Back in late October of last year, the Vancouver Whitecaps began their search for a new head coach. Pat Tillman Cardinals Jersey . Martin Rennie – who joined the club in August 2011 with a reputation as a young, up and coming manager - had just been fired after failing to lead the club to a second consecutive playoff berth. The Whitecaps were understandably hesitant to go with another young, up and coming manager; they wanted an experienced coach to guide their early steps in Major League Soccer. Their view was that the club needed someone in charge who not only had experience, but who also knew the league inside and out. MLS has proven to be a difficult league for foreign managers to come to grips with, given the single entity structure and salary cap restrictions that are in place. After the Chicago Fire snapped up Vancouverite Frank Yallop to be their new coach, the leading candidate for the Whitecaps job was former United States mens national team coach, Bob Bradley. He certainly fit the bill; over three decades of coaching experience, with stints in charge of the Chicago Fire, New York/New Jersey Metro Stars (now the New York Red Bulls) and Chivas USA, as well as with the U.S. and Egyptian national teams. But landing Bradley was always going to be a long shot. While the Whitecaps reportedly interviewed a number of coaches, including former Montreal Impact boss Jesse Marsch and Toronto FC head coach Preki, they always had a fallback option; one of Martin Rennies assistant coaches, Carl Robinson, who wanted the job. The Whitecaps were very hesitant to appoint Robinson without first exhausting their other options, which is one reason why it took the club the best part of six weeks to make their decision. In the end, after Bradley rejected the Whitecaps overtures, the club announced that Robinson would become their new head coach. The decision that Vancouver didnt want to make will prove to be the best thing that ever happened to them. In a relatively short period of time, Robinson has brought a vision and a direction to Vancouver. They play an attacking brand of soccer, where pace and technique are prized assets. He has a young squad, but has given his young players a chance to play by surrounding them with experienced veterans who are great leaders. Players like Pedro Morales and Mauro Rosales not only lead by example, they also take the time to teach their younger teammates the finer points of the game. Robinson has his team on the verge of a playoff berth in the difficult MLS Western Conference – and he has done so without a recognized goal scorer in his squad. The loss of Camilo at the end of last season (before Robinson was hired) coupled with the departure of Kenny Miller to Glasgow Rangers in May left Vancouver without a proven experienced goal scorer. Neither 23-year-old Erik Hurtado nor 24-year-old Darren Mattocks are consistent enough to lead the team week in, week out. This season, they have a combined return of just 11 goals in 56 total games. At times this season, Robinson has had to rely on unproven youngsters to get the job done. The latest example was 18-year old Kianz Froese, who made his professional debut as a halftime substitute – replacing 19-year old Kekuta Manneh – in the Whitecaps 1-0 victory in Seattle last weekend. Froese was excellent, and put in a display that belied his age. Relying on youngsters can be dangerous, because a coach can never be sure if those players can handle the step up to competing against seasoned veterans. But Robinson and his coaching staff have created an atmosphere where young players are considered valued assets, rather than risks that should only be deployed in desperation. This atmosphere has in turn brought out the best in those youngsters; while they can be inconsistent – as all young players can be - they still have the confidence to take the field and play with freedom. From the very beginning of his tenure, Robinson has been completely transparent about what he is trying to do in Vancouver, even taking the unprecedented step of opening training at all times to the media. His reasoning is clear – he wants people to see him work, so they can make up their minds about whether or not he is good at his job. That is not arrogance; it is the mark of a coach who is confident in his own abilities. Vancouver has just two games remaining in their regular season schedule – away to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday (10:30pm et/7:30pm pt. on TSN) and home to the Colorado Rapids on Oct. 25 – and they might still find themselves just outside the playoff places when it is all said and done. The Portland Timbers are snapping at Vancouvers heels, just one point back with two games remaining, and could surpass the Whitecaps if Vancouver slips up. But regardless of whether or not the Whitecaps make the playoffs, Carl Robinsons job is safe. In fact, if Vancouvers leadership group is wise, theyll not only keep Robinson, theyll extend his contract. Because the coach that got the job by default is now an asset that the club simply cannot afford to lose. Pat Tillman Youth Jersey .C., has been named Canadas top female official, winning the 2014 SOC Award of Excellence. Cranes career as a figure skating judge has spanned over 40 years. Kyler Murray Youth Jersey . And follow TSN.ca right through Wednesdays 3pm et trade deadline for all the updates. Blue line help for Red Wings? In addition to what he reported in Insider Trading, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun wrote on ESPN. