Magicgames II » passing for one

PHILADELPHIA - Teenager Cyle Larin made history at the MLS SuperDraft on Thursday when he became the first Canadian to go first overall.The 19-year-old forward from Brampton, Ont., was the consensus No. 1 pick, with expansion Orlando City SC resisting all trade offers for the UConn sophomore.The reason that goal-scorers go for the most money is because theyre the most valuable, said Orlando head coach Adrian Heath, a former Stoke City and Everton star. If you look at what hes got, we think theres a lot of promise there.The previous high for a Canadian pick came in 2013, when midfielder Kyle Bekker was taken third overall by Toronto FC.With Canadian teams picking third, sixth, ninth, 11th and 13th, there was a definite northern feel to the top end of the draft at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Toronto FC added to that by using the third of its three first-rounders to take Syracuses Skylar Thomas, a defender from Pickering, Ont.Two Canadians were also taken in the first round of the 2013 draft when Toronto took Bekker and then Emery Welshman 16th overall.Surrounded by his Canadian under-20 teammates, Larin watched the draft on a laptop from Jamaica in advance of a game against El Salvador at the CONCACAF U-20 Championship. As soon as the pick was announced, a smiling Larin was swallowed up by a sea of chanting, delirious teammates.It proved to be a roller-coaster day for Larin as the young Canadians lost 3-2 in stoppage time.It was an exciting time when I got drafted No. 1. I was hoping to top it off with a win, he said from Jamaica. The six-foot-two 190-pounder has already been capped three times by the Canadian national squad.Larin scored 23 goals in 39 career games in his two years at the University of Connecticut. As an underclassman, he signed a Generation Adidas contract which will not count against Orlandos salary cap.Heath said Orlando had one or two conversations with one or two of the Canadian teams about the first pick but thought taking Larin was the best value. The Montreal Impact confirmed they had approached Orlando but ended up sticking with their third overall pick, taking University of Central Florida striker Romario Williams.Williams, a charismatic Jamaican who is also a member of the Generation Adidas class, endeared himself immediately to Quebec when he got on stage and said Bonjour, Montreal.New York City FC, another expansion team, took forward Khiry Shelton of Oregon State with the second overall pick.Larin is big, fast and has vision. He is also good with his back to the goal, adept with his head and shifty with the ball.Hes got a bit of everything, said Heath.Larin wins as many kudos for his character off the field as his play on it.The oldest of four kids, he would look after his siblings and get them to school, while his single mother worked. Those who know him are fiercely protective of him, knowing the kind of person he is.The first thing that everybody speaks about Cyle is that hes a smashing kid, said Heath. And with our conversations with him over the last couple of months, thats the one thing that has been really really evident thats he a very respectful boy, he wants to work hard and were looking forward to getting him in the building.Larin paid tribute to his coaches and family but particularly his mother.Shes the one that kept me at soccer since Day 1 and took care of me my whole life, he said. If it wasnt for her, I wouldnt be at this level and playing at this level. I keep going and playing for her.There will be a Canadian influence at work in Orlando. Mark Watson, a hard-nosed defender who won 78 caps for Canada, is an assistant coach under Heath.On the soccer field, Larin grew up in the ranks of Sigma FC, the renowned soccer academy in Mississauga, Ont., that was also home to Bekker.Larin resisted the temptation to leave school after his freshman campaign, electing instead to experience school for another year. He plans to go back to get his degree.The Canadian becomes the third first UConn player under coach Ray Reid to be taken first overall in the MLS SuperDraft, following Chris Gbandi (2002) and Andre Blake (2014). Larin is also the 14th first-rounder under Reid and the 33rd Huskie player drafted.His reward for joining Orlando is playing with Brazilian superstar Kaka, although Heath said Orlando will not rush Larin.One of the most important things for us is that we give him time, said Heath. People forget sometimes that they go from three-month seasons (in college) into a 10-month season. Hes going from playing with his schoolmates to playing with Kaka.For some of the guys, its a huge transition and we have to respect that and give them a little bit of time. If he comes in and contributes straight away, fantastic. if we have to wait, well wait and well work with him.Heath, who plays a 4-2-3-1 system, said he sees Larin as a forward at this stage. Orlando also has 20-year-old Honduran forward Bryan Rochez, a designated player.Larin and Rochez could cross paths Jan. 21 at the CONCACAF U-20 tournament.Toronto FC selected Syracuse goalkeeper Alex Bono sixth, North Carolina State defender Clement Simonin ninth and Thomas 11th. Bono is a Generation Adidas player currently in camp