THE FORMATIONS: The New York Red Bulls showed up in Vancouver without some of their key players - Thierry Henry and Jamison Olave, to be specific. Head coach Mike Petke chose to line up his team in a 1-4-4-2 formation, with Peguy Luyindula partnering Tim Cahill up front. The Red Bulls played a flat four across midfield, with Lloyd Sam on the right, Jonny Steele on the left, and Eric Alexander partnering Dax McCarty in the middle. This decision proved to be a fatal one for New York, as Vancouver dominated the game in midfield, especially in the second half. At the back, two former Toronto FC players were in the fullback positions for the Red Bulls - Rickard Eckersley on the right and Bobby Convey on the left. Ibrahim Sekagya and Armando defended centrally, with Luis Robles in goal. The Vancouver Whitecaps lined up in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation, in Carl Robinsons first game as a head coach. Darren Mattocks led the line, with Sebastian Fernandez, Kenny Miller and Russell Teibert lining up from left to right in the attacking midfield three. The impressive Matias Laba partnered Nigel Reo-Coker as defensive midfielders. At the back, Steven Beitashour and Jordan Harvey flanked Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien, with David Ousted in goal. THE GAME: The Vancouver Whitecaps got the 2014 MLS season off to the perfect start, claiming a 4-1 victory over the New York Red Bulls at BC Place on Saturday. The game started slowly for Vancouver, which can be put down to it being the first game of the new season under a new coach. Players are always a little tense when the season kicks off, and it can take some time to get into the flow of the game - especially when playing alongside new teammates. Once Vancouver settled into the game, though, the midfield partnership of Matias Laba and Nigel Reo-Coker began to dictate the game. Laba showed all of the qualities that tempted Robinson to bring him to the club via a trade with Toronto FC; he broke up countless Red Bull attacks, was composed on the ball and precise in his distribution. The defensive solidity of the two midfielders meant that it was a reasonably comfortable game for the back four. In fact, had it not been for a mistake from David Ousted, the Whitecaps would have kept a clean sheet. The first goal came in the 34th minute, as Kenny Miller converted a penalty kick after Richard Eckersley was adjudged to have handled a Matias Laba strike inside the penalty area. The referee initially waved play on, but his assistant spotted the infraction and raised his flag immediately; replays showed that it was the correct call. The second Whitecaps goal came five minutes into the second half. Some excellent link play from Darren Mattocks allowed Vancouver to catch New York on the counter attack. Mattocks received a clearance just inside Vancouvers half, set the ball back and spun left to get behind the Red Bulls back four. When he received the return pass, he fed the ball to Sebastian Fernandez - who had made a fantastic run to join the counter attack. Fernandez dropped his shoulder to wrong-foot Richard Eckersley, and once the Uruguayan had a half a yard of space, he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the top right corner. It gave the Whitecaps some breathing room, which they used to tear apart New York. When Pedro Morales entered the game in the 64th minute, he delivered a mouth-watering performance over the final 25 minutes. It was a master class from the Chilean designated player, and it left Whitecaps fans craving more. Morales set up Vancouvers third goal with some exquisite control and a perfectly weighted through-ball to spring Kenny Miller (who clinically dispatched his second goal of the game), and then scored the Whitecaps fourth, firing home a centering pass from Reo-Coker. When substitute Bradley Wright-Phillips flicked home a cross just in front of the fingertips of Ousted in the 90th minute, it took the shine off of an otherwise impressive Vancouver performance. THE TURNING POINT: Sebastian Fernandez put in an outstanding performance on his debut for Vancouver, and it was his goal that swung the momentum in the Whitecaps favour. The strike itself was first class, and the buildup play from Darren Mattocks was crucial. Mattocks has a point to prove this season and his performance on Saturday was one of many bright spots for Vancouver. His link play throughout the game was excellent, and it allowed the Whitecaps to dominate the game in midfield because they retained possession when the ball went forward. THE POSITIVES: Vancouver showed real attacking prowess, and their new players - Steven Beitashour, Sebastian Fernandez, Matias Laba, Pedro Morales and Nicolas Mezquida - have added genuine quality to Robinsons squad. Morales, in particular, looks like a great addition. Tactically, Robinsons formation trumped Petkes, as Vancouver outnumbered New York in the middle of the park and used that to dictate the tempo of the game. Strong contributions from Kenny Miller and Darren Mattocks in attacking roles also helped the Whitecaps stay in control of the game. THE NEGATIVES: New York was flat - literally and figuratively. The midfield duo of McCarty and Alexander never managed to assert themselves in the game, apart from the opening 15 minutes or so. Had New York played a diamond midfield, rather than a flat four, they would have had more depth to their game, both offensively and defensively. This would have allowed them to tighten up in the middle of the pitch, where Vancouver controlled the game, and also to ask more questions of the Whitecaps defensively - it was a reasonably David Ousted will be kicking himself for conceding a late goal. Mistakes happen, but Robinson will need to ensure that this was a one-off, and not an indication of a developing trend. A similar slip up in preseason by Ousted means that everyone will now be watching that much closer. THE STAR MAN: There were plenty of excellent performances on Saturday; Darren Mattocks and Kenny Miller did very well, as did Matias Laba and the back four. I gave the Man of the Match award to Sebastian Fernandez on Saturday for his overall performance as much as for his fantastic goal. But it is hard to ignore the contributions of Pedro Morales. He was only on the pitch for 25 minutes, but if that short period of time is any indication, Morales is going to be a star for the Vancouver Whitecaps. . It took five games, but the Celtics finally helped Stevens earn his first NBA victory. "Im going to celebrate for a whole 12 minutes, and then Im going to start watching Orlando and trying to figure them out," the first-year Celtics coach said after Boston beat the Utah Jazz, one of the leagues other winless teams, 97-87 on Wednesday night. . Ferrer, the two-time defending champion in Buenos Aires, is aiming to win his 21st ATP tournament. Ferrer will next face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, the fourth seed, who defeated Jeremy Chardy of France 7-6 (7), 6-3 in another quarterfinal match.
