miaowang123: Combine.We were very intrigued with his potential

Combine.We were very intrigued with his potential

8 Apr 2018 at 02:34

TORONTO -- The elaborate designs Dominic Oduro has worn shaved in his hair have included a black and yellow striped mohawk, a replica slice of pepperoni pizza, and even a neon pink breast cancer ribbon with matching pink mohawk. Mark McGwire Jersey . But Oduro turns heads on the pitch for more than his distinctive hairstyles, and thats all Toronto FC cares about. "I dont think Ill be joining him in any fashion choices," Toronto captain Steven Caldwell said, laughing. "No interest in his hair. Were only interested in his talents on the pitch." TFC acquired the speedy Ghana forward/winger in a trade with the Crew on Friday, sending Spanish winger Alvaro Rey to Columbus. Toronto hopes to have Oduro in the lineup when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. The 28-year-old Oduro, whose Twitter handle is "Freakyfast8," has 46 goals in 228 MLS appearances, including 139 starts. "Were talking about the fastest or one of the top three fastest guys in the whole league, so its very exciting to have Dominic join us," Caldwell said. "Hes been a dangerous opponent of ours since I came here, scored a couple of goals and been a real thorn in the side. When were defending for long periods with Dominic in the park we can break with such pace, and cause every team in the league problems." The colourful character earned mention on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" after a 2013 goal celebration against Chicago that saw him take a bite of pizza after being passed a slice by a waiting accomplice. Oduro then gave the rest of the pizza to a fan in the stands. He showcased his love for pizza by having the design of a slice shaved into his hair. Asked what he knows about his new teammate, star striker Jermain Defoe said "I just heard that hes fast. I heard that hes really quick. At the end of the day the club has done good business so I can imagine that hes going to improve the team. And he knows that hes coming into a good team, so hopefully he can come and get off to good start and help the team." Toronto (5-4-1) is in sixth in the Eastern Conference -- one spot out of the playoffs -- with several games in hand, and hopes to head into the three-week break for the World Cup on a high note. Coach Ryan Nelsen said hes coveted Oduro since last season, when the six-foot-one player scored in two of the three meetings between the teams. "We know his character really well, we know who he is, and we know that when we scouted Columbus, hes one of the guys that you worry about. Most teams when they scout Columbus, you worry about Dominic Oduro," Nelsen said. "Hes proved in the league that he can be pretty devastating. Hes a nice age, hes got good MLS experience, and can play a couple of positions and hes going to be a very valuable asset to our club." When asked if Toronto was lacking in speed before acquiring Oduro, Nelsen said: "No, but pace always helps doesnt it? "Its always nice to have probably the fastest guy in the league on your team, a guy who scored double-figure goals in the league. It helps, he can play right midfield, he can play striker, so its just another weapon in the arsenal that were trying to build. Were trying to make the squad better, deeper, and we always look to be creative, and well keep doing that." Oduro, who was to arrive in Toronto later Friday, had a career-high 13 goals last season, but is goalless in 11 games (six starts) this season. Prior to Columbus, he played for Chicago, Dallas, Houston and New York. "To my new team, Toronto hope to help the team move forward. Thanks for everyones love and support," the Ghanaian tweeted Friday. Another tweet read: "Wanna thank the Crew organization for the opportunity they gave me to play for them. It was blast but in the end guess it didnt work out." Toronto doesnt play again until June 27 when they travel to New York to face the Red Bulls, and Nelsen said hed love to head into the break with a victory. "Of course its important, to get back to winning ways in front of our home fans," Nelsen said. "Were really motivated, could put us in a really nice position in the league, weve many games in hand." Toronto dropped a 1-0 decision in Montreal on Wednesday, as the Impact won the Amway Canadian Championship, which doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Defoe said his teammates had put that loss behind them. "I think the league is more important," said Jermain Defoe. "To be honest I think that was the main goal before the season started, to have a good run in the league and hopefully get in the playoffs. Now its important to focus on the league, no distractions. Were on a good run at the minute." TFCs last league game was a 3-2 win over Columbus last weekend. San Jose (4-4-4) is coming off its first road win of the season, beating FC Dallas 2-1. "Theyre a very good