As a football manager you can easily be distracted by what the league table tells you. Take Vancouver Whitecaps boss Carl Robinson, for example. The young manager has now taken charge of a grand total of six professional matches as the boss of a club side. Many men in his position wouldnt be sleeping as easily lately after watching his team suffer back-to-back defeats in the past two weeks, after previously starting his career on a four match unbeaten run. However, it is clear Robinson is not concerned about how results have turned against him lately. If he was, his starting XI in Los Angeles on Saturday would have been very different. For a first year manager, who just seven days earlier had suffered his first loss to Colorado, it would have been the easy thing to do to insert veterans Nigel Reo Coker and Kenny Miller into the starting XI against the superpower Galaxy. Except, in the days before the game, Robinson took a look at all of the matches the Whitecaps had played against LA in their stadium. Four games. Four losses. One goal scored. Ten goals conceded. Battered. Bullied. Humbled. With the veterans all playing. Robinson decided to go against an unflattering history and opted for the long-term risk card from the dealer rather than taking the safe one. LA Galaxy is, themselves, quietly going about a transition of their own as they work on a new tactical shape featuring a pair of technical midfielders. However, any team featuring the likes of Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan, Juninho and Omar Gonzalez, will always be a real handful. Their midfield diamond features a lot of technical players that works superbly on the counter but can also ensure they can keep the ball better. With the movement of the front two it often can be a flexible 4-6-0. In fact, it is a fascinating system to keep an eye on in MLS and one that provides a stern test for their opponents. Robinson decided Gershon Koffie and Russell Teibert needed to face that test in a double pivot central midfield tandem inside a labeled 4-2-3-1 that was effectively a 4-3-3 hybrid. He decided Kekuta Manneh needed to take that test on the left. Three men, all 22 or younger, given a huge responsibility by the manager. Some called it bold, others felt it was risky but what it was, even before a ball was kicked, was a decision from a manager completely comfortable in his job and his own ability. It was not a move of caution. The move required the manager to have extensive discussions with both Miller and Reo-Coker on Saturday morning. That could not have been easy. The Game The Whitecaps would lose the match 1-0. Robinson told us on the TSN broadcast at half-time that the team couldnt afford to switch off from the tactical discipline they had shown in the first half. Within minutes, one lapse cost them as Keane ran untracked from a deep area and volleyed home the games solitary goal. The Positives For the Whitecaps it was a kick in the teeth because they had contained their bullies for 45 impressive minutes. Koffie and Teibert needed to be aggressive, smart and tactically sound, not separating too far from the centre-backs, which would give space for Keane and Donovan to come into. They did exactly that. Teibert, in particular, impressed against Keane. The veteran Irishman was a victim of Teiberts physical style early in the match and from that moment Keane put a target on the Canadians back and tried to intimidate him. Teibert didnt run away from the fight and stuck to his game. The visitors struggled to find outlets on counter attacks but Teibert did look, on a number of occasions, to play the long diagonal balls that Gonzalez plays for LA (something the Whitecaps defenders cannot do). The Weaknesses The decision to play 4-2-3-1, rather than match up diamonds in midfield, was vindicated by the play at the base of midfield but, much like the last away game in New England, issues with the 3 remain. Manneh defended his flank well when required and cut in centrally to make up an attacking two when the Whitecaps moved forward but he remains very raw and needs more time in the team to help him get a better read of a through ball so he doesnt get caught offside as much. Pedro Morales and Sebastian Fernandez struggled. Juninho was excellent against Morales who simply didnt find enough space to be effective. Fernandez, however, had much more room in a game that was very narrow but was too hurried in possession and made wrong decisions in distribution. Both were removed in the second half and Morales looked less than 100 per cent physically. If he wasnt hurting it would have been interesting to see if Robinson would have pushed him wider to find space and leave Morales, Mattocks and, the other substitute, Kenny Miller on the field at the same time. Star Man Keane scored the games only goal and was a class apart from most of the players on the field, however, it is important to note that most of his chances (other than the goal and once the game was stretched late) all came from deep areas on the field, which meant the Whitecaps had done their job. The same can be said about Donovan. And that is one of the positives that Robinson will take away from this game. Never once did he see his selections as a gamble. He rewarded his young players with key roles in a big game and they paid him back. The final score meant the Whitecaps got nothing in the standings but for Robinson this was short-term (minimal) pain for long-term gain, giving himself and his young players a platform to learn some things about each other. It is not often a young inexperienced manager puts the vision of the club first ahead of his own reputation and win/loss record. For a team who has had too many managers in their short time in Major League Soccer, this was a night where a loss showed their decision to hire Robinson was indeed a correct one. Finally, it appears the bosses are all singing from the same hymn sheet in Vancouver. James Hurst Jersey . So what happens? Stevenson lands a huge left to Dawsons temple only 76 seconds into the opening round and walks away with the championship belt. "I said Id knock him out," said Stevenson (21-1). Johnny Unitas Jersey . -- The Windsor Spitfires were left with just one goaltender Tuesday after having their starter walk out on them midway through Game 3 of their Ontario Hockey League playoff matchup with the London Knights. http://www.customravensjersey.com/custom...arge-2113d.html. During halftime, Love told The Associated Press he would receive treatment Saturday night and hoped to play Monday night against Houston. "I knew that my quad was bothering me pretty bad