http://www.authenticbasketballshophawks ... ersey/.One day after winning her record 63rd World Cup race, Vonn posted to her Facebook account Tuesday that she was happy Woods surprised her by coming to the race, and that she felt terrible that his tooth got knocked out. . Yup, he definitely needed this one. Craig homered twice and had three RBIs Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Cardinals to a 7-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Craig went 4 for 5 and Yadier Molina added three hits for the Cardinals, who salvaged the final game of a three-game set in hopes of staying within shouting distance of front-running Milwaukee in the NL Central. . The Tournament of Champions, which starts Friday, is his first event since a freak accident in Shanghai two months ago. Snedeker was on a Segway scooter during a corporate outing at Sheshan International when he took a tumble and injured his left knee.ORLANDO, Fla. -- No Tony Parker. No problem for the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs improved their Western Conference-best record to 14-2 Wednesday night, cruising to a 109-91 victory over the Orlando Magic without starting point guard Parker, who was out with an ankle injury. As usual, San Antonio gave a clinic on balance and depth while playing fundamentally sound basketball, getting 52 of their points from reserves. "We count on our bench," said San Antonio centre Tim Duncan, who scored 19 points to share the scoring lead with reserve forward Marco Belinelli. "We have a bench that can change the pace of the game and bring energy." It was Duncan who almost single-handedly brought energy to his team in the first half -- pouring in 17 points while grabbing seven of his nine rebounds. With the game in hand, Duncan didnt play much of the fourth quarter. The Magic played the Spurs tight until early in the second quarter, when they trailed 41-40. But then San Antonio scored 17 consecutive points to take control. Both teams were playing without starting guards: Parker, who had a sprained ankle, and Orlandos Jameer Nelson, who was nursing a sprained foot. Both were injured in games Wednesday night. Not that losing Parker seemed to hamper the Spurs. "Thats the way we are made," the Spurs Manu Ginobili said. "We dont depend on absolutely one player. If we were going to miss Tony for 20 games, thats another thing. But we can replace anybody for one or two games. We are deep. Thats one of the strengths of this team." The Magic, meanwhile, are a young team still struggling for NBA respect after coming off the worst record in the NBA last season, when they were 20-62. They were led by one of their promising young players, Arron Afflalo, who scored 17 points. The Spurs, winners of four NBA titles with Duncan and the defending Western Conference champs, are once aagain a force, even if headlines and attention seem to always elude them.dddddddddddd "We dont care about that," Duncan said. "Were just here to win games." Ginobili, who added 11 points off the bench, said the Spurs are a veteran team unconcerned with attention and the adulation that might come with it. "We dont have big stars with big names or the sexiness of other teams," he said. "Were a small-market team, too. But were not complaining. Were not a team concerned with what people say about us. Many of us have been here 10 or more years. Were used to it." The Magic battled back slightly in the third quarter, slicing the Spurs lead to 81-70 before San Antonio pulled away again. The Spurs shot 55 per cent and got back on track after having their 11-game winning streak snapped Wednesday by Oklahoma City. They did so by seemingly capitalizing on every Magic turnover. "They are really good and they test your discipline and your ability to do the right thing on both ends of the floor, every possession," Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said. "Thats why they are 14-2." And its a 14-2 record that really shouldnt surprise. Every year the Spurs quietly put together these kinds of seasons. "You cant really think that youre going to start 14-2," Ginobili said. "But we know we have a good team. We know were going to win 50 games. Thats what happened last year, and I think were a better team this year. The bench has been really important. If you look at our depth, youll see a lot of players who can play." The Spurs had five players in double figures -- starters Duncan, Cory Joseph and Kawhi Leonard, and reserves Ginobili and Belinelli. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Parkers status will be a game-time decision against Houston on Saturday night. "Well see how he feels," he said. "His sprain wasnt severe." ' ' '
