The Formations Knowing he would be facing one of the premier teams in MLS, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson elected to revert back to his 4-2-3-1 formation for their away match with Real Salt Lake. Cincinnati Reds Pro Shop . Jonny Leveron replaced skipper Jay Demerit in defence, while Kekuta Manneh replaced Pedro Morales; both Demerit and Morales were rested for the match, and stayed behind in Vancouver. Real Salt Lake head coach Jeff Cassar made one change to the team that defeated the Portland Timbers 1-0 the week previous. Joao Plata replaced Olmes Garcia up front, where the diminutive Ecuadorian partnered RSLs top goalscorer, Alvaro Saborio. The Game To suggest the Whitecaps were flat in the opening 45 minutes would be an understatement – they were very poor. They did not make effective use of the space that was available to them (which was in wide areas) and they were half a step slow and half a step late defensively. The result was that the Whitecaps trailed 2-0 after just nine minutes, with RSL getting goals from both Plata and Saborio. RSL very nearly went in at the break up 3-0, but David Ousted did well to deny Plata a second goal just before the halftime whistle. The opening half was a perfect exhibit of the challenge faced when fielding a very young lineup - those players dont yet have the experience to figure out how to fix things when they go wrong on the pitch. Of the six attacking players who started the match, only Kenny Miller (34) can be classified as an experienced player. Matias Laba (22), Gershon Koffie (22), Russell Teibert (21), Kekuta Manneh (19) and Darren Mattocks (23) are young, talented professionals – but when things go wrong, they cannot rely on previous experience to help them turn things around. In the first half, the movement of RSLs midfield caused problems for the Whitecaps. Despite having a numerical advantage, Vancouver struggled to put pressure on the ball. When the Whitecaps did manage to regain possession, they were too often wasteful, giving the ball straight back to RSL, as Teibert did on the opening goal. Offensively, they were never able to use their speed in transition to maximum effect. In Darren Mattocks and Kekuta Manneh, Vancouver had the two quickest players on the pitch. However, neither player was able to use that speed to their advantage, as Vancouver never found their passing rhythm. Both fullbacks, Jordan Harvey and Steven Beitashour, were cautious in their approach when Vancouver had the ball. This was entirely understandable, given Real Salt Lakes formidable home record and their early 2-0 lead. The result was that far too often Vancouver failed to use the only space that RSL conceded to them, which was out wide. This played into RSLs hands perfectly, as their two wide midfielders, Ned Grabavoy and Jake Mulholland, simply dropped slightly deeper to sit alongside Kyle Beckerman when Vancouver tried to build in midfield. The RSL defenders, who compressed the space between lines, supported this tight midfield unit. This meant that there was very little space in which Vancouver could play. Real Salt Lake controlled virtually the entire first half. Robinson and his coaching staff showed their worth once they could sit the players down at the break. There, the coaches were able to correct the mistakes that were being made and give their young players renewed belief in their abilities. The result was a completely different performance from Vancouver in the second half. The Whitecaps aggressively closed space in midfield, pressured the RSL defenders and midfielders into conceding possession, and denied both Plata and Saborio a sight at goal. While Saborio struck the bar with a header in the 80th minute after a quickly taken free kick, the home side appeared content to defend their 2-0 lead. Vancouver showed better control of the ball and much better use of space in wide areas in the second half. There was a confidence in the Whitecaps team that wasnt present in the opening forty-five minutes – a belief that they could not only compete with RSL, but also get something out of the game. Robinson again used his substitutes effectively, bringing Erik Hurtado, Nicolas Mezquida and Sebastian Fernandez into the game. And it was the two Uruguayans – Mezquida and Fernandez – who clawed back a point for Vancouver. Mezquida scored Vancouvers first goal in the 86th minute, knocking home a poor rebound from RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando after great work from Darren Mattocks. Fernandez scored the equalizer deep into stoppage time, ripping a strike from 35 yards past a flat-footed Rimando. The RSL goalkeeper – along with his teammates – will be left to ponder just how they managed to throw away two points after failing to extend their