Kaminzimmer » d that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around

SHAPES OF MLS Toronto FC had week one of the new MLS season off, but their first opponents, the Seattle Sounders, kicked the campaign off with a home match against current MLS Cup champions, Sporting Kansas City. Rain and a slippery surface made passing difficult for both sides, but Ryan Nelsen and his coaching staff were given more than a few glimpses at the way a new Seattle side will want to play. The Sounders would win the game 1-0 in the fourth and final minute of added time through substitute and former TFC striker Chad Barrett. Front Two With Clint Dempsey only named on the bench, the attention was already on the front two of Seattle before the game began. Once it started, it was interesting to see Kenny Cooper, acquired from FC Dallas last December, as the striker who dropped deep. Lamar Neagle and former Chicago Fire star Marco Pappa were named by Sigi Schmid to play out wide, but neither of these players hugged the touchlines, instead choosing to play narrower to help their midfield duo. Full backs, Dylan Remick and DeAndre Yedlin in particular, were asked to provide width. It is worth noting that Yedlin had a very good game and whoever plays on the left for Toronto FC next week will have to work very hard defensively on that flank. The choice of Cooper to drop in, while surprising, turned out to be effective. First of all, Cooper recognized his defensive responsibilities. He knows Sporting Kansas City like to play the ball out to the centre backs, so he sat well on their first outlet, Lawrence Olum, as this image shows, while also highlighting the narrowness of the three behind Obafemi Martins. Coopers ability to drop into space also confused the centre backs who were unsure how deep to defend once he was able to get into the channels between the lines. Aurelien Collin, on this occasion, found himself guessing whether to stay deep and track the run of Martins or go to win the aerial battle against Cooper. If Cooper starts against Toronto, his positioning will need to be tracked more by the defensive midfielder, likely Michael Bradley, to stop Steven Caldwell from stepping up and leaving space in behind him, which is what happened for Martins here. Finding space behind Alonso and Evans There are very few midfield pairings in MLS better than Osvaldo Alonso and Brad Evans. The two have an excellent understanding, but one thing Toronto FC will look to exploit next week is the space they leave behind them. Seattles centre backs are not the quickest, so they like to sit deep and usually the midfield is diligent in its positioning, but when the team loses second balls, there is space behind them to exploit quickly on the counter. Toronto FC will need someone with the intelligence of Graham Zusi, who did it for KC, to recognize those times. Here you see Alonso lose concentration and Evans press, leaving space for Zusi to run into… Seconds later, Zusi is away to orchestrate a scoring opportunity for the visitors against an unprotected defence…. It helped that Sporting Kansas Citys 4-3-3 had someone with Zusis intelligence but Torontos likely 4-4-1-1 will have three candidates to get into that space with the wide men and whoever plays off the striker, likely Dwayne De Rosario, who, perhaps, wouldnt be best suited on the left against Yedlins attacks. Midfield structure essential to the end This game looked destined to end 0-0 when Benny Feilhaber was withdrawn in the 92nd minute, but a minute later his replacement, Ike Opara, was easily beaten by Alonso deep in his own half and suddenly Seattles DP had acres of space to sprint into. Suddenly, Alonso had their opponents where he wanted them, as he transitioned into their half and connected with Dempsey, who would lay it out wide for the cross that would win the match. It was a fairytale finish for Seattle who now head into next weeks game against Toronto FC with a perfect three points. We have seen that they do allow space in behind their full backs and the central midfield, but you have to be intelligent enough to exploit that when the opportunities arise. It will be interesting to see what they do with Dempsey. When he came on in the second half, he played just off Martins with Cooper moving out wide before he was later taken off. For that moment, there was room for all three on the pitch, but it will be rare to see that from the start. The key for Toronto will be tracking whichever player joins Martins in attack. The former Newcastle striker was quiet in this game, but this season will feast on slow defensive lines by running in behind when Cooper or Dempsey plays him in. Ernie Banks Jersey . 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He scored two highlight-reel goals in a three-minute span -- the second on a sideways bicycle kick in the 78th minute -- to give the Whitecaps a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers before a crowd of 20,303 at B.TSN Hockey Insiders Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger have the latest on why the New York Rangers may trade Ryan Callahan, Thomas Vaneks future after the winger rejected a long-term extension from the New York Islanders, and if the Raphael Diaz trade means another Vancouver Canucks defenceman is on the way out. Ryan Callahan trade talks caught a lot of people off guard. Details are now emerging about why the Rangers would consider such a move. Darren Dreger: He wants a lot of money. Its been widely reported that Callahan is looking for a seven-year term around $6 million per year. That is not accurate. Im told that it is more than $6.5 million but less than $7 million per year on a seven-year term. Whether its $6 million per year or, as we know now, closer to $7 million, thats a lot of money; too much for the Rangers. Theres not a lot of wiggle room in this negotiation and thats why Glen Sather is considering and working towards moving his captain. It seems like a pressing issue. What are the chances Callahan gets either signed or traded before this Fridays Olympic roster freeze? Dreger: 50/50. I know thats an easy guess to make but I would say its more unlikely to get done because there is a willingness to push this as far as you can. But in the meantime the Rangers also need to get as much in return as possible for Callahan. The Chris Stewart deal with the St. Louis Blues is still there; Stewart would be a part of that. The Rangers also have to pay attention to whats going on with Dan Girardi. If he doesnt come to terms this week with the Rangers and avoid potential of unrestricted free agency, perhaps that sends a message to Sather that hes going to unrestricted free agency and he then joins Callahan in the trade speculation. Sounds more and more like New York Islanders forward Thomas Vanek wants to be an unrestricted free agent this summer. What does that mean for potential deals? Bob McKenzie: Youre right. News broke on Monday morning that Vanek rejected a verbal offer ffrom the Islanders; a lucrative, long-term deal.dddddddddddd The implication of course being that now hes going to get unrestricted free agency. He wants to at least test the market and see whats out there. So the Islanders are looking at trade scenarios for Vanek between now and the March 5 trade deadline. GM Garth Snow will continue to try and sign Vanek; try and sweeten the pot and push to get something done, but by the same token, hes on a track where hes talking to teams and finding out what hes going to get. The Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins are amongst those teams that would be interested in getting a scoring winger, a rental at the deadline. Pittsburgh has some cap issues, but Vaneks exactly what the doctors ordered for a lot of contending teams. Vancouver gets another defenceman in the Raphael Diaz for Dale Weise trade but isnt that an overabundance? Does this lead us to believe the Canucks will deal a defenceman at some point? McKenzie: Everybody assumes that this is the precursor to moving one of their veteran defencemen; getting Alex Edler to waive his no-trade clause or what have you. I dont believe theres any relation to the Diaz trade and making another move. Right now you have Kevin Bieksa, Chris Tanev, and Yannick Weber all battling injury. In my opinion, getting Diaz is nothing more than taking a fourth-line grinder with limited ability in Weise, and sending him to the Canadiens for a puck-moving defenceman who had fallen out of favour. I think this is about the here and now. Thats not to say the Canucks wont make a trade down the road, but I think this move is self-explanatory. David Legwand is a lifelong Nashville Predator with 951 career games, might he move? McKenzie: The Predators are shopping Legwand hard. The price is expected to be a first- or second-round pick but keep in mind he has a full no-move clause and he will decide whether or not he wants to be a rental or whether he wants to play out the string with Nashville. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys discount uswnt jersey Wholesale AC Milan Jerseys Wholesale Arsenal Jerseys Wholesale A.S. 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