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TORONTO -- After digging deep into its roster for a midweek friendly against Tottenham, Toronto FC gets back to business Saturday when it hosts defending MLS champion Sporting Kansas City. Four days later, Toronto wraps up a busy July with a visit to D.C. United (10-5-4), which trails Eastern Conference leader Kansas City (10-5-5) by one point. It speaks volumes about the turnaround in Toronto FC that midfielder Michael Bradley sees the two games against elite opposition as an opportunity rather than just a chance to see how his team measures against the best in the East. For Bradley, the K.C. and D.C. contests are a chance to move up the standings. Toronto (7-5-5) has two games in hand on D.C. United and three on Kansas City. "When you play the teams right around you these are six-point games and so if we can now, over this next week, come out with some good results, then still it gives us a chance to keep the games in hand but move right up the table," said Bradley. "Thats our goal. "Seventeen games gone, 17 to go. We feel like its been a good first half of the season for us but we still hold the bar high for ourselves and want to continue to move on up." Manager Ryan Nelsen says his team continues to be a work in progress. "Even now, were still learning about each other.," said Nelsen. "Im still learning about (designated players) Michael and Jermain (Defoe) and Gil(berto). And theyre still learning about us. Are we the finished product? Of course not. Were nowhere near that. But are we getting better? I think so. Were evolving quite nicely." This year has already been a success compared to previous seasons. Nelsens team is headed to a first-ever playoff campaign and has already exceeded the number of wins posted each of the 2007, 2011, 2012 and 2103 seasons. Three more victories and it will match the club single-season record of 10, set in 2009. With 13 leagues wins in his 1 1/2 seasons, Nelson is already the club leader for managerial victories. Toronto will have to face Kansas City without Defoe, the star striker who is suspended due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Brazils Gilberto is expected to start up front with Englands Luke Moore. Defoe has 11 of Torontos 26 league goals. Next on the list is Moore with three. Gilberto has two, although he has shown signs recently that he is finding his feet in the league after a lengthy scoring drought. Gilberto attributed to his slow start to the layoff since the Brazilian season ended in December. "It was tough getting used to the MLS because Id been off for so long," the 25-year-old said through an interpreter. "So the road was a little bumpy but now things are starting to progress." Is he having fun, he was asked. "Its good," he said in English with a smile. Bradley says the team is rooting for the likable Brazilian to succeed. "Sure. Hes a good guy. Hes somebody that has come in and shown such a willingness to work and run and fight and really do everything he can to help the team," he said. "We have total confidence in him," he added. Bradley did not figure in Torontos 3-2 midweek loss to Tottenham as Nelsen looked to give his midfield star time to rest. Kansas City also played a midweek friendly, losing 4-1 to Manchester City. Unlike Toronto, K.C. played its first team against the English side. Captain Matt Besler seemed unfazed by the defeat, telling local reporters that the focus was on Toronto -- "which is a huge, huge match, probably our biggest of the season so far." Nelsen said Brazilian winger Jackson is fit after an Achilles knock and is available for selection. Captain and centre back Steven Caldwell (quad) and right back Mark Bloom (knee) remain out. Kansas City has not lost in the league since dropping a 1-0 decision to D.C. United on May 13. The champions arrive on a six-game unbeaten streak (5-0-1). "Theyre a team that grinds out results," said Nelsen, before delivering one of his biggest compliments. "Theyre very good at not playing well and winning." Nelsen sees Kansas City as one of the leagues model franchises and values how they got there. "Theyve done a really good job there," he said. "I think they went through two or three years of really tough times. "Its really easy to see the beacon that they are now but to actually get there, they went through some really hard times. And you kind of have to live that when youre in the situation that they were and potentially where we were. But theyre an example of a team, like Real Salt Lake, that built it right, built it well. And that gave it longevity. Theyve got a foundation now where they can just spit out these good players because the clubs got such a good, stable foundation. NOTES: Toronto tied 2-2 at Kansas City earlier in the season in the strength of a stoppage-time goal by Bradley Orr. 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PAUL, Minn. John Stones Jersey . The rookie is rewarding their faith with a stellar first season. MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, Jamie McGinn had two goals and an assist, and Colorado beat the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Saturday.It is somewhat amazing that within 24 hours of one of the best NFL Sundays in memory, six head coaches (and likely most of their staffs) are unemployed. Think about this though: Mike Shanahan leaves with $7 million in his pocket, while Greg Schiano and Rob Chudzinski had three more years on their contracts, and will be paid out handsomely. I realize not all are as fortunate, but the majority of the time if you reach the head coaching level in the NFL, your bills are paid and debts are nonexistent. Its not the financial blow that hurts. It is more of a punch to the ego and a humbling moment. When you realize your mission is not going to be accomplished, that is taken personally, and its hard to take. Now, full disclosure – in general, I am not a fan of football coaches. I have no doubt that is because my experience with most coaches was not very good. Most were anything but teachers. The majority of my coaches were experts at applying pressure and then dis-associating from the players when that tactic did not work or their own skill set did not provide an alternative. There are some great coaches in football – no doubt – but in my experience I have also seen a level of incompetence that is shocking. And it is prevalent at all levels. I often get asked why I dont coach, and I always answer with, "why should I?" Being a former player doesnt qualify me to be a coach, a teacher. That being said, there are a lot of good coaches without jobs today, and there are other teams still wavering on a decision. DECISION IN DALLAS In Dallas, I think they need to keep Jason Garret and stay the course. Look at Ron Rivera in Carolina and Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati. Logic may have dictated coaching changes for those teams in recent years, but they stuck with their people and now