dominant first half performance into the second. The Positives The second half performance from Vancouver was exactly what their fans want to see – positive, confident, attacking play. The pace in Vancouvers team is frightening; Mattocks, Manneh and Hurtado are all likely in the leagues top 10, if not the top 5, in sprint speed. It is really about finding a way for these players to use their assets to maximum effect, which Vancouver did really well in the second half. Good performances from all three substitutes will give Robinson and his coaching staff some decisions to make in choosing their starting lineup for their next match at home on May 3rd against the San Jose Earthquakes (TSN2, 6:30pm ET, 3:30pm PT). It is an enviable problem to have, as every coach much prefers to have too many good players from which to choose than not enough. Real Salt Lake put on the best forty-five minutes of football that I have seen from a team so far this season in the opening half. The concern for Jeff Cassar is finding a way to extend that performance over the course of the game. While they havent found the secret to this yet, RSL is still unbeaten this season. The Negatives Poor performances all around for Vancouver in the opening half, but the silver lining is that this can be used as a teaching moment. With such a young squad of players, the biggest challenge for Robinson is to develop his promising youngsters into seasoned professionals who can solve problems on the pitch, without always requiring the intervention of the coaching staff. This isnt a job that will happen overnight, and the players will now be expected to reflect on what they did differently in the second half that they werent doing in the first. As long as the players are able to learn from their mistakes, the opening forty-five minutes can be looked back on as a valuable lesson. Nick Rimando has been sensational for Real Salt Lake this season, so he can be forgiven for having a 10-minute spell to forget at the end of the game. He should have prevented both of Vancouver goals, and on any other day would likely have done so. The Star Man This was the best performance I have seen from Erik Hurtado. The youngster has incredible speed, but is still learning how to best utilize his prized asset. He made a big impact coming off the bench in last weeks 2-2 come-from-behind draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy, and while he didnt score in that game or against Real Salt Lake, he made a very meaningful contribution on Saturday. His willingness to run in behind stretched the RSL back line and created space for his midfielders to operate, effectively changing the game. He is still very raw and has a great deal of learning to do, so it will be important for him to seek out the coaching staff to carry on that education. But he is certainly showing exciting potential at this moment in time as a second half substitute that can change the game. Reds Jerseys 2019 .Inter Milan and Napoli also advanced to ensure there will be at least three Italian clubs in the last 32 of Europes secondary competition.Spurs victory, secured by Benjamin Stamboulis 49th-minute winner, was overshadowed by a succession of pitch invasions that forced the referee to halt the game after 41 minutes. Cheap Reds Jerseys . - The Chicago Bears have agreed to a one-year contract with free-agent centre Brian de la Puente. https://www.cheapredsjerseys.us/ .Y. - Sven Andrighetto scored once and set up two more as the Hamilton Bulldogs hung on to defeat the host Adirondack Flames 5-3 on Tuesday in American Hockey League action.PINEHURST, N.C. -- Martin Kaymer set a U.S. Open record Friday with a game so dominant that he did more than just build a six-shot lead. He managed to bring Tiger Woods into the conversation at a major hes not even playing. Kaymer opened with a short birdie and rolled his way to a second straight round of 5-under 65 -- this one without a bogey. He set the 36-hole scoring record at 10-under 130 and left the rest of the field wondering if the 29-year-old German was playing a different course, or even a different tournament. "If he does it for two more days, then were all playing for second spot," said Adam Scott, the worlds No. 1 player. Such talk once was reserved for Woods, still home recovering from back surgery. Kaymer played early on a Pinehurst No. 2 course that received a burst of showers overnight. That red 10 on the leaderboard next to his name was a daunting sight the rest of the day. He led by eight shots when he finished, and only three players in the afternoon cut into that deficit. "I heard he played the No. 3 course. Is that true?" Kevin Na said after a 69 put him seven shots behind. "Its unbelievable what hes done. Is 4 or 5 under out there? Yes. Ten under out there? No, I