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The Formations After losing 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy in Carson, California, last weekend, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson chose a different tactical formation for the rematch at BC Place. Grey Malcolm Smith Elite Youth Jersey . The Whitecaps lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with a diamond midfield, with two changes from the previous match; Matias Laba returned from suspension and Kenny Miller started the match, replacing Kekuta Manneh and Sebastian Fernandez in the starting XI. The Galaxy lined up with the same lineup and formation that took the pitch the previous week, matching Vancouvers 4-4-2 midfield diamond. The Game The Galaxy have for many years been the standard by which every team in MLS is judged. They are well organized, tactically disciplined and, in Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan, have two of the most dynamic attacking players in the league. Bruce Arena is arguably the best coach in MLS and he showed his pedigree with his game plan against Vancouver. The Galaxy encouraged the Whitecaps to have the ball at the back, and as soon as either of Vancouvers central defenders - Jay DeMerit of Andy OBrien - had the ball, LA applied immediate pressure. This disrupted the Whitecaps, as they werent able to effectively move the ball out of the back. When the Galaxy were in possession, both Keane and Donovan dropped into midfield when the opportunity arose. This encouraged Baggio Husidic, Stefan Ishizaki and Marcelo Sarvas to make penetrating runs from midfield, which caused Vancouver problems defensively. Far too often, Russell Teibert and Gershon Koffie were narrow defensively, leaving too much space for the Galaxy to exploit in wide areas. This was the case when the Galaxy opened the scoring in the first half. Matias Laba vacated his central position to put pressure on Galaxy fullback, Dan Gargan, who had acres of space on the right flank to deliver a cross to the back post. Labas enthusiasm meant the Whitecaps had no midfield presence in the penalty area to deal with Ishizaki or Donovan, who had drifted into midfield. The lack of midfield defensive cover meant that the Whitecaps were outnumbered in their own penalty area when the ball was delivered. Defensively, the back four were culpable for not dealing with the cross from Gargan, as well as for not marking effectively in the penalty area. When Husidic headed the ball back across goal, every Whitecaps defender got caught ball watching, with Ishizaki lurking near the penalty spot. Given that Laba was out of position on the left - and no other midfielder slid in to cover his defensive responsibilities, Ishizaki was left with a free header from six yards out to open the scoring. Worryingly for Vancouver, Donovan was also in a prime scoring position, completely unmarked. A series of defensive mistakes that individually, might not prove costly. But collectively, these mistakes lead to goals being conceded. At the halftime break, Robinson made a bold move - which proved to be the correct one - by making two substitutions. Jonny Leveron and Kekuta Manneh came into the match, replacing Andy OBrien and Russell Teibert. Leveron immediately improved Vancouvers ability to move the ball out of the back and into midfield, and Manneh provided an attacking threat that was missing in the first half. This threat was further amplified when Erik Hurtado replaced the largely ineffective Pedro Morales part way through the second half. Both Manneh and Hurtado stretched the Galaxy back line with their speed and direct play. It was Hurtados forward run that played a role in Darren Mattocks equalizer, and after Robbie Keane had put the Galaxy back in front, it was Manneh who drove home Vancouvers second tying goal. The Whitecaps deserve credit for building a squad of players rather than just focusing on improving their starting eleven. In every game this season, Vancouver have had options on the bench that could change the game, and Saturdays game was an example of how Robinson used those options effectively. There will be many fans calling for Manneh - who was Player of the Match in my eyes for his 45-minute performance - to get a run of games in the starting lineup now. But those fans need to be careful what they wish for. The biggest challenge that all young players face is finding a level of consistency from game to game. Manneh faces this same challenge, and despite his bright performance against the Galaxy (as well as a good performance as a substitute against Chivas USA in the second week of the season), I feel that Robinson is doing the right thing by keeping the reins on Manneh as a first team regular. It is far better to have a player succeed in the long-term, rather than to have him fizzle out because he was rushed into the first team. The Positives One of the criticisms levied against former head coach Martin Rennie was that he could be indecisive. Many felt that Rennie waited too long in games to make his substitutions, thus reducing the impact of the players he brought on to change the game. This criticism cannot be levied against Robinson. The first-year coach made a bold move taking off OBrien and Teibert at the half. Robinson also altered Vancouvers tactical approach during the second half, changing their 