have here, Butler said, and thats a rare thing to have, to have this much talent in here and go into next year having the majority of that back. Not every team has that. We have an opportunity to build on that, and we have an opportunity to be a better team next year. Nike Shoes On Sale .com) - Markus Granlund scored the game-winning goal as the Calgary Flames used an early offensive flurry to defeat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1, on Monday. Nike Clearance Store . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana. http://www.clearancenikeshoes.com/ . The English Football Association had charged the German right back with violent conduct after retrospectively reviewing video evidence of an incident that was missed by match officials at Craven Cottage on Saturday. Nike Shoes Outlet Clearance . The 18-year-old centre was the Senators first-round pick (17th overall) in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The six-foot 196-pound native of Salmon Arm, B. Wholesale Nike Shoes .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday.VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Whitecaps have cleared many hurdles in their four Major League Soccer seasons. One hedge that has continually tripped them up is playing the L.A. Galaxy on the road. Vancouver has never beaten the Galaxy at StubHub Center, where they have lost four times and been outscored 10-1. "Thanks for reminding me," coach Carl Robinson said with a grin this week after his team practised at the University of British Columbia. "Its got to change at some stage." The Whitecaps (2-1-2) are aware of the challenge they face when they play the Galaxy (1-1-1) Saturday in Carson, Calif. The team is packing a sense of confidence for the road trip. The Whitecaps have managed a win and tie against the Galaxy at B.C. Place Stadium. Saturdays game is another chance to measure themselves against one of MLSs perennial powerhouses. "Both sides have good competitors," said Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit. "Them being one of the better teams its a time for us to raise our game and really test ourselves and see how good we are. "That creates that battle sense." The Whitecaps are coming off their first defeat of the season, a 2-1 home loss to the Colorado Rapids last week. Vancouver led 1-0 but, playing one man down, gave up two goals in as many minutes to Rapids midfielder Jose Mari. "Those things happen and you move on," said DeMerit. "Knowing the calibre of team we are up against this weekend, that should excite us. That should take our focus and make sure we are preparing right. If we do the right things we can beat anyone in this league." The Whitecaps will be without midfielder Matias Laba who is suspended after picking up two yellow cards against Colorado. He could be replaced by Nigel Reo-Coker who missed two games after tripping over a bike rack and bashing his head. The 29-year-old from London was back practising with the team this week sporting an ugly scar on his head and a desire to get back on the pitch. "Im excited," said Reo-Coker, who started the first three games of the season. "When you sit out and watch one or two games its not nice. "Im someone who is used to competing." DeMerit said Reo-Coker makes the Whitecaps more abrasive. "Nigel brings a grit, he brings competitiveness, he brings a toughness in the tackle," he said. "He can really help us going forward when he gets the ball at this feet and drives at the defence.dddddddddddd" The Whitecaps have been a tale of two teams this year. Both their wins have come at home where they have outscored their opponents 7-4 in three matches. On the road Vancouver has managed two draws and just one goal. Robinson relishes the challenge the Galaxy present. "Were a young evolving team," said the first-year head coach. "It will be a good test to see where we are. "Its important we go on the road and try and dictate what we can, control ourselves, deal with them attacking wisely but putting a focus on us attacking." The Galaxy won their first match of the season with a 3-0 defeat of Chivas USA last week. Captain Robbie Keane scored his second goal of the season in the match. Keane has 36 goals and 22 assists in 58 MLS games since joining the Galaxy in 2011. Forward Landon Donovan needs just one goal to reach 135. That would make him the MLS all-time regular-season leader in goals scored. Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted said he doesnt want to be the answer to a trivia question. "It would be nice not to be that guy," said Ousted. "I am trying to keep a clean sheet so it doesnt matter who scores." Donovan has scored four goals against the Whitecaps, the most of any L.A. player. Keane and Donovan combine for a dangerous one-two punch, but defender Andy OBrien said its dangerous to focus on them because the Galaxy have plenty of other players able to deliver a knockout blow. "If you emphasize on Keane there are 11 players on the pitch," said OBrien, who has been a teammate with Keane on the Irish national team. "Not only does Robbie score goals he creates goals. "We need to close him down. He is one of a number of players theyve got that can score goals. From a defensive prospective you try to make life difficult for him and stick to it." DeMerit agreed the Whitecaps cant become too focused on just two Galaxy players. "One of their best qualities is they have a lot of interchangeable parts," he said. "You will see guys on the left end up on the right and guys in the centre on the left. "Guys have to make sure they are sticking with their jobs and their spots on the field. They are going to try to get us moving and change around. Defensively we need to be wary of that and get help from all 11 (players) defensively, not just the back four." ' ' '