Subject :shed to the big club and veterans Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit took massive steps ba
Despite making the playoffs for the first time since joining Major League Soccer, Montreal Impacts 2013 season ended with a massive letdown. Malcom Floyd Authentic Jersey . It wasnt just the 3-0 loss at Houston in the Eastern Conference Knockout Round that hurt; it was the manner of the defeat and the total loss of discipline. As the team prepares to head to Orlando for the final stage of their training camp, there is a different feel around the Impact squad following the appointment of new head coach Frank Klopas to replace the fiery Swiss manager Marco Schallibaum. "Frank is settling in. He has put certain messaging and systems in place," Impact sporting director Nick De Santis said on TSNFC this week. "We made the right decision to move forward and go in a different direction and up until now, we have a very good relationship with Frank. We know what he wants and he knows what we want." "If we go back to that game in Houston, the result, the actions by certain players can give you an idea of what went on for the last two months, the last 10 games of the season. It was very frustrating." "In my position and in Joeys (Impact president Joey Saputo) position, the easiest thing to do was to reconfirm Marco because we set out our objectives at the beginning of the season and we met those objectives – being in the playoffs, winning the Canadian Championship – but when you are making decisions of what is best for the club going forward and whats best for the players, we felt that we needed to go in a different direction." With just over three weeks until the Impact open up the 2014 season, and after a quiet offseason in terms of player signings, De Santis says the club is still looking to add "one or two pieces" to the team. It seems the club is close to announcing the signing of young Uruguayan striker Santiago Gonzalez, who De Santis first met in Argentina on a scouting trip in November. "I managed to see him in my last trip to Argentina and watched him live," De Santis told TSNFC. "Hes a young player but a player with certain qualities that I think can help our team get better up front. Were still dealing with a few issues but were hoping that is something that can get done, hopefully even before we get to Orlando on the weekend." While Montreals squad hasnt seen as many additions as most teams across MLS, De Santis believes some of the players they have retained from last year will be in a better position to produce top quality performances on a consistent basis. "Hernan Bernadello played half a season last year and I think now you can say that hes basically a new addition because the first six months was an adaptation period. With him now being with the team from day one, he will bring a lot more to the table. We have Nelson Rivas healthy and hopefully we can manage him well and he can give us a good amount of games because when he is on the field feeling well physically and with his head in the right place, he can be a dominant defender in this league." On Monday, the Impact announced the return of Argentine midfielder Andres Romero, who joins the team on loan from Brazilian club Tombense for the second successive season. Romero showed glimpses of his ability in 2013, scoring two goals in 30 regular season appearances, but De Santis expects there is much more to come this season from the former Argentina U20 international. "Were happy that Romero is back because he is another player that showed very good signs in certain moments," said De Santis. "When his wife gave birth to twins, she went back to Argentina and thats when we saw his consistency level had gone down. We just want to make sure now that hes in the best environment for him to be as consistent as possible." With other teams getting much stronger during the offseason, the Eastern Conference will be a fierce battleground in 2014. Repeating the accomplishment of making the playoffs will be a difficult task for Montreal, but with the core of a squad that led the East on a number of occasions throughout the first half of the 2013 season, the Impact feel they are well positioned to hit the ground running when their season opens in Dallas on March 8. Melvin Ingram Womens Jersey . The moment Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday backed off Hill in order to defend against a possible pass or drive, Hill sprung into his shooting motion and drained a 3-pointer with 31.1 seconds left. The shot provided a four-point cushion, and Indiana went on to complete a 16-point, second-half comeback for its second victory in as many nights, 95-90 over New Orleans on Wednesday night. Shareece Wright Chargers Jersey .Com Bowl on January 8. The Red Wolves are 9-2 this season, with a 7-0 record in the Sun Belt Conference.MINNEAPOLIS -- Ron Gardenhire had every reason to leave and the Minnesota Twins had every reason to let him walk away. They had partnered for 12 seasons -- an eternity in this day and age for a franchise and a manager. They had won a lot of games together -- 998 to be exact -- and six division titles. They also have endured three straight seasons of at least 96 losses, and the loyal fan base is starting to get impatient. If ever there was