miaowang123: Pacers have won five straight regular season ho

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Despite the on-pitch action being over for another year for Canadas three MLS teams, there is still plenty to be resolved in the coming weeks as the Whitecaps, Impact and Toronto FC all have crucial decisions to make ahead of the 2014 season. Authentic Brett Hull Jersey . On this weeks blog, I look at three big questions surrounding our MLS clubs. 1. Who is next in Vancouver? When the Whitecaps took the decision not to renew the contract of head coach Martin Rennie after two years with the club, it seemed as though Frank Yallop would be the man to take over the job. However, the former Canada head coach instead became the top man in Chicago with the Fire - a deal that was completed in the space of 24 hours, something that maybe caught Vancouver a little bit by surprise and ruled out a leading contender to replace Rennie. The Whitecaps have now started the interview process. Current assistant coach Carl Robinson should be a leading candidate. Another name in the running is Richie Williams. Marc Weber reported in the Vancouver Province this week that Williams was in Vancouver to meet with club officials about the position. The former New York Red Bulls player and assistant coach is currently head coach of the United States U17 team. Promoting Robinson would be a move that is welcomed by many of the Whitecaps players. Both Canadian Russell Teibert and MLS Golden Boot winner Camilo have given their support to the former Wales international who has plenty of experience in Major League Soccer since joining the league in 2007. He is well-respected around the league as a bright young coaching mind who will go on to be a successful head coach in Major League Soccer. The Whitecaps have a wealth of young talent within their squad and their Residency Program so the new coach must be someone who is capable of developing that talent. Both Robinson and Williams have experience in that area. There is also the possibility of the Whitecaps holding out to see who else becomes available in the coming weeks. Will Sigi Schmid stay in Seattle? Is out-of-contract Jason Kreis really a viable option? With decisions needing to be taken regarding players futures, the Whitecaps need to move swiftly to fill the void if they are to have the maximum time available to prepare properly for next season. 2. Will Marco be back in Montreal? Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo apologized to the MLS family during his post-season press conference earlier this week following his clubs meltdown in Houston a few days earlier. The 3-0 defeat against the Dynamo was hard to take, but the way in which the team lost their heads was a bitter pill to swallow. Finishing with eight men was bad enough, but losing top scorer Marco Di Vaio for the first three games of next season after supplemental discipline was a further kick in the teeth. Whether or not the loss of Di Vaio will be a problem for Marco Schallibaum to deal with remains to be seen. The Swiss coach is keen to come back for another year, but Saputo and Sporting Director Nick De Santis are still unsure whether they want to stick with Schallibaum in 2014. That would have been unthinkable even two months ago, with Montreal still tied for first place in the Eastern Conference as late as mid-September, but the way they plummeted down the standings has raised concerns. Saputo is wise to take his time over the decision instead of making a rash move while the emotion of the playoff exit is still very raw. If Schallibaum isnt back, it would be the third coach in as many years for Montreal. The decision must come down to why Saputo and De Santis believe things went wrong in the closing weeks of the year. In late summer, they were happy with the coach and expected him to lead them into next year. Does the last two months of the season change that? Down the stretch, the Impact were unable to field a settled lineup due to a number of significant injuries. It seemed the squad also struggled to deal with the impact of the added Champions League games in the schedule. That is beyond Schallibaums control, but there were also questions surrounding some personnel decisions as well as some key games where they looked flat. Schallibaum is an intelligent coach and someone who has the respect of many of the players. If given the opportunity to return, I believe he will have learned some key lessons from his first season in MLS, and will come back a stronger, wiser leader next season. 