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The Whitecaps extended their unbeaten run in Major League Soccer to five matches, but Saturdays 2-2 tie at home to Seattle Sounders finished in controversial fashion, denying Vancouver the three points their performance deserved. The penalty call by referee Ismail Elfath on Jay DeMerit late in the game was baffling, and it took the shine off an entertaining Cascadia Cup battle in which the Whitecaps created numerous chances with their impressive attacking style of play Credit to Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson for keeping his cool post-game. Had he launched a scathing attack on the referee, no one would have questioned him. But in public, Robinson reacted with dignity and humour rather than spending his time complaining about the officiating. It was a refreshing approach. Maybe Robinson just didnt want to lose any more money - earlier in the day, he lost a bet with Chilean midfielder Pedro Morales over which team would win the Champions League final and the coach will now have to take the whole squad out for dinner! As my colleague, Jason deVos said after the match, if that was a penalty, he would have been sent off four or five times in every game of his career! The decision let the Sounders back into a match in which they had rarely threatened, but they could have won it late in the game when Obafemi Martins went close, as could the Whitecaps, who had two or three excellent chances after Seattle had tied things up. Cascadia Cup matches very rarely disappoint. The atmosphere, the drama, the fast moving play were all evident on Saturday in front of the Whitecaps sixth successive sell-out in MLS this season. The performance shows just how far the Caps have come in a short space of time, considering how easily they were out-battled by the Sounders in a couple of early preseason meetings. Carl Robinson has created an identity for this team, and very quickly they have become one of the most entertaining in MLS to watch. The youthful exuberance was on show once again on Saturday with the pace and trickery of Kekuta Manneh and Sebastain Fernandez causing the Sounders problems, and Erik Hurtados new-found confidence in front of goal a joy to watch. Hurtados superbly taken goal tied things up just three minutes after a well-placed header from Chad Barrett had given Seattle a surprise first half lead. Hurtado is certainly enjoying his football now. Saturday was the first time in his pro career that he has made consecutive starts. He scored in both of them, and with the goal against Toronto thrown in as well, it is three goals in three matches in all competitions for the man who has certainly taken the chance that has been provided to him following the hamstring injury to Darren Mattocks and the departure of Kenny Miller. Carl Robinson told me before the match that the difference with Hurtado now is that he isnt trying to over-think things. He certainly gave Seattles defenders plenty to think about when he turned them inside out on the goal. Gershon Koffie played his best match of the season - one of his best as a Whitecap. At only 22 years old, he has so much potential. He took his goal really well to give the team a 2-1 lead, capitalizing on a mistake by Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei but his all-round play was superb. Koffie and Matias Laba have been developing a good relationship in the Whitecaps midfield, and it is starting to pay off. Koffie was an attacking threat throughout and could have had more than the one goal. Once again, there were many positives for the Whitecaps to take away from the game, but the next step will be to win against the top Western Conference teams on a regular basis, especially at home. Caps president Bob Lenarduzzi said at half-time on our MLS on TSN broadcast that in his short time as head coach, Robinson has "done everything the club has asked of him and then some." The former Wales international is moulding a young, entertaining team playing a brand of football that people are excited to watch. The Caps could have won the game in the first 20 minutes. They were quick out of the blocks, but couldnt find a finishing touch. It has been a familiar theme over the last few games. Lots of chances are being created, but sometimes the killer instinct is missing in front of goal. Robinson has made no secret of his desire to add a top striker to his squad when the transfer window opens in July (a return for Camilo?) and that with all of the chances coming the Caps way, that would be a mouthwatering prospect. Next up is another Cascadia clash on the road at Portland Timbers next Sunday (live on TSN2 at 9pm et/6pm pt). Its another great chance for the Whitecaps to test themselves against a team that will be challenging them for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Mallex Smith Mariners Jersey . -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Dan Altavilla Mariners Jersey .ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. https://www.cheapmariners.com/2045k-j-p-...ers.html.Bekker was added Wednesday in exchange for allocation money after two seasons with Toronto. The native of Canada had 29 MLS appearances, including 16 starts. Hes also played in 13 games for the Canadian national team. Omar Narvaez Jersey .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. Tim Beckham Mariners Jersey .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday.The popular commentary out of almost any NHL training camp, including Vancouvers, often circles around the top offensive line combinations created by the coaching staff. While there certainly is plenty of room for intrigue when it comes to what bodies will appear in the top half of Willie Desjardins forward crew, it is my feeling that the most captivating section of forwards lies in the bottom half of the allotted four lines. The trios representing what could be the third and fourth lines will have a large role to play under the regime of Desjardins. If his coaching history lends its hand to how these six players will be used, by all accounts, they will be responsible for making the Canucks a tough team to play against in the following ways: Pace and Tempo: Desjardins likes his teams to play up to a high level of compete, which includes dictating the pace of the game and determining the change in tempo. If the level drops off, no line will be spared from the expectation to once again kick-start the pace and swing the tempo back in favour of the Canucks. Maintaining the tempo is also a requirement and the bottom half of the forward lineup may be played in more situations in order to pave the way for the top six forwards to spring into action. Frustrating the opponent: Owning up to responsible play will be a mandate across all of the lines, but in particular, the bottom half of Desjardins forward crew. These lines will be called upon to finish every check and play sensible, not giving into reactionary penalties. If this attitude is combined with the above pace and tempo narrative, one can imagine how agitated the opponent could become. Balancing the line-up: It is my belief that Desjardins would like to have the oppoortunity to go to any line, any night and rely on that line based on how the game is being played out.dddddddddddd This puts the onus on the bottom six forwards to be ready to play variable minutes from night to night, depending on how the coach sees fit. It may surprise some which lines get used against certain teams or on certain nights, but it could be a reactionary element that helps to round out Dejardins arsenal. Another aspect of increased bottom six minutes is to bring balance to the lineup, relating to the top six forwards. This not only applies to overall minutes, but situational play in games. The fresher the top six are kept throughout the later stages of the game, the more opportunity there is to dictate the play and either change gears to catch up or to power home the win. With all of this in mind, the competition for spots on the third and fourth lines could be extreme. Many of the players who held those jobs in the previous year are still around and there have also been new names added to the mix, which widens the group that must be narrowed down, come opening night. Adding to internal competition, is the fact that some players are in contract years, including the likes of Shawn Matthias, Brad Richardson and Tom Sestito who are due to become unrestricted free agents and Linden Vey who is a restricted free agent at seasons end. These players will not only be competing in camp for jobs on this years Canucks team, but will be slugging it out the whole season for a chance to be renewed. Thus, the drive to survive is on, in a big way, for a group of forwards hoping to find their names on the Canucks roster this season and it all leads to puck-drop Oct. 8th in Calgary. ' ' '