er body posture away from the line. This mov

The Whitecaps two games this week were actually very similar, except for one critical difference; Kendall Waston made the most out of a deep Pedro Morales free kick vs San Jose, where he didnt against DC. The "Towering Tico" outmuscled hulking Earthquake defender Victor Bernandez from a pinpoint Morales free kick to earn a first half penalty which the Chilean converted. The two combined again just prior to the hour mark off a Whitecaps corner with Wastons celebration equal parts elation with relief. Waston also had a first half chance from a Rosales corner, but skied it well over the cross bar despite being virtually unmarked on the play. Against DC United just three days earlier, Morales put the ball on a platter for the Costa Rican, but he nudged it wide of the far post. Had he converted, the Whitecaps might have been looking at six points from a possible nine, rather than the four they earned in their three-game home stand. Welcome to the margins of Major League Soccer, especially in the nitty gritty month of September. Teams coming to BC Place have employed a simple game plan; deny space for the Whitecaps quick forwards to run into. Its not a surprise anymore for Carl Robinsons team, which is then forced to play more east-west rather than north-south. Try as they might, the anemic Vancouver attack showed plenty of endevour and enterprise, but when it came to the critical through ball, or the definitive finish, there was simply no end product. Enter the set piece threat. Kendal Wastons acquisition was billed as a "two birds one stone" signing. Hes a 65 aerial menace who can have a major impact in both penalty areas. Finally getting on the end of a well delivered ball will do wonders for the 26-year-olds confidence, who has managed to fend off adversaries with surprising ease. Hes also been named "Man of the Match" in back to back games. The aftermath of Vancouvers two set piece goals Wednesday was plainly evident. San Jose could no longer justify sitting back, and had the Whitecaps strikers been more clinical, it could have easily been four or five nil as space opened up. The 3-0 Timbers loss notwithstanding, Vancouver has been relatively steady at the back of late, with goalkeeper David Ousted taking the league lead in shutouts with nine after his 40th consecutive MLS Start Wednesday. The back-line has two veteran fullbacks being kept honest by two youngsters coming through, to go along with a diverse group of centrebacks. With the shield provided by a tenacious Mattias Laba, its clear that the Whitecaps path to a potential playoff spot rests on their ability to score timely goals the way they did against San Jose. With seven games left, and likely 12 points required to secure a post-season berth, the magnitude of each goal will be amplified, especially if the trend of close games continues. Vancouver has scored 35 and allowed 34 on the season for a plus-1 goal difference. Slender margins indeed. Mike Piazza Jersey . Granada defender Diego Mainz barged into the back of Villa to send the Spain striker to the ground inside the area and Costa stepped up to the spot to score his 12th league goal in the 38th minute. Costa showed no effects of the news that his Brazilian citizenship may be revoked after he elected to play for Spains national team, as the forward was a constant threat for Atletico and forced several saves from goalkeeper Roberto. Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss. http://www.dodgersteamproshop.com/Dodger...on-Kids-Jersey/. Its the games against the leagues struggling franchises that have proved to be an issue. Julio Urias Jersey . For the first time all night, as the Raptors were on the clock to make the 20th overall selection, no one had the slightest idea what was about to happen. No leaks, no whispers, nothing. Manny Machado Jersey .C. -- Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race hes skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr.Got a question on rule clarification, comments on rule enforcements or some memorable NHL stories? Kerry wants to answer your emails at cmonref@tsn.ca. Hey Kerry, Undoubtedly you will receive a lot of emails regarding this game. I have a question regarding the position of the linesman on the missed offside call that led to the Avs tying the game late in the third period against the Wild on Friday. Why is the linesman positioned outside the blue line? Shouldnt he be inside the line so that his body or skates arent inadvertently the cause of an offside for the attacking team? If he were in position inside the line, he surely wouldnt have to lean away from the line as he does in the photograph all over the media. I would like to know your thoughts. Thanks. DJ Waldron DJ, I want to establish first and foremost that Pierre Racicot is universally accepted as one of the top linesman in the NHL. Racicots high level of skill and competency has been recognized with seven consecutive selections to work the Stanley Cup Final. I worked many games with Pierre and can tell you firsthand that he has earned much deserved respect from players and coaches throughout the League. No matter how good a player or official is, mistakes are sometimes made. The great officials minimize their mistakes and Racicot clearly falls into that category. This is one of the very few times that this linesman got the call wrong. Let me explain why that happened. As you point out DJ, linesman Racicots initial decision to set up outside the blue line created an obstructed view of the inside edge of the line once Nathan MacKinnon carried the puck a mere couple of feet in front of the linesman. From this less than perfect position, and with Paul Stastny in full stride and about to cross the line to the right of MacKinnon, Racicot made the quick, but unfortunate, decision to alter his upper body posture away from the line. This move, made in a millisecond of time, was initiated by the linesman in an effort to gain an angle that might allow him to see both the puck and Stastny crossing the inside edge of the blue line. What this new angle created for the linesman, however, was a sightline toward the middle of the ice that became obstructed by the body of MacKinnon. Offside resulted in the blink of an eye as Stastnys lead skate (and with his back skate in the air not in contact with the line or outside the attacking zone) crossed inches ahead of the puck and resultedd in a rare missed call by Racicot.dddddddddddd I had the opportunity to work with some incredibly talented linesmen during the course of my career; Pierre Racicot included. As I was writing this column I spoke with HHOF member and former colleague Ray Scapinello to provide us with some technical insight on a play of this nature. Scamp said that he learned from fellow Hall-of-Fame members John DAmico and Matt Pavelich that, as a rule of thumb, it was imperative for the linesman to be set inside the blue line prior to players and the puck crossing the line. Im sure it might have happened through unavoidable circumstance but I cant ever remember Scapinello making a decision on an off-side from the neutral zone. On the contrary, I have vivid memories of Scamp positioned inside the zone, down on one knee and looking along the inside edge of the blue line to render his accurate decision on a close call. Once the play was deemed on-side, the little fellow jumped up and quickly moved his skates outside the blue line to avoid being hit with the puck and preventing it from exiting the zone. Ray stressed the importance of the linesmen seeing the attack develop, moving quickly to set up inside the blue line and waiting to make the call as the puck and players cross the line. Scamp said this, especially with the red line no longer in play for the off-side pass rule and the linesmen must be dialed in for potential stretch passes. When set up inside the blue line, Ray said it didnt matter if all five attacking players crossed the line at the same time because his view would not be obstructed. The rare missed offside call by Racicot was an anomaly for this highly skilled professional linesman. He will learn from this experience and gain an unobstructed sightline from a position inside the blue line whenever possible. If, in the future, there is a need to alter his upper body posture/sightline along the line, my guess is Pierre will lean toward the inside edge instead of away from it. This play not only demonstrates the speed of the game but also that human error can and will occur, no matter good the player or official is. This play aside, the NHL Officiating Department could certainly use Hockey Hall of Fame legendary linesman Ray Scapinello to lead and coach the current crop of NHL linesmen, no matter how proficient they might be. Scamp learned from the very best in his day; the present group of linesman should be afforded the same privilege. 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