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. Todd Frazier Jersey . 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. He was only on the pitch for 25 minutes, but if that short period of time is any indication, Morales is going to be a star for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Yoenis Cespedes Jersey .Y. -- Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange. Michael Conforto Jersey . Geovany Soto had an RBI for the Cubs. Carlos Silva gave up one run on three hits over six innings to pick up the win. Josh Willingham drove in the lone run for the Nationals, who had just four hits. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Devin-Mesoraco-Kids-Jersey/ . Terrance Broadway threw for 227 yards and Hunter Stover kicked three field goals as the Ragin Cajuns won an unprecedented fourth straight New Orleans Bowl with a 16-3 triumph over Nevada.CALGARY – The oldest player at Hockey Canadas orientation camp doesnt consider himself an underdog to crack the Olympic roster. At 38, Martin St. Louis is the reigning Art Ross Trophy winner, having racked up a league-high 60 points last season and perhaps thats why he bristled when asked whether there was a role for him on Canadas 2014 Olympic Winter Games squad. "Yeah, I would think that," he said with a wry grin. "I thought I had a pretty good year last year so Im pretty sure theres a good role for me." A couple questions later, St. Louis was asked whether he was surprised to lead the league in scoring. "You know, good thing I have a lot of confidence, because a few more days around you guys [and] I might start doubting myself," he quipped before noting that an injury to Sidney Crosby and the fact it was a lockout-shortened campaign likely contributed to his status as NHL points king. In general, St. Louis, at 5-foot-9 the shortest player at camp along with Bostons Brad Marchand, is getting a bit tired of the whole underdog storyline. "I think not being drafted, I was an under-dog, but I think once I got going in my mid-to-late-20s, I overcame the underdog stamp," he said. And it appears hes not an underdog when it comes to the Canadian team this time around as he was a listed as a favourite to make the squad during the NHL on TSN panels breakdown of the depth chart. Team Canada is expected to feature plenty of young talent in Sochi with 23-year-old Steven Stamkos and 22-year-old John Tavares considered virtual locks to make their Olympic debuts. Taylor Hall (21), Matt Duchene (22), Jordan Eberle (23) and Logan Couture (24) are some of the other young guns expected to compete for the available forward spots. And although St. Louis is not lacking in the confidence department, he is well aware of the task facing him. "Theres a lot more youth in the game than in the past and the game is faster and we definitely have to make sure as we get older as players, weve got to focus on speed," he said. St. Louis, who represented Canada at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, takes great pride in being able to keep up and even stay ahead of the curve. Stamkos has had a front-row seat to St. Louis fountain-of-youth routine and jokes that his Tampa Bay teammate couuld keep playing until the age of 45 if he keeps going at this rate. Lenny Dykstra Jersey. "Hes not slowing down," said Stamkos. "I think the media kind of portrays him as hes getting older and hes losing a step, but look at the stats, look at what hes done the past five years. Hes been at the top of the league every year and hes getting better, hes improving. "Marty doesnt care what other people think about, heres worried about what he has to do to make this team, because I know he was very disappointed about not making the last Olympic team and he uses that as motivation." St. Louis has been a great mentor to Stamkos and, according to Team Canada assistant coach Claude Julien, theres no reason he cant do the same in Sochi for other up and comers. "Hes always kept himself in real good shape," said Julien, who coaches the Boston Bruins. "Hes always been a serious player. Ive always liked Marty for those reasons. He comes to play every night. When you look at a team like ours, when it comes time to pick, its nice to have skill, its nice to have speed, its nice to have a lot of those things, but you also want to put some experience in there. And I know there are some guys that are young that had the experience at the last Olympics as well, but that veteran leadership cant be underestimated, and thats why youve got guys like him here. Danny Boyle is another one. Been around for a long time, but were not doing anybody favours here. If theyre here, its because they deserve to be here." St. Louis may have one advantage over some of the younger players hes competing with for a spot: the man leading Canadas management team knows him very well. Steve Yzerman is his general manager in Tampa Bay as well as Team Canadas executive director. Although, Yzerman held the same job in 2010 and left St. Louis off the squad. "I dont think he knew me as a player as much as he knows me now," said St. Louis. "Does that mean Im on the team? No, not at all, I have to earn it like everybody else. Im going to get a chance on many nights to [show] the guy whos a big part of whos going to make that team that I can be on the team." "I think it all starts with preparation and I think I prepare myself as well as anyone else and last year, I was fortunate to be successful. "Im a true believer that you get what you put in." 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