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It was supposed to be a dream come true. NMD Discount . A marriage made in soccer heaven. The hometown star returning back to his roots to help guide his new team to a level of success he had reached many times. Sure, there were some good moments. The all-star appearances, the first goal at BMO Field when he headed the ball into the net against Dallas, but for Dwayne De Rosario it wasnt enough. This was not how he had imagined it going. On the field, De Rosario was able to forget the issues, play a game he loved in front of fans he adored. Sometimes the result would even go the teams way, but often it wouldnt and after the match, as he made the walk from the dressing room to his car, his mind would be cloudy and full of distractions about how the club was run. "Id definitely sit in my car and shake my head," he admitted in a sitdown with TSN.ca. "I know it was my hometown but I never wanted them to take that for granted and use that as leverage against me. I wasnt willing to stand for anything, its who I am, I am very passionate and hungry for success." As he started his third season with Toronto FC in 2011, it became very clear the two were heading in different directions. De Rosario had hoped to be loaned to Celtic during the offseason but didnt get his wish and three months later he was packing his bags from Toronto for, what appeared, good. It wasnt an April Fools joke, but on April 1, 2011, De Rosario was dealt to New York Red Bulls for what can now be labeled nothing more than a bag of balls. On a flight later that day, De Rosario thought he would never play for Toronto FC ever again but admitted he hoped to one day return when the direction of the club was different. "I never closed the door and turned my back on that option. How it was presented to me this time was a situation I couldnt refuse, I always wanted to create special moments and have special memories with my hometown, Toronto FC, and I am looking to live those moments I envisioned and hopefully we can create those this season." It is clear the Canadian international spent many hours dreaming of playing for his hometown club before it happened and it is also clear that a lot of those dreams didnt come true the first time around. "I demand success, first and foremost from myself, but from my teammates and from the organization and to have a situation where we now have it demanded from the top is absolutely ideal. Its the right way and I am happy to be a part of that." When Toronto FC kick off the new season in Seattle on Saturday afternoon, much of the attention will, rightfully so, be placed on star signings Jermain Defoe, Michael Bradley and Julio Cesar. The club has completely reinvented itself this winter and the return of De Rosario is almost an after-thought, a small scene in a blockbuster movie. With De Rosario now 35 that is, probably, the right thing for a team who want to contend for the MLS Cup this season, but the 2011 league MVP believes he can still play a major part on and off the pitch. He said: "I am really looking forward to this year. Jermain Defoe is a world class player, a winner, throughout the season it will be great to pick his brain and see how he runs and moves and create that relationship. Gilberto has a very bright future and so far I have enjoyed playing together with him. Anytime you have an opportunity to play alongside players of that calibre it is always fun, the most important thing is developing the understanding. So far its come along and we are excited to get it started." De Rosario has been in MLS long enough to know that tough times will still come Torontos way this season, even if they are successful. He admits expectations are high but thinks the team is ready to drag themselves through the rough patches because of the personnel general manager Tim Bezbatchenko has assembled. "Thankfully when we look at every position we have strong leaders. Julio Cesar to Steven Caldwell in central defence, Michael Bradley in the midfield and myself, Defoe up top, all strong personalities with experience, its important. All of these guys know its a long season, they understand we havent done anything yet, on paper it looks good but we have to continue to show that on a day-to-day basis and we have to work hard to accomplish something." De Rosarios second stint in Toronto gives the club a player whose best days are clearly behind him but he still thinks his versatility can help head coach Ryan Nelsen in many areas throughout 2014. "I dont have a specific favourite position. I like creating and scoring goals, up top, on the left, attacking mid, all these provide those opportunities for me but it depends on the team and its shape. Sometimes I am on the left and I dont really like it because I dont feel I get as much ball as I would like, sometimes I am in the midfield and you just defend a lot so that can be frustrating but sometimes, even, up top you can not get the balls, so it depends on the situation and the team." Throughout his career, he admits he is constantly learning and developing more and more on the tactical side of the game: "Spatial awareness is a big part of my game, knowing when to leave it and attack it and I have been working with a lot of the forwards here about that as well. You want to continuously move but sometimes you need to stop and let the space develop and attack it at the right moments." De Rosario will be hoping to find some of the space in behind Brad Evans and Osvaldo Alonso against the Sounders on Saturday. (You can read my piece on Toronto FCs strategy against Seattle here) March 15 has been circled on the calendar for many Toronto FC fans because it is their first game but De Rosario cannot wait for the following week when he will get to pull on the red number 14 shirt in front of the home fans. "Those fans