Plauderwelten » tions.” “Remember in 2002 when the World

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Damian Lillard hit a layup with 6.5 seconds left to give the Portland Trail Blazers a 90-89 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. The Suns led by as many nine points in the second half but the Blazers went ahead 78-77 on Lillards hook shot with 6:45 left. The teams traded the lead as time ticked down until Eric Bledsoes layup put Phoenix up 87-83. Wesley Matthews made a 3-pointer and Robin Lopez tipped in a shot to put the Blazers in front 88-87 with 1:35 left. Miles Plumlees layup gave the Suns the lead again, but then Bledsoe missed a shot with 11.9 seconds remaining, giving the ball to the Blazers. Lillard drove to the hoop and scored, and Markieff Morris missed a chance at a tip-in for Phoenix at the buzzer. Lillard, last seasons Rookie of the Year, finished with 11 points and eight assists in the Blazers fourth straight win. Lopez had 13 points and 15 rebounds, while LaMarcus Aldridge had 12 points and 12 rebounds. It was the third straight game in which both Lopez and Aldridge finished with a double-double. Bledsoe scored 23 points for the Suns, who defeated Portland 104-91 in the season opener. Matthews layup put the Blazers in front 22-17 late in the first quarter, but the first half was marked mostly my missed layups and turnovers on both sides. At one point Blazers guard Mo Williams clapped his hands in frustration after a miss. Goran Dragic put the Suns in front 35-34 midway through the second quarter with a tip shot. Dragic was making his first start after an ankle injury sidelined him for three games. He came off the bench Sunday against New Orleans, scoring 12 points. He finished with 14 against the Blazers. Lillards basket and Aldridges dunk narrowed it to 43-41 at the break. The Blazers had 12 turnovers at halftime and finished with 17 for the game. It stayed close in the third quarter but Bledsoe gave the Suns a 58-53 lead on a fast-break layup. Phoenix extended it to 68-59 on Morris long jumper and another fast-break basket from Bledsoe. Dorell Wrights pull-up jumper got Portland to 68-67 but the Suns stifled the threat and went back ahead 77-69 after Gerald Greens 3-pointer with 8:50 to go. Portland closed to 77-74 on Matthews 3-pointer with 7:31 left. Portland was coming off a 109-103 victory at home over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, while the Suns were coming off a 101-94 victory over the Pelicans on Sunday to improve to 4-0 at home this season. Both teams went into the game 5-2. NOTES: Morris was named the Western Conference player of the week after averaging 22.8 points, eight rebounds and two steals off the bench in the previous three games. He was the Suns first player of the week since Amare Stoudemire in 2008. ... Portland Timbers forward Frederic Piquionne attended the game. The Timbers play the second game of their two-leg goal aggregate Western Conference final against Real Salt Lake on Nov. 24. RSL won the first match 4-2 on Sunday. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. Joe Allen Wales Jersey .Bacca took advantage of Cristian Alvarezs hesitation to head a lobbed pass over the goalkeeper and then used his feet to roll the ball into an empty net in the eighth minute. The Colombia strikers 10th goal pulled him level with Lionel Messi as the leagues third-leading scorers, far behind Cristiano Ronaldos runaway tally of 23 goals. http://www.soccerwalesstore.com/ . Wiggins, a 6-foot-8, 200-pound forward who plays his first exhibition game on Wednesday against Pitt State, was the top prospect in the class of 2013. Custom Wales Soccer Jerseys . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. Joe Ledley Wales Jersey . The Vancouver coach and an announced sellout crowd of 18,910 watched in dismay as the Canucks lost 7-4 to the New York Islanders on Monday night by squandering a 3-0 lead in the third period.As weve sat down in record numbers in front of our TVs or at our favourite soccer pubs and cafes to take in a thoroughly absorbing World Cup Finals it once again reminds us that soccer is in the midst of a unprecedented growth spurt right across the country. Over the last four weeks as Ive circumnavigated the Montreal soccer streets I have taken in matches from a variety of establishments. From the official England Supporters pub through to more unorthodox venues like an Iranian car wash for the crucial group stage game against Argentina. Early on it became abundantly clear that in comparison with South Africa 2010 there has not only been a considerable rise in the number of soccer fanatics in Montreal, but vitally their connection to the beautiful game has become more deeply rooted. Jersey apparel manufacturers and car flag distributors have never had it so good in La Belle Ville. If social media is any barometer then the worlds game is now firmly embedded within Montreals more traditional