s and will continue to allow them to be used.Ultimately th

FRISCO, Texas -- Mauro Diaz had a goal and an assist to help FC Dallas beat the Portland Timbers for the third time this season, 3-1 on Saturday night.MLS-leading Dallas (15-7-6) has won two straight to stretch its Western Conference lead to eight points over Real Salt Lake.The Timbers (9-11-8) have lost three of four. They have a three-point lead over San Jose for the sixth playoff spot in the conference.Diaz scored into the bottom left corner off a penalty kick in the 14th minute. Michael Barrios crossed to Mauro Rosales, who slid behind a defender in front of the goal and tapped the ball to Victor Ulloa, who fired the rebound under the crossbar to make it 2-0 just before halftime.Walker Zimmerman added a header goal off Diazs assist in the 53rd minute. Diego Valeri scored in the 87th minute for the Timbers. Chicago Cubs Shirts .J. -- Pitcher Carl Pavano is retiring after 14 major league seasons. Custom Chicago Cubs Jerseys . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. https://www.cheapcubs.com/ . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Chicago Cubs Gear . The catch: It needs a lot of money, and it needs it fast. Cubs Jerseys 2020 . -- Three close looks at the bucket, three misses.Neil Doncaster insists the Scottish Professional Football League will review its position on the use of 3G pitches if information concerning safety becomes available. Hamilton, Kilmarnock, Falkirk and Airdrie are among 12 clubs in Scotland to use 3G surfaces.Clubs face disciplinary action if the pitches fail to meet the standards of FIFA. The issue of safety has arisen from a study in the USA which claimed there is a link between the use of the material on artificial surfaces - made from recycled tyres - and cancer.And a father whose son contracted Hodgkins Lymphoma while playing as a trialist goalkeeper at Leeds United two years ago, has called for further research into the allegations.But Doncaster believes the Scottish Football Association is happy with the evidence it currently has on the safety of the surfaces and will continue to allow them to be used.Ultimately these pitches are a fact of life. I think they are here to stay in countries with climates like ours where we get an awful amount of rain and quite a bit of snow, Doncaster told Sky Sports News HQ. Hibernian defender Darren McGregor is challenges on the 3G pitch at Falkirk Its a disciplinary issue if clubs fail to have pitches that perform to the right standards.dddddddddddd We have taken clubs to task in the past when their pitches havent been at the right standardWe support the Scottish FA position on this and they were in possession of a huge amount of information about the safety of these pitchesI think its important that any debate is led by proper scientific data, and of course we remain open minded to any reports that may come out that look at that area.But currently these pitches are deemed to be safe by FIFA, by the Scottish FA, and they are allowed under SPFL rules. Also See: Scottish Premiership video Fixtures Table Live on Sky Get Sky Sports ' ' '