know, theres been speculation and rumours the three ye

Washington, D.C. (SportsNetwork.com) - Sporting Kansas City will head to RFK Stadium on Friday to meet D.C. United in a crucial Eastern Conference clash. D.C. enters the weekend atop the East with 51 points from 30 games, six points better than Sporting. United needs only a point from Fridays match to seal a postseason berth, but it can also clinch with a win or draw from the Los Angeles Galaxy in their meeting with Toronto FC on Saturday. K.C. is doing well to keep pressure on us, New England is coming hard and fast. We want the No. 1 spot and were going to keep pushing for it, said DCU goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Now the goal is to get as many points as possible, even if we go on the road - we have to get one point, we have to lock it down. We want to keep climbing the ladder so we can clinch that No. 1 spot. United has won each of its last five league contests on home soil, most recently easing past the Philadelphia Union in a 1-0 victory. But even with a sustained run of good form, DCU head coach Ben Olsen sees room for improvement. At times I still think we can manage the game a little better, said Olsen. Its a good and bad thing at times - we have guys that are just so hungry and can score goals and have the ability to do it and it becomes a little bit of a back and forth. But I cant say enough about a group in general, the way theyve handled the last two months. Sporting, meanwhile, has managed just one league win from its last six outings. Things appeared to be heading in the right direction after a 4-0 demolition of Chivas USA on Sept. 12, but SKC was unable to keep it going as the club stumbled in a 3-2 home loss to the New England Revolution last time out. According to Peter Vermes, the club has simply not gotten the rub of the green in terms of the final results. But the SKC head coach believes that there is reason for optimism as the postseason nears. I dont think Ive ever said this to them before, but I said if you play the way you play tonight - if we put the goals aside - its not that youre going to be competitive in this league, but youre going to win a lot and youre going to win often, Vermes said after the loss to New England. Its extremely painful for the guys to walk out of here with nothing, but when you look at the long term and play three games in nine days with the intensity that we played with, its a good sign for the future. Not only will Sporting be out to inch closer to the playoffs on Friday, but the club will also be looking to avenge some poor results against D.C. from earlier this season. United won both of the regular season meetings between the two sides this season, defeating Kansas City, 1-0, at RFK on May 31 before cruising to a shock 3-0 victory at Sporting Park on Aug. 23. Darwin Thompson Chiefs Jersey . Ashton scored a hat trick -- giving him 13 goals in 16 AHL games this season -- to power the Toronto Marlies to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Lake Erie Monsters in AHL action on Sunday. Harrison Butker Youth Jersey . Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan scored shootout goals, and backup goalie Cam Talbot earned his second win in two nights as the Rangers shook off a late tying tally and beat the Maple Leafs 2-1 Monday night. http://www.prochiefsauthentic.com/Youth-Harrison-Butker-Elite-Jersey/ .com) - The Atlanta Hawks have stepped up to every challenge during their 14-game winning streak and will face another daunting task Friday with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in town. Mecole Hardman Jersey . -- The Sacramento Kings have claimed forward Travis Outlaw off waivers under the NBAs new amnesty provision, filling out the frontcourt with another veteran. Darwin Thompson Womens Jersey . As TSN reported Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is under intense pressure from the federal government to focus drug testing on athletes who compete in international events representing Canada. Since funding for the tests has been frozen and the cost of testing can eclipse $1,000 per test, university athletes in a number of sports are being tested less often.If Evander Kane wants to remain in Winnipeg with the Jets, he isnt giving any straight answers about it. In an interview with Vancouvers TEAM 1040 on Tuesday, the NHL winger was vague on the question of whether or not he wanted to play for the team anymore. "Well, I think Im a Winnipeg Jet right now," Kane told host Matt Sekeres on TEAM 1040. "And, you know, theres been speculation and rumours the three years since I got there. So, you know, well see what happens and well carry on as if Im a Winnipeg Jet." "Theres not a yes in there," added Sekeres. "And some Jets fans might say you know, why doesnt he want to play for us? Why isnt he absolutely fully on board for playing for us? Youre shaking yourr finger at me.dddddddddddd." "No, I think..." answered Kane. "...Im training hard and getting ready for this season. Last summer I didnt have a full summer of training due to some surgery I had, so I found it really important for me to start training early and get myself in the best shape possible for the upcoming season." Kane, who signed a six-year, $31.5 million contract with the Jets in 2012, has been the subject of trade rumours since last season. He scored 19 goals and added 22 assists in 63 games with the Jets in 2013-14. In five NHL seasons, hes hit the 30-goal mark once - during the 2011-2012 campaign. In 324 career games with the franchise, the 22-year-old has 99 goals and 200 points. ' ' '