3. Is Torontos DP search nearing an end? Toronto FC supporters have grown tired of broken promises in recent years, especially in the 2013 season when there was plenty of talk about Designated Player signings that wasnt backed up with actions. However, it seems under new MLSE president Tim Leiweke, the club is finally getting close to securing a couple of big name additions. Two of Torontos main targets right now are Italian forward Alberto Gilardino and England striker Jermaine Defoe. Gilardinos agent attended the final match of the season at BMO Field against Montreal a couple of weeks ago, and reports suggest a deal has been agreed upon with the strikers current club Genoa which would see the man who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 added to the Reds squad at some stage next year. The club is also doing all it can to woo Defoe. The Tottenham Hotspur striker is a former teammate of Reds head coach Ryan Nelsen and when asked about the 31-year-old, Nelsen said he would be a phenomenal signing, speaking in glowing terms about his finishing ability and also his character on and off the pitch. While the additions of Gilardino and Defoe alone would not guarantee a turnaround, they would go a long way to finally giving the long-suffering fans a team capable of challenging for the playoffs. It would give the club two proven goal scorers who have the potential to be prolific in MLS – if they get the service. Thats where new GM Tim Bezbatchenko and Nelsen would have to work hard to ensure they can secure the pieces necessary to give those big name players the opportunity to thrive. While these deals are still not across the finish line, it does seem as if significant progress has been made, and Toronto are closing in on a couple of major signings that would finally provide the fans with something to smile about. Cheap Dallas Stars Gear . Alen, 28, hit .315 with five home runs, 59 RBI and a career-high nine stolen bases for the Goldeyes last season. He is the longest serving catcher in Goldeyes history, having already spent five seasons with the organization. Authentic Esa Lindell Jersey . According to TSNs Farhan Lalji, Richardson is heading to Toronto for a physical and is expected to sign with the Argonauts.(SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of Eastern Conference foes square off New Years Eve with the Miami Heat paying a visit to the Indiana Pacers. The Heat went a disappointing 2-5 on a recent homestand and are scheduled to play two straight and seven of the next eight games on the road. They are 8-6 as the visitor this season. Miami closed the South Beach residency with Mondays 102-101 loss to the Orlando Magic. Magic guard Victor Oladipo tied the game with under a minute left, then his free throw snapped the deadlock in the closing seconds. He then defended well on Dwyane Wades potential game-winning shot. We have to work a little bit better on execution, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the final play. Wade said he didnt have a lane to get off a good shot. He scored 25 points (15 in fourth quarter) and made all 11 of his free throws, while Chris Bosh posted 20 points and eight rebounds in his return to the floor. Bosh had missed the previous eight games (3-5) with a calf injury. Danny Granger scored 21 points and Luol Deng added 14 in defeat. The Heat will visit Houston Saturday and have won their last two games on New Years Eve. Indiana will wrap up a short homestand and dropped a 92-90 decision to rival Chicago on Monday. Jimmy Butler tallied 27 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bulls, while Pau Gasol added 20 points. Dallas Stars Outlet Store. The Bulls blew a 21-point lead thanks to a furious rally by Indiana that came up just short. George Hill and C.J. Miles scored 11 points apiece for the Pacers, who took a three-point lead (86-83) late in the fourth quarter thanks to 20 unanswered points. Butler later buried a key 3-pointer to hold off Indiana and C.J. Watson missed a 3-pointer from the corner. The Pacers bench outscored Chicagos second unit 48-16 on the night. Chris Copeland scored a team-high 17 points to lead Indianas reserves. Get stops and play quick, said Copeland. We really dug in defensively, we moved the ball. Everybody stayed dangerous, and that led to the comeback. The Pacers bench has combined for 40 or more points in each of the past five games and 11 of the previous 13. Indiana, which had won three of four games before losing to Chicago, is 6-9 at home this season and will start a four-game road trip Friday against Milwaukee, the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah and Golden State. The Pacers took the first of four meetings against Miami with an 81-75 victory in South Beach on Nov. 12. Wade had 20 points to lead the Heat, while Copeland paced the visitors with 17. Roy Hibbert had 16 and 15 rebounds in that one for Indiana. The Pacers have won five straight regular season home matchups over Miami. cheap falcons jerseys cheap ravens jerseys cheap bills jerseys cheap bears jerseys cheap bengals jerseys cheap cowboys jerseys cheap lions jerseys cheap texans jerseys cheap colts jerseys cheap jaguars jerseys cheap chiefs jerseys cheap rams jerseys cheap dolphins jerseys cheap vikings jerseys cheap saints jerseys cheap giants jerseys cheap jets jerseys cheap eagles jerseys cheap steelers jerseys cheap 49ers jerseys ' ' '