Allgemeines » south of Columbus in Cincinnati, made his first appe

MADRID, Spain -- In four days, Real Madrid has the chance to satisfy an obsession that has eluded them for 12 years. Madrid plays city rival Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday, when a victory in Lisbon would provide the Spanish giant with its record 10th European Cup -- or "La Decima" as it is known in Spanish. Its been a long wait since Zinedine Zidane scored one of footballs iconic goals to lead Madrid to its ninth title, such that even Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti noted upon his arrival in the Spanish capital: "You could taste the desire to win La Decima in the air." "I remember that after we won the ninth (European Cup) that the next day we were already being asked about the 10th," said Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who is the only player on the team to have played in the Glasgow final, a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Madrid was doing its best to avoid terming its infatuation with perhaps the most important trophy in club football an obsessive affair, despite the very make-up of the club being shaped by it. "Its not an obsession, its a great motivation," Ancelotti said on Tuesday. "We have a great opportunity to get into the history books of this club. Its not an obsession but an opportunity." Madrids recent record in Europes top competition has only bred further impatience to increase its record trophy tally, which led FIFA to bestow it with the title of top club of the 20th century. Madrid won the European Cup six times between 1955 and 66, including a record five consecutive titles. It took 32 years to win the seventh in 1998, which not only provided liberation but led to returned success in the competition. But following the ninth cup win in 2002, Madrid went seven straight seasons without advancing from the first knockout stage despite president Florentino Perezs enormous spending on the likes of Brazil striker Ronaldo, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. The arrival of coach Jose Mourinho in 2010/11 reversed that trend with Madrid reaching the semifinals for three straight years. But never the final, until now. "In the last couple of years weve played well in this competition and we are always just one step away, so I think our fans deserve to experience this, reaching a final after 12 years," said Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. "To feel pressure would be a problem. You have to go out convinced that you can win it." Normally teams only produce T-shirts to commemorate final triumphs. Not Madrid, which felt such a release following the semifinal victory against Bayern that it had one ready for the players at the whistle reading "Now for the 10th!" Now, a first final between clubs from the same city stands in the way as Atletico comes off winning its first Spanish league for 18 years with an opportunity to win its first European Cup 40 years on from its lone appearance in a final. "La Decima is the trophy all Madridistas want," Cristiano Ronaldo said in reference to Madrid supporters. Authentic Marcus Johnson Jersey . It was just time for him to make a big play. Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, and the Trail Blazers overcame poor-shooting nights by two of their best players in a 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Authentic Eric Ebron Jersey . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. http://www.cheapcoltsjerseysauthentic.co...rew-luck-jersey. The alleged sexual assault is believed to have happened over the weekend of Feb. 1, when the hockey team was in Thunder Bay for two games against Lakehead University. The criminal investigation branch of the Thunder Bay Police Service is leading the investigation with help from Ottawa police. Authentic George Odum Jersey ." Those traits were clear to the 24,071 at Olympic Stadium on Saturday as the Impact dominated the scoring chances but settled for a 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls in a battle of still-winless Major League Soccer teams. Authentic Christine Michael Sr Jersey . -- Crystal Webster avoided elimination at the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic pre-trial curling tournament with an 8-5 win over Amber Holland on Thursday. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Michael Bradley has a special place in his heart for Columbus Crew Stadium and now his Toronto FC teammates do as well. Bradleys goal in the 11th minute was enough for TFC to end the Crews unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory on Saturday. Bradley scored from a tough angle, beating goalkeeper Steve Clark at the near post with a shot taken two yards from the end line. Substitute Issey Nakajima-Farran added a goal in the 85th minute off a cross by Justin Morrow. Crew Stadium is where Bradley scored twice for the U.S. national team in a 2-0 victory against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier on Feb. 11, 2011. "Ive been fortunate to get a few goals here," he said. "Great stadium and the atmospheres always good. So far my records not bad here." Bradley played 90 minutes and had a goal and an assist vs. Mexico in 2-2 friendly on Wednesday but showed few effects against Columbus although he was replaced by Jeremy Hall in the 73rd minute. "The idea is to always go 90," Bradley said. "Physically I started to feel it a bit. The important thing now is to recover and get ready for the weekend." TFC coach Ryan Nelsen says he was not surprised by Bradleys effort. "Thats Michael," he said. "He has this willingness to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Its instinctive." On the goal, Bradley ran onto an entry pass from Mark Bloom on the right side of the box, outpacing Crew midfielder Bernardo Anor. Bradley then startled Clark with a shot that went five-hole. "At first I was just thinking of getting there before the ball gets out of bounds," Bradley said. "At that point youre looking across. Given the field and the way the goalie is positioned, if I can really nnail this ball low and hard its got a good chance.dddddddddddd" The goal was his second in MLS and first with TFC (3-1-0) in his fourth game after returning from Europe. His previous league goal was Oct. 16, 2005, with the New York MetroStars. TFC was minus several starters, most notably forward Jermain Defoe. He had scored all three of Torontos goals this season before suffering a hamstring injury in the last match against Real Salt Lake in a 3-0 loss. Also, defender and captain Steven Caldwell was suspended for the match, midfielder Jonathan Osorio was out because of a hamstring problem and defender Doneil Henry sat due to a knee injury. TFC did get midfielder Jackson back from suspension and rookie Nick Hagglund, raised two hours south of Columbus in Cincinnati, made his first appearance, starting in the central defence with Bradley Orr. "He was fantastic," Nelsen said of Hagglund. "I thought the centre backs, Nick and Brad, were incredible. Youd never know thats those guys first games at centre back in an MLS game." Hagglund had about 50 family members and friends on hand and said the game was almost perfect. "I could have scored a couple of goals," he joked. "No, absolutely it was an incredible experience to play in Columbus on this pitch with these guys and get the shutout." TFC goalkeeper Julio Cesar had critical stops on Bernardo Anor and Tony Tchani in the second half when it was 1-0 to preserve the lead against the Crew (3-1-0) before a crowd of 12,045. "I attribute this loss to two things, a bad start to the game and to a very well organized Toronto FC," Crew coach Gregg Berhalter said. Toronto returns to BMO Field April 12 to host the Colorado Rapids. ' ' '