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Iain Humes soccer resume was pretty complete already, but being named best player in a country of 1. Karl Klug Jersey .2 billion adds a nice bow to it. The 31-year-old Canadian international forward, currently in camp with the national team in Florida, is coming off a productive and unexpected season with Kerala Blasters FC that saw him named best player in the Hero Indian Super League. While rival teams boasted marquee players like Alessandro Del Piero, Nicolas Anelka, Robert Pires, David Trezeguet, Fredrik Ljungberg, Luis Garcia, Marco Materazzi, Mikael Sylvestre, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Jermaine Pennant, the lone big name on Keralas squad was former England goalie David James, who doubled as player-manager. Kerala made it all the way to the Dec. 20 league final despite low expectations We were one of the favourites to finish last, Hume said. Hume, in his first Canadian camp since a 3-0 friendly loss to Australia in London in September 2013, played 45 minutes in Fridays 2-1 loss to Iceland. The two teams meet again Monday in Orlando. Kerala finished fourth in the nine-team league with a 5-5-4 record but reached the inaugural final by defeating league-leading Chennaiyin FC 6-1 on aggregate in the two-game semifinal. Kerala held Atletico de Kolkata scoreless in the final, only to lose 1-0 on a stoppage-time goal. A disappointing finale but still a massive achievement for a club with one of the lowest payrolls in the league, according to Hume. If wed been offered getting to the finals and losing in the 94th minute, I think everyone would have taken that with open arms, Hume said. We exceeded a lot of peoples expectations, including ourselves. The final was watched by 57 million TV viewers with Hume awarded his individual trophy after the match. With the players that were in that league and to be a Canadian lad whos not played on the world stage, to get that award was a brilliant achievement for myself and something Ill look back on as one of the highlights of my career, Hume said. Hume arrived in mid-September for the Indian leagues inaugural season, which ran October through December. Located in southwest India, Kerala is known for its natural beauty and spices. Sadly Hume did not have much time to explore, with games almost every three days. But he speaks warmly about the Kerala fans. The smallest home crowd was 40,000 and he played before more than 75,000 in the home leg of the semifinal. Theyre football-mad, he said. In pre-season, Hume says the team could walk through a local mall without drawing attention. By the end, they couldnt set foot there without being surrounded. One of the highlights of his time in India was being able to meet legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, part-owner of the Kerala franchise. The best thing about him is how humble he is as a person. Hell sit down and talk with you, and talk sports, talk family, talk everything, said Hume. He also paid tribute to the managerial and playing skills of the 44-year-old James. Talks are underway to bring Hume back next season, when the campaign will be extended a month. I really really enjoyed myself out there, as most of the people who went out there did. So its definitely something Ill think twice about. If he returns, he hopes to bring his wife and two daughters, aged four and 11, with him this time. The initial offer to play in India came out of the blue and at the last minute, so it was not feasible to uproot his family. While he went to India with an open mind, he says the level of football there was better than I expected. Some of the Indian players had excellent technique and were physically on par. Tactically they were a little behind, he added. India is trying to remedy that, looking to improve grassroots coaching, he said. Standard of play in the pro league improved every week, he said. Out of contract for the first time in 15 years, he had hoped to continue his career in the United Kingdom. But the offers he got were either unsatisfactory or too far away from the family home in northwest England. Then suddenly he ended up on the other side of the world. I sat down and talked to my wife about it and talked to my family. And it was the right time, he said. It was an opportunity Id never have put in front of me. And it was only for three and a half months. He first heard of the Indian League from a freelance journalist who passed on a contact. Hume gave the number to his agent, not thinking anything would come from it, and within two weeks he had been drafted by Kerala. Just everything thrown at me at once. Im not normally one to go so unorganized or so off the cuff but Im over the moon I did. Born in Edinburgh to Scottish parents, Hume was raised in Canada and soon was making soccer waves back in the U.K. He worked his way through the youth ranks at Tranmere Rovers, becoming the English clubs youngest ever debutante at 16 years 167 days in an April 2000 game against Swindon. In 2003, he helped lead Canada on a fairy-tale run to the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates where he, along with midfielder Atiba Hutchinson, was named to the tournament all-star team. A 500,000-pound (C$900,000) move took him to Leicester City in 2005 before stops in Barnsley and Preston North End and loan spells with Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood Town. Just five foot seven, Hume has always been a bundle of energy on the field. His patriotism has also been plain to see, via the Maple Leaf occasionally dyed into his hair in past years. Hume made headlines for painful reasons playing for Barnsley in November 8, 2008, when Hume, caught by an elbow from Sheffield Uniteds Chris Morgan as both went for a high ball, suffered a fractured skull with severe complications. There was a long recovery period, leaving Hume with a wicked horseshoe-shaped scar from his left ear to the front of his forehead. Humes time with the Canadian team has