the Panthers are the NFC South winner and the Bengals are tops in the AFC North. Patience can pay off and too many teams dump good coaches too early. Take a close look at Dallas and you will see that almost getting to the playoffs was actually a pretty good accomplishment. Football teams are built around controllable programs that the coaches put in place, but much of their success comes down to pure luck. Things like drafting, teaching, developing and capitalizing on the "window of opportunity" are all relatively controllable. But luck can get in the way, especially when it comes to injuries. If you can keep your 22 starters completely healthy and on the field for a whole year – thats good luck, not good coaching. And Dallas was destroyed by bad luck for the second year in a row when it comes to injuries. This was highlighted Sunday when they had to play a winner-take-the-division game against Philadelphia without their best player on offence (QB Tony Romo) and their leader on defence (LB Sean Lee). Good coaching kept the controllable parts moving effectively, though, and Garrett almost got the Cowboys to the playoffs despite the injuries. KELLYS HEROES On the opposite side, how about the job Chip Kelly did with the Eagles? Hes an endearing personality and he "did it his way." Kelly is known as an offensive guy, but one of the most impressive examples of his coaching ability was reflected in the development of linebacker Mychal Kendricks, a second year player out of the University of California. Great linebackers have to know what is going to happen before it actually happens, and Kendricks has developed that ability. That is not just a natural talent – its partly a matter of studying and learning about your opponent in advance, which is a controllable issue – a coaching issue. There is no luck involved in his development under Chip Kelly. NEVERMORE We will see a new Super Bowl champion now that Baltimore failed to make the playoffs – something you could feel coming. After three narrow victories down the stretch, the Ravens lost by 34 to New England and then were dominated in Cincinnati on Sunday in a must-win game despite making four interceptions. I have all the respect in the world for Joe Flacco, but his body language on the bench sure seems to reflect disinterest. Compare his demeanor with Philip Rivers of the Chargers – there is no comparison! It makes you wonder if the Ravens were suffering from burn out. It is never expected but it does happen in many occupations, and following their success last year, they sure looked burned out in Deecember to me.dddddddddddd DEAD MONEY DANGER In Oakland, they played the 2013 season with an astounding amount of dead money (roughly $45 million). Thats money they had to pay former players – all of which counted against their salary cap. With the dead money off the books for 2014, the Raiders are suddenly cap rich. This is very dangerous as rarely can a football team be bought. Teams have to be developed, and the Raiders need to remember that they are exhibit A in that discussion. So how do they use that money wisely and successfully? Well if youre going to overpay somebody, than overpay a good quarterback. That is obvious. But depth players are critical. Your fifth defensive lineman, your sixth offensive lineman, those fourth and fifth receivers who can push for starting spots. On a 53 man roster, you have to project that the bottom third will eventually be your starters. Some may have to step in sooner than later because injuries always happen in football, so these players need to be ready and able. This off-season for the Raiders is critical for making decisions on these key personnel. They need to find a quarterback and then build a roster that can develop over time into a winning team around that quarterback. They cant shoot for the moon all at once. Ask Washington owner Dan Snyder how that works out. Speaking of the Redskins, Snyder has an interesting dilemma with quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins. With RG3 shut down for the season, Cousins played well against Atlanta, was okay against Dallas and not so good against the Giants. There is no doubt that RG3 will be the starter next year, but what does the team do with Cousins? Do you keep him as an above average back-up or test his increasing value on the open market? Just one of many problems facing the Redskins. KEEP CUTLER Marc Trestman has a similar problem with the Bears. He inherited a 10-6 team from Lovie Smith and finished 8-8. But under Trestman, the Bears offence flourished . Receiver Brandon Marshall is already a star, and Alshon Jeffery looks like another one. Matt Forte is a Pro Bowl back. Kyle Long and Jordon Mills played 16 games as rookies and played well. Jermon Bushrod and Matt Slauson earned their free agent value. The problem is what to do with the quarterback position after two players did well in the role. Jay Cutler is a pending free agent and after the big money has been thrown at Brees , Manning, Rogers, Flacco and Romo, he will looking for his fair value. Can the Bears afford his expensive ticket, and the mistakes that come with his gun-slinging ways? Especially when the much-cheaper Josh McCown was so good while Cutler was hurt? I think its a no-brainer for both sides. The Bears need to bring Cutler back, and he needs to re-sign fast. With all the weapons in Chicagos arsenal, and Trestman to guide the way, its a great fit. Especially because of Terstmans ability as a developer of quarterbacks. He may deserve a critical comment or two about the way the Bears defence folded, but he was brought in to turn the offence around and he succeeded in spades. Look for the Bears to go after defensive help in the off-season, something that is easier and cheaper to find than offensive skills players. REX STILL KING I usually watch the NFL Network for an hour a day to keep updated, and when I saw Woody Johnson announce that Ryan was to be back next year as coach of the Jets, I expected mild applause and pats on the back. What I saw instead was a unique reaction of adulation and sincere appreciation. That surprised me. Maybe Ryan is better in dealing with motivating and generating positive energy than I could understand, but that reaction said a lot of positive things about him. So from 32 teams starting the season as Super Bowl hopefuls, we are down to 12. All logic says it will be Seattle and Denver in New York come the 2nd of February, but if I had to pick to surprise participants, I like the Eagles and the 49ers. And finally, I always have to take a moment and remember that for 20 teams, the season is over. For the players, that means going from complete structure to no structure at all. No meetings, no practices, no games, no responsibility. Its a great feeling and dangerous time wrapped up into one. For these players, next season starts now. And off-season responsibility is step one to a championship. 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