TORONTO -- After digging deep into its roster for a midweek friendly against Tottenham, Toronto FC gets back to business Saturday when it hosts defending MLS champion Sporting Kansas City. Four days later, Toronto wraps up a busy July with a visit to D.C. United (10-5-4), which trails Eastern Conference leader Kansas City (10-5-5) by one point. It speaks volumes about the turnaround in Toronto FC that midfielder Michael Bradley sees the two games against elite opposition as an opportunity rather than just a chance to see how his team measures against the best in the East. For Bradley, the K.C. and D.C. contests are a chance to move up the standings. Toronto (7-5-5) has two games in hand on D.C. United and three on Kansas City. "When you play the teams right around you these are six-point games and so if we can now, over this next week, come out with some good results, then still it gives us a chance to keep the games in hand but move right up the table," said Bradley. "Thats our goal. "Seventeen games gone, 17 to go. We feel like its been a good first half of the season for us but we still hold the bar high for ourselves and want to continue to move on up." Manager Ryan Nelsen says his team continues to be a work in progress. "Even now, were still learning about each other.," said Nelsen. "Im still learning about (designated players) Michael and Jermain (Defoe) and Gil(berto). And theyre still learning about us. Are we the finished product? Of course not. Were nowhere near that. But are we getting better? I think so. Were evolving quite nicely." This year has already been a success compared to previous seasons. Nelsens team is headed to a first-ever playoff campaign and has already exceeded the number of wins posted each of the 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2103 seasons. Three more victories and it will match the club single-season record of 10, set in 2009. With 13 leagues wins in his 1 1/2 seasons, Nelson is already the club leader for managerial victories. Toronto will have to face Kansas City without Defoe, the star striker who is suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Brazils Gilberto is expected to start up front with Englands Luke Moore. Defoe has 11 of Torontos 26 league goals. Next on the list is Moore with three. Gilberto has two, although he has shown signs recently that he is finding his feet in the league after a lengthy scoring drought. Gilberto attributed to his slow start to the layoff since the Brazilian season ended in December. "It was tough getting used to the MLS because Id been off for so long," the 25-year-old said through an interpreter. "So the road was a little bumpy but now things are starting to progress." Is he having fun, he was asked. "Its good," he said in English with a smile. Bradley says the team is rooting for the likable Brazilian to succeed. "Sure. Hes a good guy. Hes somebody that has come in and shown such a willingness to work and run and fight and really do everything he can to help the team," he said. "We have total confidence in him," he added. Bradley did not figure in Torontos 3-2 midweek loss to Tottenham as Nelsen looked to give his midfield star time to rest. Kansas City also played a midweek friendly, losing 4-1 to Manchester City. Unlike Toronto, K.C. played its first team against the English side. Captain Matt Besler seemed unfazed by the defeat, telling local reporters that the focus was on Toronto -- "which is a huge, huge match, probably our biggest of the season so far." Nelsen said Brazilian winger Jackson is fit after an Achilles knock and is available for selection. Captain and centre back Steven Caldwell (quad) and right back Mark Bloom (knee) remain out. Kansas City has not lost in the league since dropping a 1-0 decision to D.C. United on May 13. The champions arrive on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). "Theyre a team that grinds out results," said Nelsen, before delivering one of his biggest compliments. "Theyre very good at not playing well and winning." Nelsen sees Kansas City as one of the leagues model franchises and values how they got there. "Theyve done a really good job there," he said. "I think they went through two or three years of really tough times. "Its really easy to see the beacon that they are now but to actually get there, they went through some really hard times. And you kind of have to live that when youre in the situation that they were and potentially where we were. But theyre an example of a team, like Real Salt Lake, that built it right, built it well. And that gave it longevity. Theyve got a foundation now where they can just spit out these good players because the clubs got such a good, stable foundation. NOTES: Toronto tied 2-2 at Kansas City earlier in the season in the strength of a stoppage-time goal by Bradley Orr. Torontos career record against K.C. is 4-10-5, but it is 3-3-3 at BMO Field. Riley Reiff Jersey .Y. - Major League Soccer is prepared to start its season this weekend even if there isnt a labour deal with its referees and other on-field officials. Eric Kendricks Jersey . On Thursday, they signed former Browns linebacker DQwell Jackson. Terms of the deal were not immediately available. http://www.officialminnesotavikingsfootball.com/authentic-trevor-siemian-jersey-womens . