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When Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson last week compared his new playmaker Pedro Morales to Major League Soccer standouts Diego Valeri and Federico Higuain, he was setting a very high standard for the clubs new Designated Player. Nike LunarGlide 5 Dame . On Saturday, in just 25 minutes of action as a second half substitute, the Chilean midfielder showed exactly why his new manager has such high hopes. On a day when almost everything went right for Vancouver, Morales short but extremely influential performance capped a wonderful afternoon for the Whitecaps as they opened the 2014 season with a 4-1 win against the New York Red Bulls at BC Place. Robinson was quick to dampen expectations for his new look team following the victory, but the rookie head coach couldnt have asked for a better start to his managerial career as his side showed the attacking qualities he wants to be the trademark of his club. "Well be free-spirited and exciting," Robinson said in the buildup to the season opener. "I want players who can lift me to my feet." On Saturday, he certainly got that, as the Whitecaps turned on the style in the second half. Of course its far too early to draw any conclusion about how Vancouver will fare this season based on one result against a New York side that looked poor, but the initial signs are extremely encouraging. Morales started the match on the bench after a hectic travel schedule and only a couple of training sessions with his new team, but it didnt take long for the Whitecaps fans to get a glimpse of the fantastic technical ability their new signing possesses. There were a few fancy touches as well as a superb through ball for Kenny Millers second goal of the game, and then Morales scored himself in the closing stages to complete the rout. It was an impressive debut. It wasnt just Morales. There were quality performances throughout the team. Young Uruguayan Sebastian Fernandez played on the left side of the three attacking midfielders in the Whitecaps 4-2-3-1 formation and was influential throughout. He took his goal beautifully and was a creative spark, but he also worked very hard defensively. Darren Mattocks had one of his best games as a Whitecap. He didnt score, but the Jamaican international finally showed he is capable of playing the lone striker role. He has a point to prove after a disappointing 2013 season, but if his attitude is right, he has all the qualities needed to be a success. Veteran forward Kenny Miller scored twice, the second a lovely chip over the goalkeeper. Like Mattocks, Miller is playing for his future in Vancouver. The Scottish striker wants to stay with the club when his current contract expires this summer. While he wont grab the headlines for his goal-scoring performances, one of the biggest off-season upgrades for the Whitecaps has been the signing of Designated Player Matias Laba from Toronto FC. Described by Robinson as "a destroyer," the young Argentine was superb in breaking up play, protecting the back four and starting moves with excellent vision and distribution. Hes a player who will make the jobs of those around him much easier. Central defenders Jay DeMerit and Andy OBrien will benefit greatly from Labas presence, as will his midfield partner Nigel Reo-Coker who will now be able to get forward more. We saw near the end of the game what Reo-Coker is capable of when he has license to attack, assisting on the goal scored by Morales. Another big strength for the Whitecaps this season will be the depth within the squad. Along with Morales, Saturdays substitutes included attacking options Kekuta Manneh, Erik Hurtado and Nicolas Mezquida, midfielder Gershon Koffie and Honduran international defender Johnny Leveron. "Its important to start off on the right foot," said Robinson. "Its important that I keep pushing them to those standards. We did well, but there are still 33 more games to go." Now as the Whitecaps begin preparing for their first road game of the new season at Chivas USA in California next weekend, Robinson has some interesting decisions ahead. He will want to get Morales into the starting lineup as soon as possible, but after Saturdays performance, it will be difficult to leave anyone out. Vancouver Whitecaps at Chivas USA on Sunday, March 16 is live on CTV BC 2. Kickoff is 4pm PT. Nike Roshe Run Flyknit .com) - Coming down the stretch of a lengthy road trip, the Vancouver Canucks aim to rebound from just their second loss in seven games on Sunday evening as they visit the Ottawa Senators. Nike Air Huarache Dame Danmark . Spoelstra spoke after the teams