night." Internally, the Raptors know theyll need to remain patient with the young centre regardless of the secon

MEXICO CITY -- Argentine striker Mariano Pavone scored a hat trick to lead Cruz Azul to a 5-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday that made it the third Mexican team to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals. Pavone scored in the 2nd, 22nd and 55th minutes as Cruz Azul secured a 5-2 aggregate victory over Kansas City in the two-leg quarterfinal series. Cruz Azul will play fellow-Mexican side Tijuana in the semifinals. Toluca is the other Mexican team in the final four after defeating the San Jose Earthquakes earlier Wednesday. Argentinas Mauro Formica scored in the 65th minute and Christian Gimenez added a goal four minutes later for Cruz Azul, a runner-up in the 2009 and 2010. Benny Feilhaber scored in the 43rd for the Sporting, the reigning MLS champions. Leonardo Spinazzola Juventus Jersey . Reimer is winless (0-2-1) since returning from a six-week absence due to concussion-like symptoms. The Maple Leafs dropped a 4-2 decision to the hosting Washington Capitals on Friday. Douglas Costa Jersey .com) - Manchester City will face a steep test in the Champions League knockout stage as the English champions were drawn with Barcelona on Monday. http://www.juventusfcpro.com/Kids-Cristiano-Ronaldo-Jersey/ .com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. Mattia Perin Juventus Jersey . Jovanovski, the 2012 champ seeded fifth, will meet surprise Japanese qualifier Misa Eguchi on Friday. Eguchi, ranked 183rd, qualified for her first WTA main draw this week, then beat No. Andrea Barzagli Jersey . -- The Green Bay Packers have signed quarterback Graham Harrell to the active roster from the practice squad and placed tight end Andrew Quarless on injured reserve.TORONTO - Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas is not going to sneak up on anybody in his second NBA season. Hes no longer the Raptors ace in the hole. Hes a known commodity and the league has been paying attention. If youve waited this long to hop on the bandwagon, you may be too late. Its already nearing capacity. Valanciunas, a member of last seasons All-Rookie Second Team, was recently voted the international player most likely to have a breakout campaign in NBA.coms annual GM survey. Expectations are sky-high for the sophomore, and for good reason. Sometimes its easy to forget hes only 21 years old. "Hes still learning," head coach Dwane Casey said of the Lithuanian following the teams second-to-last practice before Wednesdays season opener. "His is a growing process. Hes not there [yet], he wasnt there last year [and] hes still growing this year." Caseys reminder is an important one. For all he accomplished in his first season as a 20-year-old learning the NBA game and mastering a new language, for all the work he put in and the strength he put on during a busy summer, he still has work to do. With the rest of the league - including several elite Eastern Conference centres - zeroing in on him, the learning curve wont get easier. The hope, for Casey and the Raptors, is that hes better prepared for whats to come now that he has a full year under his belt. "Its my second year and its easier because its kind of the same thing as last year," a more comfortable and noticeably more confident Valanciunas said Monday. "[Its the] same coach [and] same defence so Im familiar with the schemes." "I just think his confidence is up," said teammate Landry Fields, whos also going into his second year with the Raptors. "Hes playing a lot more comfortably out there and the chemistry he has with the first group is that much better as well." As a rookie, Valanciunas averaged 8.9 points and 6.0 rebounds in 62 games, including 57 starts. In a season loaded with the peaks and valleys expected from any young big man - specifically on the defensive end - he finished strong, scoring in double figures in 17 of the final 19 contests while showing positive growth as a defender when paired with Amir Johnson. After earning MVP honours at the Las Vegas Summer League and helping guide Lithuania to a second-place finish in FIBAs Eurobasket tournament, Valanciunas has been asked to foccus on his continued growth as the anchor of Caseys defence in training camp.ddddddddddddPart of that process began in the offseason when he put on approximately 10 pounds in added muscle and is now predicated on his wherewithal to use it the right way. In addition to improved balance, to avoid some of the "silly fouls" he picked up last season, Casey and the coaching staff have worked with Valanciunas on his vertical jump. The goal, Casey says, is for Valanciunas to defend the paint and contest shots in the lane by going straight up, without reaching in or coming down with his hands. "The officials have to know hes going straight up every time, thats his game," the Raptors coach said, stressing the importance of consistency in Valanciunas approach. "If you get that reputation [then] you dont get the cheap fouls so hes got to earn that reputation of verticality." "Were working every day," Valanciunas said of the technique. [It] still needs work but were working and I hope [Im] going to be good [at] that." "Thats the challenge he has," Casey continued, "is doing it every night." Internally, the Raptors know theyll need to remain patient with the young centre regardless of the second-year expectations they have - and the rest of the league has - for him. "The game is so fast for a young player that youve got to process [the little things] probably in about a three- or four-second period of time," Casey pointed out. "Hes still learning that." "Theres days, theres possessions [where] hes great at it and theres possessions that he has no clue what hit him. Every young player goes through it, hes going through it and hes [still] a work in progress." No ones expecting the adjustment hell need to make in year two to be easy, it wasnt in year one, but Valanciunas has made believers out of the Raptors organization with his dedication and unrelenting work ethic. "I like his approach," Casey said, praising his young centre. "I like his attitude. He doesnt give up [and] he continues to work at it but its something he has to learn and something he has to go through." It wont happen overnight but Casey and the Raptors are expecting big things from Valanciunas. As the start of his second season approaches, the league watches with anticipation. How good will he be and how long will it take for him to get there? ' ' '