Until last week, a Montreal Impact-Chivas USA matchup might have been a meaningless game between Major League Soccer doormats. [

Until last week, a Montreal Impact-Chivas USA matchup might have been a meaningless game between Major League Soccer doormats. Cooper Kupp Womens Jersey . But both clubs have sprung to life of late, with Montreal (3-7-5) coming off a draw and a win and Chivas (4-7-5) posting consecutive 1-0 victories over Salt Lake and San Jose. Both will be looking to keep their runs alive when they meet Saturday night at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif. "Its never easy on the road," Impact coach Frank Klopas said this week. "Theres so much parity in the league, you cant underestimate anyone. Itll be a difficult game. "If you relax when you get a couple of good results, then you have problems. Were a good team when we work hard and were focused. We cant forget that." Anyone underestimating the Goats lately has been badly mistaken. Red-hot Erick Torres scored the goals in victories last Saturday against Salt Lake and on Wednesday at San Jose, giving Chivas consecutive wins for the first time this season and pulling them out of last place in the West, ahead of San Jose. The 21-year-old Mexican has 11 goals, one fewer than MLS leader Bradley Wright-Phillips of the New York Red Bulls. The Impact and Chivas have each scored 16 goals and allowed 26 this season, although Montreal has played one fewer game. Montreal returned from the two-week World Cup break last week with a 0-0 draw in Vancouver with an injury-depleted roster. Then, with midfielders Felipe and Justin Mapp and forward Marco Di Vaio back in the lineup, followed with a 3-0 victory at home on Saturday against the struggling Houston Dynamo. Striker Jack McInerney scored twice against Houston to give him seven for the season and earn MLS player of the week honours. "Its good for my confidence," said McInerney, who has nine goals in all competitions since he was acquired in April from Philadelphia for forward Andrew Wenger. "It comes from the team doing well." The Impact hope to take that new-found confidence with them. "Two good results and we have the opportunity to go out west again and face a team that has struggled this year also," added McInerney. "Its a big game. We need the three points. Weve got to be consistent and keep getting results." The mood has brightened noticeably in the Impact camp after a gloomy start to the season under Klopas, who replaced Marco Schallibaum in the off-season. A whirl of player moves has seen Wenger, Collen Warner, Jeb Brovsky and Hernan Bernardello leave and McInerney, midfielders Gorka Larrea and Issey Nakajima-Farran (currently injured), and defender Mamadou (Futty) Danso come in. They also have Spanish defender Adrian Lopez back from knee surgery. And this week, they announced that Argentine attacking midfielder Ignacio Piatti will join the team in August as a designated player. Klopas has the option of using Lopez or Danso this week, although he may be loathe to break up the central defence partnership of Matteo Ferrari and Heath Pearce that has been solid the last two games. The moves have given the Impact extra depth, which they will need when CONCACAF Champions League play begins in August. "Were disappointed with the start of our season, but we feel we can turn it around," said sporting director Nick De Santis. "Whether it be winning the Canadian championship, which was one of our objectives, or beating Houston, there are glimpses of positive things. "We feel with the addition of a couple of players, with players coming back from injury and with Piatti coming in, that the teams going to keep growing. I truly believe that. We have to understand that a new coach is in place and his identity and philosophy of play takes time as well." Klopas doesnt hesitate to use the teams young, local products, particularly Maxim Tissot who started the last two games on the left side of midfield. The team added another homegrown player from its academy this week in midfielder Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare. The Impact are starting a stretch that sees them on the road for three of the next four games. They are back home next week against Kansas City, which will mark the midpoint of their 34-game league schedule, then travel to Columbus and Salt Lake. The schedule for CONCACAF play released Friday has the Impact at home Aug. 5 against Club Deportivo FAS of El Salvador and at San Salvador on Aug. 20. They complete Group C play at home Sept. 17 against the Red Bulls and Oct. 22 in New York. Torry Holt Womens Jersey . Liriano pitched in and out of trouble in his duel with Josh Beckett, and Ike Davis homered to help the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 2-1 Friday night. Kurt Warner Jersey . As if the individual strands of grey hair or the increasing amount of joint pain werent reminders enough, the impending end of Jeters career is a slap-in-the-face indicator of a generations fleeting youth. http://www.ramsrookiestore.com/Rams-Deacon-Jones-Jersey/ . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.WINNIPEG -- Coach Claude Noel was happy to talk about the Winnipeg Jets power play Friday night, after a 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers, thanks to two power-play goals. "The power play was obviously a big plus for us," he said after Bryan Little scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout as the Jets (10-9-2) won their fourth in a row. "(It was) a long time waiting for us for that to happen. I dont think there was anything really different that took place other than we hit the net." The Jets started the game with the worst power-play in the league, just six goals in 71 tries (only one in their last 13 games) and moved up a notch to 29th after Dustin Byfuglien connected twice when the Flyers were shorthanded. It was fitting that he was the agent of change, since it was Byfuglien who counselled doubters to have patience this week. He said success would come if the team could keep rubber moving to the net. And he insisted they did nothing new Friday night. "It was just a matter of getting there," Byfuglien said after the game. "We were in traffic and we just kept shooting and it got there." Byfuglien scored his first at 5:36 of the into the first period as he snapped the puck past a kneeling Steve Mason. The second at 14:23 of the third period was more important, after the Flyers (7-11-1) had taken a 2-1 lead by the end of the first on goals from Scott Hartnell and Wayne Simmonds. It was Byfugliens trademark slapshot from the blueline that swept by Mason and sent the game into overtime. Even the normally stoic defenceman had to do a little dance to celebrate. Mason said he didnt even see the puck. "Its just disappointing because we had the lead with six minutes left in the hockey game and we werent ablle to close it out," he said. Bobby Evans Womens Jersey. But he said they made progress on their road trip. "Anytime you can get five out of six points thats pretty good. Would have been great to get the full six points but moving forward we put ourselves back in a better position." The Flyers bounced back after Byfugliens first goal. Hartnells wraparound at the 6:25 mark was ruled a goal after a review. Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec appeared to move it past the line with his glove. The Flyers took the lead a little over five minutes later on Simmonds wrist shot from a goalmouth scramble just 13 seconds into Philadelphias first power play of the game. Like Byfuglien, Noel has said he has faith the teams power play will improve. "Weve had chances like that before where it either gets saved or hits a post or misses the net, or a lot of different factors like that," he said of the first goal. "For me it was just a matter of time before these things start seeing the back of the net. Eventually theyre going to go, you just have to stay with it and not allow too much frustration to get into your game." He also gave Pavelec credit for keeping them in the game. "He really gives us a chance." One streak did end for the Jets Friday night. Captain Andrew Ladd finally failed to score in a shootout. Ladd has scored game winners in three and hadnt missed until Friday. "The one (streak) that counts kept going," he said, adding that he hopes the power-play goals will give the team more confidence in the future. Notes: The Flyers havent won a game this season in which they didnt score the first goal. ... The Jets have won four straight at home as well and their leading scorers at the MTS Centre are Ladd (5G, 8A) and Bryan Little (7G, 6A). ' ' '