Pirate Galaxy » the Oaks.Dark Nile, by Pioneerof the N

TUKWILA, Wash. -- Jordan Morris arrived in Seattle last winter with so much hype that meeting the lofty expectations was going to be difficult.Thats why its not simple to define Morris rookie season that included flashes of brilliance, stretches when he disappeared on the field and ultimately helping the floundering Sounders go from the bottom of the Western Conference to again finding themselves in the MLS playoffs.The Sounders rise to an eighth straight playoff appearance could come to an abrupt end Thursday night against Sporting Kansas City in the knockout round of the MLS playoffs. Seattle lost both of its matches against Kansas City this season, losing 1-0 in the season opener at home before a 3-0 loss on the road in July that proved to be the final match before Sigi Schmid was let go as head coach.I think this is a different group. Its definitely different than the game in July, Seattle interim coach Brian Schmetzer said.Whether Seattle can get past Kansas City may depend on how well Morris plays.Morris heads into his first postseason as the team leader with 12 goals and a role that has evolved throughout the season.When he signed in February, Morris was going to work in concert with the duo of Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins at the top of Seattles attack.Before the first match of the season, that plan changed after Martins left the Sounders for an offer in China . That put even more expectations on Morris to make up for Martins absence offensively and those hopes weighed heavily on Morris during a scoreless first month of the season.At the start of the year it was tough, he said. A lot of expectations and when I wasnt scoring those first few games people were giving me a lot of stick. I read too much into it at the beginning of the year and it definitely affected me. But after that I decided to not look into any of that stuff and just focus on what I could do to help the team. I think that helped. I didnt read Twitter anymore or all that stuff. I let that go.What helped turn Morris was an early-season conversation with Schmid. Schmid told Morris -- who turned 22 on Wednesday -- that it didnt look like he was having fun. And truthfully, he wasnt. He was hearing the criticism that he wasnt worthy of the hype.He was like `you need to have fun. It needs to be the right balance of working hard and having fun, Morris said. I think that conversation was good. It kind of changed how I thought about things and to go out there and have more fun after that.Its helped that Morris has been counted on to be more of a factor in the latter half of his rookie season than anyone anticipated. Dempseys season suddenly ended in late August due to an irregular heartbeat. Thats put more of the offensive responsibility on Morris to control the game at the top of Seattles formation.Morris has played at least 89 minutes in 10 of the past 11 games and while hes without a goal since Sept. 25, Morris back-heel assist last Sunday against Real Salt Lake gave Seattle the exact start it needed in a must-win game.(Were) a determined team, strong team defensively, good goalkeeping, very good midfield play. Jordan, hes a good player, Schmetzer said. We will cause teams problems because were a team, because the team believes they can win. Cheap Custom Sabres Jersey . -- The goal posts lying flat on the field, Arizonas fans lingered on the field, congregating around the locker room entrance nearly 30 minutes after rushing out of the stands. Cheap Sabres Jerseys . According to a report from the Vancouver Province, the Lions are expected to replace former DC Rich Stubler with defensive backs coach Mark Washington. http://www.customsabresjersey.com/custom-tim-horton-jersey-large-73h.html .J. -- New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his left knee. Sabres Jerseys China . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Custom Tim Horton Jersey . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. The nine 3-year-old fillies in the $300,000 Delaware Oaks on Saturday arent household names, but that doesnt mean there isnt potential in the field. As the second half of the season begins, a number of entrants in the 1-1/16-mile Oaks are just now being moved up in class.The top three choices in the Grade 3 Oaks -- Kinsley Kisses, Dark Nile, and Browse -- have each started only four times. Browse is the only one of the trio to have raced at 2, and she won her debut at Aqueduct in December.The Delaware Oaks is one of four stakes at Delaware Park on Saturday. The undercard includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Robert Dick Memorial, a 1-3/8-mile turf race for fillies and mares, and a pair of $50,000 stakes. The Dashing Beauty is a filly-and-mare sprint, and the Cape Henlopen is a 1-1/2-mile turf race for 3-year-olds and up.The card will be streamed live on DRF.com. The Delaware Park meet hits its high point next weekend, when the Grade 1, $750,000 Delaware Handicap will be run.The Delaware Oaks favorite is Kinsley Kisses, who races for trainer Todd Pletcher. She has good early speed and has shown heart in her last two races while facing top-shelf competition.After posting front-running wins at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs last winter, Kinsley Kisses was thrown into the deep end of the pool in the Grade 3 Beaumont at Keeneland. She settled off the front-runner but didnt pick up the pace immediately when asked. She persevered in the stretch to finish third behind Lightstream, who was third in the Mother Goose last weekend, and Grade 1 winner Nickname.Kinsley Kisses most recently finished third in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico. She raced on the pace outside eventual winner Go Maggie Go, couldnt stay with that rival in the stretch, and then was nipped for second by a head.Kinsley Kisses has worked three times at Saratoga since that race, including a half-mile in 48.60 seconds on July 1.Shes coming into this training well and had a sharp breeze last week, Pletcher said.Dark Nile, trained by Arnaud Delacour, and Browse, conditionned by Shug McGaughey, have the advantage of having raced over the track.dddddddddddd. They finished first and second, separated by three-quarters of a length, in the Our Mims, the local prep for the Oaks.Browse set the pace that day, while Dark Nile sat a few lengths back. Dark Nile rallied to gain the lead in upper stretch, and Browse battled back and made a race of it until deep stretch before being outfinished.Dark Nile has now scored three straight two-turn wins. The Our Mims was Browses first try around two turns, and it would not be a surprise to see her improve Saturday.Key ContendersKinsley Kisses, by CongratsLast 3 Beyers: 81-81-74Faces less-proven competition than in her last two races. The seasoning she has gained may show.Browse, by Medaglia dOroLast 3 Beyers: 80-77-78After Dark Nile got by her in upper stretch of the Our Mims, McGaughey adds blinkers to her equipment for the Oaks.Dark Nile, by Pioneerof the NileLast 3 Beyers: 81-77-66After easier wins at Tampa Bay Downs and Penn National, she took her game a step higher by winning the Our Mims.This is the race we have been shooting for, and it is the next logical spot, Delacour said.Eighth Wonder, by Pioneerof the NileLast 3 Beyers: 77-82-76Her lone two-turn start is the only time anyone has crossed the finish line in front of her, and she was coming off a six-month layoff and may have been a little short. Nobody has gotten within five lengths of her in her other four races.Notoriously high-strung, keep an eye on her in the paddock to see how she behaves. This will be her first start away from her home base of Parx. Trained by Dee Curry, shes fast and surely will take the lead if others hesitate.Miss Inclusive, by IncludeLast 3 Beyers: 67-83-65She defeated Eighth Wonder in the Parx Oaks but was disqualified for a clenbuterol overage. She flattened out to finish fourth in the Our Mims but may have more to give here for trainer John Servis. ' ' '