VANCOUVER -- Jordan Harvey didnt quite know what to make of the Vancouver Whitecaps coming into the 2014 campaign.
Tristan
Thompson Jersey . After a tumultuous off-season that included the teams
head coach getting fired -- as well as its best player forcing his way out of
town -- the defender wasnt alone. "I had a lot of questions," Harvey said this
week. "It was a young team and everything, but we acquired some really quality
players. We had that first game (a 4-1 home victory over the New York Red Bulls)
and the expectations were huge, but we also saw how high we could reach and the
bar was set. "I think we have the consistency, the depth to maintain that."
Nearly a third of the way through the season, those characteristics will be put
to the test on Saturday when the Whitecaps (4-2-4) host the top team in Major
League Soccer at B.C. Place Stadium as the Seattle Sounders (8-3-1) travel north
to face their bitter geographic rivals. Watch the game live on TSN2 and TSN GO
at 7pm et/4pm pt. "Arguably theyre the best team in Major League Soccer at the
moment. The league table doesnt lie," said Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson.
"Its a good test for us to see where we are. Its a test that Im looking forward
to as a coach, and I know my players certainly are. "Theyre a very a good team,
but let me tell you, so are we." The Whitecaps enter Saturday with 16 points
through 10 games, but just one of their four wins have come against Western
Conference opponents -- a trend from last season that Vancouver will have to
shake if it wants to return to the playoffs after missing out in 2013. "Its
vitally important. Winning any game of football is good, but obviously every
time you dont win against a Western team youre losing points and theyre gaining
points," said Robinson. "Its very important and we need to make sure that we
compete with the Western teams and beat the Western teams. Thats a big focus for
us this year because we didnt do it enough last year." The Sounders have 25
points from their 12 games, but will be without midfielder Clint Dempsey, who is
away with the U.S. national team as it prepares for the World Cup in Brazil.
"Its a test for us because Seattle are where they are," said Robinson. "Weve had
a very positive start. Weve still got a lot of work to do, a lot of improving to
do, and well continue to do that, whatever the result on Saturday. Its just a
marker for us to see where we are." The Sounders have won five of six and are
coming off a 1-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, while the
Whitecaps will have had 10 days off since bowing out of the Amway Canadian
Championship semifinals to Toronto FC on May 14. "I think its going to be a game
thats going to be a bit open," Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid told the clubs
official website. "Theyre a team that likes to counter attack and get forward,
so it might open up at certain times during the game." Theres no doubt the
Whitecaps have turned heads around MLS ten games into the schedule after a
tricky off-season. Robinson was promoted from an assistants role to replace
former head coach Martin Rennie in December after a prolonged search, with the
Welshman taking over just in time to watch star striker Camilo Sanvezzo refuse
to honour the final year of his contract. Undaunted by that setback, Robinson
brought in talented fresh faces, including Matias Laba and Pedro Morales and the
roster has gelled quickly. "I think weve surprised a lot of people. I dont think
weve surprised the dressing room, though," said Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit.
"I think the manager has kept the squad that he wants here because he believes
that we can be capable of the things weve been doing the first 10 games. "Its up
to us to make sure we go beyond that." The veteran defender has been with the
Whitecaps since the club joined MLS in 2011 and knows the importance of beating
the top teams in the West -- something Vancouver did twice last season against
Seattle. "It has to come from us," said DeMerit. "It has to come from the fact
that we believe in it and we believe we can do it and do it consistently." While
the Sounders will be without Dempsey on Saturday, the Whitecaps will have to be
wary of Seattle striker Obafemi Martins, who has five goals and six assists.
"Hes a top player. Hes a world-class footballer," said Robinson. "Hes someone
who scores goals and thats why hes paid big money. Weve got to make sure we
eliminate the service into him and eliminate him on the ball because hes a
fantastic player." Apart from its importance in the standings, the game is also
Vancouvers first of the season in the regional Cascadia Cup -- a mini-tournament
played between the Whitecaps, Sounders and the Portland Timbers. The team with
the most points in the games played amongst the three clubs at the end of the
season takes the title, which Vancouver did in 2013. "Its like a playoff
atmosphere," said Harvey. "You can feel the support, the energy from the fans
and its always one that we want to win for them. The Cascadia Cup -- thats some
hardware that we want to keep." DeMerit likens the atmosphere to the local
derbies he was a part of during his time playing in England. "You get that full
atmosphere, that constant hum of chants, that full intensity that comes with
that rivalry and that only rivalry games seem to create," said the 34-year-old.
