Carpenter (oblique) and 1B Brandon Moss (ankle) are a

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- A raucous crowd packed into one of Major League Soccers glitzy new stadiums to watch a team comprised of its best players on a picturesque late-summer night. All that was missing was the outcome fans desired. Italian powerhouse AS Roma, led by longtime star Francesco Totti, scored 4 minutes into the game Wednesday night, then added two second-half goals to rout a team of MLS All-Stars 3-1 and dampen what had been a festive celebration of soccer in Kansas City. Kevin Strootman and Alessandro Florenzi each had a goal and an assist, and Junior Tallo also scored for Roma, the three-time Serie A champions. Omar Gonzalez of the Los Angeles Galaxy scored the only goal for the MLS side in second-half stoppage time. "Every time you step inside the white lines you want to win, but I dont think the result was the focus," said MLS coach Peter Vermes. "When you look at the overall picture of what transpired the last few days, it was a great opportunity." The MLS had been 7-2-1 against international opponents since the league adopted the current All-Star game format, the only losses coming to English Premier League club Manchester United. Maybe itll think twice about inviting Italys top teams. "You give these guys a half-second or a half-step and youre not all together after one training session, its tough," MLS defender Matt Besler said. "These guys are world class." Most of a sellout crowd had barely found its seats at Sporting Park, the $200 million home of Sporting KC, when Florenzi sent a pass ahead to Strootman. Sporting KC defender Aurelien Collin recovered to get his foot on the ball, but Strootman still managed to guide it into the net. The goal took much of the zip out of the home crowd, which had been feverishly waving flags and pounding drums during its second All-Star game in two years. Major League Baseball staged its Midsummer Classic just across the state line at the Royals Kauffman Stadium last July. The two second-half goals by Roma only served to seal a joyless night for the MLS during an otherwise positive period of growth and progress. Stadiums are in the works for D.C. United and San Jose, and an expansion club will start play in New York in 2015. The Columbus Crew were sold to ambitious new owners earlier this week, and Commissioner Don Garber announced at halftime Wednesday night that four expansion franchises will begin play by the 2020 season, bringing the total number of teams in the league to 24. Theres perhaps no better example of how far the league has come than Kansas City, which once played its games before a few thousand fans in cavernous Arrowhead Stadium. The team was sold to local owners in 2006, and they embarked on a dramatic rebranding of the franchise formerly known as the Wizards. They spearheaded the construction of one of the most glamorous soccer-specific stadiums in the country, built a feverish fan base and became one of the most successful teams on the field -- the club has won two straight Eastern Conference titles. It was little surprise that Kansas City was awarded this years All-Star game, and even less of a surprise that there was plenty of hometown flavour throughout the night. Not only was the MLS side led by Sporting KCs Vermes, the coach also included three of his own in the starting lineup. Collin was joined by forward Graham Zusi and fellow defender Besler, who helped the U.S. national team win the CONCACAF Gold Cup over the weekend. The club also paid homage to its roots by introducing Tony Meola and Preki, longtime staples of the Wizards, as they presented the trophy prior to the game. "To have the kind of players we had on the field tonight is really fun, and to have guys like Thierry Henry in our locker room is quite an honour," said Robb Heineman, the CEO of Sporting KC. Once the game started, there was little for MLS fans to feel good about. Strootmans early goal set the tone as Roma attacked the MLS sides shoddy defence with pressure right up the middle. Florenzi had a goal taken away moments later by a close off-sides call, and then missed an open shot just wide of the net a few minutes later. The MLS side never had a good scoring chance in the first half, and by the time it got things sorted out in the second, Roma had already tacked on a couple more scores. Florenzi finally found the back of the net in the 47th minute -- he was clearly onside this time -- and Tallo added his goal in 69th minute to put away the game. "For us, this was a really good chance against a great team in a great environment," said