As I left the broadcast booth at Rio Tinto Stadium on Saturday night, I took an elevator down to the main level with a family of four.
Lavelle Hawkins . They were energetic, full of smiles and happy with how their evening had gone. The teenage son turned to me and asked where I was from. I explained my reason for being there and he immediately wanted to know if I was surprised at the 3-0 defeat suffered by Toronto FC. His eyes widened when I said I wasnt. "I dont know too much about soccer but I was told tonight I was coming to see Salt Lake play the New York Yankees of MLS," he said. Minutes earlier, they were a part of a crowd that chanted overrated towards the opposition. Real Salt Lake fans know, more than most, what a competitive, perennial MLS Cup contender should look like and the jury in Utah was in. The verdict? Pretenders not contenders. For now. However, it is hard to think the management at the club didnt see this coming. It is, after all, only three games into the season following a massive overhaul. Just as expectations soared to ridiculous heights following the opening game win in Seattle, the reaction since this loss has been equally irrational. The biggest issue with Toronto FC through three games is not squad depth (this can be an issue for all in a salary cap league, plus Andrew Weideman was their fifth forward before Bright Dike got hurt and Kyle Bekker is their fourth central midfielder). The biggest issue with Toronto FC is not Doneil Henry, who was criticized in some quarters for giving away a first half penalty. He would go on to shine once again following the error. The two biggest issues with Toronto FC as March comes to a close is cohesiveness and a lack of tactical versatility. The first point can only come with time. Once again it was another new starting XI on Saturday and the team has yet to play back-to-back games with the same lineup from the start, and because of that, relationships within the team that need to gel for the collective to succeed, will take time. The second point, however, is one worth following closer than any other story around this team at the moment. Formations Real Salt Lake not only presented a good test as a unit on Saturday for the visitors, but also tactically in the shape they play in. Ryan Nelsen has said the formation is only really how you line up at the start but being a manager who wants to play two up top, he got a different look at how a 4-4-2 diamond works against his team. The Game Jeff Cassars RSL get their full backs forward more than most. I said that in the pre-game show on TSN and Nelsen certainly was aware of this heading into the game. This is how they get their width. However, it was the intelligent decision-making and movement from their midfield four that allowed them space to run into. Javier Morales ran the game for the home team. His lateral movement was magnificent drifting into pockets of space unoccupied by TFCs midfield. He made the move into the space to help ignite the play for the second goal. And then on a quick break for the third goal, he again found the space to send the ball over the top for Saborio. Nelsens team has struggled in possession through all three games and that is fine when you can transition and counter as effectively as they did in the first two games. However, against a midfield diamond, the outlets couldnt be found. Alvaro Rey and Mark Bloom were passengers during the first half while the two strikers never got any service. Yes, it can be said they needed to pass the ball better when they got it but the 4-4-2 shape they played really hurt them. Playing two quick, mobile strikers up top means they demand service. Michael Bradleys intelligent balls over the top caused RSLs centre backs some discomfort but the wide players (including full backs) just didnt get into advanced positions to provide crosses enough. Many funds have been given to Gilberto and Jermain Defoe and when they are fit, they will play, but the game was screaming out for an extra central midfielder to make up the numbers and here is the biggest conundrum the coaching staff has at the moment. Games are won and lost in transitions and in Bradley, they have a superior man for that role. However, when he, or his central midfield partner, started one in this game it often began with two wingers and two strikers 30-40 yards away. Defoe and Gilberto will not be left out and can cause massive issues when the game dictates it, matching up 2vs2 in areas, but the use of the wide midfield players can be modified. Bloom and Justin Morrow, just like Salt Lakes full backs, can get forward (it should be noted Bloom did just that when moved back there late in the match) to provide width and away from home, specifically, Toronto would be much better suited playing a narrower 4-4-2 diamond, giving Bradley more outlets around him. The American international is a real difference maker at this level and cannot be regularly concerned about the space in behind him because it pushes Toronto deeper and deeper. Yes, it is part of his job but not at the top of the list. Defoe and Gilberto are also not strikers that feast off crosses, although the Brazilian did excel in a number of aerial duels on Saturday. Bradley, of course, missed his midfield partner Jonathan Osorio on Saturday but the brilliance of Morales, combined with Torontos shape, meant little would have changed had the Canadian played. Once fit, against the leagues strongest teams, Osorio and Bradley should play just ahead of a more defensive-minded midfielder allowing them to have a much clearer job defensively and in transition. In the end, it was just one loss in March but as the club goes through a transition off the field, they need to find a way to ensure they can transition better on it.
