Hallmann made my win better because he was really tough." T

Carl Robinson has accomplished quite a bit in his first nine Major League Soccer games at the helm of the Vancouver Whitecaps. After a rocky off-season that saw star striker Camilo Sanvezzo force his way out of town, the energetic and enthusiastic rookie head coach retooled his roster and has Vancouver off to a 3-2-4 start, including a 3-1-1 mark at B.C. Place Stadium. Robinson then admittedly took a risk this week by selecting a "younger than young" starting 11 in a hard-fought 2-1 road defeat to Toronto FC in the first leg of Amway Canadian Championship semifinal that resulted in the Whitecaps escaping with a valuable away goal. But like so many teams in MLS, picking up wins on the road has been elusive, and Robinson will be looking for his first on Saturday when the Whitecaps visit the Columbus Crew. You can see all the action on TSN beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. "Were hungry. Part of the reason I left some of the senior guys out on Wednesday was to rest them for Saturday," said the Welshman. "Theyve got to go in now and give me everything theyve got for the weekend." Vancouver is 0-1-3 on the road so far in 2014, but played tough in a loss to the L.A. Galaxy and a draw against to Real Salt Lake — two teams considered to be among the Western Conferences best. Robinson said its his job to find a way to get his players on the front foot when they are the visitors, something that comes much easier at home. "Once I find that solution its going to be a lot easier because it wont put us under as much pressure at B.C. Place in getting results," said Robinson. "Its known throughout MLS that teams, when they go on the road, do struggle. But I think that if youre able to win four or five games away from home and take care of your home business then youre going to be there in the playoffs. "MLS brings up funny results. You lose two or three games and youre down at the bottom of the conference. You win two or three games and youre at the top of the conference. Thats the way Major League Soccer is set up and I think its an exciting way to go." Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted said its up to the squad to trust themselves and their abilities in tough environments. "I think its a mentality thing — going away from home and still believing fully that you can go win, even against good teams," he said. "Believing in the team and believing in your own ability and going away from home and trying to win every game is an important thing." Ousted and the Whitecaps other regulars saw some of that fight from the sidelines on Wednesday as Vancouvers kids battled a Toronto roster that boasted high-priced talent like Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley. "The senior players were there and rooted them on and tried to support them as best as possible," said Ousted. "The young guys did brilliantly. It was a chance for them to show the coaches what they can do and they did really well." The Crew (3-3-3) won their first three games of the season but have failed to record a victory in the last six, including a 1-0 road loss to the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday. "They are a little bit of a wounded animal. Theyre a good team and teams like that will do anything to get back to winning ways," said Ousted. "Were going to their place, were going away from home and they probably are going to come out and give all they can to get the win. We need to be ready for both a battle and a soccer match. "The start of the game will probably be a battle and be about finding the edge. After that we can hopefully get our game going and keep the ball and get chances." Columbus, meanwhile, will be hoping to get back in the win column for the first time since March 29. "Well be coming home, so well have a little more energy, hopefully, that were playing in front of our home fans," Crew midfielder Ethan Finlay told the clubs official website. "(The Whitecaps) are a really good team ... theyre a team that you have to watch for, they have a lot of pieces going forward, and it will be a tough test." One of those pieces in Vancouvers attack is Pedro Morales, who has three goals and two assists in six games this season, including two in last weekends 3-2 home victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. The Chilean is one of the pieces Robinson brought in after Sanvezzos departure and his presence in midfield has been a big part of the Whitecaps early success as the team looks to return to the post-season after missing out in 2013. On the other side, Columbus boasts the equally dangerous Federico Higuain, a striker who has four goals and two assists so far in this campaign. "Hes a special player," Robinson said of the Argentine. "Ive got one in Pedro Morales. He makes things happen in games. "Its going to be interesting. Theres two playmaking players (who are) going to be on the field on Saturday and whichever one probably has the biggest influence will win the game." Notes: Vancouver is 2-2-0 all-time against Columbus, including a 2-1 home victory last season. ... Robinson said he was pleased