shootaround at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. He says he expects everyone to be ready for the showdown between the two-time defending NBA champs and the team with the NBAs best record this season (18-3). NEW ORLEANS -- Drew Brees saw his face on giant Superdome video boards, then nodded and smiled as a jubilant crowd applauded the star quarterbacks latest milestone and the meaningful way in which he hit it. Brees passed for 313 yards and four touchdowns and New Orleans beat Carolina 31-13 on Sunday night to regain sole possession of first place in the NFC South and snap the Panthers winning streak at eight games. In the process, Brees became the fifth quarterback to eclipse 50,000 career yards passing. "Love this offence. Love what Sean Paytons put together," Brees said. The Panthers defence had not allowed more than two touchdowns in a game this season until the Saints (10-3) scored three in the second quarter alone, when Brees completed 14 of 16 passes for 159 yards. The Saints also became the only team this season to score more than 24 points against Carolina (9-4), which entered the game No. 1 in scoring defence, allowing 13.1 points per game. Brees first two scoring strikes went to Marques Colston, who made nine catches for 125 yards. Jimmy Graham added two TD catches, his second making it 31-6 in the fourth quarter. "We just had great balance," Brees said. "Marques came up with some huge catches, as did Jimmy. The line did a great job ... and the defence did a great job of getting us the ball." New Orleans sacked Cam Newton five times and did not allow a touchdown until 5:15 remained. Junior Galette had three of New Orleans sacks and Cameron Jordan two. The Panthers had the ball for 11:30 of the first quarter, showing an early ability to move the ball in the face of an energized and loud Superdome crowd, but only got two field goals out of it after New Orleans came up with clutch third-down stops, including one on third-and-goal from the 6. "Im surprised and disappointed. Were a better team than we played today," Carolina coach Ron Rivera said. "They have the crowd behind them and theyre on turf, not natural grass, which is a little bit different. It helps them as far as their speed and their timing. The things that they do here, they do very well. Well see how things go when they come to Carolina." Last Monday night, New Orleans went to Seattle looking to lead the race for the top playoff seeding in the NFC, only to fall 34-7 and drop into a tie with Carolina atop their division. Nike LunarGlide 6 billige. But the Saints looked like legitimate contenders again in their return home, where they are 7-0. They became the first team not to lose a turnover to the Panthers all season. Brees completed 30 of 42 passes in becoming the first quarterback to pass for at least 4,000 yards in eight straight season and pass for 30 TDs in six straight seasons. New Orleans now owns a one-game lead over the Panthers with three games to go, but travels to Carolina in two weeks. "Here we are, attempting to make another run at it," Brees said. "Obviously, some records and some other things, milestones along the way that you get to share, but Im just glad to be on the journey with this group of guys. Brees best drive began with 2:01 left in the first half and New Orleans at its own 24. He immediately found Lance Moore for 21 yards, Colston for 19 yards and Darren Sproles for 20, setting up Grahams 5-yard TD catch to make it 21-6. Newton was 22 of 34 passing for 160 yards, DeAngelo Williams returned from a quad contusion that sidelined him last week, gaining 52 yards on 13 carries. "It was a great measuring stick for who we are and where we have to go," Newton said. "The best thing about this is we have an opportunity to face this team again in two weeks. Those guys just were better than us today. Are they better than us? No." The Panthers struggled to move the ball on most drives after the first quarter, when Graham Gano hit field goals of 45 and 24 yards. Brees other TDs went for 8 yards to Graham and for 6 and 15 yards to Colston, who was hardly surprised by the QBs quick return to form. "Youve just got to see him throughout the week," Colston said. "The man works like Ive never seen. He deserves every bit of success that he gets." Notes: The other four QBs with 50,000 yards are: Brett Favre with 71,838, Peyton Manning with 64,009, Dan Marino with 61,361 and John Elway with 51,475. ... Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart left the game with a knee injury, the severity of which was not immediately disclosed. 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