SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Kelvin Benjamin made an impressive return to the football field Thursday night as the defending NFC champion Carolina Panthers opened training camp.In his first practice since tearing the ACL in his left knee last August, Benjamin made four tough catches, reminding the more than 22,445 fans at Gibbs Stadium of just how valuable the 6-foot-5, 245-pound wide receiver is to the Panthers offense.Coach Ron Rivera admitted he was impressed.I dont want to say he was in top form, but he was in pretty doggone good form, Rivera said.Benjamin had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns as a rookie in 2014, but tore his ACL last August at training camp and missed the teams run to the Super Bowl.Benjamin ran swift, sharp routes and showed no ill effects from last years surgery. He leaped in the air to snag two passes and reached behind to grab another.Im just happy for him, Panthers wide receivers coach Ricky Proehl said. Its a confidence builder. You go out and perform like he did, make catches over the middle, make contested catches with somebody draped on him, it was huge. Anytime you get that first catch out of the way, its huge, especially coming off an injury.Benjamin was not made available for interviews.The Panthers had the leagues top scoring offense last season and finished 17-2 despite losing Benjamin. The team is excited about adding him to the mix.Kelvins retention as far what were doing, he handled that really well by the way he ran the routes and attacked the football, Rivera said. There will be a lot of good things for us to see on tape.The 25-year-old Benjamin wasnt the only wide receiver to have a solid night following a return from an injury.Stephen Hill, who also tore an ACL in his knee last year in training camp, and Philly Brown, who is coming off shoulder surgery, also made big catches during practice.Im just so proud of those guys, Proehl said. Theyve worked so hard, and to see them go out there and do what they did tonight, it warms my heart. Theyre like my kids. To see them go out there and perform like they did, thats such a confidence builder for them.Rivera said that starting defensive tackle Star Lotulelei was held out of practice as a precautionary measure after his hamstring tightened up in conditioning tests on Wednesday.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL USA Soccer Pro Shop . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. USA Soccer Jerseys 2019 . Barcelona also left injured defenders Carles Puyol, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba out of its squad for the trip to Glasgow. That means that Marc Bartra will probably start again in the centre of the defence alongside Gerard Pique. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. Fake USA Soccer Jerseys . Perhaps Carroll was so prepared for a break because he believes there is very little the Seattle Seahawks need heading into the off-season. "I dont see anything that we need to add. We just have to get better," Carroll said. USA Soccer Gear . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. The Colorado Rapids look to make up the gap between themselves and first place when they host Orlando City Saturday at Dicks Sporting Goods Park. The Rapids (11-3-9, 42 points) trail FC Dallas by three points, but they have two games in hand, including Saturdays match against Orlando City.Shkelzen Gashi scored his second goal in the last three matches as the Rapids got points for the 17th time in their last 18 league matches (9-1-8), playing to a 1-1 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday evening at StubHub Center.The Rapids have given up 20 goals in their 23 games, the lowest total in MSL. Goalkeepers Matt McMath and Tim Howard, who joined the team after the COPA America Centenario, have helped Colorado be the only club in the league to give up less than a goal per game.Orlando City (5-6-12, 27 points) is in a tie for sixth in the Eastern Conference with DC United. If the playooffs started today, DC United would claim the final playoff spot by virtue of more wins, but a road win against one of the top teams in the other conference would definitely help.ddddddddddddWhile Colorado relies on defense, Orlando City depends on offense. The club averages 1.78 goals per match, second best in MLS behind the New England Revolution.Cyle Larin scored his 12th goal of the season, tied for fifth in MLS, with his fourth goal in the last five matches. Orlando City played to a third consecutive draw on the road, in their 2-2 result with the Chicago Fire on Sunday afternoon.The teams have met once, last year in Orlando Citys inaugural MLS season. Larin and Kaka scored three minutes apart in the second half as Orlando City took a 2-0 win in Orlando. ' ' '