sporting and cultural landscapes. As a long term advocate for all things Montreal soccer - in all forms and at all levels - Id like to think our local soccer cause is the World Cup effect were currently witnessing. Id be a fool, though, not to admit it is the growing legions of Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League aficionados who are its foundation pillars. With this in mind, Montreals local soccer stakeholders need to feed off this frenzy. From players working as TV analysts, organizing a highly popular player FIFA2014 tournament right on through to the multicultural theme of the June 29 home match against the Houston Dynamo - the Impact have certainly done their part over this past month in successfully connecting and fusing their brand with the Brazil 2014 masses. When in attendance at the Burgundy Lion, the official England Supporters Club in Montreal, for the Uruguay game quite remarkably the language was less Anglo Saxon and far more French “Canadien”. It was wonderful to observe so many Francophones resplendent In England jerseys speaking their native tongue in amongst a backdrop of framed photos and artefacts eulogising all things 1966, the BPL, Johnny Rotten and Cool Britannia. It was more entertaining than the action on the large screens. The highly diverse and growing Montreal soccer base is certainly not lost on Mayor Denis Coderre. On the eve of MLSs Brazil 2014 sabbatical word came from City Hall that as part of Montreals 375th Anniversary celebrations a highly-positive meeting had taken place with Don Garber regarding Montreal hosting 2017s MLS All Star game. More recently Coderre guested on TSN 690 and discussed his deep and lengthy connection to soccer. As a politician this goes all the way back to 1999, when he was a member of the cabinet for the Federal Government as Minister for Amateur Sport. In his time Coderre has not only visited Clairefontaine, the home of French soccer, he has also held meetings with the two most influential figures in world football: Micchel Platini and Sepp Blatter.dddddddddddd Montreals civic connection to soccer is expected to kick off as early as next year. Coderre disclosing: “We are working to have a Mayors Cup between two cities from MLS. We are working towards 2015 or 2016, where well play one game there and they will come here.” Not content with developing relationships with an enriched MLS family, Coderre is well aware of the highly valuable market for international friendlies. “The other thing is by 2017, what we are looking for is to get some European teams to come. Well work through Spain or Paris St-Germain. We will work towards getting some of the teams here. Im working with Joey Saputo” “With Joey we are working for what we will do through soccer for 2017. We already have the Under 20s this year and the Womens World Cup Finals next year. What we are building, is that mood for soccer.” “This is clearly a soccer city. Because of our diversity we can score big.” Coderre gave short shrift to the idea that two European powerhouses would suit up and face each other. Referring to the match at Olympic Stadium in the direct run up to South Africa 2010 between seven-time European Champions AC Milan and the Impact, Coderre stated: “I do recall when AC Milan came the stadium was packed.” “Id like to see my hometown team to play against these teams. The City of Montreal is willing to play its part” Fresh from co-signing a significant contract extension with Bernie Ecclestone, which will see Montreal stage the Canadian Grand Prix through 2024, Coderre knows full well of the substantial benefits and international exposure Montreal would reap by having PSG, Real Madrid or even Chelsea in town. The Mayor is a massive supporter for Canada staging a World Cup Finals, and even went so far as to question Qatars World Cup. “The bottom line is what will happen to the World Cup in Qatar in 2022? But clearly I am aiming at 2026. So we have two options.” “Remember in 2002 when the World Cup between South Korea and Japan was split? We could do the same thing with the States. We could have five cities from eastern Canada and five cities from the US. With the people that I spoke with it is truly feasible” As Montrealers take in Sunday afternoons World Cup Final the two football and soccer solitudes will come together in a significant outdoor viewing party at Parc Jean Drapeau - a venue more synonymous with rock shows and music festivals. Players from the Impact, representatives of the local committee for the FIFA U20s Womens World Cup and the Quebec Soccer Federation will mingle with thousands of Brazil 2014 hipsters. Theres nothing cooler though than supporting local soccer. Noel Butler can be reached at: Noel.Butler@BellMedia.ca @TheSoccerNoel on Twitter Catch Argentina vs. Germany in Sundays World Cup Final live on the TSN and TEAM Radio Network. Pre-Game show starts at 2pm et/11am pt with Kick Off at 3pm et/Noon pt. ' ' '