KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The most welcome sight in Kansas City on Friday, where the heat index again soared early into triple digits, was the setting sun.Dusk didnt offer all that much in the way of relief, but it was welcome all the same.The second-most welcome sight was U.S. midfielder Morgan Brian waiting under the night sky for her turn to take the field during the second half of a 4-0 win against Costa Rica.She didnt play long in returning from a series of hamstring injuries, or add to the teams array of highlights, but it was welcome all the same.Thats not meant to take anything away from Crystal Dunn and Meghan Klingenberg, who combined on the first goal (or the combination of Dunn, Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan and Alex Morgan, if you zoom out beyond just the box score stats on a well-worked buildup). That marked the earliest goal for the Americans since February, a welcome return to early command.It isnt to take anything away from Mallory Pugh, the 18-year-old wunderkind who emerged from a pack of defenders and raced down the left side on a long solo run for the second goal. Pugh remains a revelation, someone who is worth watching every moment on the field.Nor from Carli Lloyd, whose header in the final seconds of the first half marked her first goal since the knee injury in April that kept her off the field for more than two months and who played all 90 minutes in the heat without complaint or issue.To single out Brians uneventful cameo isnt to take anything away from any of the starters for the United States, a group that looked far more active and menacing than in a humdrum win two weeks ago against a South African team of similar capabilities, or Christen Press, who came on as a second-half substitute and closed the nights scoring with a powerful finish.?The relevance of send-off success aside -- and this is the point at which its duly noted that the United States registered only a 0-0 draw against South Korea in its final game before the World Cup -- it was a good way to close the pre-Olympic portion of the schedule.The last game we played, against South Africa, it was slow, it was just so not like us, Dunn said. And I think going into this game, we were super focused. We wanted to leave a lasting impression to our fans who are here to support us.But in terms of what comes next, beginning with a group stage game against New Zealand on Aug. 3 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, nothing mattered more Friday night than Brians brief time on the field. Winter in the Southern Hemisphere will offer cooler temperatures than summer in the American Midwest, but the U.S. women will soon feel the kind of tactical heat that only their midfield can alleviate.A midfield that has a distinctly different look than the one that won the World Cup.I think the midfield is so crucial to this team, its the heart of the game, Brian said of the group as a whole. If were playing well, then our team is playing well, which is something we have to continue to do and continue to control the midfield.It needs her to do it.If last year was a test of belief in her ability, one she aced, this year is a test of her belief in her own body.In the space of about a year, Brian has gone from untested as the youngest player on the World Cup roster, to a figure of continuity. Consider that there is every chance Lloyd will be the only player positioned in front of the back line to start the Olympic opener after doing the same in the World Cup opener against Australia. Part of that is because Morgan was still working her way back from injury, but the United States will most likely feature major tournament rookies on the wings, Dunn and Pugh, and in the box-to-box midfield role, Horan.Right now, I feel Lindsey Horan is better suited to playing an eight, U.S. coach Jill Ellis said. She likes to get forward, shes dangerous.That leaves the No. 6 role, the conductor, which is exactly where the United States found itself a year ago when Brians emergence midway through the World Cup changed everything.Allie Long played well again Friday and continues to make the most of her late opportunity. The U.S. women can play big games with her there. They can play with other alignments, even pushing Lloyd back if needed. But their best option is with Brian there.As she did a year ago, all of the other pieces fit together better if shes there.No tournament effort is ever going to go seamlessly. Winning a title is partly about scoring more goals than the other teams in Brazil, but its also about managing everything that happens before the games even begin.The weather in Kansas City this week didnt help, the usefulness of a game balanced against the caution required in managing punishing conditions for both the game and practice sessions.The calendar this year didnt help. Instead of an early summer tournament, like the World Cup a year ago, U.S. players already have more league miles on their legs. Even the NWSL didnt help. Not when its schedule had Portland and its sizable national team contingent accumulating tens of thousands of air miles in a schedule front-loaded with taxing road trips.There will always be hurdles to overcome, but the United States needs Brian to clear the one now in front of her.For all her success in soccer, and for all the body parts that have been bruised, sore and stressed along the way, what she experienced this year was new. Following an MCL sprain, she pulled her right hamstring in March and then more recently tweaked her left hamstring.Thursdays light training session was her first for the national team in more than a month.And the countdown clock to Rio doesnt make it any easier for her to heal.There is always a stress factor, Brian said. Youre against time with an injury sometimes, but mentally, you cant really do anything about your body. You have to let it heal. Thats what we need is time.Her time on the field Friday was mostly uneventful. The