Unser Chat » ividual medley sweep clocking a personal be

There’s still work to be done, but the Whitecaps are on the cusp of a playoff berth, an MLS club record point haul, with CONCACAF Champions league representation already sewn up. And it was all achieved with a younger squad, and without a 22 goal scorer. The great untold story of this campaign has been the recruitment of quality characters who have contributed to a new dressing room culture. It may be the most difficult and risky aspect of building a club because, how do you measure character? There are no analytics for it. It comes down to networks, gut, and trust in the guts of others. And it also requires hours upon hours of cross referencing. Gone are the days when YouTube clips and an agent’s word are good enough to sign someone. The Whitecaps off season recruitment began with the acquisitions of Mehdi Ballouchy and Steven Beitashour. Carl Robinson knew Ballouchy from his time in New York, while Beitashour’s reputation was impeccable. Between them; almost 300 MLS games played. Then came the unheralded signings of Nicholas Mezquida and Sebastien Fernandez, from an obscure club in Uruguay. At the time, many thought these were simply squad signings to improve the club’s overall depth. The quality was evident from day one. The work ethic was infectious. The personalities were magnetic. The most important transactions occurred during the Whitecaps pre-season stint in Portland, where they landed their two DP’s, Mattias Laba and Pedro Morales. If there’s one truth about Major League Soccer it’s that you must get your designated players right. They need to be your best players. They need to justify the designation and they need to be respected by their teammates. The on field contributions were instantly recognizable. But no-one could have expected the off-field roles both Laba and Morales would play. They became the new leaders in the Whitecaps dressing room. The Mauro Rosales trade was a one sided transaction in the maintenance department. Rosales is a consummate professional with an elite class resume and an abundance of MLS moxy. He too became an instant Lieutenant. But it was the signing of Kendall Waston which may have been the coup of the summer. It wasn’t as if Waston was some random pick from the Central American ether. He had a trial with Real Salt Lake, but they ultimately weren’t interested. The background research on Waston’s character was as thorough as all of the previous recruits, but Waston still represented a sizable leap of faith given his patchy form and the league he played in. The club’s technical team wanted to know everything about the player. His background, where he lived, what he ate, going even so far as calling opposition coaches to get their impressions of the strapping Saprissa Centre back. Carl Robinson and Martyn Pert have bird-dogs in virtually every corner of the world, long standing relationships built exclusively on trust. It may be the most important and exciting factor going into the off season, because there are more Wastons and Morales’s scattered around the globe and the Whitecaps know where to find them. Waston’s play of late has already attracted attention from other clubs. It’s just a matter time before the Whitecaps get an offer they can’t refuse for any number of their players. As hard as that may be to understand for the fans, the selling-on of talent is a huge part of the long term building of any club. The trick will be to maximize the value, while ensuring there’s always a pipeline of talent to fill the vacancies. Character is a critical aspect of any successful organization. In a short period of time, the Whitecaps have proven an ability to find players who have it. Now if they can find someone who’s exemplary temperament can match his ability to score, the club could be in for a banner 2015. Nike Air Force 1 Low Naiset .com) - A pair of programs shooting for their 10th win of the season get together at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, as the NC State Wolfpack tangle with 22nd-ranked West Virginia during the challenge round of the Gotham Classic. Nike Air Force 1 Low Miehet .Y. -- The "for sale" sign is up at the Buffalo Bills with the hiring of financial and legal advisers who may begin talking with prospective buyers within the next month. http://www.airforce1suomi.com/nike-air-huarache-ale/naiset.html . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too. Myydään Air Force 1 Lv8 . The (35-35-10) Jets have 80 points and are also playing .500 hockey on home ice this season with a 17-17-6 record. Michael Hutchinson will start his second straight game in goal. Nike Air Force 1 Ale . PETERSBURG, Fla. VICTORIA -- Brittany MacLean of Toronto smashed the second longest-standing national womens record with her victory in the 800-metre freestyle on the last night of competition at the Canadian swimming trials on Saturday. MacLean clocked 8:24.91 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 8:27.59 set by Brittany Reimer of Victoria at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal. MacLean and Tabitha Baumann of Ottawa -- second in 8:32.37 -- both went under the qualifying standard to be nominated to the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific teams. "Ive done a lot of racing this year and I wasnt sure how much my body would hold up," said MacLean, 20, a triple champion this week. "Im glad it did. To get the record is a huge accomplishment." Two-time Olympic medallist Ryan Cochrane of Victoria collected a third gold as well, winning the mens 1,500 freestyle -- his main event -- in 15:01.72, well under the qualifying standard. "I wanted to come here and put up a fast time," said Cochrane. "Its not where I want to be yet." Cochrane, who is one of 36 who will represent Canada at the Pan Pacifics in Australia in August, and one of 30 nominated to swim for Canada at Commonwealth Games in Scotland in July, says he wont settle for less than gold this summer. "Im looking forward to the Commonwealth Games because it was a dream of mine to compete at those Games since I was five," he said. "The Pan Pacs is a big event for the swimmers and the competition will be tough." In addition to 19 swimmers with national team experience, 18 newcomers will be representing Canada at the senior level for the first time thhis summer.dddddddddddd The Pan Pacs team features 21 female swimmers and 15 males, while 20 females and 10 males are nominated to the Commonwealth Games. Three Canadian women went under the qualifying standard in the 200 individual medley. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson of Ottawa completed a golden individual medley sweep clocking a personal best 2:12.26, Marni Oldershaw of Oakville, Ont., followed in 2:13.72 and Sydney Pickrem of Halifax was third in 2:13.78. "Im pretty pumped," said 18-year-old Seltenreich-Hodgson. "To get two titles this week is really exciting. To have three girls go under the standard is something. We are an IM country." Evan White of Oakville just missed notching a Canadian record in the mens 200 IM but still went under the qualifying standard with a personal best 1:59.84. The 18-year-old was 0.3 seconds under the Canadian record before heading into the final freestyle length. "I was trying to break the record and I could hear the crowd," White said. "It was a good swim." Katerine Savard won the womens 200 fly in 2:07.61, while Audrey Lacroix followed in 2:08.84. Both Pont-Rouge, Que., racers went under the qualifying standard as they did in the 100 butterfly on Friday, which featured a national record for Savard. "I dont really believe I did that time," said the 20-year-old Savard. "Its really good for me." Victoria Poon of Montreal was first in the 50 freestyle for her second win of the competition. Yuri Kisil took the mens 50 freestyle in a personal best 22.53 for his second title this week, and Zack Chetrat of Oakville, won the mens 200 butterfly. ' ' '