28th birthday, Chara scored in MLS play for the first

PARIS -- Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear of Monaco at the top of the French league after coming from behind for a hard-fought 2-1 win at last-place Ajaccio on Saturday. Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. "We were playing against a team fighting for survival. They created chances but so did we, so I think its a fair result," Matuidi said. "The pitch wasnt easy to play on either, it was very dry. It did bother us a bit. But lets not look for excuses -- the main thing is that we won and that we keep moving forward. "Its good to win and keep that gap. Weve shown that well be there (at the end) and we wont give up." Lille can overtake Monaco and move into second place if it beats Reims at home on Sunday. After striker Edinson Cavani missed two chances, PSG cut through Ajaccios defence easily for the equalizing goal in the 41st. Cavani collected the ball in midfield from Ibrahimovic, turned and passed to Matuidi, whose pass released Ibrahimovic behind the defence and his cross from the right gave Lavezzi a comfortable finish from close range. Ibrahimovic made a sloppy start to the second half, and it was a rare sight to see him casually giving possession away several times, even failing with one easy cross from the left as he let the ball slip away from him. Ajaccio almost regained the lead in the 68th when Cavallis fine pass released Eduardo, and his shot from the right side of the penalty area forced goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu into a low save. Shortly after, coach Laurent Blanc made two changes as he tried to spark some life into his listless team -- taking off centre half Alex and bringing on playmaker Javier Pastore, and replacing Lavezzi with winger Lucas Moura. Blanc switched to a 4-4-2 formation and Cavani moved in from the right to join Ibrahimovic in attack. Moments later, PSG scored after a brilliant piece of skill from Pastore. The Argentine dragged the ball back and turned to hit a swerving pass over the Bastia defence. Ibrahimovic rose at the back post to head the ball down and Matuidi sprinted in to turn the ball past goalie Guillermo Ochoa. "Even though they had a lot of possession, I think we were hanging in there and looked solid, but that goal hurt us," centre half Ricardo Faty said. Eduardo went close in the 83rd when he slid in at the back post, but his shot hit the side-netting, and midfielder Paul Lasne headed wide when well placed after running onto Eduardos cross from the left. Ochoa made a great reflex save with his left foot to deny Cavani in the last minute. Later Saturday, it was: Bordeaux vs. Toulouse; Guingamp vs. Saint-Etienne; Lyon vs. Sochaux; Rennes vs. Nice, and Valenciennes vs. Bastia. In Sundays other games, Marseille goes to Evian and Nantes faces Lorient. Monaco was held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday. Drue Tranquill Chargers Jersey . A player confirmed to TSN on the condition of anonymity that he received his ballot yesterday. Another confirms hes been told to expect his shortly. "The unions executive committee insists a strike vote does not mean were pushing away from the table," the player said. "But we want the league to know were serious about our position. Derwin James Youth Jersey . His Chicago Blackhawks teammates werent shocked when he found it. Kanes career has been defined by his brilliance in the Blackhawks biggest moments, and his tiebreaking goal with 3:45 to play in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals will rank among the best. http://www.prochargersteamstore.com/Youth-Joey-Bosa-Elite-Jersey/ . Watch all the action unfold live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also watch the game live with the debut of Wednesday Night Hockey on TSN.ca and chat throughout the game with TSN. Melvin Ingram Chargers Jersey . Right-hander Todd Redmond took the loss. Jose Bautista hit his second home run of the spring. Here are a handful of tidbits from around camp: Hutchison impressive The Blue Jays are being cautious when talking about their young arms but internally, excitement is building over the way Drew Hutchison is looking and performing this spring. Dan Fouts Womens Jersey . On Saturday, the paths of Drew Tate and Kevin Glenn cross again as opposing quarterbacks.PORTLAND, Ore. -- The plan was for Clint Dempsey to go 60 minutes and see how he was feeling less than 72 hours after playing 90 minutes in a U.S. national team exhibition against Mexico. When the one-hour mark arrived, Dempsey and the Seattle Sounders were trailing rival Portland by two goals. He wasnt about to check out. Dempsey scored the first hat trick in his MLS career, including goals in the 85th and 87th minutes to help the Sounders rally late for a wild 4-4 draw with the Timbers on Saturday. "You always feel good when you are contributing, scoring goals or getting assists," Dempsey said. "Im in a good rhythm at the moment and its about continuing that form." Trailing 4-2 for most of the second half after goals from Diego Chara and Maximiliano Urruti early in the half gave Portland the advantage, Dempsey led Seattles stunning late comeback to earn a point in the first Cascadia rivalry matchup of the season. Dempsey scored in the 85th minute to get Seattle within 4-3, a goal that felt was coming with the pressure the Sounders were pushing forward. Seconds later, Seattle defender DeAndre Yedlin was taken down in the penalty box by Portlands Ben Zemanski and referee Hilario Grajeda immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Yedlin said he was hoping to draw a penalty on the play and Zemanski obliged by clipping the young Seattle defender. After a brief discussion with Gonzalo Pineda, who was expecting to take the penalty kick, Dempsey stepped up. He converted the chance, beating former Seattle goalkeeper Andrew Weber to get Seattle even. "That point today felt like more than a point. It kind of felt like a win," Dempsey said. The afternoon was an advertisement for the league, even if it gave the coaches heartburn. Play was wide open and end-to-end. There were 41 shots and countless near misses. There were four goals in the first 25 minutes -- including goals from Seattles Kenny Cooper, Portland Diego Valeri and Dempsey -- along with the two late scores.dddddddddddd And the biggest star on the field burned brightest even if he was a little tired at the end. "Hes a leader. He wants to lead this team. He wants to show that last year was not the Clint Dempsey that were going to see this year," Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. "And he wants to show people hes ready for the World Cup. I think he did that today." Seattle walked off thrilled with the final result and knowing there were other missed chances in the final minutes to get a winner. Meanwhile, the Timbers stood stunned as the worst start in their brief history continued. The Timbers have generally been slow starters since joining the league in 2011, but now have just three points after five games, not the opening anyone in Portland expected after reaching the Western Conference finals last season. "You should never give up 4 goals, and you should never tie a game if you score 4 goals," Portland coach Caleb Porter said. Chara was the star until Dempsey took over. On his 28th birthday, Chara scored in MLS play for the first time since September 2011. Seattle defence was willing to give him space and he took advantage with two perfectly placed shots from outside the penalty box. His first goal in the ninth minute deflected off goalkeeper Stephen Freis hand but had enough force to get into the net. His second goal, and what appeared to be the winner, came from about 25 yards and Frei had no chance at the save. Both times, Seattles defenders failed to step up and defend Charas shot. "I feel good, but obviously completely not happy with the game," Chara said. "We should have won that game, so to score 2 goals, for me, is good, but Id rather see a W than me score 2 goals." Urrutis goal in the 57th minute appeared to give Portland plenty of cushion. But Dempsey said otherwise and both sides had to settle for the draw in one of the wilder matchups of a rivalry dating to the mid-1970s. ' ' '