with the U.S. senior team.At No. 13, the Vancouver Whitecaps selected St. Johns defender Tim Parker.Forwards went 1-2-3 Thursday but teams turned to defenders — the strength of the draft — as the round wore on. There were seven defenders taken from No. 7 through No. 15 and eight overall in the first round.There were a couple of surprises in the first two rounds.University of Washington midfielder Cristian Roldan, a Generation Adidas player touted as a top-three pick, languished on the board until No. 16 when Seattle made a deal with Real Salt Lake to trade up to get him.Conor Donovan, a Generation Adidas and U.S. under-20 defender from North Carolina State, fell through the first round before being taken first in the second round — by Orlando — 22nd overall.UCLA midfielder Leo Stolz, winner of the Missouri Athletic Clubs Hermann Trophy as the top U.S. collegiate mens player, went 18th overall to the New York Red Bulls. He would have gone far higher had he not elected to try starting his pro career in Europe.The final two rounds of the draft go Jan. 20 by telephone.———Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter. Cheap Jordan . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Cheap Air Jordan Online . -- Navy football player Will McKamey, who has been hospitalized since collapsing at practice three days ago, has died while in a coma. https://www.wholesalejordanshoeschina.co...or-sale-119k/.C. - Alberta prop Andrew Tiedemann will captain Canada against Uruguay on Friday, the opening day of competition at the IRB Americas Rugby Championship. Cheap Jordan From China .D. Martinezs ninth-inning sacrifice fly scored Torii Hunter with the winning run and the Detroit Tigers beat the Minnesota Twins 4-3 Sunday. Air Jordan Sale .com) - New England Patriots starting center Bryan Stork will not play in Sundays AFC Championship against Indianapolis due to a knee injury the rookie sustained last week.Fargo, ND (SportsNetwork.com) - Whew! North Dakota States reign as the three-time FCS national champion was pushed to the limit by South Dakota State on Saturday, but freshman R.J. Urzendowskis second touchdown reception of the game with 54 seconds left lifted the second- seeded Bison to a 27-24 win in the second round of the playoffs Saturday. Urzendowski caught a 12-yard fade pattern from quarterback Carson Wentz to erase South Dakota States go-ahead touchdown just minutes earlier and send North Dakota State (12-1) to next weekends national quarterfinals, where they will host seventh-seeded Coastal Carolina (12-1). A year ago, NDSU eliminated Coastal, 48-14, in the quarterfinals. Before South Dakota State fell for the seventh straight time to Missouri Valley Football Conference rival North Dakota State, the Jackrabbits (9-5) thought they might have a stunning upset. Quarterback Austin Sumners 3-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jake Wieneke with 3:18 left put the visitors ahead, 24-20. But the Bison drove 76 yards in eight plays, helped by a pass interference that moved the ball 14 yards to the South Dakota State 7. After Wentz threw an incompletion and the Bison were moved back five yards by a false start, Wentz faked a handoff to John Crockett and lofted the game-winning pass over SDSU cornerback Dallas Brown and into the hands of the 6-foot Urzendowski just inside the end zone. On the first play of South Dakota States ensuing possession, Tre Dempsey intercepted Sumner at the Jackrabbits 25 to put North Dakota States escape on ice. The Bison overcame South Dakota State senior running back Zach Zenner, who rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns while becoming the first player in NCAA history to surpass 2,000 yards in a season for a third time. He finished the season with 2,019 yards. Zenner kept South Dakota States go-ahead drive alive with a 5-yard run on 4th- and-2 at the Bison 32. The Jackrabbits scored when Sumner faked a handoff to Zenner and fired a quick slant to Wieneke in the Bison end zone with 3:18 left to play. North Dakota State built a 14-0 lead in the first half as Wentz fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Urzendowski and then ran in a 27-yard score. Urzendowski finished with four receptions for 109 yards. Crockett rushed for 102 yards on 23 carries and Wentz had 70 yards on 13 carries. South Dakota State fought back to tie the game 14-14 before halftime on two Zenner touchdown runs in the second quarter. Justin Syrovatkas 33-yard field goal at the 6:43 mark of the third quarter put the Jackrabbits ahead 17-14, but NDSUs Adam Keller countered with two field goals and the Bison went back ahead 20-17. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Coastal Carolina 36, Richmond 15 Conway, SC - Coastal Carolina could have stewed for the last two weeks over a blocked field goal attempt on the final play of the regular season, which spoiled its perfect record. Instead, the Chanticleers went out and did something about. Seventh-seeded Coastal took its frustration out on Richmond with a 36-15 rout in the second round. Coastal (12-1) will travel to second-seeded North Dakota State for the national quarterfinals next weekend. A year ago, the Chanticleers fell to NDSU, 48-14, in the final eight. The only blemish on Coastals record was the 15-14 loss to Liberty to end the regular season on Nov. 22. The Chanticleers had a 24-yard chip shot blocked to end that game and were forced to share the Big South Conference title with Liberty. But coach Joe Moglias squad, coming off a first-round bye, played with focus in ending Richmonds season one week after the visiting Spiders (9-5) eliminated Morgan State from the playoffs. The Chanticleers rushed for 316 yards to overcome Richmond quarterback Michael Strauss 402 passing yards. Coastal Carolina clung to a 6-0 lead late in the second quarter until they capped an 11-play, 58-yard drive with Alex Ross 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Craig Weick with 33 seconds left in the first half. Austin Cain ran in the two-point conversion and the Chanticleers had a 14-0 halftime lead. It got much worse for Richmond in the third quarter. Andre Johnson scored on a 9-yard run to give Coastal a 21-0 lead at the 12:13 mark. The Spiders answered with Strauss 76-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brown to pull within 21-7. But Henderson broke off a 50-yard touchdown run on the Chanticleers ensuing drive and Ross scored from 1 yard out just before the end of the quarter to push the lead to 36-8. Henderson finished with 134 yards on 19 carries and Ross was 22-for-41 for 171 yards and a touchdown, adding 52 yards on the ground. Senior linebacker Quinn Backus was dominant as he led the Coastal defense with 10 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, 1.5 tackles for losses, two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- New Hampshire 44, Fordham 19 Durham, NH - New Hampshire has the nations top ranking and No. 1 playoff seed to motivate opponents, but the Wildcats announced they feel ready for the challenge by dispatching Fordham, 44-19, in the second round of the FCS postseason. UNH (11-1) extended its school-record winning streak to 11 games as its began its 11th straight appearance in the playoffs. The Wildcats will host eighth- seeded Chattanooga (10-3) in the national quarterfinals next weekend. The CAA Football champions had terrific offensive balance with 274 passing yards and 270 rushing yards. Nico Steriti rushed for 110 yards and four touchdowns on 14 carries to fuel the win, while quarterback Sean Goldrich passed for 240 yards and had 48 yards and a touchdown on the ground. If it wasnt for Fordham freshman sensation Chase Edmonds (208 rushing yards, 385 all-purpose yards, one touchdown), the score could have been worse for the Rams (11-3), the Patriot League champions who were coming off a first-round win over Sacred Heart. New Hampshire had six sacks of Fordham quarterback Mike Nebrich in the games first nine minutes and threatened to swamp the Rams. Jimmy Owens scored on a 51-yard run on the Wildcats first offensive play and Goldrich capped their second drive with an 8-yard scoring run on 4th-and-2 as they built a 14-0 lead in the games first 6 1/2 minutes. But two turnovers by New Hampshire kept the Rams in the game and they pulled within 14-12 in the second quarter on Edmonds 91-touchdown run and two Michael Marando field goals. The Wildcats then regained firm control of the game by halftime. Steriti scored on an 11-yard touchdown run with 3:07 left in the second quarter and Brad Prasky kicked a 30-yard field goal to end the half, pushing their lead to 24-12. Steriti scored on two more runs (1 and 7 yards) in the third quarter to sandwich around a Fordham score that was set up Edmonds 65-yard kickoff return and New Hampshire led 37-19 after three quarters. Steriti added his fourth touchddown on a 24-yard touchdown with 4:48 to play.dddddddddddd Nebrich, averaging 312.5 passing yards per game, was held to 161 yards on 12- of-30 passes with one touchdown and one interception. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Chattanooga 35, Indiana State 14 Chattanooga, TN - The Southern Conference had a subpar season after the departure of its traditional FCS playoff teams, but new power Chattanooga clearly is as good as ever The Mocs followed the lead of junior quarterback Jacob Huesman as they gained their first playoff win with a 35-14 triumph over Indiana State in the second round. Huesman accounted for 394 yards and three touchdowns as No. 8 Chattanooga advanced to the national quarterfinals. The Mocs (10-3) will visit top-ranked and top-seeded New Hampshire (11-1) next weekend. Chattanooga has won the last two SoCon titles. Georgia Southern and Appalachian State, who won a combined nine national titles in the FCS, have left the conference for the FBS level. Huesman rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, and completed 15-of-24 pass attempts for 241 yards and one touchdown. Keon Williams rushed for another 70 yards and a touchdown as the Mocs kept a balanced attack and outgained Indiana State (8-6) 503 yards to 178 while holding the ball for 42 minutes, 57 seconds. Chattanooga had lost its only other playoff game in 1984, but the Mocs grabbed control of the game in the first quarter. On the games third play from scrimmage, Mocs safety Semaje Kendall intercepted Indiana State quarterback Mike Perish at the Sycamores 30-yard line and returned the ball to the 