so I went out there and tried to move around a little bit and it just wasnt quite right," Love said. Iman Marshall Jersey . Seager had another triple, a home run and a double in a rare feat not seen in more than 40 years, leading Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners past the New York Yankees 10-2. "It was a weird play," Seager said of the triple in the fourth inning. Vinny Testaverde Jersey . Osasunas Alvaro Cejudo drove the ball onto the crossbar in the fifth minute and his team squandered several long-range strikes before he was denied one-on-one by goalkeeper Jaime Jimenez in the 50th.ATLANTA -- The Nationals celebrated Adam LaRoches 15th-inning homer that gave Washington an 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night. The team also was left with lingering concerns about Stephen Strasburgs ejection and closer Rafael Sorianos blown save. Strasburg was tossed in the second inning. He hit Justin Upton with a pitch in the first and was tossed after throwing two straight pitches behind Andrelton Simmons back. The Nationals insisted Strasburg wasnt trying to hit Simmons, but instead was unable to regain his control after walking Jordan Schafer on four pitches to open the second. "Hes still kind of learning to deal with the adversities of pitching up here," said Nationals manager Davey Johnson, who also was ejected by plate umpire Marvin Hudson when he argued in defence of Strasburg. "When he went back out in the second inning, Ive never seen his command so bad," Johnson said. "He couldnt come close to the first hitter he faced. Then he threw a curve ball that was eight feet outside and then a couple balls that were behind the hitter. It didnt look like he was trying to hit (Simmons). He couldnt find the strike zone." Entering the game, Strasburg had thrown three wild pitches in 146 1-3 innings. He doubled that total by unleashing three consecutive wild pitches, including the two behind Simmons back. When Johnson and Strasburg were in the clubhouse after being tossed, Johnson said he immediately sought to find out if his ace was hurt. "The first thing I said when we were both in here was Are you hurt? Is something wrong with you?" Johnson said. "He said No. Im just out of sorts." The Nationals loaded the bases and scored two runs in each of the first two innings. On a night when the game-time temperature was 66 degrees, Strasburg said he "just got a little cold. I was just missing spots." Asked if it was a mechanical problem, Strasburg said "I cant really explain it. I just didnt really feel good out there and couldnt hit the spot." Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said it was "just weird" to see Strasburgs suddenly unable to throw strikes. He said he didnt think Strasburg was trying to hit Simmons. "I dont know if theres something wrong with him physically, because it just didnt look right," Gonzalez said. "It didnt look right." LaRoche lifted a high fly ball into the right-field seats for this 18th homer off Kris Medlen (10-11), who was pressed into service after Atlanta exhausted its bullpen. The game lasted 5 hours, 29 minutes. Jason Heyward hit two homers, including a two-run shot in the ninth as Soriano blew a 7-5 lead. Craig Stammen (6-5) allowed no hits in three scoreless innings, striking out five with one walk. Dan Haren pitched the 15th for his first career save. Haren said he threw 30 to 35 pitches in his regular bullpen session before the game, but didnt hesitate to volunteer for the rare relief appearance. "We needed a game like this," Haren said. Atlantaas Brian McCann had three hits, including a two-run homer.dddddddddddd Freddie Freeman also homered for the Braves. Ryan Zimmerman hit a homer for Washington. Each team used all its relievers. Medlen, scheduled to start Tuesday at the Mets, made his first relief appearance of the season as Atlantas ninth pitcher of the night. Soriano suffered his sixth blown save. Heywards second homer of the game, a two-run shot to right-centre with two outs in the ninth, sent the game to extra innings. Braves pitchers hit Bryce Harper with two pitches in Atlantas win on Friday night, leaving the outfielder bruised and unable to start on Saturday night. That set the stage for Strasburg. Strasburg hit Upton in the first inning one pitch after Heywards leadoff home run. The pitch hit Uptons backside, and he quickly ran to first. Asked if he meant to hit Upton, Strasburg said "Im not going to get into that." But the answer seemed clear. "Well after somebody goes deep and you hit him in the rear end, I dont think its a big deal," Johnson said. "I dont know if he did it on purpose or not." The second-inning meltdown by Strasburg was more difficult to figure out. The drama left Braves fans howling, but no players emerged from either dugout. There were no additional incidents in the game. There were tensions between the teams that carried over from the Braves three-game sweep at Washington on Aug. 5-7. Both benches emptied when Harper was hit by a Julio Teheran pitch in the second game of the series. Tanner Roark dominated the Braves after taking over for Strasburg. Roark allowed only one hit in four scoreless innings. He had a run-scoring double in the fifth for his first major league hit and RBI. Mike Minor allowed four runs in only 1 2-3 innings, the shortest of his 78 career starts. Minor gave up bases-loaded, two-run singles to Wilson Ramos in the first and Jayson Werth in the second. Harper was in Johnsons original lineup, but was held out with bruised triceps until entering the game as a defensive replacement in the ninth. Strasburg gave up two runs and two hits, two walks and one hit batter in one-plus inning. Like Minor, he also had the shortest start of his career. Werth doubled off Luis Ayala in the sixth and scored on a single by Wilson Ramos. NOTES: Washingtons Scott Hairston was ejected by Hudson in the ninth for arguing a called third strike. ... The Nationals placed RHP Taylor Jordan on the 15-day DL with a lower back strain. Tyler Moore was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse and had two hits while starting at first base. ... The Braves signed IF Tyler Greene to a minor league contract. Greene, released by the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, was assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett. ... 2B Dan Uggla, who had corrective eye surgery on Friday, said a test Saturday showed his vision at 20-15. He expects to be ready to play when eligible to come off the 15-day DL on Aug. 28. ... The series concludes on Sunday when Nationals LHP Gio Gonzalez faces Atlantas Julio Teheran. ' ' '