TORONTO -- Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen was anything but conciliatory Wednesday when informed former Toronto mayor David Miller had returned his season tickets to protest the underachieving MLS club. "I guarantee coming probably in early January, hell wish he had them back," Nelsen said defiantly after a 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire. "So hes going to look pretty silly, to tell you the truth. "But thats what fans do. They have the right to do whatever they want. But therell be a time pretty soon that whoever decides to do that, I hope they get made to pay double to get (the tickets) back." In referring to January, Nelsen meant the next international transfer window. Toronto (4-13-11) has said it plans to open the vault for two designated player strikers. More than a few fans seemed to be in the Miller camp, judging from the announced season-low crowd of 15,217 at BMO Field for a game played under the threat of a severe thunderstorm. The actual number looked a lot smaller and made for a Canadian Armed Forces Night devoid of energy. Miller made his feelings known in an open letter posted to Facebook. The former mayor, who was involved in helping get the Toronto stadium built, cited the franchises decision to fire president and general manager Kevin Payne and trade newly acquired Argentine striker Maximiliano Urruti, among other beefs. "There once was magic at BMO Field," Miller wrote. "The latest reshuffle has made the possibility of that magic returning almost certainly disappear." Wednesdays tie extended Torontos winless streak to six games (0-3-3). Its last victory was Aug. 4 over New England. Torontos season line reads like this: a win each in March, June, July and August. Toronto did not help itself on offence, with several instances of players selfishly trying shots themselves rather than passing to open teammates. "They were the best chances of the game," lamented a frustrated Nelsen. The home side also needed a game-saving close-range stop from goalie Joe Bendik in the 80th minute on former TFC player Quincy Amarikwa to preserve the tie. For Chicago (10-11-6), the evening represented dropped points in its playoff push. The Fire arrived in seventh spot in the East, just two points out of fifth place and a post-season berth. Chicago came out early and went ahead in the 20th minute on a Dilly Duka goal. The Fire faded, but Toronto could not take advantage. Wednesdays storyline for Toronto was all about an offence that failed to take its chances. The club also suffered some more bad luck when Robert Earnshaw injured himself in scoring the tying goal in the 23rd minute on a wet field. He was forced off the pitch two minutes later with a hamstring problem. The only good news is he considers it minor and its not the hamstring that kept him out for several weeks earlier in the season. With designated player Danny Koevermans only just back in training from the latest in a line of injuries, that leaves Toronto with only three fit strikers for Saturdays game in New York and one of those, newly acquired Bright Dike, has hardly played after undergoing knee surgery in February. Neither team sparkled offensively Wednesday. Chicago outshot Toronto 18-15 but only 4-3 in shots on target. The opening Chicago goal came in the 20th minute via a looping ball from midfielder Duka that skipped just over the foot of a lunging Mike Magee and past Bendik, who was caught in no-mans land because of the oncoming Magee. There were seven Toronto players behind the ball when Duka launched it, notching his fourth of the season. Earnshaw tied it three minutes later after Bobby Convey threaded a cross through three Chicago players to the Welsh striker, who hesitated to make a defender commit before firing the ball past Sean Johnson. It was Earnshaws seventh goal of the season but first since June 15. Earnshaw did not launch his trademark goal somersault celebration, saying later its probably been a decade since an injury prevented him from doing it. Its been that kind of season for Toronto FC. Nelsen, asked if he had done something wrong in a past life given Earnshaw injuring himself while scoring, opted to see a positive. "Its just a build-up of karma thats going to come back in floods," he said with a smile. Toronto substitute Justin Braun twice ignored open teammates on attack. Spanish winger Alvaro Rey also appeared to be blind in one eye on one rush. But Rey showed off his good side in the 45th minute, curling a magnificent shot from distance off the corner of the crossbar. Toronto started defenders Doneil Henry and Ashtone Morgan and midfielder Jonathan Osorio, just days after they played for Canada in a Sunday friendly against Mauritania in Spain. Despite the onerous travel schedule, Henry and Osorio both offered some nice touches. But Henry got a late yellow card, earning a one-game suspension for card