3. One play later, Williams scored just one minute into the game. The Mocs balanced out the short possession with a long scoring drive, going 90 yards on 14 plays, with Huesmans 1-yard run pushing the lead to 14-0 at the 5:03 mark. Indiana State, a Missouri Valley Football Conference member coming off a playoff win against Eastern Kwentucky, cut its deficit in half on Perishs 75- yard touchdown pass to A.J. Johnson with 51 seconds left in the first quarter. But Huesmans 29-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Hudson with two minutes left in the first half pushed Chattanoogas lead to 21-7 by halftime. Huesman then capped the opening drive of the second half with a 1-yard touchdown run to put the Mocs ahead, 28-7. The drive went 84 yards over 11 plays. Chattanooga won despite place-kicker Henrique Ribeiro missing all three of his first-goal attempts. The Mocs forced three turnovers, including two interception of Perish. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Illinois State 41, Northern Iowa 21 Normal, IL - Illinois State enacted revenge for its only loss of the regular season by pounding Northern Iowa, 41-21, in a matchup of Missouri Valley Football Conference teams in the second round of the FCS playoffs. The result was surprisingly one-sided after Northern Iowa won the regular- season meeting, 42-28, at home, but fifth-seeded Illinois State (11-1) kept its two-season home winning streak intact while powering into the national quarterfinals next weekend. They will face Saturdays second-round survivor between Montana and fourth-seeded Eastern Washington. Illinois State, which has won 13 straight games at Hancock Stadium, built a 24-0 halftime lead to dispatch of UNI (9-5). Quarterback Tre Roberson finished with 382 yards and four touchdowns through the air and running back Marshaun Coprich had 148 yards and a score on the ground. Illinois State scored on its first three drives to take a commanding 21-0 lead. Roberson connected on a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Meredith to cap the games opening drive and then Coprichs 29-yard run on the Redbirds second possession set up his 1-yard score to make it 14-0 with 8:16 left in the first quarter. The Redbirds third drive began midway through the first quarter and ended in the first minute of the second quarter after they went 87 yards in 15 plays with Roberson and Meredith connected on a 2-yard touchdown pass. Nick Aussiekers 45-yard field goal to end the first half pushed Illinois States lead to 24-0. The Redbirds had a 345-52 advantage in offensive yards and a 16-3 advantage in first downs in the half while holding the ball nearly twice as long as the Panthers. James OShaughnessy (four receptions, 115 yards) caught two touchdowns in the second half and joined Meredith (seven receptions, 105 yards) with over 100 receiving yards. Northern Iowa All-American David Johnson had only 48 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, but he finished with 108 yards on four kickoff returns and another 30 yards on five receptions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam Houston State 37, Jacksonville State 26 Jacksonville, AL - When Sam Houston State had a 1-3 record, the Bearkats were just looking for any victory, let alone reaching the FCS playoffs. The Bearkats turned their season around and won for the second time in the playoffs on Saturday, dispatching third-seeded Jacksonville State, 37-26, as quarterback Jared Johnson accounted for four touchdowns. Sam Houston (10-4), under first-year coach K.C. Keeler, will play either Liberty or sixth-seeded Villanova in the national quarterfinals next weekend. The Bearkats, making their fourth straight playoff appearance, have won seven straight games and nine of their last 10 since falling to Division II Colorado State-Pueblo on Sept. 13. They shared the Southland Conference title with Southeastern Louisiana and then eliminated the Lions in the playoff first round a week ago. Johnson completed 13-of-19 pass attempts for 161 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The Bearkats trailed 26-24 at halftime after Jacksonville States Connor Rouleau ended the first half with a 42-yard field goal. Johnson then connected with LaDarius Brown for a second touchdown pass - this time a 49-yarder - to put Sam Houston ahead, 30-26, with 8:03 left in the third quarter. The Bearkats defense stopped Jacksonville State (10-2) on downs at the Sam Houston 43. On the sixth play of the Bearkats ensuing drive, Jalen Overstreet scored on a 33-yard run to push the lead to 37-26. Overstreet finished with 83 yards on 10 carries. Jacksonville State, the Ohio Valley Conference champion whose 10-game winning streak ended, outgained Sam Houston 513 yards to 402, but quarterback Eli Jenkins threw two interceptions in addition to rushing for one touchdown and passing for one. Gamecocks tailaback DaMarcus James carried the ball 19 times for 128 yards and a touchdown. Running back Keshawn Hill caught Johnsons other touchdown pass. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FCS Playoff Second Round All Times ET Montana (9-4) at No. 4 seed Eastern Washington (10-2), 4:30 p.m. Liberty (9-4) at No. 6 seed Villanova (10-2), 4:30 p.m. ' ' '