been limited in recent years. He attribute that to an influx of new talent and the difficulties of playing in lower-tier leagues where teams dont get international breaks. Teams and squads get picked and if Im not there, Im disappointed but understanding. And Im just looking forward to the next one. ... Im happy to be involved, Im happy to get another chance. ___ Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Jayon Brown Jersey . Pikul Khueanpet scored early in the second half and Kanjana Sungngoen made it 2-0 in the 65th minute of the playoff. Tuyet Dong narrowed the margin with goal four minutes from time. The win gave Thailand fifth place at the Asian Cup and the last of the continents qualifying spots for the 2015 Womens World Cup in Canada. Warren Moon Jersey . -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. http://www.titansstoreonline.com/Black-13-Taywan-T...ns-Jers ey/ . -- The Minnesota Twins have granted relief pitcher Matt Guerrier his unconditional release, making the 35-year-old right-hander a free agent. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- When the Los Angeles Kings are on top of their formidable defensive game, they revel in the silence they can create in a frustrated road arena. Although theyre not used to the cheers and chants that filled Honda Center while Jonathan Quick composed his latest shutdown symphony Monday night, they plan to ride that momentum right back up the freeway. Quick made 36 saves, Marian Gaborik scored his third goal in two games, and the Kings beat the Ducks 3-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their second-round series. Alec Martinez also scored for the Kings, who opened their first playoff series against their local rivals with two victories at a road arena packed with their own fans. The Ducks faithful had almost nothing to cheer during a remarkable effort by the NHLs best defensive team. "It doesnt even feel like being on the road," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We played really good in this building in the regular season. It was the same for us tonight." Game 3 is Thursday at Staples Center. Dwight King added an empty-net goal for Los Angeles, which has won six straight post-season games and is halfway to its third straight trip to the Western Conference finals. Less than two weeks ago, the Kings were down 0-3 in their first-round series against San Jose. The Kings defence is just that good -- and theyre also scoring just enough goals to beat even the high-powered Ducks. "We could only dream of this, really," said Kings defenceman Drew Doughty, who played more than 26 minutes. "They might say we dont deserve it, but we won two games here, and that was our goal." Los Angeles didnt need any last-minute heroics from Gaborik, who scored in the opening minute instead. Martinez added another first-period goal, and King scored after a bad pass by Cam Fowler with an extra Anaheim attacker. NHL post-season scoring leader Anze Kopitar had another assist for the Kings, who followed up their overtime victory in the opening game of the first post-season Freeway Faceoff with a methodical defensive performance against the high-flying Ducks. Los Angeles managed just nine shots in the final two periods, but Quick comfortably sat on a one-goal lead for more than 46 scoreless minutes until Kings empty-netter. "We found a way to squeak one out tonight because we have the best goalie in the world," captain Dustin Brown said. Patrick Maroon scored a power-play goal and Jonas& Hiller stopped 14 shots for the Ducks, who couldnt crack the Kings NHL-best defence despite controlling play for long stretches. Steve McNair Jersey . The Kings played without injured defencemen Robyn Regehr and Willie Mitchell, yet still kept the Ducks offensive stars largely on the perimeter. Hart Trophy finalist Ryan Getzlaf was held to one assist, while Corey Perry still hasnt scored a point in the series. "Im ticked off right now," Getzlaf said. "Were in playoff time now, and there are no excuses for anything. Weve got to be better, Ive got to be better, and I expect my group to respond." The game didnt look like a defensive struggle in the opening minutes when Gaborik continued his post-season scoring spree with his third goal in roughly 13 minutes. The Slovak right wing, acquired from Columbus near the trade deadline, scored the tying goal in Game 1 with 7 seconds left in regulation before getting the overtime winner. Gaboriks line broke out on an odd-man rush on the opening shift of Game 2, and he turned the corner on defenceman Ben Lovejoy to skate in alone on Hiller for a short-side shot. Kopitar, the NHLs playoff scoring leader, set it up with his 10th assist of the post-season, giving him a point in every Kings game. "Its tough for you to have almost a half-breakaway for your first shot," Hiller said. "They were 100 per cent ready at the puck drop. They were just a little sharper, especially early. The first period wasnt our best. We kind of found our game later, but cant expect to come back every night." The Ducks evened it during 4-on-3 play midway through the period, with Maroons pass attempt deflecting off Kings defenceman Jake Muzzins stick. Los Angeles reclaimed the lead less than 2 1/2 minutes later when Martinezs shot from the point deflected off Anaheims Jakob Silfverberg, giving the Kings two goals on their first five shots. NOTES: D Jeff Schultz replaced Regehr in the Kings lineup, playing nearly 20 minutes. Schultz, the longtime Washington defenceman who spent this season in the AHL, is the fourth player to make his Kings debut in a post-season game, joining a club that includes current teammate Tanner Pearson, who did it last season. ... Doughty limped to the dressing room late in the second period after an unpenalized slash by Francois Beauchemin, but returned a few moments later. ... Getzlaf, Fowler and Perry had minus-2 ratings. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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