and Tennessee has

[Cl11234566]

MONTREAL -- When the Montreal Impact left Thursday morning to start the Major League Soccer season in Dallas, defender Heath Pearce was on the plane. The 29-year-old American international, who is coming off hip surgery and who was released by the New York Red Bulls after the 2013 campaign, has agreed to a contact with the Impact. The length of the deal and his salary were not disclosed. Coach Frank Klopas said this week that if Pearce can regain full fitness, his signing "could end up being a steal." Pearce has played 106 MLS games over the last five seasons, including 100 starts. He has two goals and 12 assists. He also played two seasons each in Germany and Denmark and has been selected 35 times to the U.S. national team. "Hes played in the league and in Europe and he brings a lot of experience," said assistant coach Mauro Biello. "Its someone that understands. He brings leadership. These are all important qualities he can bring to the team." When he is ready to play full games, he will give Klopas options on the back line. Pearce mainly plays left back, a position held last season by Jeb Brovsky, but can also play in the middle and Brovsky can also play on the right side. The Impact open the season Saturday in Dallas and will stay in Texas to play at Houston the following week before returning for their home opener March 22 at Olympic Stadium. "Having played over 100 games in this league, his experience and soccer savvy will bring a lot to the team," sporting director Nick De Santis said in a statement. "He is a natural left back, who will give us more depth on defence and who can contribute to the offence as well. "Heath is highly motivated to get back to the level that saw him on the national team at one point in his career." Pearce became the top signing by the Impact, who made few off-season moves after finishing fifth in the Eastern Conference in 2013. He joined the Impact during training camp in Orlando, Fla. He played parts of two pre-season games and said he is getting close to match fit. The Modesto, Calif. native underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip in July. The injury had been nagging at him for a couple of seasons before he went to get it fixed. He said he had offers from other MLS clubs, but chose Montreal because he liked Klopas coaching style and felt the Impact were a "multicultured team with a ton of experience." Pearce, a three-time MLS all-star, joined FC Dallas in 2009 and later played for Chivas USA before joining the Red Bulls in 2012. He was a fixture on the U.S. team earlier in his career, especially at the 2009 Confederations Cup and the 2009 Gold Cup, but has been overlooked in recent years. Joe Harvey Jersey . -- Dee Ford prefers to keep things simple: Play hard and fast, and let others worry about his NFL draft stock. Nolan Arenado Jersey . Paul, MN (SportsNetwork. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/754t ... ckies.html. Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. Tony Wolters Jersey . Down 2-1 after Rick Nash scored on a penalty shot, the Oilers ran off four unanswered goals in the remainder of the second period on the way to a 6-3 victory on Sunday. Chi Chi Gonzalez Jersey .com) - Guess whos back, back again? Josh Gordons back, tell a friend.NASHVILLE -- While Jake Locker will miss a "few weeks" with a sprained hip, coach Mike Munchak says the Titans are encouraged by how the quarterback already is moving around. Exactly how many games Locker misses depends on how quickly he recovers. "If anyones going to get back quick, its him," Munchak said Tuesday night during his weekly radio show on 104.5 The Zone WGFX-FM. "We know hes going to miss a few games and now its just going to be a matter of how well he rehabs and how quickly it comes around to see exactly when. We wont know for a couple weeks how close he could be to playing." The Titans released a statement earlier Tuesday, saying a second MRI exam was "reassuring" and confirmed Locker did not suffer major damage to his hip joint. Locker sprained his right hip and also his right knee. Munchak had dismissed reports Monday that Locker would miss at least a month and possibly up to eight weeks, saying everyone was just "guessing." He said then they needed the second MRI exam because Locker had swelling in his hip. Munchak said Tuesday night they wanted to be cautious. "Then today they said that this looks a lot better than we thought," Munchak said. "Hes still got a lot of work ahead of him no doubt, but its good news to know that hes got justt a sprain of the hip area and also the knee.dddddddddddd." Munchak said Locker started his rehabilitation Tuesday and also took part in the quarterbacks weekly session. Ryan Fitzpatrick will start Sunday for the Titans (3-1) against Kansas City (4-0), and Tennessee has not made any roster move yet to add another quarterback to the roster. Rusty Smith already is on the practice squad, but the Titans would have to release someone else to promote him to the roster in a move that would not have to be made until Saturday. The timing could not be worse for the Titans. Locker missed five games last season with an injured left shoulder for a team that lost four of its first five games. The Titans now are off to a strong start, and Locker certainly is a reason why. Locker currently is the third-ranked quarterback in the AFC by passer rating behind Denvers Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers of San Diego. Locker currently has a 99 passer rating and is completing a career-high 62.2 per cent of his passes with six touchdowns and no interceptions. The Titans wrap up a three-game home stand against the Chiefs on Sunday before visiting Seattle (4-0) on Oct. 13. They host San Francisco (2-2) before their bye. If Locker is out for only a month, he could be on target to return Nov. 3 when Tennessee visits St. Louis. ' ' '