Roma midfielder Michael Bradley, who got his professional start in Major League Soccer. As frustrating as the loss was for MLS, it was uplifting for Roma, which has been rebuilding its roster while embarking on its fourth manager in two years under American ownership. James Pallotta, Romas president and a Boston Celtics minority owner, leads a four-man group of Boston executives who are the first foreign majority owners of a Serie A club. Pallotta played an integral part in landing Roma the marquee tuneup for its upcoming season. "The atmosphere was very good," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "It was like a league game for us against a very strong team, and to win a game like this is very good for us." Canadian midfielders Will Johnson of the Portland Tlmbers and Patrice Bernier of the Montreal Impact were both part of the MLS team. The other Canadian connections on the all-star squad were forwards Marco DiVaio (Montreal Impact) and Camilo Sanvezzo (Vancouver Whitecaps). Anthony Davis Jersey . Toronto has dropped games to Indiana and Miami since a five-game winning streak and closed out a three-game road trip at 1-2. ETwaun Moore Jersey . As the crowd erupted, Davis knocked the ball off the glass and back into his hands. With 1:14 to go in overtime, Davis sixth block also became his 17th rebound. That, along with his 32 points -- which tied a career high -- proved too much for Denver to overcome, and the Pelicans held on for their third straight victory, 111-107 on Sunday night. http://www.shoppelicansonline.com/ . General manager Jarmo Kekalainen told Aaron Portzline of The Columbus Dispatch on Friday that he wants to see Gaboriks contributions go beyond the scoresheet before considering a long-term deal for the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent. Anthony Davis Pelicans Jersey . LOUIS -- Heading into the final stretch of the season, the issues for the Chicago Bears banged-up defence only seem to be getting worse. Jrue Holiday Jersey . The mixed zone is not a place to make friends. MIAMI -- Christian Yelich and Jeff Mathis each had three hits and drove in two runs to help lead the Miami Marlins to an 11-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.Marcell Ozuna hit a two-run home run and Martin Prado had a two-run double for the Marlins. They drew even with the Cardinals at 56-48 for the second NL wild-card spot.Miami outfielder Ichiro Suzuki remained at 2,998 hits, going 0 for 2 after entering as a defensive replacement in the sixth inning. Suzuki is 2 for 16 on the homestand that concludes Sunday.Colin Rea exited early with an elbow injury in his Marlins debut after being acquired from San Diego in a trade. Rea pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out four.David Phelps (5-5) relieved Rea and threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings, striking out four, to earn the victory.Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a double in the fourth inning. Molina is hitting .385 (20 for 52) with two home runs and four RBI during the span.St. Louis starter Jaime Garcia (7-8) also only lasted 3 1/3 innings. He allowed six runs and seven hits.The Marlins scored four runs in the first, sparked by Ozunas two-run homer -- his 19th.Miami also plated four in the fourth keyed by a two-run double by Prado to push its lead to 8-0. Prado is hitting .4772 (17 for 36) with two home runs and 11 RBI in his last 10 games.ddddddddddddFlorida added three runs in the sixth.TRAINERS ROOMCardinals: 3B Jhonny Peralta (thumb) took batting practice with hopes of being reinstated from the disabled list on Tuesday when the Cardinals begin a series at Cincinnati. ... IF Matt Carpenter (oblique) and 1B Brandon Moss (ankle) are also close to returning to a crowded infield. Well figure out how it all comes together and how we plug them in when we get there, manager Mike Matheny said.Marlins: LHP Wei-Yin Chen (sprained elbow) is in the process of returning, but will not make the road trip when the team heads out Aug. 1-7. Chen is starting the process-not throwing, but with strengthening exercises, manager Don Mattingly said. He seems to be OK.UP NEXTCardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (10-6, 2.87 ERA) will start Sundays series finale against the Marlins. Martinez has only allowed three extra-base hits to right-handed batters this season.Marlins: RHP Andrew Cashner (4-7, 4.76) will make his Marlins debut after being acquired in a trade with San Diego on Friday. Cashner is 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA and 23 strikeouts to just three walks over his last three starts. ' ' '