a time for a fresh start, this appeared to be it. But thats not how the Twins operate. And Gardenhire isnt one to walk away when times are toughest. The Twins and Gardenhire agreed to a new two-year extension on Monday, keeping the second-longest tenured manager in the big leagues in the Twin Cities through the 2015 season. "My father was a military guy and said the easy thing to do was walk," said Gardenhire, who just finished the final season of his existing contract. "The hard thing to do was stay and try to make it better. Thats what Im going to try to do here. I want to make it better." Gardenhire has a career record of 998-947 (.513) as a major league manager, and trails only Tom Kelly on the Twins all-time win list (1,140). But all the losing the last three years was starting to wear on the fans, many of whom wanted to see some big changes made to an organization seems lost its way after being a model franchise last decade. Instead, the Twins brought back the 2010 AL manager of the year and his entire staff, too, keeping with their longstanding preference for stability at the top. "Ron Gardenhire didnt get stupid overnight," Twins President Dave St. Peter said. "He was the manager of the year in 2010. I dont think theres been a manager, a coach in this town that has ever connected with Main Street Minnesota better than Ron Gardenhire. I think people relate to him. I think theyre angry with the Twins and people want a scapegoat. "But at the end of the day, we believe organizationally and I think most Minnesotans believe that Ron Gardenhire isnt the problem. Weve got to get him better players." Gardenhire took over for the retired Kelly in 2002, just when the young Twins were poised to make their move after years of miserable rebuilding. He led the team to the division title in his first three seasons and took them to the ALCS in his first year. Once one of the most popular figures in town thanks to a gregarious personality and impressive run of six AL Central division titles in nine years, Gardenhire started to hear some grumbling from the Twins fan base in recent seasons. The Twins have been swept out of their last three appearances in the ALDS and have been nowhere close to competing over the last three years. But even after spending this season as a lame-duck manager, Gardenhire made it clear he wanted to return. "This was a no-brainer for me, a pretty easy thing," Gardenhire said. "I love it here. I wouldnt want to be anywhere else. Nick Novak Elite Jersey. I know there was a lot of talk about other ball clubs. This is where Im comfortable." Gardenhire met with GM Terry Ryan on Sunday to discuss the direction of the team and the state of the organization in general as the two of them often do during a season. In bringing him back, Ryan is sending a message that the problem lies much more with the talent on the field, and particularly on the mound, than in the dugout. "Weve fallen on some hard times, theres no doubt about that," Ryan said. "Nobodys pretending that everything has gone well the last three years frankly. We need to clean it up and we think we have the right man in-house to do that and Im very happy hes decided to come back." Many of the key players in the clubhouse seem to agree. "I dont think theres anyone else we want leading the team," closer Glen Perkins said Sunday. "Theres no better guy to run this team, and Ive said it once and will say it a thousand times, its not his fault. Hes doing the best he can with what hes given, and Terrys doing his best to give him more. I dont think that will stop. I think (Ryan) knows where were deficient and will do what he can to rectify that." All-Star catcher Joe Mauer, who missed the last 41 games of the season with a concussion, has never played for another manager in the big leagues, and he didnt want that to change. "I dont think, really, whoever was managing would have made much of a difference," Mauer said. "Gardys a great manager. Hes managed some great teams here. Hes a great leader and I hope to see him back here." The Pohlad family prides itself on stability in the leadership positions, and the Twins have had only two managers since 1986. They rarely bow to public pressure, whether its to fire an employee, make a trade or splurge on a free agent. "I think everybody knows that we value consistency and loyalty," Jim Pohlad said. Now the hard work begins to improve a team that finished 66-96. The starting rotation was by far the worst in the big leagues. Justin Morneau was traded in August, rookies Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia went through horrible slumps after being rushed to the big club and veterans Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit took massive steps backward after impressive seasons in 2012. The Twins do have two prized prospects in third baseman Miguel Sano and centre fielder Byron Buxton that are projected to be All-Star calibre players once they reach the majors. But the most likely scenarios dont have either player becoming everyday players for the Twins until 2015 at the earliest. And neither one of them can pitch, which only makes Ryans job of upgrading the roster Gardenhire has to work with that much more of a challenge. "We have a lot of things to fix," Ryan said. "Not just one thing." ' ' ' |