4-4-2 midfield diamond to a more conventional 4-4-2, with the central midfielders operating as double pivots. Both Manneh and Hurtado were bright spots for Vancouver in the second half, as was Leveron. Defenders get paid to prevent goals, but the Hondurans ability on the ball is what Robinson is looking for from his central defenders when the Whitecaps are in possession. Because of this, Leveron will be first choice for Robinson in that position in the long-term, and could very likely replace DeMerit or OBrien in Vancouvers starting lineup for their next match against Real Salt Lake (Saturday, April 26, 9:30pm ET, 6:30pm PT, TSN). The Negatives Defensively, there were all kinds of problems for the Whitecaps on both of the Galaxys goals. For starters, Vancouver was very narrow in midfield and never got to grips with the problems caused by the movement from Keane and Donovan. This gave the Galaxy the freedom of the flanks, which allowed for uncontested delivery into the penalty area on both goals. At the back, the partnership of Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien is fraught with issues. Neither player is especially quick, but their experience should be enough to see them cope with this handicap. But as neither player has Leverons technical ability or passing range, the Whitecaps are hamstrung when it comes to playing the ball out of defence when they are paired together. This puts immense pressure on Vancouvers midfielders, as their opposite numbers know that if Vancouver are going to get the ball forward, it will have to come through midfield. The Star Man At just 19 years of age, it is tempting to think of what kind of player Kekuta Manneh is going to be when he matures. He is quick, skillful, direct and not afraid to shoot the ball - all qualities one looks for in an attacking player. Manneh made a dramatic impact for Vancouver when he was introduced at the start of the second half. He terrorized the Galaxy defenders, and it was fitting that it was his strike that brought the Whitecaps back on level terms. Womens Two Tone Richard Sherman Game Jersey . Then Ryan Raburn came to the plate and did what he usually does against the Chicago White Sox. Raburn hit a tiebreaking single and David Murphy drove in four runs, leading the Indians to a 12-6 victory over the White Sox. Grey Derrick Coleman Elite Mens Jersey . Forte was injured on a run deep in Chicago territory midway through the first quarter, when Kansas Citys Derrick Johnson hit him in the knee.MIAMI -- Miguel Cabrera happily settled for a single crown. The Detroit Tigers slugger fell short in his bid to become the first player to win the Triple Crown in successive seasons. But Cabrera clinched his third batting title in a row, finishing with a .348 average after sitting out Sundays regular-season finale at Miami -- a no-hitter by the Marlins Henderson Alvarez. Now Cabreras headed for the playoffs with the AL Central champion Tigers. And he denied any disappointment about not winning another Triple Crown. "I still had a good season," he said. "I have the same numbers I had last year, and we won the division." Actually, his statistics are better than they were in 2012, when he was the AL MVP. His batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are all higher than a year ago. Last year he batted .330 with 44 homers and 139 RBIs. This year he had 44 home runs and 137 RBIs. In 2012 Cabrera became the first player to win the Triple Crown since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. He failed to repeat for two reasons: injuries and Chris Davis. A number of nagging injuries over the past couple months limited Cabrera to 148 games this season, down from 161 last year. That prevented him from keeping up with Davis, who had 53 homers and 138 RBIs for the Baltimore Orioles. Cabrera easily won the batting title. His average was a career high, as was his slugging percentage of .636. &quoot;Its great," he said. Navy Blue Malcolm Smith Limited Super Bowl Jersey. "Last year was hard. I think this year I was more consistent. I kept my average up. Its nice." Cabrera is the first player to win three consecutive AL batting titles since Wade Boggs won four in a row in 1985-88. He had two hits in each of his two games against Miami and appears to be fully healthy again. "Im really happy with where Cabrera is right now," manager Jim Leyland said. "He looks really good." Cabrera has hit .324 or higher each of the past five years, hiking his career average to .321. He has 365 home runs, hitting more than 25 each of the past 10 years. "Hes the best hitter in baseball," Leyland said. "Theres no question about it. Just stop the conversation. He gets no infield hits, because hes not able to leg anything out. But he hits the ball over the fence to all fields and drives in big runs, and he hits .350." The Tigers final regular-season series was a homecoming for Cabrera, who played in Miami for the first time since the Marlins dealt him in a 2007 trade that ranks with baseballs most lopsided in recent years. He received a warm ovation each time he batted during the weekend. Coincidentally, the Marlins personnel boss who traded Cabrera -- Larry Beinfest -- was fired Friday. Cabrera laughed when told Marlins fans are still unhappy about the trade. "Detroit was happy," Cabrera said. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' ' |