closest she came to being part of the fun came after her pass into traffic caromed off Costa Rican players and bounced fortuitously to the feet of Long. The latter then calmly played in Press for the final goal. But if there was rust in Brians pass, perhaps more telling was the moment just before when she stretched out to corral a pass from Tobin Heath (whose own return from injury on the night was no small matter itself).In that moment, a ball almost out of her reach, she had to trust the legs that have let her down or that she asked to do too much too soon.She is healthy enough to practice and play. But trusting her body is its own challenge.Sometimes its trial and error, Brian said. I think a lot of athletes learn their body as they go. You learn from your mistakes. For me, Id never pulled a muscle until this year. Its going to happen as an athlete; you cant be healthy all the time. The right [hamstring], that was the first time going through the process, so I think I learned a lot from that. As you get injured, you learn from your body a lot more.And Im still a young player. A lot of these girls that are older have learned a lot through their years of experience. I think thats something Ive learned a lot this year, is about my body.This was a start, if not a game started.She was a little rusty tonight, Ellis said. But [its now about] getting her some minutes in training, more and more and build her for the first game.The U.S. women can hope they play in Brazil with the same energy and menace they did for much of the night Friday against Costa Rica.More important, they can hope to begin that tournament with a player who finished Friday on the field. Wholesale Vikings Jerseys Online . 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I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. LOS ANGELES -- The Colorado Rockies just couldnt get anything going against Bud Norris in his Dodgers debut.Norris pitched six strong innings while filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw, leading Los Angeles to a 5-0 victory over the Rockies on Friday night.The right-hander held the Rockies to a single and a double, and finished with eight strikeouts. Colorado got a runner to second only twice against Norris.The closest the Rockies came to scoring against him may have been a fifth-inning fly ball hit by Brandon Barnes that Dodgers center fielder Trace Thompson caught at shoulder level against the wall to end the inning.He was in complete control for sure, Rockies manager Walt Weiss said. The cutter, slider, whatever you want to call it, was a good pitch for him. The velocity is still there. He was running it up to 96 at times. He did a nice job.Norris (4-7) overpowered Colorado from the start, striking out seven of the first 14 hitters.I was expecting more balls in play on the ground, but hes still got velocity, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. He was staying ahead of guys tonight. Ive seen him really good and tonight it was evident.Adam Liberatore, Louis Coleman, Joe Blanton and Pedro Baez completed the shutout as the Dodgers won their third straight. Adrian Gonzalez added a pair of run-scoring singles, reaching safely for the 11th time in 14 games.Jorge de la Rosa (5-5) gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings, and snapped a personal four-game winning streak.Gonzalezs one-out RBI single in the fourth gave Los Angeles a 1-0 lead.The Dodgers scored in the seventh on a balk called on de la Rosa.Gonzalez had added another RBI single in the Dodgers three-run eighth, with Howie Kendrick and Scott Van Slyke driving in the other two runs.Kershaw was officially placed on the DL before the game with mild disc herniation in his back, and was reported to be feeling considerably better after undergoing an epidural the previous day.Norris was told by the Braves he was traded to Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, caught a plane that night, and got just a few hours of sleep after reaching Los Angeles.ddddddddddddAfter a quick meal and a nap, it was off to the ballpark and a new uniform.I didnt know what to expect. I just went out there and tried to put up as many zeros as I could, said Norris, who arrived at Dodger Stadium four hours before the game. I would like to pitch deeper into games but it was a short week for me, no pen, the travel.In his last five starts with the Braves, Norris went 2-1 with a 2.15 ERA, striking out 29 in 29 1/3 innings.HITTING STREAKSDodgers SS Corey Seager and Rockies 3B Nolan Arenado brought the National Leagues two longest hitting streaks into the game. Seager extended his streak to 14 games with a single in the fourth inning, and also had a single in the eighth. Arenado had his streak end at 12, going 0 for 4 with three strikeouts.TRAINERS ROOMRockies: Neither 2B DJ LeMahieu nor SS Trevor Story -- the Rockies starting middle infield -- were in the lineup, but were available to pinch-hit, Weiss said. ... Rockies closer Jake McGee, out since June 10, could be activated from the disabled list on Saturday. McGee converted 14 of 17 save opportunities before being sidelined with left knee inflammation.Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy will make his 2016 debut for the Dodgers on Sunday, his first start in 14 months. McCarthy last pitched in a major-league game on April 25, 2015. Five days later he underwent surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. ... OF Joc Pederson, who received a cortisone shot on Friday in his injured shoulder, was also placed on the DL before the game, giving the Dodgers a major league-leading 19 players to be placed on the disabled list this season.NEXT UPRockies: RHP Chad Bettis (6-5, 5.84) makes his seventh appearance -- and fourth start -- against the Dodgers. He is 0-0 with a 4.58 ERA against them.Dodgers: LHP Scott Kazmir (6-3, 4.67) is unbeaten in his last nine starts, going 4-0 with a 4.03 ERA since May 14. 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