Captain Alex Brosque has credited Sydney FCs stellar recruitment drive for the clubs eye-catching form to start the A-League season.The Sky Blues and Melbourne City have emerged as early frontrunners for this seasons title after impressing with back-to-back victories over the opening fortnight.And Brosque, who has scored goals coming off the bench in both games, said it was the clubs strong off-season that had propelled the team to its best ever start to a campaign.Most teams are struggling early because of the new faces they have, he said.(But) weve got Josh Brillante, Michael Zullo, Alex Wilkinson, Danny Vukovic, Bobo - half our team thats been starting these first few games, are new players.The quality in the players weve brought in have been a huge difference. The competition for places, the depth that we have at the moment, and just the good run that we had in pre-season... everyone made sure that when round one came, we were ready to go. Thats the reason why weve started so well.While Sydney FC have rocketed to the top of the ladder with twin thrashings of Western Sydney and Central Coast, Melbourne City also announced themselves as championship contenders with an emphatic derby win over Melbourne Victory.Brosque said the Tim Cahill-led City were always going to be a heavyweight.We knew Melbourne City were going to have the firepower. Theyve started in that fashion. They look good, theyre definitely going to be up there at the end of the season, he said.Theyll be a team thats going to be hard to beat.The 33-year-old also said coach Graham Arnold moved quickly to give his team a reality check on Monday, pointing out how his team lost their way after an unbeaten opening five weeks last season.But he still urged his teammates to embrace the tag of title favourites early in the campaign.We just had a meeting and Arnies brought all our heads in very quickly. He doesnt want us getting carried away with it and rightly so, Brosque said.Its a good start but if we look at last season as well, we started the first four, five games undefeated and it didnt end too well.This season we did make a bit of noise, saying we wanted to win all trophies. It should be that way. Sydney FC has to be a club that goes into every competition wanting to win it and I think the players really embrace that this year. Pat Tillman Jersey . Luis Suarezs double powered Liverpool to a 4-0 victory over Fulham, and Southampton easily overcame Hull 4-1 to continue the south coast clubs impressive start to the season. Liverpool and Southampton sent Chelsea down to fourth place as the west London club was held to 2-2 at home. Byron Murphy Jersey . The 28-year-old from Calgary matched his career best after missing just one shot in his two rounds of shooting in the mens 10-kilometre sprint competition. Smith finished in 23 minutes 15. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/andy-isabella-cardinals-jersey-dk/ . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Pat Tillman Youth Jersey . The Nashville Predators were glad their captain was still on their side. Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night. Adrian Wilson Womens Jersey . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. PHILADELPHIA -- The Atlanta Braves could have played another hour against the Philadelphia Phillies and they might not have solved Zach Eflin.Eflin struck out six and walked none in his first career complete game and first major-league win, leading the Phillies to a 5-1 victory over Atlanta on Tuesday night.Eflin, a first-round pick in the 2012 draft by the San Diego Padres, needed just 2 hours, 8 minutes to win for the first time this season in five starts.The less pitches the better, he said, smiling.Eflin stood on the mound shaking from excitement as the final pitch of the game was squeezed for the third out. Philadelphias rookie right-hander simply breezed past the Braves.I was just out there with loads of confidence, Eflin said.Eflin, acquired in a 2014 trade that sent Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers, allowed three homers and nine runs in 2 2/3 innings in his June 14 debut against Toronto.He lost his next start, then rebounded with no-decisions in two straight solid six-inning outings.Eflin certainly found his groove against Atlanta. He threw just 92 crisp pitches and breezed against the hapless Braves in his longest outing of the season in any level of baseball. He became the first Phillies pitcher since Mike Williams in July 1992 to toss a complete game for his first win and hes the first Phillies rookie to throw a complete game since Vance Worley in July 2011.Its something you cant really describe, just being around these guys, Eflin said.Eflin went deep in the game and the Phillies went deep at the plate.Maikel Franco homered for the third straight game, and the Phillies hit four overall. Peter Bourjos, Cody Asche and Tommy Joseph all hit solo shots for the Phillies.Eflin had some help from a generally punchless offense that has shown signs of coming around headed into the All-Star break. The Phillies have scored at least seven runs in three straight games and have won seven of eight overall.I think everybody puts together good at-bats and that puts pressure on the pitcher to make his pitches, Bourjos said. He threw some pitches over the plate and we hit some home runs.Simple enouggh.dddddddddddd.Bourjos extended his hitting streak to 14 games and opened the home run derby with his fourth of the season in the first inning against Mike Foltynewicz (2-3). Asche hit his fourth in the fourth and Franco (16) and Joseph (9) both went deep in the sixth.Foltynewicz struck out five and gave up eight hits in 5 2/3 innings.When I had two strikes, I got amped up a little and started to overthrow, he said.TRAINERS ROOMBraves: RHP Julio Teheran was scratched from Wednesdays start in the three-game series finale for Tyrell Jenkins. Teheran returned to Atlanta to be treated for an infection on his right thigh. The Braves are hopeful Teheran will start this weekend in a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.Phillies: RHP Andrew Bailey is scheduled to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday. ... LHP Daniel Stumpf has had his rehab assignment transferred to Lehigh Valley.HOT STREAKBoujos is the first Phillie to hit in 14 straight games since Rollins had a 15-game streak in 2014. ... Franco is the first Phillie to homer in three straight games since Darin Ruf in 2013 and the first to have an RBI in five straight games since Ryan Howard in July 2015.HOT-LANTABraves reliever Dario Alvarez struck out four in 1 1/3 innings and has struck out 19 of the 35 batters he has faced this season. Hes averaging 18.41 strikeouts per nine innings pitched (15 SO/7.1).ALL-STARSBraves: Teheran is just 3-7 but was named to the NL All-Star team for the second time. He was the lone Brave selected.Phillies: CF Odubel Herrera was the only Phillie named to the NL All-Star team. He entered ranked first in four-hit games with three and had two separate hitting streaks of at least 10 games.Herrera, batting .302, said through an interpreter he was proud to represent the Phillies and burst into laughter when he was good-naturedly asked about participating in the home run derby. He has 10 homers.UP NEXTJenkins (0-1, 5.79 ERA) goes against Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (6-6, 4-06). ' ' '