dont think so. I guess it was out there for him. I watched some of the shots he hit and some of the putts hes made and he looks flawless." Brendon Todd kept this from really getting out of hand. He made two tough pars from the bunker late in his round for a bogey-free 67 to get within six shots, putting him in the final group on the weekend in his first major. "Kaymers performance has been incredible," Todd said. "Hes playing a brand of golf that we havent seen probably in a long time, since maybe Tiger." Kaymer tied the record for the largest 36-hole lead at the U.S. Open, first set by Woods at Pebble Beach in 2000 and matched by Rory McIlroy at rain-softened Congressional in 2011. Woods went on to win by 15 shots. McIlroy set the 72-hole scoring record and won by eight. "I played Congressional and I thought, How can you shoot that low?" Kaymer said. "And thats probably what a lot of other people think about me right now." McIlroy thought the Germans feat was more impressive, mainly because of the nature of Pinehurst No. 2 and the turtleback greens created by Donald Ross. Yes, they were softer than expected and held quality shots. But there is trouble lurking around every corner. Kaymer just hasnt found it -- yet. "If someone had told me that I was going to be standing here 1-under par after 36 holes at the start of the week, I would have taken it," McIlroy said after his 68 left him nine shots behind. "But what Martin has done over the first couple of days has made 1-under par look pretty average." As impressed as everyone was, none was ready to concede just yet. Pinehurst No. 2 has not played close to its full length of 7,562 on the scorecard, and it has not been nearly as fast as it had been during the three days of practice. And strange things can happen at a U.S. Open. Even so, they all needed some help from Kaymer, who last month won The Players Championship. Wholesale Reds Jerseys. "I never played on tour when Tiger was doing this -- leading by six, seven, eight shots," said 20-year-old Jordan Spieth, who had a 70 and was nine shots back. "But I imagine this is what it was like the way Martin is playing this week." Brandt Snedeker had a 68 and joined Na at 3-under 137. Only nine others were under par going into the weekend. It wasnt a great day for Graham DeLaet of Weyburn, Sask. The only Canadian in the field shot 5-over 75 for the second straight day to ensure he will miss the cut. It looks like a typical U.S. Open -- except for Kaymer. Dustin Johnson opened with a pair of 69s, a score he would have gladly taken at the start of the week and perhaps thought it would be good enough to lead. "I wouldnt have thought it would be eight shots behind," Johnson said. Brooks Koepka, the American who is carving his way through the European Tour, birdied his last hole for a 68 and joined the group at 2-under 138 with Brendon de Jonge (70), Henrik Stenson (69) and former PGA champion Keegan Bradley, who played in the same group with Kaymer and rallied for a 69. "Hes as dialled in as Ive seen," Bradley said. Starting on the back nine, Kaymer hit wedge into 5 feet for birdie on the par-5 10th. He made birdie putts from 20 and 25 feet, and then hit a gorgeous drive on the par-4 third hole, where the tee was moved up to make it play 315 yards. His shot landed perfectly between two bunkers and bounced onto the green to set up a two-putt birdie. And the lead kept growing. "I look at the scoreboards. Its enjoyable," Kaymer said. "To see whats going on, to watch yourself, how you react if youre leading by five, by six. ... I dont know, but its quite nice to play golf that way." Kaymer was the sixth player in U.S. Open history to reach double-digits under par, though McIlroy was the only other player to get there before the weekend. This is the "Germanator" everyone expected when he won the PGA Championship, and then a year later rose to No. 1 in the world. Kaymer felt his game was not complete enough, so he set out to develop a draw -- his natural shot is a fade -- and it took two years of lonely hours on the range to get it right. At the moment, he can do no wrong. Kaymer felt tired toward the end of the round, and it showed. He hit into bunkers on the sixth and seventh holes, and both times blasted out to short range. He also converted a difficult two-putt from the front of the eighth green. Even with a big lead, Kaymer did not consider changing his strategy. "Because if you think of defending anything, then youre pulling back, and thats never really a good thing," he said. "You just want to keep going. You want to keep playing. You want to challenge yourself. If you can stay aggressive and hit the right shots. And thats quite nice that its a battle against yourself." Thats what this U.S. Open is right now. A one-man show. ' ' '