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. 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Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. MADRID, Spain -- Xavi Hernandez celebrated his record-setting appearance by scoring Barcelonas only goal in a 1-0 victory at Granada on Tuesday that put it provisionally top of the Spanish standings. Xavi, who surpassed Migueli with his club record 392nd league appearance, curled a free kick from outside the area over the defensive wall into the top left corner for the 33rd-minute winner. Granada had little possession inside Barcelonas half and were further limited after Jaime Romero was sent off in the 53rd. Barcelona lost forward Pedro Rodriguez to injury shortly after. Granada striker Dani Benitez was also sent off in added time for protesting. Barcelona leads with 21 points, one better than Levante and two over Real Madrid, which plays Villarreal on Wednesday. Surprise package Levante can reclaim top spot with a seventh straight victory when it faces Real Sociedad. Also Tuesday, Manu del Moral extended Sevillas best start in 67 years by heading home an injury-time equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw against Racing Santander. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola gave youth team player Isaac Cuenca his first start on the left wing, leaving David Villa and Andres Iniesta on the bench, while Carles Puyol was rested and left out of the squad. Granada was keen to counterattack and often sent testing long balls toward Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano, but the Argentine -- who is normally a midfielder -- comfortably dealt with those inconveniences. Lionel Messi, looking to rediscover his scoring touch after having an injury-time penalty saved in a 0-0 draw against Sevilla on Saturday, displayed some slick dribbling in the 13th but sent a left-footed shot wide of the far post. The 20-year-old Cuenca had a go from a similar position soon after but also curled it wide. Pedro headed a clear chance wide in the 22nd while goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez was well-placed to save Eric Abidals effort a few minutes. Barcelonas overwhelming hold on the ball then finally resulted in Xavis fourth league goal of the season. "We didnt circulate the bball quick enough," Guardiola said.dddddddddddd "We were slower than usual but we still did well to control the game. "Granada did great work tonight. We didnt reach the level we should be at, while they did." Jaime was shown a second yellow card for kicking Maxwell in the face in a bid to reach the ball, right before Pedro came off with a left leg injury after twisting awkwardly. Villa replaced his fellow Spain international and set up Messi just before the hour mark, but defender Diego Mainz cleared the Argentina forwards chip off the line. Roberto denied Cuenca a goal on his debut in the 70th and Granada finally looked to have its first shot on goal six minutes later when substitute Alexandre Gaijo was played through on Victor Valdes but a questionable offside flag was raised. Benitez was shown a second yellow following another contentious offside call as Granada failed to lodge a shot on Valdes goal. Barcelona remains unbeaten after 15 games in all competitions this season. Granadas winless run stretched to six games and kept it 18th. Sevilla, which last started this well during its league-winning campaign of 1944-45, frequently exposed Santanders defence on set plays, including when Del Moral met Jose Angel Campanas free kick untouched for a 37th-minute opener. Santander goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez made good saves from Emir Spahic and Del Moral to keep the visitors in the match and Papakouly Diop started a perfectly executed counterattack in the 64th that ended with Ariel Nahuelpan heading home Adrian Gonzalezs cross for the equalizer. Diop released Jairo Samperio along the right side five minutes later and the Santander midfielder shot over Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas into the roof of the net to atone for an earlier miss from a similar spot. On the verge of its first win, Santander finally capitulated as Del Moral beat his marker to a ball into the box to head home an equalizer in the 92nd minute that left Sevilla four points behind Barcelona. Santander joined Granada on five points. cheap nfl Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys cheap nfl Jerseys wholesale Jerseys ' ' '