War-enhaus » s the villain of the piece?The key

Three hundred-and-sixty-five days. That is how long it has been since Canadas mens national team were humiliated 8-1 in their final World Cup qualifying match in Honduras. Since that embarrassing defeat, the mens team has played 11 competitive games. The stats from those 11 games read as follows: zero wins, eight losses, three draws, one goal scored and sixteen goals conceded. It is impossible to put a positive spin on that. The grim reality is that our fortunes at the international level are not going to improve any time soon. Until we have a larger pool of players getting regular minutes at their respective professional clubs, we will never be able to compete at the international level. We just dont have the depth of talent needed to do so. A case in point: Toronto FC midfielder Kyle Bekker has played more games for Canadas mens national team in 2013 than he has for Toronto FC. In no successful soccer nation in the world does this happen. Yet because we have so few professional players from which to select our national team, we are left with no choice. If new head coach Benito Floro didnt know what he was getting himself into when he took the job, he surely does now. Experimental lineups against Mauritania (twice) and Australia yielded no goals, one draw and two losses. In those three games, he utilized virtually every eligible player at his disposal with a few exceptions (like Montreal Impact midfielder, Patrice Bernier, or Real Salt Lake skipper, Will Johnson.) There isnt a pipeline of young players being churned out by the three Canadian MLS clubs. Young players like Bekker cant even get a game at their club team, so how can Floro rely on them to deliver at the unforgiving international level? Its very simple - he cant. So what option does Floro have? Well, he isnt going to turn our mens team into free-flowing masters of tiki-taka football overnight. In fact, hes never going to have that effect on our team. We are what we are and, if Floro were wise, he will look to the past to see a way to bridge to the future. Canadas mens teams have always been extremely disciplined and well-organized. They have always had strong goalkeepers, resilient and reliable defenders, and hard-working midfielders. The current lack of goal-scoring punch is simply the status quo - we have never developed especially prolific goal scorers - and that isnt going to change. But where Floro can really impact the current group is on the defensive side of the game. The goals that were conceded against Australia were very poor by international standards. Moving forward, it is essential for Floro to spend what little time he has with his players working on their defensive understanding. You simply cannot win games when you concede sloppy goals and Canada must get back to being hard to play against. From there, Canada needs to employ a strategy that utilizes quick transitions - both from defending to attacking and vice-versa. The influence of players like Johnson and Atiba Hutchinson cannot be underestimated in this area; both are vital components of the spine of Floros team. Johnson has blossomed into an all-star in Major League Soccer, leading the Portland Timbers to the top of the Western Conference standings. He is an agitator in midfield, but is also capable of getting his fair share of goals - he has eight this season, a career best. Hutchinson is Canadas best player. Currently playing for Besiktas in Turkey, Hutchinson has grown as a player since moving to Europe in 2003. Now, with 10 years of top flight football under his belt, Hutchinson must play a major role in Floros future plans. These two players should be the central midfield fulcrum around which Floros team is built. At 26 (Johnson) and 30 (Hutchinson,) they are in the prime years of their careers and will thrive in roles of responsibility. At the back, David Edgar should be first choice at central defense and finding him a consistent partner must be a priority. While he still has a ways to go, I have always believed that Adam Straith could one day develop into that player. Doneil Henry is still very raw and making the mistakes at the club level that every 20-year-old makes, so rushing him before he is ready would be a mistake. A solid spine is essential in any well-organized team, and these four positions are crucial to Floros chances of turning things in the right direction. It is by no means the finished article and there are a number of holes that Floro will need to address if the team is to find success during his tenure. But with no wins in eleven games and only one goal over that span, Floro needs to start somewhere. Roger Clemens Jersey .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Aaron Loup Jersey . The punch happened in the fourth quarter of Milwaukees 116-102 loss to the Kings on Wednesday when the two players became entangled while battling for rebounding position. http://www.officialbluejaysgearshop.com/...ay-Kids-Jersey/. The Flames are in the midst of a six-game slide (0-5-1), their longest losing streak since an 0-6-3 skid from Jan. 11-28, 2010. They havent won since Nov. 3 in Chicago and most recently went winless on a three-game homestand. Brett Anderson Jersey . Not bad for a defenceman. The goal, that is. Although the shuffling dance steps werent bad, either. Barrie scored 55 seconds into overtime, Semyon Varlamov stopped 29 shots, and the Avalanche moved a step closer to their first playoff berth in four years with a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. George Bell Jersey . Raymond, 31, started 15 regular-season games for the Stamps in 2013, racking up 51 tackles. He also returned two kickoffs for 79 yards including a 61-yarder.Martin Wolfie Adams is a popular addition to the Grand Slam of Darts but will be chucked in the deep end against Michael van Gerwen on Saturday. Sky Sports Rod Studd recalls their history... Martin turned down invitations to the Grand Slam before. How would people react to him, would he be welcomed? Or would be brought over as the villain of the piece?The key was Martin embracing the whole idea of playing in the Grand Slam last year. He came with exactly the right attitude, and the supporters embraced him. It was heart-warming because he enjoyed being there, and they enjoyed him being there! You can watch all the action from the Grand Slam of Darts, live on Sky Sports between November 12-20 Live Grand Slam of Darts November 12, 2016, 1:00pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass It was great from the word go and playing so well enhanced that. Beating Ian White - he had three 100-plus finishes which brought the house down so immediately he was up-and-running. He had the perfect start and it snowballed from there.He beat Jelle Klaasen, then beat Steve Beaton. He was 4-1 up, Steve got it back to 4-4 but Martin won. It was great to see - it was a retro game, Martin of the BDO against Steve, the world champion in the mid-90s. Everyone loves nostalgia, going down memory lane. He was brilliant for darts. Whether he thought afterwards: I should have played in years gone by but its easy with hindsight. Rod Studd A wolf in Wolverhampton Wolfie exclusive on his health scare & pre-match drinks He played Kim Huybrechts in the knockout phase and lost 10-9 in a brilliant match.dddddddddddd I dont know if Martin felt this at the time, but it was the right way to go out. He went out on his sword.He would have played Michael van Gerwen in the next round so it would have been sad if Martin lost heavily in that match. He enjoyed playing Huybrechts, who showed him lots of respect. He was brilliant for darts. Whether he thought afterwards: I should have played in years gone by but its easy to say with hindsight.Van Gerwen v Adams on Saturday night is old against new. If we go back into the depths of time, back to 2006, they played in the BDO World Masters. This was the first coming of Van Gerwen, a precocious teenager who was taking the world of darts by storm. Martin was the top man at the BDO but Michael played like hes started to play now. We take a look back at the history of the Grand Slam of Darts The greatest or the best? MVG reveals unique mind-set of toppling Phil Taylor Theyve got a little bit of previous although it was a long time ago. Im sure Martin and Michael will have a wander down memory lane but Michael will remember that match more fondly because he won. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Michael is a Dutch darts juggernaut so, although he was a slight favourite in 2006, now he will be an overwhelming favourite. Not many people will give Martin a price but, in very short games, stranger things are more likely.You cant completely dismiss Wolfies chances but even if he loses, hes still got a great chance of getting through the group.Watch the Grand Slam of Darts live on Sky Sports between November 12-20. Also See: A wolf in Wolverhampton MVG: Greatest or the best? Is there a BDO-PDC rivalry? Order of play ' ' '