"Both sets of fans are very passionate about their clubs and thats what we want.
Thats what were trying to build here in North America and in MLS and theres no
better example than the Cascadia rivalry." Notes: The Whitecaps are 3-1-1 at
home so far this season, while the Sounders have the same record on the road.
... Seattle and Portland tied the only other Cascadia game played so far this
season 4-4. Each team plays six games in the competition. The Whitecaps visit
the Timbers on June 1. ... Vancouver announced Thursday that striker Darren
Mattocks has obtained a green card in the U.S., freeing up an international
roster spot. ... Harvey and DeMerit, who are both American, said they were
surprised that Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan was left off the U.S.
World Cup team. Said Harvey: "Thats a crazy decision. Im really shocked by it.
Hes a quality player -- best U.S. player in history."
Mike
Dunleavy Jersey . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that
ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years.
With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that
players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV
contract will be in place by then.
Brad
Daugherty Cavaliers Jersey . I kept my eyes focused up on the camera
during each approach. I just tried to stay focused on my form, as I didnt know
what the ball reaction was. I was quite emotional at the end. I did not actually
see any of the shots in the game until I got home and watched the video.
http://www.authenticcavaliersauthority.com/t-shirts-c-1/ . For the Blue Jays the time was Wednesday and the ace was R.A. Dickey. He
stepped up. "I feel some responsibility as a stopper from time to time," said
Dickey.FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Big Papi is staying put. David Ortiz and the Red Sox
agreed to a 2015 contract Sunday with options for the following two years, a
move that means the popular slugger will probably finish his career in Boston.
Ortiz, the World Series MVP last season, has led the Red Sox to three
championships in the past 10 years. He batted .309 with 30 home runs and 103
RBIs in 137 games last season after missing all of spring training while
rehabbing a strained Achilles tendon. The 38-year-old designated hitter has 431
major league homers and has made nine All-Star teams in 11 years with Boston.
The Red Sox announced the deal Sunday night. It includes a club or vesting
option for 2016, and a club option for 2017. "With this agreement, we have near
certainty that David Ortiz will finish his career in a Red Sox uniform, which is
something we have all wanted and that we are all proud of," owner John Henry
said in a statement. "It is difficult to describe Davids contributions to our
city both on the field and off the field, and we are so proud to have this
ambassador of our game with us as he continues on this road to Cooperstown."
Multiple media outlets reported earlier that the sides had reached an agreement
that guarantees Ortiz $16 million in 2015. He is set to earn $15 million this
season as part of a two-year contract he signed in November 2012. The team said
Ortiz, manager John Farrell and general manager Ben Cherington would be
aavailable to the media Monday in Sarasota before the Red Sox play the Baltimore
Orioles.
Cavaliers
Jerseys. Big Papi batted .353 with five home runs and 13 RBIs in the 2013
post-season. He hit a clutch grand slam that swung the AL championship series
against Detroit, then punctuated his performance with a dominant World Series
against St. Louis. He went 11 for 16 (.688) with two homers, six RBIs and eight
walks to leave him with the best World Series batting average (.455), on-base
percentage (.576) and slugging percentage (.795) among players with at least 50
plate appearances. Ortiz ranked third in the majors with a .564 slugging
percentage last season, and his .972 OPS over the past three years trails only
Miguel Cabrera (1.036). Ortiz is a .287 career hitter with 520 doubles and 1,429
RBIs in 17 big league seasons with the Twins and Red Sox. He was voted MVP of
the 2004 AL championship series, leading Bostons unprecedented comeback from a
3-0 deficit against the rival New York Yankees. By then, Red Sox fans had fallen
in love with Big Papi. By now, hes joined the pantheon of Bostons most-beloved
sports stars, a group that includes the likes of Bobby Orr, Larry Bird, Bill
Russell, Tom Brady and Ted Williams. Since arriving in Boston in 2003, Ortiz
ranks second among major league hitters in slugging percentage (.572) to
Albert Pujols (.601). Big Papi also has 11 career game-ending homers in the
regular season, more than any other active player.
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