Tom Brady Authentic Jersey . Kane returned to score a goal and added an assist, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
Vince Wilfork . The 24-year-old piloted the No.06 Sprott Inc. Newman/Haas Racing entry to nine top-ten finishes, including three season-best fourth-place finishes, all on wildly different tracks - at Long Beach (street course), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (short oval) and Kentucky Speedway (1.KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- The B.C. Lions turned to a familiar face when their ground game was in tatters late last season, and Stefan Logan is looking forward to once again exploiting his unique backfield partnership with Andrew Harris in 2014. "Its like ketchup and mustard," Logan said of the Lions running back duo. "If you dont have ketchup and mustard on your hamburger, it wont be any good." Logan was a dynamic threat for the Lions in 2008 before jumping to the NFL, but when the phone stopped ringing with offers down south he decided on a return to his former CFL club. "As I was at home waiting on calls I was working out and staying in shape and stuff like that," said Logan. "When I talked to the B.C. Lions I was more than willing to come up here and help us win games." A leaky offensive line and a tendency to abandon the ground attack meant the Lions were without a 100-yard rusher for 11 straight contests in 2013, but the speedy Logans injection into the lineup helped the situation improve almost overnight. A more south-runner, Harris was no longer the only focus for defences, and both he and Logan found some traction as the Lions ran for almost 200 yards a game over the seasons final three weeks. "(Harris) does a lot of different things that I dont do," Logan said at training camp last week. "Hes more of a downhill, patient runner and hits the hole. Im more of a slasher, getting inside and outside. "He has the ability to do certain things that Im not that great at, and I can do certain things that he cant do. Thats what makes it such a great running back (combination)." Despite all the struggles last season, Harris still managed to rush for 998 yards and seven touchdowns. Clearly frustrated at times, the Winnipeg native never criticized his coaches or teammates and is now looking forward to having Logan as a backfield counterpart for a full season. "Its going to be a great give-and-take scenario. Having two guys to spell each other and feed off each other ... any time he makes a play, Im going to want to make a play," said Harris. "I think we both bring a different skill set and thats something we can utilize. Having us both on the field at the same time is going to create mismatches with linebackers and in the pass game as well. "I think no mattter what we do were going to be productive.
Dominique Easley. ." Not unfamiliar with the spotlight of being a ball carrier after mainly returning kicks in the NFL, Logan had sympathy for Harris when things werent going well last season. "I understand when people point the finger at you and its not your fault. Its not like his running style had changed or he started tipping (plays) or anything like that," said Logan. "When youve got people pointing the finger, its always going to be towards you because youre running the ball. "If guys miss a block, the fans dont see that. All they see is you." Lions head coach Mike Benevides parted ways with offensive co-ordinator Jacques Chapdelaine after last season and replaced him with former CFL quarterback Khari Jones in hopes of reinvigorating a stagnant attack. "What everybodys seen the last couple years in our league is you have to run the football," said Benevides. "Two years ago we were the best running team, last year we werent but I think we showed an identity at the end of the season when we were running for 200 yards a game. "With (Logan and Harris), you have two changeup guys. You have two elite players with different skill sets that can attack out of the backfield." Jones has made it clear he wants to be aggressive, and with starting quarterback Travis Lulay still struggling to come back from shoulder surgery, the Lions could lean on Logan and Harris even more. "Its going to give us some great options on offence," said Jones. "Its going to be our job as an offensive staff to find out how to best utilize those two guys and get them the ball in the right positions." The Lions will host the Grey Cup in November, and with the CFL and its players association now waiting to ratify a new labour agreement, the team is eager to see what a Logan-Harris backfield can do from the start. "Were all about getting those positive yards and not putting that heat on our back. We want to put the team on our back to move forward," said Logan. "I felt (Harriss) pain last year and I wanted to come in and boost him up and let him know that its going to be OK. "I told him: You and I are going to be back here together and were going to run this thing down their throat until the season is over." ' ' '