Greymons Lieblings-Serien » they had a lead of over two minutes,

VANCOUVER - There were dark clouds and a cold, driving rain Monday as the Vancouver Whitecaps held their final on-field training session but the players and coach showed a sunny disposition as they looked forward to next years Major League Soccer campaign.Under rookie head coach Carl Robinson the Whitecaps accumulated a 12-8-14 record for a franchise high 50 points. Vancouver went 4-0-1 down the stretch to finish fifth in the Western Conference and clinch the final playoff spot. They lost 2-1 to FC Dallas in a heartbreaking playoff game that was decided on a questionable call by the referee.You dont need to be a psychic to read the signs that the Whitecaps have the potential to grow and improve.Were moving in the right direction, said defender Jordan Harvey. Making the playoffs, getting 50 points, all those landmark kind of things . . . it was a successful season.Im as excited as the next guy for coming into next season.Veteran defender Andy OBrien said the Whitecaps have laid a solid foundation.The club will no doubt be looking to get stronger and develop, said OBrien. In terms of the way we finished the season, I think that was a good blueprint in terms of how to start (next) season.As a coach Robinson is perpetually optimistic and supportive of his players. He has the team playing an entertaining, up-temp style on the field and created a positive culture in the dressing room.Of the 28 players currently on Vancouvers roster, 18 are 24 years or younger. That means the Whitecaps are still maturing and developing.I know we can do better, said Robinson, the 38-year-old former Welsh international. I know we can be better prepared not just on the training field but off the training field . . . to make things run easier.Players like midfielder Pedro Morales, holding midfielder Matias Laba, forward Sebastian Fernandez, defender Kendall Waston and goalkeeper David Ousted are part of the teams core.Robinson knows he must add to that group for the Whitecaps to make the next step.There will be changes, said Robinson. There will be additions because I want to strength the squad. The Whitecaps biggest need is the additional of goal scorers. Vancouver scored 42 goals last season, the least of any team making the Western Conference playoffs. Only four other teams in MLS scored less goals.Morales led the team with 10 goals and 12 assists.We lacked a goal scorer, said Robinson. If we had someone that could score 15, 20 maybe 30 goals, then we would be in a totally different position.Thats what we have to try to do to add to the group Ive got. Not to take away anything because we are building here. I want to build a core in here to move forward, not just next year but the next three, four or five years.The Whitecaps have had success finding Latin American players, but Robinson doesnt rule out looking for talent in Europe.I will turn over every rock, he said.One player Robinson would like to add to Vancouvers roster is Erick Torres, who scored 29 goals for Chivas USA this season before the team halted operations.One hundred per cent I would like him on my team, said Robinson. If you ask the other MLS coaches Im sure they would say the same.The Whitecaps will face some new challenges next season. Being the Canadian MLS team with the highest points standings earned Vancouver a berth in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League. That means playing extra games during the season.Next season will also see Sporting Kansas City, the 2013 MLS champions, and the Houston Dynamo move into the Western Conference. That will make the fight to make the playoffs that much harder.In the coming weeks there will be four MLS drafts, including an expansion draft, the Chivas dispersal, a re-entry draft and the SuperDraft. One of the first decisions facing Whitecaps management is which players to protect in the expansion draft.Its very difficult but thats the sign of a good team and a good squad, Robinson said.I have decisions to make. It will be for the benefit of the team and the club moving forward.One player Robinson must decide about is OBrien. The centre back turned 35 in June and moved into a leadership role when captain Jay DeMerit retired due to injury.OBrien says he wants to come back and would consider a reduction in his salary of US$280,000.Its not all about money, he said. Its about being wanted.Robinson plans to meet with OBrien soon.I would like to try and keep Andy in some capacity with the club, he said. I think hes a very good leader.Because we are in a salary cap league it depends on the financial side of it as well. Jose Suarez Angels Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. Tyler Skaggs Jersey . There are practical ideas, like this Chewbaca inspired Star Wars jerseys. Star Wars themed jerseys for the Toledo Mud Hens. https://www.cheapangels.com/ .C. -- Unable to get much lift off his sore right ankle, Bobcats centre Al Jefferson figured it was time to make an adjustment. Reggie Jackson Angels Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. Custom Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss.VAL MARTELLO, Italy -- Nairo Quintana moved into the overall lead in the Giro dItalia after winning a tough and controversial 16th stage, in difficult weather conditions across the legendary Gavia and Stelvio climbs on Tuesday. Quintana, who is famed for his climbing skills, finished eight seconds ahead of Ryder Hesjedal. Pierre Rolland was third, 1:13 slower, on the 139-kilometre (86-mile) route from Ponte di Legno to Val Martello -- half of which was uphill. The 24-year-old Quintana -- one of the race favourites -- started the day 2 minutes and 40 seconds behind former leader Rigoberto Uran but beat his fellow Colombian by more than four minutes. Uran slipped to second, 1:41 behind Quintana, who showed he has recovered from a difficult opening two weeks, in which he suffered badly from a crash and also had to take antibiotics to fight a chest cold and fever. "It was raining a lot. We couldnt see any motorcycle. We all knew it was very dangerous," Quintana said. "We climbed the Stelvio together, and we all started to descend. There were four or five of us who pulled clear of the group. "I went at my rhythm. I gave everything today. I was climbing well in the end." Cadel Evans was third, 3:21 behind Quintana, and only five seconds ahead of Rolland, with other rivals also gaining time on the Australian. It was the first time both the Gavia and the Stelvio had been climbed on the same day and the stage was an exact copy of one of the legs in last years Giro, which had to be altered because of bad weather. There were fears the weather would again affect the stage this year and there was brief confusion as it was wrongly reported the route down the Stelvio had been neutralized with blizzards and rain making the technical descent even more treacherous. Some teams as well as the person responsible for the Giros official twitter acccount misinterpreted instructions to be careful on the descent, with riders slowing down at the top, wrongly understanding it to have been neutralized.dddddddddddd "The communication was badly interpreted by some teams," race director Mauro Vegni said. "The indications only highlighted the danger of several curves in a risky part of the descent. It was never said that the race was neutralized or that they shouldnt race." Several team directors continued to insist they had been told by the race radio to tell their cyclists the descent had been neutralized. That came after the cyclists had already dealt with heavy fog and snow on the Gavia. There was a group of 10 cyclists in the break which led up up the Stelvio and although, they had a lead of over two minutes, that started to come down on the climb. Dario Cataldo attacked 2km (1.2 mile) from the summit and went on to claim the Cima Coppi prize, awarded to the cyclist who crosses the highest point of the race first. He sped down the descent, as confusion appeared to reign in the peloton, with some cyclists sitting up and taking time to put on warmer clothing. Quintana went clear of Uran, and his chasing group was 1:20 behind Cataldo as the latter started the final climb up Val Martello, with the maglia rosa group more than two minutes further back. The Colombian and Rolland attacked with 18km (11 miles) remaining and caught Cataldo shortly afterward. Hesjedal caught up with the leading trio and Cataldo was then dropped as the leaders upped their pace. They continued to distance the overall leaders and Quintana accelerated with 7.5km (4.6 miles) to go, as the gradient ramped up to 14%. Rolland and Hesjedal managed to stay with Quintana, but had no response when the Movistar rider upped the pace yet again on an equally steep part just inside the final kilometre. ' ' '