VANCOUVER - The salsa music was cranked up loud in the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room prior to a training session this week. Malcolm Smith Two Tone Jersey . You can catch the action live on TSN2 at 10pm et/7pm pt. The players looked relaxed and smiled as they filed out for practice. There was little evidence the teams confidence had been shaken by a pair of subpar performances and its first loss in eight Major League Soccer games. There was even talk about how the Seattle Sounders, Vancouvers Cascadia rival with the best record in MLS, are the right medicine to cure whatever ails the Whitecaps. "Its the perfect test to bounce back," forward Nigel Reo-Coker said about Saturdays game at BC Place Stadium. "Its a great test for the team. No one expects us to win this game. They are the most experienced team, I would say, in the league. For us, as an emerging young team, its a great time for us to prove to people we should be taken seriously as a team." The Whitecaps had a franchise record eight-game unbeaten streak (3-0-5) snapped in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids last week. Vancouver had also played poorly in a 0-0 draw to the Montreal Impact the previous game. A Vancouver team that had gone six of seven games scoring two or more goals has suddenly had problems putting the ball in the net. "The last couple of games I dont think our team has produced the same amount of opportunities they have in the past," said forward Erik Hurtado. "That is going to affect us scoring goals." Coach Carl Robinson doesnt see any big problems with the Whitecaps game, just areas that need little fixes. "Good teams are able to do the crappy jobs very well," said Robinson. "Weve done that the first part of the season. In the last two games I think we went away from that. "Our transition play needs to be a little bit better. Its the little details that make the big differences. If we get back to that, then everyone will put a smile on their face." Seattle leads the MLS standings with 35 points from a 11-3-2 record. One of those ties came against Vancouver last month. The Sounders have also scored 33 goals, more than any other team in the league. Vancouver is fifth in the Western Conference, 13 points behind Seattle with a 5-3-7 record. Steven Beitashour, who is returning to the Whitecaps lineup after playing for Iran at the World Cup, said the last two results are a minor bump in a long season. "We were on a nice streak," said the 27-year-old right back. "The guys did well during that. "The league is going to have runs, good runs, bad runs. I dont think two is bad at all. Im confident this weekend we will have a good result, then we will start a new winning streak." The last time the teams met Seattle salvaged the tie on a late penalty kick after a controversial call. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid doesnt expect things to be any easier in the rematch. "They are going to be a team that is motivated," Schmid said on the Sounders website. "Im sure they havent been happy with their last two games they played, they havent scored any goals. "Coach Robinson will be under them and motivating them. That team is going to be hungry when they play us." One reason the Whitecaps have had problems scoring goals is teams are dropping back defenders to counter Vancouvers speed. Robinson said his team must be smarter with the ball when they have possession. "We have to get back to maintaining possession, dictating possession, but also being a threat in the final third," he said. "We know we have quick players, but have we got players with an understanding how to move (opposition) players out of position? Seattle is a very organized team. They like to get eight, nine men behind the ball. We are going to have to be open and expansive but also a little bit creative in our final third play." Vancouver could also improve its set plays. The Whitecaps have been unable to take advantage of some good deliveries from midfielder Pedro Morales. "I think the service has been there," said Robinson. "Now its the challenge for the players to get in the right position. Its about movement in the box." The Whitecaps have been guilty of giving up leads. Robinson said thats a result of his team still learning how to deal with certain game situations. "The top teams are able to grind out results," he said. "I havent got an experienced core. I have a young group. "When we bend we might break at the moment. Its important we learn from scenarios like that. At the moment we have broken but we will learn form certain things." One player thrilled to be back in the Whitecaps lineup is Medhi Ballouchy. The 31-year-old midfielder from Morocco spent 11 months recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries on both knees. During that time he also lost his father to cancer. Ballouchy played 20 minutes against Colorado and called the experience "amazing." "Taking something from a soccer player ... its always hard," he said about his long recovery. "Im just happy (and) at this point dont even want to think about it. "I hope I can stay in this phase for a long time." 12th Fan Elite Jersey . Now Samardzija has his second win in three starts for a team trying to turn around its season. Samardzija tossed seven solid innings, Junior Lake hit two home runs and Emilio Bonifacio added a two-run shot as the Cubs extended their winning streak to five with a 5-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. Percy Harvin Elite Jersey . -- The Erie Otters won their eighth straight game with a four-goal outburst in the third en route to an 8-4 win over the Sarnia Sting in Ontario Hockey League play Saturday. PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Tiger Woods has a solution to long putters -- make them no longer than the shortest club in the bag. Woods said Tuesday at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am he has "never been a fan" of long putters that players either anchor into their belly or the broom-style putters that are pressed against the chest. "I believe its the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion," Woods said. "I believe thats how it should be played. Im a traditionalist when it comes to that." Woods said he has spoken to Royal & Ancient chief executive Peter Dawson the last several years about how the language could be written in the Rules of Golf that effectively would ban such putters. "My idea was to have it so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag," Woods said. "And I think with that, wed be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring." He said the putter still could be anchored to the forearm, as two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer once did. Keegan Bradley became the first major champion to use a belly putter when he won the PGA Championship. Bill Haas used the same style when he won the Tour Championship to capture the FedEx Cup. The belly putters gained momentum late last year with Bradley and Webb Simpson, who won twice late in the year and who nearly captured the PGA Tour money title. Both considered themselves good putters who felt as though anchoring the club to their stomach made them even better. For years, most players believed only players who were desperatee to improve used such putters. 12th Fan Green Jersey. Ernie Els once criticized the use of belly putters, but switched to one late last year and said: "As long as its legal, Ill keep cheating like the rest of them." Phil Mickelson also experimented with a belly putter during the FedEx Cup playoffs last year. He since has gone back to a more conventional putter. The R&A and USGA, while making no formal announcement, have said they would review such putters. While it would seem simple to ban long putters, it can help recreational players stay interested in the game, and any ban might also affect the equipment companies. "If you look back at the interest in it, it really never changed for over 20 years," USGA executive director Mike Davis said Saturday at its annual meeting. "Then all of a sudden in 2011 ... this has become a much bigger topic. So the R&A and USGA have been talking about this at length, and were looking at it from the perspective as ... what is good for the game for all golfers long term." Davis said it would be premature to speculate on a direction the governing bodies are going, except to say they are not ignoring the issue. "It is something that we have taken a fresh look at, because there are more players in the game, both on the elite level and on the recreational level, using it," Davis said. "I think we just want to be sure that were looking at all the angles and thinking about what is in the best interest, both the traditions of the game, the history of the game and what is what we think would be good for the game long term." cheap jerseys ' ' '
