hink were still moving up.

[ldh2013]

MONTREAL -- A day before heading to Florida to continue training camp, the Montreal Impact picked up a new captain and a new striker. . Veteran midfielder Patrice Bernier will be a popular choice to replace the departed Davy Arnaud as captain, not only because he is a local player and fluently bilingual. "Hes always very positive in his attitude around the team," sporting director Nick De Santis said Thursday. "And even in difficult times, you never see the pressure get to him. These are important things." And Santiago Gonzalez, a 21-year-old forward from the Sud America club in Uruguay, who was signed under Major League Soccers special discovery rule, could be a nice addition to a club that is thin up front. The Impact ended their first phase of camp indoors at Marie Victorin College and now move onto grass fields and warm weather in Orlando, Fla., to defend their title in the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, a pre-season tournament. Bernier, of Brossard, Que., was hoping to get the captains armband after Arnaud, their skipper for their first two MLS seasons who left for D.C. United. New coach Frank Klopas picked veterans Marco Di Vaio, Matteo Ferrari and Troy Perkins as Berniers assistants. The 34-year-old Bernier began his pro career with the Impact, then played nine seasons in Europe before returning for the clubs MLS expansion season in 2012. "Its another step in my career and a new challenge in terms of my personality and what I have to do, not just on the field, but how to interact with my teammates," said Bernier "I started off here and hopefully I end here. Now, to have the armband, its a great show of respect." Luring Bernier back from Europe was one of the Impacts most important moves while moving from the second tier NASL to MLS. It gave them a high quality midfielder who understood North American soccer but who could also relate to the many European, especially Italian, players the club brought in. Bernier has 13 goals and 16 assists in 58 games over the last two seasons. He was named the Impacts player of the year in 2012 and played in the MLS all-star game last season. Arnaud arrived with the experience and credentials to make him the logical pick as the teams first MLS captain, and Bernier was the obvious pick to succeed him. Even while Arnaud wore the armband, Bernier was the teams most visible player in the media and out in the community. "Maybe now Ill be looked upon as the reflection of the team in what I say and what I do," he said. "Ill be the same guy as before, but maybe you have to stand out. "Its something special. In soccer, the captain is the first one to step onto the field, the first one that people see, that the referees go to for explanations or rectifications or whatever. So I cant just think of my own bubble anymore." Star striker Di Vaio had a little fun when asked about Bernier as captain. "I dont agree. I wanted to be captain," he said, before smiling and adding "No. Its good for us and its good for Patrice. Its the best thing for the team. We know that Patrice is going to be a good captain for us, for the club and for the fans." Bernier has been unable to join his teammates on the field since the first day of camp as he heals from surgery on Dec. 11 to fix loose cartilage in his right knee. He expects to resume full training in Florida. Also on the pitch in Orlando will be Gonzalez, who was in Montreal and was to make the flight with a team after undergoing a medical exam. De Santis said that as a special discovery player, the club can amortize the five-foot-eight forwards costs over several years, so that his salary cap hit stays between $125,000 and $150,000. He is also not a designated player, which leaves one DP spot open for a future signing. Di Vaio and Argentine midfielder Hernan Bernardello are the teams DPs. "Hes going to bring a new dynamic to the team," said De Santis. "Theres a question of adaptation because its the first time he leaves his country to play professional soccer, so we need to be patient with him. But hes got a lot for good qualities." De Santis also denied reports from Italy that Pablo Piatti of Valencia and Stefano Mauri of Lazio would be joining the Impact, saying hes had no contact with either club. He said he may still sign another player "if we can add an important piece to get you to the next level." . Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. . LOUIS - Matt Adams hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the St. . Trevor Bauer continued that trend Sunday by taking a shutout into the seventh and Cleveland hung on for a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Sean Spences word choice was not by accident.Spending three years in the Pittsburgh Steelers locker room has taught the linebacker certain opponents evoke certain feelings. Theres only really one that pops up when the Baltimore Ravens come to mind.Just a rich tradition of hatred we have for one another, Spence said.Even if Spences participation in that tradition is limited. Hes hardly alone. The vast majority of players on both sides of the field will be getting their first taste of what one of the NFLs true blood feuds looks like in the playoffs when the Steelers (11-5) host the Ravens (10-6) in the wild-card round.That list, however, will not include LeVeon Bell. Pittsburghs All-Pro running back and team MVP is out with a hyperextended right knee, leaving rookies Josh Harris and Dri Archer and newly acquired Ben Tate in his place.Tate, on his fourth team in 12 months, was looking for a job a week ago. Now he finds himself thrust into one of the leagues longest-running dramas.Everyone knows about it, Tate said. So, its nothing new that Ive never heard about before.And really, thats kind of the point. Signing with Pittsburgh or Baltimore comes with the underlying expectation that for any season to be successful, youre going to have to find a way to deal with your archrival.Thats one of the reasons I came here, Baltimore linebacker Elvis Dumervil said. This is best rivalry Ive ever been a part of by a long shot. Its cool man, to be able to see it early in my career and be a part of it now, to have played in it. And now, for a playoff game, it doesnt get any better than that.The Ravens and Steelers have been battling for AFC North supremacy off and on for most of the millennium. Both have two Super Bowl titles since 2000. Three times theyve met in the playoffs at Heinz Field.Three times Pittsburgh advanced while Baltimore trudged back to the locker room wondering how its season slipped away. The Ravens led by 14 at the half in the divisional round in 2010 only to watch the Steelers rally, winning on a Rashard Mendenhall touchdown run with 1:39 to play.Its a painful history in Baltimore, though the Ravens hardly sound worried about repeating it.The other ones pretty much have their result, but this one doesnt, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs said. Come Saturday, its an opportunity to do something special and do something we havent ever done.Besides, most of the faces have changed. Pittsburgh has just 15 players on the active roster who were part of the 2010 team that reached the Super Bowl. . The Ravens only have 19 guys remaining from the group that won the franchises second championship two years ago. They split their two regular-season meetings this year, with each club winning by 20 points at home in a couple of rare blowouts in a series where the result usually isnt determined until the final seconds.Both sides are preparing to etch another bruising chapter on Saturday. Its January. Its Ravens-Steelers. Thats the way its supposed to be, right?This is probably what the NFL wanted more than anything to see these two AFC North teams go at it, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. I like to think were different. I like to think were still moving up.Some things to look for with a spot in the final eight on the line.SACK TANDEM: Dumervil finished the regular season with a career-high-tying 17 sacks and Suggs had 12 in a friendly competition that often spelled doom for opposing quarterbacks. No duo in the NFL had more in 2014.TROYS RETURN: Few players have had more of an impact on the rivalry than Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, whose 40-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed Pittsburghs victory in the AFC Championship game six years ago. Polamalu is expected to play after sitting out the finale with a sprained knee.KUBIAK FOCUSED: Ravens offensive co-ordinator Gary Kubiak has been mentioned as a possible choice to fill several head coaching vacancies, but the former Houston Texans coach had no desire to talk about where he might be next year. Under Kubiaks direction, the Ravens set a single-season team record with 409 points.BROWNS BREAKOUT: Steelers wide receiver Antonio Browns first big moment in the NFL came on a 58-yard pass in the 2010 divisional round that set up Mendenhalls winning score. Fast forward four years and Brown is an All-Pro and one of the most hard to cover players in the league and faces a secondary ravaged by injuries.NGATA PROBLEM: Baltimores fourth-ranked run defence should get even better with the return of nose tackle Haloti Ngata, who missed four games while serving a suspension for violating the leagues performance-enhancing drug policy. The Ravens went 3-1 in his absence but were pushed around by the Texans in the lone defeat, an upset loss on the road that knocked Baltimore out of any contention for the division title.___AP Sports Writer David Ginsburg in Baltimore contributed to this report.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '