The Canada Day long weekend saw some fantastic storylines in Major League Soccer, with last-minute goals coming in games played in Philadelphia, Montreal, San Jose and Los Angeles adding to the drama. For Canadas three MLS teams, the results were mixed. Toronto FC fell to Real Salt Lake, 1-0 at BMO Field, continuing TFCs winless streak on home soil. The last time the Reds picked up maximum points on the grass pitch down by the lakeshore was on July 18, 2012, when they beat the Colorado Rapids by a score of 2-1. A loss to Real Salt Lake wasnt entirely unexpected; the Western Conference leaders are the form team in MLS right now, having won seven of their last nine games. Toronto FC had a few fleeting chances, with the best falling to Bobby Convey just inside the penalty box after Danny Koevermans found the winger cutting inside, only for Convey to poke his ensuing shot wide of the target. There was a penalty appeal by Jeremy Brockie in the first half, after the Kiwi went down following contact with Real Salt Lake defender Nat Borchers. The referee made the correct decision in waving away Brockies appeal, as Brockie simply ran into Borchers after pushing the ball beyond the defender. While there was contact – Borchers clipped his own heels and went down as a result – it wasnt instigated by the defender and certainly didnt merit a penalty kick. Toronto FC head coach Ryan Nelsen felt otherwise, saying in the post-game press conference that they were denied a “stone-cold penalty”. Whether it was an attempt to deflect criticism away from yet another uninspiring performance is unclear. What is very evident is that Toronto FC is in dire need of a creative influence in midfield. Expect the upcoming transfer window to be a busy one for Nelsen and General Manager Kevin Payne, as the two continue to try to turn Toronto into a contender. There was controversy in Washington, D.C. as the Vancouver Whitecaps held on for a 1-0 win against United. Camilo scored the games only goal after he smashed home a penalty kick early in the second half following a foul by DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid on Vancouver midfielder Matt Watson. The controversy arose because replays clearly show that Hamid played the ball before making contact with Watson, who went sprawling under the challenge. Proponents of the call argue that “getting the ball first” isnt a defence for Hamid. They claim that his challenge was careless, and merited a foul being given. That the foul occurred inside the penalty area meant that referee Matt Foerster had no choice but to award a penalty. Critics argue that Hamids challenge was a legal one; he got the ball first, and his momentum carried him into Watson. It wasnt careless, but rather a strong challenge to win the ball. I agree with the critics. I do not want our game to become so sanitized that players are unable to challenge for the ball, knowing that even the slightest contact will result in a foul, a card or a penalty being given. Contact between players has always been a part of the game and denying a goal-scoring opportunity – as Hamid did when he came out to challenge Watson – can swing the momentum in a game. The referees job is to ensure that whatever contact occurs is within the laws of the game, but I feel that we are beginning to err too far on the side of caution. If this carries on, it wont be long before no contact at all is allowed in the game. The controversy masked the fact that Vancouver has been on a tidy little run of late, winning five of their last seven games to drag themselves into the playoff race in the Western Conference. The Whitecaps have a tough week coming up, though, with an away game against Sporting KC on Wednesday (which can be seen live on TSN at 9pm et/6pm pt) followed by a home game against Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders on Saturday (also on TSN, 11pm et/8pm pt). The Montreal Impact were involved in a seven-goal thriller at Stade Saputo in Montreal, conceding in stoppage time to lose 4-3 to the Colorado Rapids. In head coach Marco Schallibaums first season in charge, the Impact have been in fantastic form, sitting atop the Eastern Conference with 29 points from 15 games played. They have games in hand on all of the teams chasing them, and if the Impact can convert those games into points, they will have a very good chance of making their first MLS playoff appearance in just their second year in the league. The Impact are anchored by some excellent senior players - Patrice Bernier, Marco Di Vaio, Alessandro Nesta and Matteo Ferrari to name a few. They have also made some very good off-season additions, with one of them – Daniele Paponi – scoring two goals against Colorado. If the Impact can stay healthy, they have more than enough to challenge not just for a playoff place, but also for a deep run into the post-season. The Impact will kick off an MLS double header on TSN on Wednesday when they renew their rivalry with Toronto FC at 7pm et/4pm pt, before Sporting KC hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps at 9pm et/6pm pt. Wholesale Under Armour . "Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter. Under Armour Outlet Store . - The Minnesota Vikings have ruled Christian Ponder out for Sundays game at Baltimore, because the quarterback has not yet passed all of his post-concussion tests. http://www.underarmourcheap.net/ . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. Cheap Under Armour Free Shipping . Henry, who missed three games with a knee injury, was charged with a handball in the penalty area in the 82nd minute as he went to block a strike from Patrick Mullins. On the ensuing penalty kick, Lee Nguyen picked up his fourth goal of the season, giving the Revolution a 2-1 win Saturday afternoon. Under Armour Cheap Shoes . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Sprint informed NASCAR it wont extend title sponsorship of the top Sprint Cup Series beyond its current contract, which expires after the 2016 season.Sprint has long benefited from the unprecedented level of brand integration available in NASCAR, and the passionate fan base that is the most loyal in sports, Steve Gaffney, vice-president of marketing for Sprint, said in a Tuesday statement. Without question, the NASCAR sponsorship property has been a valuable investment for us and will be for our successor.As we look to the future, Sprint is focused on investing in maintaining a competitive edge and providing consumers with the best value in wireless,The wireless carrier assumed a 10-year sponsorship agreement with NASCAR when it acquired Nextel in 2005. The Nextel Cup Series became the Sprint Cup Series in 2008, and Sprint later agreed to a three-year extension that took the contract through 2016.Now, the company is citing a need to focus more directly on its core business priorities, in ending its relationship with NASCAR. SoftBank bought out Sprint in 2013 and the change in leadership has led to a new CEO and changing marketing strategies.The announcement Tuesday gives NASCAR two seasons to find a replacement, and NASCAR chief communications officer Brett Jewkes said the series understands that significant changes within Sprint led to the decision.The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a very unique, premium sports marketing platform with strong momentum, so we are very confident of moving forward in 2017 with an outstanding new partner, Jewkes said in a statement. In the meantime, we look forward to Sprints parrtnership on the best racing series in the world for the next two seasons.ddddddddddddSprints exit means NASCAR will enter a new entitlement agreement for just the fourth time since 1971, when RJ Reynolds began its 33-year sponsorship of the top series through its Winston brand. RJR pulled out after the 2003 season and Nextel stepped in until Sprints corporate merger.Since Sprint stepped in, the wireless carrier has implemented fan-friendly innovations ranging from a new generation scanner in 2005, a mobile app in 2008 and the Miss Sprint Cup ambassador program in 2007. The Miss Sprint Cup program has more than 1.5 million social media followers.Sprint is also responsible for funding the season-ending point fund, which was approximately $22 million this past season and awarded $4.8 million to first-time champion Kevin Harvick.Sprint also promotes the series through various marketing campaigns.Much like 2004, this is an enormous opportunity for a prospective sponsor to join one of the countrys most popular sports on its highest level, Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said. NASCAR has reached out in advance to industry people like myself to assist them in identifying a replacement title sponsor. We encourage NASCAR to find an active, supportive and long-term sponsor with broad consumer reach and minimal category conflict that proves beneficial to the entire industry in the future.NASCAR signed a deal with Xfinity this year to replace Nationwide as entitlement sponsor of the second-tier series, and NASCAR extended its current deal with Camping World through 2022 for title sponsor of its Truck Series. ' ' '