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SEATTLE -- Jermain Defoe gave Toronto FC its moneys worth on Saturday. Celtics Jerseys China . Defoe, one of Torontos marquee off-season signings, scored both of his teams goals in a 2-1 win against the Seattle Sounders to start TFCs Major League Soccer season. It was Torontos first win to open a season since 2009, and only the second in its seven-year existence. "I thought the guys were magnificent in the first half when it came to their football and magnificent in the second half when it came to their desire and their character," said Toronto head coach Ryan Nelsen. Defoe, who hadnt scored since Jan. 11 for former club Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, needed just 24 minutes to secure the win for his new team. He spoke earlier this week about his desire to perform well in case England coach Roy Hodgson was watching. With his two-goal performance on Saturday, Defoe has renewed hope for inclusion in Englands squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil this summer. "To score two goals on your debut, its a dream," Defoe said. "The England thing is obviously going to be at the back of my mind." After early pressure from the Sounders, Defoe made a run between two Seattle defenders in the 17th minute. Jonathan Osorio, on the ball in midfield, slipped a perfectly weighted pass through the gap, and Defoe nestled the ball into the goal. Seven minutes later, Defoe picked up a loose ball after a Sounders giveaway near their own penalty area. He found space to cut to the right and fire another shot past goalkeeper Stefan Frei. "The first goal was a great ball, and you just have to finish it off," Defoe said. "The second half, we showed great character because they put us under a lot of pressure. Youve got to do that sometimes away from home." Seattle began the second half as it did the first, pressuring Torontos goal. Another big-name signing, Brazilian goalkeeper Julio Cesar, made his first important intervention in the 53rd minute. He fell to his right and stuck out his left leg, deflecting a close-range shot from Obafemi Martins out for a corner kick. However, the Sounders pressure would eventually pay off. Seattles own Designated Players, Martins and Clint Dempsey, combined down the right flank in the 68th minute, putting Dempsey in space on top of the penalty area. The U.S. international took a settling touch with his left foot before slamming a right-footed shot low and to Cesars left. The CenturyLink Field crowd of 38,441 came to life, and the Seattle attack continued to press. Torontos back line held, helped by several foul calls by referee Ioannis Stavrides close to its goal, despite dropping into a defensive shell for the last 15 minutes of the game. Notably, Seattle substitute Kenny Cooper got behind the defence with five minutes remaining, but his central pass went wayward under pressure from Cesar rushing out of his goal. Osorio headed clear a tame Sounders corner kick in stoppage time, which effectively closed out the match. "Theres no doubt in my mind that as the season goes on, well continue to improve, and our football will be good," said Toronto midfielder Michael Bradley, another one of the clubs big off-season signings . "Tonight was different. Tonight was about the spirit, the mentality and doing whatever it took to come away with three points." Nelsen downplayed the result throughout his post-game talk with media, choosing instead to expound his desire for consistency over a long MLS season. "Weve got so much to improve on. Were not stupid," he said. "What I like about this team is their heart, their character, their desire -- that they want to win. Thats what you hope for. You build your house on that type of foundation." Toronto (1-0) plays its first home game of the season on March 22 when it hosts D.C. United at BMO Field. Seattle (1-1) takes to the road for the first time the same day, playing the Montreal Impact. Kevin Garnett Jersey . This weeks topics include his take on the Kevin Pillar incident, All-Star snubs, the firing of Padres general manager Josh Byrnes and more. K. C. Jones Jersey . Toronto ended an 0-4-0 skid with Sundays shootout win over visiting New Jersey, but the club could have a difficult time making it two victories in a row tonight. The Maple Leafs have dropped three straight and 11 of the last 12 regular- season meetings against Boston overall and the Bruins have claimed six straight in Beantown. https://www.cheapceltics.com/202n-rajon-rondo-jersey-celtics.html . They actually finished with a better record in ‘07 than they did in ‘06 but only marginally, going from 61 victories to 66.LONDON - One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals — from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand — took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smokeed. Satch Sanders Jersey. The 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years. Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. ' ' '