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill. Custom Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . The Suns termed Fridays surgery by team doctor Thomas Carter a success. No timetable was given for Bledsoes return but the team said in a news release that he "will pursue a possible return to action during the second half" of the season. Brett Favre Jersey . The Calgary Stampeders announced both moves on Wednesday. Parker played 17 regular season games with the Stampeders in 2013, setting career-highs in catches (21) and yards (217).GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Malcolm Brogdon scored 23 points and No. 6 Virginia claimed its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title since 1976 by beating No. 7 Duke 72-63 on Sunday. Tournament MVP Joe Harris added 15 points and hit the backbreaking 3-pointer with just under 2 minutes remaining for the top-seeded Cavaliers (28-6). They shot 45 per cent, pestered the Blue Devils into 38 per cent shooting and used a late 12-3 run to pull away and claim the second ACC tournament title in school history. Jabari Parker scored 23 points on 9-of-24 shooting for the third-seeded Blue Devils (26-8), who were making their 31st appearance in the championship game but were denied their ACC-record 20th title. Anthony Gill added 12 points and was 10 of 17 from the free-throw line for Virginia. Duke as a team was just 7 of 11 from the line. The Cavaliers came to Greensboro off of their first outright regular-season title since 1981, and were trying to do something not even Ralph Sampson could do. It had been a long time -- 38 years -- since Wally Walker led Virginia to its only previous ACC tournament title. Now that trophy will have some company. With its "pack line" defence clicking and holding Duke 13 points below its scoring average, Virginia was in control for most of the day, yet could never get any separation until the final 2 1/2 minutes. Akil Mitchell hit a shot to make it 61-57, then stripped Parker at the other end to set up Harris wide-open 3 in transition that extended the lead to seven and had Dukes Rodney Hood fuming. Harris gave Duke a final chance when he rushed up a shot and Quinn Cook countered with a 3 with 1 1/2 minutes left to pull the Blue Devils back within four. Brogdon then drove through the Duke defence for a momentum-shifting layup that made it 66-60 with just over a minute to play and caused Duke assistant Jeff Capel to tellingly slump back on the bench in exasperation. Cook missed a short jumper before Brogdon hit six of eight free throws in the final minute to help thee Cavaliers pull away.dddddddddddd Hood finished with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Amile Jefferson added 11 for Duke. This was a one-possession game throughout the second half until Mitchells tip-in with 5:10 left pushed Virginias lead to 57-53. Parker missed three shots on Dukes next possession, then picked up his fourth foul with 3:53 left and Gill hit two free throws to put the Cavaliers up by six. Virginia was one of the few opponents which found a way to slow Parker, holding him to eight points on 3-of-11 shooting in the regular-season meeting -- a four-point Duke win that came down to the final seconds. With Mitchell keying the defensive effort on him, Parker was just 2 of 10 in the first half. Then he got hot midway through the second half and single-handedly kept Duke in the game, reeling off seven straight points for his team in a 90-second span. He went coast-to-coast and threw down a one-handed dunk on London Perrantes, hit a 3-pointer from the wing to briefly give Duke a one-point lead and added a jumper off a spin move with 8 1/2 minutes remaining. Mitchell finished with 15 rebounds for Virginia, which led 28-25 at the end of a physical, intense first half notable for its low shooting percentages -- and a technical foul on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Official Jamie Luckie hit Coach K with a T with 2:07 left in the half when Krzyzewski, with his back to the court, tossed his dry-erase marker toward his bench while coming out of a timeout. There were plenty of reasons for Duke to be frustrated, yet the Blue Devils managed to keep themselves in the game despite a rough first half from its two best players: Parker and Hood were a combined 4 of 18 from the field. Parker hit a point-blank shot while falling down with just under 16 minutes left to put Duke up 34-33 -- its first lead since the opening minute. Brogdon snatched the lead right back with a jumper on Virginias next trip down the court, and it stayed tight the rest of the way until the Cavaliers late surge. 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