26,349 fans on a steamy night at BMO Field. Two goals came on free kicks 18 minutes apart in the first half, with the third coming in second-half stoppage t

TORONTO -- Sebastian Giovinco scored three goals and added an assist to break out of an eight-game scoring drought in Toronto FCs 4-1 victory over D.C. United 4-1 on Saturday night.The Italian star put in a show in front of 26,349 fans on a steamy night at BMO Field. Two goals came on free kicks 18 minutes apart in the first half, with the third coming in second-half stoppage time as he poked home Mark Blooms cross to up his goals total to 11 this season.Giovinco had not scored in league play in more than two months -- 70 days to be exact -- since scoring twice in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps on May 14.Marky Delgado also scored for Toronto (6-7-6)Jeffrey scored for D.C. United (5-7-7). Custom Avalanche Jerseys . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Wholesale Custom Avalanche Shirts . The International Olympic Committee released the official list of bid cities on Friday after the deadline for applications had passed. The candidates -- all previously announced in their own countries -- are: Almaty, Kazakhstan; Beijing; Krakow, Poland; Lviv, Ukraine; Oslo, Norway; and Stockholm. http://www.customavalanchejersey.com/ . The 29-year-old from Port Colborne, Ont., has nothing but good things to say about former U.S. marine Liz (Girlrilla) Carmouche ahead of their co-main event Wednesday on the UFCs "Fight for the Troops" televised card in Fort Campbell, Ky. Avalanche Jerseys China . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Custom Rob Ramage Jersey . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. NEW YORK -- Disillusionment. Fear. Rage.In a divided America, the political conventions are sure to arouse those sensations among the millions of viewers tuned in. Then in a commercial break, an electric guitar will blare the final lines of the The Star-Spangled Banner over images of a diverse group of U.S. athletes tearing up as they heard their national anthem during 2012 Olympic medal ceremonies.The words flash by on the screen, white on a black background, between the shots of sobbing and beaming champions: FOR 17 DAYS ... WE ARE ALL ... UNITED. The 30-second spot closes with a rising American flag, the graphic for NBCs Rio Games coverage and the date of the opening ceremony.NBC is buying ad time on other networks during both conventions the next two weeks, seeking a receptive audience for a not-so-subtle message.The country is more partisan, seemingly, than its ever been, said John Miller, the chief marketing officer for NBC Olympics. And for 17 days, we say were all united. For 17 days, we all root for Team USA. Weve got to put everything aside for a minute.The ad debuted March 15, the day of crucial primaries in Ohio and Florida, and aired on CNN and Fox News along with NBC networks. It appeared frequently during NBCs coverage of the Olympic trials, but it will again accompany non-sports fare at the conventions.Any place theyre talking about politics, thats the spot were going to run, Miller told The Associated Press last week.With so much bleak news over the past few weeks -- terrorist attacks, shootings and political division -- another NBC ad promotes the message of global unity, with athletes narrating scenes of competitors from different countries embracing.I dont know of anything else in the world, the voiceover goes, that brings people together and empowers people so purely as the Olympics does.The motivation for NBC in these spots isnt just to lure in viewers hoping for a break from the news of the day. Its also to seek to frame the Olympics as a pure, inspiring event amid the troubles swirling around the Rio Games -- from the Zika virus to Brazilian political turmoil, from polluted waters to doping scandals.Miller, once the executive behind NBCs classic must-see TV campaign, was looking to counteract those sorts of concerns before the 2008 Games when he first produced an ad with these themes.dddddddddddd. Beijing brought its own set of worries, from human rights issues to air pollution.This is the part of the story where Miller mentions Yoko Ono. He went to John Lennons widow to buy the rights to Imagine for a 60-second spot with a message of global unity.NBC tested the commercial with potential viewers, and Miller expected it to do well with an older audience. The way the network sells advertising for the Olympics, what matters is the number of households tuned in more than the demographics. So Miller wouldnt have been too alarmed if the spot captivated older viewers but flopped with younger ones.I specifically made it a little schmaltzy to capture that older audience, he recalled.To his shock, the ad, while popular with all ages, tested best with the 18-to-34-year-old range. As he summed up the explanation those younger viewers would relate: The country had been at war at least half of their memorable lives.That notion of American unity, as well as global unity, is extraordinarily strong and resonates with the young as well as the old, Miller said. But it even resonates more strongly with the young.So the theme became a valuable one for NBC to promote both Summer and Winter Games, a way to connect with younger viewers who will one day make up the main audience under the networks lengthy contract to broadcast the Olympics. Miller acknowledged NBC is probably pushing that refrain even harder this time around.It seems to be more appropriate now than ever, he said.NBC dives deep into its research of Olympic viewership, though its never looked specifically into whether depressing news in the real world makes viewers more likely to tune in. As it happens, the Beijing Games marked the start of an upswing for Olympic ratings in the United States.Jim Bell, the executive producer for NBC Olympics, doesnt have any numbers to prove why exactly viewers tune in, but he does know what he keeps hearing from acquaintances who tell him theyre looking forward to the Rio Games: How they need a break -- whether its from their job, or the news cycle, or their kids. ' ' '