WOMBAT-Empfang » er, that was the headline. Austin Daye for De Colo was a f

WASHINGTON -- Troy Perkins wasnt overly pleased with the Montreal Impacts 1-1 draw at D.C. United on Saturday. "Were not happy," Perkins said. "Were not sad." That was the consensus in Montreals locker-room after United forward Eddie Johnsons 84th-minute strike negated a goal from red-hot Impact striker Jack McInerney at RFK Stadium. While Montreal (1-5-4) regretted giving up the lead, a point on the road on short rest gave the Impact reason for optimism as they try to escape the Eastern Conference cellar. The Impact were playing just three days after a 4-2 win over FC Edmonton, which earned them a berth in the Canadian Championship final. Montreals most recent league outing was a 3-0 home loss to Sporting Kansas City last weekend. "It felt a little bit like a disappointment, but its something to build on," Impact coach Frank Klopas said. "It was a question mark with some of the guys, playing midweek and a lot of travel, so it was good to see the effort that they put in as a whole." For McInerney, the 56th-minute goal was his fourth in his past four games in all competitions, and his fifth overall since joining the Impact in an April 4 trade from the Philadelphia Union. Stealing a bad first touch off the foot of United left back Cristian Fernandez, Impact winger Justin Mapp raced down the right side, cut inside and found McInerney in front for the simple finish. With 2013 MVP finalist Marco Di Vaio (20 goals last season) sidelined by a hamstring injury in recent weeks, McInerney has proven to be a more-than-viable backup plan. "Thats a striker for you," Klopas said. "Every two, three games, you want a guy thats going to score. Hes been doing that, so thats something thats very positive. Hes always around the goal, and thats a very good sign." It was the third assist of a McInerney goal for Mapp, who played with him in Philadelphia from 2010 to 2011. "He (Mapp) is getting the ball in good spots and making it easy for me, so hopefully we can keep it going," McInerney said. United (4-3-3) enjoyed 57 per cent of the possession and twice struck the crossbar, while Montreal created a myriad of chances of its own. Speedy winger Sanna Nyassi found himself repeatedly denied by stellar stops from United goalkeeper Bill Hamid. When one of Nyassis rebounds fell to McInerney, the strikers second strike was denied by diving United right back Chris Korb. "Thats the best weve played -- possession, buildup, defending well," Perkins said. Johnson rose to nod home a Fabian Espindola cross at the far post with six minutes remaining. The goal was the first tally since an off-season trade from the Seattle Sounders for Johnson, who was snubbed this week from the U.S. national teams preliminary World Cup roster. The combination of Wednesdays win over Edmonton and Saturdays road draw left the Impact feeling positive heading into a trip to face the Colorado Rapids next Saturday at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. "At the end of the day, if we want to make a little run into the playoffs, we need to put those chances away," McInerney said. "It should have been 2-, 3-0. But I think we came in and we surprised a lot of people, so well take the point and move on." Cheap Nike Air Max 90 Online . Still, Milan remained five points behind city rival Inter Milan in the race for fifth place and the final Europa League berth, after Inter beat 10-man Parma 2-0. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba led the way as Juventus stayed on course for a third consecutive title with a 1-0 win over relegation-threatened Bologna. Cheap Air Max 90 Free Shipping . Mako Vunipola was promoted from the reserves, with Matt Mullan called up to the bench on Thursday. "It is important that Joe is with his partner at this exciting time," England coach Stuart Lancaster said. http://www.airmax90outletuk.com/. 5 Trade Deadline is drawing closer and teams will be deciding on whether to buy or sell while figuring out which players can make the biggest difference and hold the greatest value. Wholesale Air Max 90 .com)LeBron clearly likes his Italian sports cars, and thats ok with me, so up next up is the 458 Spider. Cheap Air Max 90 Wholesale . The All-Pro left tackle agreed to a five-year contract with the Eagles on Wednesday. Peters was signed for 2014, and his new deal adds four years through 2018.TORONTO - For over a month Nando De Colo was Torontos forgotten man, an afterthought at the bottom of a playoff-bound roster, a masked phantom lurking on the end of the Raptors bench. Who was he and why was he brought here? As the visitors locker room cleared out after Saturdays win in Milwaukee, a reporter approached