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/zach-allen-cardinals-jersey-wj/ . A rainy day saw the former champion Djokovic handle 14th-seeded Frenchman Jo- Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) under the roof on the famed Centre Court.BROOKLYN - It was widely expected to be one of the more unpredictable drafts in recent memory, but in the end it was Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors that raised the most eyebrows. For the first time all night, as the Raptors were on the clock to make the 20th overall selection, no one had the slightest idea what was about to happen. No leaks, no whispers, nothing. Then came the announcement. "With the 20th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors select Bruno Caboclo from Sao Paulo, Brazil," first-year commissioner Adam Silver proclaimed with a confused look on his face as the basketball world raced to their internet browsers and Google apps. Who was this Brazilian mystery man? The grainy clip of him shown on the broadcast appeared to be shot from a cell phone. A web search produced a few brief videos, little more. The bio distributed by the Raptors came courtesy of Eurobasket and listed his weight as "n/a". "Theres probably three or four teams that knew about him," Raptors coach Dwane Casey told reporters in Toronto shortly after the selection. Seven days ago Casey was in the same boat. He knew very little about the player that would eventually become his newest 6-foot-9, 205-pound small forward. "I hadnt seen him, didnt know who he was but I was totally impressed when I saw him," said Casey, who accompanied Ujiri on a scouting trip to Houston where they watched Caboclo workout and met with him a week ago. Caboclo had been on Ujiris radar for some time. The Raptors general manager made three trips to see the young Brazilian forward play throughout the season, and he had to be "stealth" about it. In this day and age it seems impossible that such a talent could exist, anywhere in the world, without every team and every scout knowing about him, right? It also seemed impossible that for once, in this age of social media, a pick was not broken on Twitter five minutes before it was made. But thats Ujiri. Thats how he does business, quietly. Expecting to use the 37th pick of the draft, Ujiri promised Caboclo the Raptors would select him months ago and as a result, the forward declined to workout for NBA teams. True to form, Ujiri was not following along with mock drafts, he was not the least bit concerned about how such a pick would be received. He saw something in Caboclo. "Hes a talent," Ujiri said of the 18-year-old and youngest player available in this draft. "I think at the end of the day we will be happy we picked him." Caboclo was not Ujiris primary target. As expected, the Raptors were after Canadian point guard Tyler Ennis, hoping he would fall to them while also trying desperately to trade up for him. Ideally, Toronto had hoped to select Ennis with pick no. 20 and snag Caboclo early in the second-round with pick no. 37. But the plan changed, as they often do on draft night, when the Phoenix Suns took Ennis at 18, two picks ahead of the Raptors. "We decided we lost one," Ujiri said. "Were not going to lose the second one. We jumped on it." The Raptors were fearful that Caboclo, second on their board, wouldnt make it back to them. A couple teams that had intel on the Brazilian and were believed to be interested - Phoenix and Utah - had picks ahead of Toronto and after missing out on a similar prodigy in Greek freeak Giannis Antetokounmpo a year ago, Ujiri was not going to let this target get away. Hakeem Butler Cardinals Jersey. . The allure, despite the lack of available information, is not a surprise given the rare gifts possessed by the long and athletic Caboclo. The first thing that jumps out watching short clips of the newest Raptor is his 7-foot-7 wingspan. "Bruno is an athletic phenomenon," Casey said. "At [pick no.] 20, you cant go out and get a perfect player but this young man has a chance to hit it big. Hes raw but hes going to be a guy thats going to develop in our program and grow and do a lot of things for us. Defensively hes long, he covers a lot of ground down [and] blocks shots with his length." He passed Caseys eye test immediately and the Raptors coach is confident hell turn heads once he heads north, calling him one of the most athletic players in the draft. "I know a lot of people dont know about him. Were excited to get him. Hes going to be a guy thats going to grow with our program and no one is going to be disappointed once this guy is developed and hits his peak because hes one of those guys that has a chance to hit it big as far as his potential is concerned." After a return to the playoffs last season, the Raptors have the luxury of bringing Caboclo along slowly, allowing him to learn in practice and on the bench, without the pressure of having to produce at a high level in his rookie campaign. Among other things, hell need to get bigger and stronger, hell need to get comfortable with the NBA game and his familiarity with the language will also be a work in progress. Upon meeting the 18-year-old Brazilian, Casey asked him who his favourite player is, to which Caboclo responded, "Kevin Durant". "Can you guard Kevin Durant," Casey asked and without hesitation the young man replied, "yes". Casey was impressed with his willingness and ability to learn on fly, a quality that should serve him well when he does join his new team. "Hes a smart young man, his basketball IQ is high," said the Raptors coach. "He knows how to play, has a great feel for the game. Hes going to be a clean slate as far as a guy to work with." Caboclo spent draft night in New York getting his visa sorted out before he makes a quick trip to Toronto over the weekend, where hell be introduced following a workout at the ACC on Saturday. Next week hell meet up with some of his new teammates and coaches in Los Angeles and is expected to participate in Summer League with the Raptors next month. Although theres no telling what role hell have with the team or to what extent hes able to produce right away, Caboclo will be a member of the Raptors this coming season. The Raptors were able to add a more seasoned player with the 37th pick in forward DeAndre Daniels, a proven winner and member of the reining National Champion UConn Huskies. Daniels, 22, averaged 13.1 points and 6.0 rebounds with Connecticut last season. "Hes a good athlete also," Casey said of Daniels. "Hes a guy thats going to go through our Summer League program and well see where he is but I was impressed with his workout." Toronto selected Xavier Thames of San Diego State with the 59th overall pick, quickly trading him to the Brooklyn Nets for cash considerations. ' ' '