SEATTLE -- Nicolas Lodeiro figures hes just getting started.The Seattle Sounders hope hes right.Lodeiro scored his first MLS goal, then assisted on Jordan Morris team-leading eighth in Seattles 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Sunday.Im very happy. I hope its the first of many, Lodeiro said through an interpreter. But the most important thing is the win today.The Sounders (8-12-3) have won two straight and are 2-0-1 since parting ways with former coach Sigi Schmid on July 26. Lodeiro has factored into four of their last five goals, with two assists last week in a 3-1 victory at Orlando City.He has come and turned things around, but the whole team has had a hand in that, not just one person, Seattle interim head coach Brian Schmetzer said. Hes a very talented soccer player, and he makes everyone else around him better. But the whole team kind of rises up with him -- that might be his biggest contribution, aside from a goal and an assist tonight.Lodeiro, the Uruguayan national midfielder signed by Seattle as a Designated Player on July 27, tallied in the 24th minute. Clint Dempsey lofted the ball toward the left wing side. Andreas Ivanschitz took it into penalty area, crossed it toward the middle, and Lodeiro drilled it high into the left side of the net.In the 37th minute, Dempsey deked around a defender and sent a ball toward the left side, where Lodeiro caught up with it and floated a cross into the box. Morris ran onto a header that went in off the hands of goalkeeper Nick Rimando.Its awesome playing with two players like that, Morris said about Dempsey and Lodeiro. You make a run, and you know youre going to get the ball.Coupled with Portlands 2-0 loss at D.C. United on Saturday night, the Sounders are five points below the Timbers for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The two rivals meet next Sunday in Seattle.Im not sure If its one certain thing, Schmetzer said of about teams play through the last three weekends. But I do believe its their group mentality that makes them play the way theyre playing now.RSLs Joao Plata scored on an uncontested 8-yard shot in the 62nd minute after goalkeeper Stefan Frei bobbled the ball at the top of the box while preparing to kick it downfield. Salt Lakes Yura Movsisyan gained control, and while Frei and the Seattle defenders scrambled, he found Plata running into the area.Coach Jeff Cassar said Real needed more of that kind of thing, as Salt Lake (10-8-7) has won just twice in its last 10 games.I dont think we changed the point of attack nearly enough as we wanted to, Cassar said. Every time we did, we were able to do more of the things we wanted to. You can come up with the best game plans and be tactically sound. But you turn the ball over as cheaply as we did in the first half, nothings going to work. Seattles got a lot of dangerous players in their attack, and they make you defend. We didnt win the battle of making them defend as much as we wanted to.Dempsey, coming off of a hat trick last week at Orlando City, had a chance to clinch the game with a penalty kick in the 82nd minute. But his shot banged off the underside of the crossbar and bounced away from the goalmouth. Basketball Jerseys China . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. Stitched Basketball Jerseys . 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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina coach Will Muschamp is looking at more than just preparing for the Birmingham Bowl during his postseason practices.Muschamp believes what the Gamecocks (6-6) do the next two weeks in prepping to play South Florida (10-2) on Dec. 29 will carry over with his team into spring workouts and next season.You can feel the buzz in the building, Muschamp said Thursday.There was far less buzz at the midseason point of the year when South Carolina was 2-4 and couldnt get anything done on offense or defense. The Gamecocks, though, turned things around going 4-2 the second half of the season, including a 24-21 upset of then-No. 18 Tennessee to qualify for a bowl.The resurgence means two more weeks of improving freshmen starters like quarterback Jake Bentley, tailback Rico Dowdle and receiver Bryan Edwards who otherwise wouldve been left to get better on their own before the next team workouts come spring.Muschamp said hell concentrate on fundamentals the first four practices -- Seniors arent practicing the first two practices, he said -- before turning his attention to South Florida on Monday.Its all about us and how we can get better, Muschamp said. Hand placement, pad level, strike and play.Muschamp also does not think his players will be held back by how the regular-season ended with an embarrassing, 56-7 loss to rival, No. 3 Clemson , where the Gamecocks came apart after a couple of early scores by the Tigers.Ill look at the totality of the season and not one game, Muschamp said. There was a glaring issue that we had a bunch at the end of the day, our ability to run the football consistently against good people and our ability to stop the run on defense. Weve got to get better.South Carolina finished last in the Southeastern Conference rushing at 138 yards per game, even with Dowdle gaining 100 or more yards in three of the last five games.ddddddddddddThe Gamecocks did a bit better at stopping the run, ending ninth in the 14-team SEC in allowing an average of 202 yards on the ground.Muschamp said it was more than any one thing that led to South Carolinas issues, including playing two freshmen quarterbacks this season, and all areas will receive attention during bowl practices.One, the offensive line, will practice with a new, temporary face in charge. Retired longtime assistant John Latina will replace offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who was hired by Georgia State as its head coach last week. The Gamecocks brought in Latina, who worked with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper at Duke.Muschamp he wont hire a permanent replacement until after the new year.Muschamp is eager to see the extra practice time help young players like Bentley, who saw his first college action after South Carolina struggling first half.Bentley, at 6-foot-3 and 223 pounds, jazzed up South Carolinas offense with his strong and accurate arm. He completed better than 66 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and just one interception his first five starts.However, he and the rest of the Gamecocks crashed with a loud thud at Clemson three weeks back. Bentley threw for only 41 yards against the Tigers and the offense was outgained 622-218 in the blowout.Muschamp is certain Bentleys past that poor performance and ready to help the Gamecocks show out strongly against the Bulls.We didnt do much very well, the coach said. 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