team, they dont give you much, they have very good centre backs there, and theyre just a very very hard working, solid, well-organized team and they dont give you much in terms of goals," Nelsen said of the Earthquakes. "Credit to Mark Watson, their coach (who is Canadian). Theyre like him, just hard and organized. It will be a very very difficult game." The 24-year-old Rey, meanwhile, had one goal in 20 appearances for Toronto. He made six starts, with one substitute appearance, this season but had been slowed by injury and dropped behind Jonathan Osorio on the left side on depth chart. Prior to joining the Toronto, Rey scored three goals in 28 appearances for Spanish side Xerez. Red Schoendienst Jersey . Maricopa County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says thats the finding from an autopsy conducted Thursday by the county Medical Examiners Office. Roger Maris Jersey . During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said.Moritz Boehringer was the feel-good story of the 2016 NFL Draft but as far as his new coach Mike Zimmer is concerned, the German’s time in the limelight is at an end for the foreseeable future. The 22-year-old made history last Saturday as he became the first player ever to be drafted straight from Europe when the Minnesota Vikings took him in the sixth round.Boehringer, whom Minnesota initially scouted through his YouTube highlight clips, became interested in American football when he saw a clip of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. Minnesota Vikings make history by selecting German wide receiver Boehringer in the sixth round On Monday, Boehringer became the first 2016 draft pick to sign his contract when he inked a four-year, $2.49m contract with a signing bonus of $150,420.The Vikings got his deal done as quickly as possible to provide extra time for Boehringer to get a work visa, and he was cleared in time to practice Friday.That practice was a welcome to the NFL moment for Boehringer as he got sick several times in the blistering Minnesota heat.Boehringers transition from the German leagues to the NFL is unprecedented and Zimmer knows he has a mammoth task in front of him to learn what it takes - both on and off the field - to be an NFL wide receiver. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is known for his no-nonsense approach I want to kind of end the story, to be honest with you, Zimmer said. I want him to be here playing football and not being a celebrity.Ive given him a hard time already about being on TV shows and stuff like that. Its football now, and its time to work. The feel-good story is over.Boehringer was met by a large crowd of curious reporters as he walked off the field after his first rookie mini-camp practice and he admitted there is a big learning curve in front of hhim. Lou Brock Jersey. You definitely have to get used to the speed, Boehringer said. There is a lot more tempo.But it was the first day so they explained some stuff to me and it was okay. The offence is new to everyone so that is good for me but in general football knowledge I have to do some work.I just have to concentrate on football right now. I want to get better and just try to show what I can do.When Boehringer wasnt getting sick on the side of the field, he had some good moments in practice which didnt go unnoticed by Zimmer.From what I saw today, hes a pretty good athlete, Zimmer said. Obviously, hes going to have to learn. The biggest thing for these guys is learning terminology. Thats hard right from the start, but thats not any different from him or anybody else. Highlights of the first round of the NFL draft, where Jared Goff was the first pick, going to the Los Angeles Rams. There is no doubt Boehringer is a project who is unlikely to be much of a factor during the 2016 season but the reason the Vikings were so intrigued by his potential is his extremely rare athleticism.At his pro day in Florida before the draft, the 6ft 4in, 227-pound Boehringer ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, had a vertical jump of 39 inches, a 10-foot-11 broad jump, a time of 4.10 seconds in the short shuttle, a time of 11.15 seconds in the 60-yard shuttle and a time of 6.65 seconds in the three-cone drill. He also bench-pressed 225 pounds 17 times.All performances would have placed in the top five among receivers at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine.We were very intrigued with his potential and his upside because you cant find that size, that speed and all the athletic test numbers that he had, general manager Rick Spielman said.Now the hard part of turning all that potential into production begins for Boehringer and the Vikings. Also See: NFL Video Rookies guide NFL on Sky Sports Pundits Cheap Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Jerseys NFL Cheap Stitched Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Jerseys 2019 ' ' '



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