De Colo, who was suddenly making an impact in an expanded role for his new, undermanned club. Curious about the origins of his first name, which isnt a traditional French moniker, said reporter asked the Raptors guard where it came from. "It came from my parents," he replied, straight-faced, flaunting a quick wit we didnt know he had. Up until last week we didnt know much about him at all. The acquisition of De Colo, trickling in minutes after the trade deadline passed, went under the radar. A player from the end of one bench exchanged for a player on the end of another. Masai Ujiri opted to hold onto Kyle Lowry and keep the band together, that was the headline. Austin Daye for De Colo was a footnote. Now, six weeks later, the move is owed some belated acknowledgement. Ujiri was familiar with De Colo having seen him play overseas and with the Spurs. He knew what he was getting. Dwane Casey was less acquainted with the second-year combo guard but was equally as intrigued by his intangibles and has been looking for a way to find him more playing time. With Lowry resting a sore knee, Casey has been provided that opportunity and De Colo, to his credit, is taking advantage of it. "Its what I was expecting and what we needed and wanted, as far as another ball handler," Casey told TSN.ca. "That was the main thing we saw. We needed another guy that can handle the ball, to create, to be a passer, a facilitator, a transporter of the ball, to get it across the court. "Hes done that." In extended minutes, backing up and playing alongside temporary starter Greivis Vasquez, De Colo has been a sparkplug coming in off the bench to begin the month of April. Over the last two games hes tallied 11 assists to just three turnovers in 42 minutes of action. After easing into his new surroundings, De Colo no longer appears reluctant to let it fly. Hes shooting and scoring with confidence, something he lacked upon arriving in Toronto, playing sporadically last month. "Hes still learning our system," said Casey, "still getting comfortable and the more he gets comfortable the more hes going to knock down shots. I think were seeing that now." The easy explanation for his confidence boost is the increased playing time that has come as a result of Lowrys injury.dddddddddddd "Im finding a rhythm," said De Colo, who has attempted 16 shots over the last three games, the same number he hoisted in his first 14 contests with the Raptors. "Im in shape after adjusting to find a rhythm of the game with a new team. Now I just try to play my game, try to be aggressive like everybody wants on the team and since then Ive been good." Since arriving from the Spurs, De Colo has been touted for his basketball intellect and decision-making ability. Teammates and coaches have cited his time playing for the venerable Gregg Popovich with a world-class organization in San Antonio, as well as his experience overseas - where he competed professionally from the age of 19 - and with the French national team. In a year and a half with the Spurs he was sent back and forth from the NBA Development League an astonishing total of nine times, a product of the close proximity between San Antonio and its D-League affiliate in Austin. More so than the path hes traveled to get here, De Colo credits his approach. "I think its something Ive always had in my game," he said. "I try to see what happens and make good decisions. I know I can pass the ball. I must be aggressive on this kind of team and I have to take the open shot." Casey has entrusted De Colo to run his offence, immediately vaulting him over the young Julyan Stone and Dwight Buycks in Torontos backcourt rotation. When Lowry makes his return - hes expected to be cleared this week - the Raptors head coach has a decision to make. Can he afford to juggle minutes for three point guards going into the playoffs or does De Colo go back to the end of the bench? Although Casey has been most impressed with him as the primary ball handler, its conceivable that the Raptors could feature more two point guard lineups in the postseason, when the defence is likely to apply more pressure on Lowry. Of equal importance, the Raptors need to find out what they have in De Colo, a free agent at the end of the season. If Lowry is retained this summer and Vasquez - a restricted free agent - proves too expensive, De Colo may make more sense as an affordable backup, assuming he continues to impress. All of a sudden, De Colo has become more than late-season bench fodder. The Raptors under-the-radar deadline acquisition has helped keep them afloat in the absence of their most important player and could continue paying out come playoff time, and beyond. Nando is a name worth remembering. ' ' '