accumulation. Toronto FC said close to 500 military were on hand for the game. MLS commissioner Don Garber was also on hand, sitting with Payne. Jarrad Davis Jersey . The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., was edged 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3 by third-seeded Alize Cornet of France. Cornet broke Bouchard twice in the last set and saved six break points in the three-hour match. Custom Detroit Lions Jerseys . The Montreal Alouettes announced Tuesday that they have acquired the return specialist from Calgary, as well as the Stampeders fifth-round draft pick in the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft. http://www.officialdetroitlionspro.com/B...s-lions-jersey/. After all, the No. 8 seed is chasing far loftier goals. Raonic, from Thornhill, Ont., defeated American Jack Sock 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in Wimbledons second round on Thursday. Kenny Golladay Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Calvin Johnson Jersey . Edwin Encarnacion carried the torch for two days at Fenway Park this week; Melky Cabrera and Jose Bautista have had their moments; lately Anthony Gose has contributed.As their Subway Series shifts to Citi Field, the New York Yankees and New York Mets will both turn to rookies on Wednesday evening with differing expectations. Watch the action on TSN2 and TSN GO at 7pm et/4pm pt. After dropping a pair of games to the Mets in the Bronx, the Yankees losing streak in this series has reached six in a row. They also have lost a season- high four straight overall and hope that Masahiro Tanaka can stop the bleeding in the first of two straight in Flushing. The right-handed Tanaka has yet to lose as a Major League pitcher, going 5-0 with a 2.57 earned run average through seven starts. However, dating back to his time in Nippon Professional Baseball, the Japanese hurler is unbeaten in his past 41 regular-season starts, going 33-0 since Aug. 19, 2012. Tanaka has won two straight starts and is coming off a 5-3 victory at Milwaukee on Friday. He gave up two runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven. He has won all three of his road starts this season while posting a 2.61 ERA. The 25-year-old also is the first Yankees rookie to begin his career 5-0 as a starter since Whitey Ford went 9-0 over 12 starts in 1950. The Mets have decided to give their future a shot on Wednesday night as 23- year-old Rafael Montero will make his MLB debut. Hell take the place of fellow righty Jenrry Mejia, who shifts to the bullpen. Montero is regarded as the Mets second-best pitching prospect behind Noah Syndergaard and went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in eight starts this season with Triple-A Las Vegas. In 24 starts at that level over the last two seasons, he is 9-5 with a 3.25 ERA while striking out 119 batters over 130 1/3 innings. And while the Yankees are looking for Tanaka to get them back on track, the Mets are simply ready to see what Montero can bring to the table. "We think hes ready now," Mets general manager Saandy Alderson told his clubs website of Montero.dddddddddddd "I think everybody in our system thought that he was ready. That doesnt mean hell have a positive result on Wednesday, but were confident that Montero is somebody who can be successful long term." Though the Mets have allowed 14 runs over the first two games of this extended series, they have gotten plenty of offense themselves in winning both games at Yankee Stadium. They jumped out to a quick lead on Tuesday night and rolled to a 12-7 win. Former Yankee Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy both hit three-run homers, with Murphy driving in four runs in total and David Wright adding three hits with two RBI to the Mets third straight win. Zack Wheeler gave up five runs on seven hits and six walks in 4 1/3 innings for the Mets and Daisuke Matsuzaka earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of relief work. "Any way we get wins is good, especially when we come up against a very tough team like the Yankees and to do it in their ballpark is obviously big," said Granderson. "It puts us in a position now to win the series but it definitely isnt done yet because we know the Yankees arent going to quit." The Mets have won the past six meetings in this series after having gone 3-9 against the Yankees in 2011-12. Vidal Nuno gave up seven runs -- five earned -- on four hits and four walks in just 3 1/3 innings to suffer the loss. The leftys ERA climbed nearly a full point to 6.43. "He just got some balls in the middle of the plate today," said Yankees manager Joe Girardi. "Hes a guy who has to live on the edges and they made it hurt." Brian McCann hit a two-run homer and Yangervis Solarte added a solo shot for the Yankees, who have lost nine of their past 13 games overall. McCann finished with three hits and three RBI. ' ' '