with striker Omar Salgados performance on Wednesday. The 20-year-old started the season with the second-tier Charleston Battery, but was recalled after the Whitecaps parted ways with Kenny Miller. And with Darren Mattocks out injured, Robinson said the first overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft will remain with Vancouver for the foreseeable future. ... The second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship tie between Toronto and Vancouver goes Wednesday at B.C. Place. The winner of the two-game, total-goals series will meet either the Montreal Impact or FC Edmonton in the final. Cheap Cubs Jerseys .com) - Wayne Simmonds, Scott Laughton and Jakub Voracek each posted a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-1, on Saturday. Chicago Cubs Pro Shop . His apology came before a pregame ceremony in which the team honoured its 2004 team that won Bostons first World Series championship since 1918. "I realize that I behaved bad in Boston," Ramirez said. https://www.cheapcubs.com/ . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest. Wholesale Cubs Jerseys . -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold. Chicago Cubs Gear . The 17-year-old had four goals and four assists in 38 games for Liberec in the Czech pro league this past season. Zacha had three goals and two assists in seven games at the world mens under-18 championship in April when the Czech Republic took the silver medal.BRASILIA, Brazil - Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski knocked Antonio Silva out on Saturday in the first round of the main event of UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski 2. Arlovski (23-10) received heavy criticism for a lacklustre win over Brendan Schaub in June. On Saturday night, he silenced his doubters, at least for now. Silva (18-6) looked a little tentative to start, as he took the centre of the octagon but was reluctant to move forward, instead preferring to keep his hands high and seek a counter. Arlovski approached with caution to open, but once he realized Silva was holding back, he opened up with darting right hands to the head and body. It would be the punch that would ultimately prove the decider. Late in the first, Arlovski fired the big overhand, and it landed flush, sending the massive Silva to the floor. Arlovski immediately seized the opportunity, pouncing with big hammerfists that put Silva out at the 2:59 mark of the opening round. Silva — who goes by the nickname Bigfoot — defeated Arlovski in 2010 when both fought for the Strikeforce promotion. "I am very excited and happy now," Arlovski said after the win. "And I really want the extra $50,000 on my paycheck." Arlovski is now 2-0 in the UFC since rejoining the promotion after six years fighting outside of the octagon, and he did pick up a $50,000 bonus for one the cards two "Performance of the Night" awards, as well. In the nights co-main event, massive Brazilian lightweight Gleison Tibau earned a hard-fought split-decision win over Polish prospect Piotr Hallmann. Tibau looked destined to finish the fight in the early going, rocking Hallmann with a high kick and several powerful punches. But the gritty Hallmann refused to be put away, battling back throughout the 15-minute affair with punches and kicks of his own. Tibau seemed to control thhe action throughout all three rounds, taking the fight to the floor when he wanted and remaining upright when Hallmann tried to do the same.dddddddddddd. Tibaus blows always seemed to land with more consequence, as well, though a few Hallmann knees did draw blood late in the third. The bout was back-and-forth, but Tibau stayed just a step ahead, and while it looked like he had done enough to comfortable score a decision win, he had to sweat through a split result before picking up the win. "It wasnt the result I wanted," Tibau admitted after the fight. "I won the fight, but I wanted the knockout. But Im happy because I think Hallmann made my win better because he was really tough." Tibaus 23 UFC appearances are now tied for fourth-most all-time. In a lightweight matchup, "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 2" winner Leonardo Santos (13-3) picked up a hard-fought decision win over "The Ultimate Fighter 8" winner Efrain Escudero (22-9). Santos, a jiu-jitsu world champion, controlled the opening round, taking Escudero to the floor and looking for submission opportunities. The tables turned in the second, with Santos seeming to fade as Escudero defending his takedown attempts and landing uppercuts and overhands on the feet. With the fight on the line in the third round, Escudero looked crisp to start, but it was Santos ultimately imposed his will. Santos scored a well-timed takedown and then dominated the positioning for most of the final frame. While Escudero defended his submission well, he was unable to get back to his feet, and Santos was granted the unanimous decision win. "He won the second round, and I know it, but I dominated the first and third rounds," Santos said after the win. "He is a very tough and experienced guy, so I had to look for flaws in his game. But I found it and won the fight." ' ' '