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. 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. Air Max 2019 Pas Cher . Six years of waiting are finally over for the Dallas defenceman. Daley had a goal and an assist, Kari Lehtonen recorded his fifth shutout of the season, and the Stars clinched their first playoff berth since 2008 with a 3-0 victory against the St. Air Max 720 Obj Pas Cher . -- Tony Finau won the Stonebrae Classic on Sunday for his first Web. http://www.maxnikepascher.fr/destockage-...7-plus.html.com) - Devin Booker scored 19 points and top-ranked Kentucky put on a defensive clinic in an 83-44 obliteration of UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. Air Max 720 Femme Soldes . It was just time for him to make a big play. Nicolas Batum had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Wesley Matthews scored 18 points, and the Trail Blazers overcame poor-shooting nights by two of their best players in a 94-90 victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Nike Air Max Soldes . Compared to what hes gone through in recent weeks, that seemed like a breeze. Speaking to The Associated Press on Friday at an NBA Cares event, Silver said hes thrilled that the leagues attention can be on the championship series between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs -- and not, as it was for so much of the post-season, on the off-the-court matters involving the banishment of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and now the looming sale of that franchise. CHICAGO -- Valtteri Filppula scored in the shootout and the Tampa Bay Lightning rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. Ben Bishop made 37 saves in his first start this season for Tampa Bay, then denied each of Chicagos three shooters in the tiebreaker. Filppula beat Corey Crawford into the right side of the net in the first round. Tampa Bay looked listless before Martin St. Louis and Teddy Purcell scored midway through the third period, tying it at 2. It was the first victory of the season for the Lightning, who opened with a 3-1 loss at Boston. Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad scored in the second for Chicago, which outshot Tampa Bay 39-16 in the first game between the teams since the Lightnings 5-4 overtime victory on Nov. 4, 2011. Jonathan Toews, Kane and Marian Hossa each were unable to solve Bishop in the shootout. The Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks were coming off a 6-4 victory over Washington in their season opener Tuesday. They set an NHL record by recording at least one point in each of their first 24 games a year ago, but they wasted an opportunity to earn two points against the Lightning. Tampa Bay failed to register a shot on goal before Nate Thompson was stopped by Corey Crawford 1:22 into the second. It had only six shots at the end of the period, compared to 25 for the Blackhawks. The scoreless first was the first time an NHL team had failed to register a shot on goal in a period since Edmonton on March 3 at Minnesota, according to STATS. It was the third such period for Tampa Bay in franchise history, and only the second time Chicago had pulled off the feat, including the first period of a scoreless tie against Detroit on Dec. 44, 1946.dddddddddddd The Blackhawks grabbed the lead when Kane jumped on a loose puck on the right side of the net and punched it in just 59 seconds into the second. Saad then made the most of a big break midway through the period. With Tampa Bay centre Alex Killorn in the penalty box for hooking, Blackhawks defenceman Nick Leddy tried to dump the puck in behind the Lightning net. Bishop went back to get it, but it took a weird bounce off the boards and slid toward the front of the goal. Saad came in from the left side and knocked it in before Bishop could get into position, making it 2-0 at 9:14. The two-goal advantage looked as if it would be more than enough before Tampa Bay suddenly woke up midway through the third. First, St. Louis beat Crawford with a backhander on a rebound with 9:52 remaining. Then, Purcell sent a wrist shot over Crawfords right shoulder for a tying power-play goal just 1:43 after Tampa Bays first score. After beginning with the Stanley Cup finalists from a year ago, Tampa Bay is at Buffalo on Tuesday night before beginning its home schedule on Thursday against the Panthers. NOTES: Tampa Bay also went without a shot on goal in the second period of games against Philadelphia on Nov. 22, 1999, and Phoenix on Dec. 2, 1999. ... D Michael Kostka and F Ben Smith each made their season debut for the Blackhawks. Ds Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival and F Jimmy Hayes were scratched. ... Ds Keith Aulie and Mark Barberio and C Tom Pyatt were the scratches for Tampa Bay. ... Linesman Mark Shewchyk left the ice midway through the third period due to a leg injury that stemmed from a collision along the boards. The remaining three officials finished the game. ' ' '