are my family, the relationship with them means everything to me. Every time I step out for training or in a game with that badge it is for them. I do not just represent myself, I represent my direct family and the fans and I take a lot of pride in that. One day I want the youngsters to look at me and say I want to be like him, and because of that, I want to set as good an example as possible." On paper, the words look cliché but you dont have to be around De Rosario for long to know just how much he truly means it and how much he loves his city and his club. Toronto FC have lacked a lot of things in their short history. Above all else they have lacked wins, but in recent years there has been a distinct lack of people caring about this club. Whether the signing of De Rosario the player turns out to be a success only time will tell, but to have a winner talk so passionately about this club is already a positive step before a ball has even been kicked. Join Luke Wileman, Jason DeVos and myself in Seattle for Toronto FCs first game of the season live on TSN at 4:30pm et/1:30pm pt. NMD Online . The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player. NMD Sale . -- Miguel Angel Jimenez quickly shifted his focus back to the Ryder Cup after winning his first Champions Tour event. https://www.cheapnmdoutlet.com/ . - A late-game interception by defensive back Malcolm Butler saved the Super Bowl for the New England Patriots.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Matt Kemp has suddenly found his power, and its helping keep the Los Angeles Dodgers atop the NL West. Kemp singled in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning after homering in consecutive games for the first time in over a year and the Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 3-2 Wednesday night for their season-best fifth straight victory. "Boy, is he locked in right now," Atlanta starter Alex Wood said. Los Angeles leads San Francisco by three games. Zack Greinke struck out a season-high 13 and departed with the lead, but didnt factor in the decision. He is 14-3 at Dodger Stadium with a 2.27 ERA in 23 home starts with the team. "All the pitches were working," he said. "A lot of stuff came together." Kemp scored the Dodgers first two runs of the game, including his 11th homer leading off the second. "Hes been swinging the bat pretty well now," Greinke said of Kemp. "The biggest difference is the power that comes with it. The past week the balls been driven. Its pretty exciting to see." Kemp notched his ninth career walk-off hit, and first since July 18, 2012, against Philadelphia. He hadnt homered in consecutive games since last July. "Its a great feeling knowing you helped the team win a game," he said. "Were pretty confident every day. It feels good to be in position to score a run or take that extra base. Im not as fast as I want to be, but its coming." Pinch-hitter Justin Turner singled to open the 10th and took second on a wild pitch by David Hale (3-3). Kemp followed with the winning single to left. J.P. Howell (3-3) got the win in relief, walking two and striking out one in one inning. The Braves tied the game 2-2 on Justin Uptons home run off closer Kenley Jansen leading off the ninth. Uptons three hits tied a season high. "As soon as it left my hand I just prayed for Justin not to hit it," Jansen said. Uptons brother, B.J., struck out four times. Juan Uribe gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead in the eighth on a hard-hit single with two outs to shortstop Andrelton Simmons, whose throw home sailed wide as Kemp crossed the plate. Greinke allowed one run and five hits in eight innings while walking one. NMD For Sale. He was making his first start at home since June 28. Kemp, who homered twice on Tuesday night, tied the game 1-1 on his 11th homer of the season. Simmons had an RBI single that gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the second. Wood gave up one run and six hits in seven innings. He struck out eight and walked two. "Greinkes pretty impressive," Wood said. "I was happy I was able to go toe-to-toe with him for seven innings." TRAINERS ROOM Braves: Outfielder Jason Heyward was out of the lineup for the second straight day with a sore back he strained last week chasing a foul ball. Jordan Schafer started in right field for the first time this season. Manager Fredi Gonzalez said its likely hell give Heyward an extra day off once he says hes ready to go again. Dodgers: Greinke said his calf was sore in the first couple of innings but got better as the game went on. Hyun-Jin Ryu will get an extra day of rest before he starts on Saturday. Dan Haren, who has lost all four of his starts this month, will take the mound for Fridays series opener against the Cubs. ON DECK: Braves: Julio Teheran (10-6, 2.71 ERA) takes the mound for the series finale on Thursday. The only time the right-hander has faced the Dodgers was in last years NL division series, when he tossed 2 2-3 innings in a loss. Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (12-2, 1.76 ERA) is coming off a three-hit shutout victory over the Giants in his last start. The left-hander leads the NL with 11.30 strikeouts per nine innings as a starter. He has 140 strikeouts and 15 walks in 112 1-3 innings. GREAT GRAB Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez made a leaping one-handed grab on a liner by Freddie Freeman for the final out of the eighth inning. MIXED BAG Gonzalez was 1-1 on challenges. He lost on a pickoff play with the go-ahead run on base in the 10th. Schafer walked and was sacrificed to second by Ramiro Pena. Howell turned and fired, with Dee Gordon completing the pickoff to empty the bases. Gordon was involved in the Braves first challenge in the third. He attempted to steal second and was called safe, but was ruled out when the call was overturned. ' ' '