SHAPES OF MLS THE FORMATIONS: When Ryan Nelsen named his starting XI featuring Michael Bradley, Jonathan Osorio and Kyle Bekker, it appeared we could be in for a change of system. Darren Helm Jersey . Osorio did play a bit deeper than a normal forward, making the fluid system look, at times, like a 4-2-3-1 but, in truth, this system wasnt much different to the one Nelsen has trusted this season. A high-flying FC Dallas threw out no surprises in their lineup, making just one change from their loss to Seattle the previous week with the impressive young right back, Kellyn Acosta, coming back into the side. THE GAME: The three goals all came directly, or indirectly, from set-pieces so the game itself was not won or lost tactically, however, the style adopted by Nelsens team once again threw out many questions about his system. On the balance of play it was probably a game that no team deserved to win or lose, although Toronto FC certainly should have had a chance to score a second goal when, at 1-1, Gilberto was fouled in the box and a penalty was not given. It is worth noting how the chance was created in the first place. By this stage the visitors were sitting very deep, defending a set-piece, when Osorio picked up the ball inside his own half and sent a fantastic pass for the Brazilian to rush onto. The Canadian had a chance to send the ball forward seconds earlier but couldnt connect, but then used his great vision soon after when he demanded the ball get played back to him. Yes, he was deep because of the team was defending the set play but it was another example of Osorios maturation and what he can do when slotted deeper in midfield. (Click for bigger image) From that pass, the referee was a long way behind the play and probably got some assistance from Gilberto getting back up immediately, rather than staying down after the foul was committed. If he had a number of goals scored already this season and wasnt so eager, he probably would have lay on the floor flat out waiting for the call. Osorio didnt come that deep many times in the game but it was interesting to see how effective Toronto were when he did. In the first half, the closest he got to the double pivot of Bekker and Bradley led Dallas to concede the corner that led to Torontos opening goal. Once ahead, Toronto struggled to get a grip on the game. With Osorio playing as an advanced central midfielder it was clear the need to help Gilberto would have to come from the wide areas but this presented several challenges for Nelsens system. Jackson is a worker. He runs a lot. He is a poor mans Ramires. This is not a disrespectful comparison. His countryman has been trusted in massive games to play that wide role to help defend the flank (think Champions League semi final in Barcelona for Chelsea) and Jackson certainly does well with that responsibility. In attack, however, he lacks the creativity and that is fine providing it is available on the opposite flank. Goalscorer Issey Nakajima-Farran had an interesting match. He likes to shoot and get forward, as demonstrated on the goal, and that is something this team needs at the moment but defensively he is a weak link in the system (see below). THE TURNING POINT: Without question, the longer the game would have gone on at 1-0 the stronger Toronto FC would have gotten (as they showed in Columbus) but they conceded a needless corner later in the first half and, subsequently, allowed a simple header to be won to make it 1-1. With the goal, Dallas grew stronger and were able to take advantage of the areas that they were superior, specifically out wide. THE POSITIVES: Nelsens squad was down to the bare minimum with seven players all missing through injuries. Of those seven, the most important were, of course, Jermain Defoe, Doneil Henry and Rey and there is something to be said for going toe-to-toe with a strong Western Conference side without them. Henry would have helped significantly with the aerial battles they lost in the box, while Defoes absence has robbed the club from a chance to really gel a partnership with Gilberto, something that may not reach the heights until August now, if the Englishman does go to the World Cup. Gilberto still has no goals and the detractors will start talking louder this week but he did all he could with what he has. It remains far too soon to jump to conclusions on him. THE NEGATIVES: Despite missing those players, there is a clear concern developing around the productivity, reliability and creativity of the wide players. Whether Nelsen plays a 4-4-2, 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1, it really is irrelevant. This team does not keep the ball enough so they have to make sure they are better at counter attacks and servicing whoever is playing up front. Jacksons characteristics have been identified but Nakajima-Farran is very different. Like Alvaro Rey, he can be liability defending a flank. It is difficult to assign blame in this area, depending on his instructions from Nelsen. In a 4-4-1-1, if the man playing off the striker (in this case Osorio) is more naturally a midfielder, rather than a forward, often you might want one of your wide men to go centrally, when in possession, to make up an attacking duo. For this, Nakajima-Farran is ideal. He did it on more than a couple of occasions but the issue is when the opponents react with a quick transition. So far in all of Torontos away matches, the home side have targeted their flanks. Seattle did it, once they trailed 2-0, and Nelsen switched Jackson with Rey after 40 minutes to counter it. Real Salt Lake did it very effectively, (with right-back Tony Beltran winning a US call-up because of it) Columbus less so, and, once again, FC Dallas excelled at it. With Nakajima-Farran not tracking back, left back Jair Benitez has a field day in the first half creating numerous overlaps that, often, looked like this with Nakajima-Farran (highlighted) not helping Mark Bloom defensively. (Click for bigger image) Like in Seattle, Nelsen reacted to this shortly before the 40th minute when he switched Jackson and put Nakajima-Farran with Morrow and away from Benitez and Castillo. Both flanks were still attacked throughout, and the home sides full-backs, between them, made a combined 93 successful pass attempts (Torontos made 44) and although that number is excellent, the chalkboard reveals just how many of them were in advanced areas. It is clear that, no matter who is playing for Toronto, this is the scouting report opponents will follow. It is up to Nelsens team to counter that by improving the skills of those playing in those positions and/or getting more of an attacking threat from central areas, forcing opponents to match them up more centrally. THE STAR MAN: I am struggling to think of a better performance, in the clubs history, from a Toronto FC full back than the one put in by Justin Morrow. Is there anything that fazes him? Dallas attacked on the flanks all night but it didnt have anywhere near as much impact down Morrows side as it did on the opposite one. The left back is a supreme reader of the game, is more than comfortable in one-on-one situations, is physical and moves centrally, when necessary, to help narrow the space and cover for the centre-backs. Dallas, themselves, had excellent performers such as Matt Hedges who won everything in the air, but for the visitors, Morrow was outstanding. Simply put, he is the best left-back this club has ever had by some margin. Evgeny Svechnikov Jersey . It was the most lopsided loss in Lakers history. Darren Collison had a team-high 24 points while starting at shooting guard for the injured Jamal Crawford. Chris Paul added 13 points and 11 assists for the Clippers, who apparently are trying to make up for decades of humiliation at the hands of the Lakers all in one season; theyve won the last two meetings by a combined 84 points. Mike Green Jersey . The team made the announcement after Saturdays 6-5 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. RHP Kenny Giles will be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill Adams spot on the roster. http://www.hockeyredwingsauthentic.com/authentic-pavel-datsyuk-red-wings-jersey/ .com) - The Vancouver Canucks recovered from a fluke goal early last time out to knock off one of the top teams in the league.SAN FRANCISCO -- Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched for his country, doing anything he could from afar to lift spirits in South Korea after all the lives lost during a devastating ferry accident. Ryu stretched his road scoreless streak to 26 innings this season and 28 in all, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 on Thursday to avoid a sweep. "Its just a really unfortunate situation," Ryu said through an interpreter of the ferry accident back home. "I have a very heavy heart today. I thought if I could just win today and pitch well maybe it would give them a little brighter side to think about. Thats why I went out there and tried to do the best I could." Ryu (3-1) struck out three and walked one on a season-high 112 pitches in seven innings, helping his club move into a tie with the Giants atop the NL West at 10-6. The Giants played their seventh straight one-run game, their most since eight in a row in 1910, according to STATS. Yasiel Puig returned to the Dodgers starting lineup and went 1 for 4 with a strikeout. He dropped a routine fly ball in right early on but recovered to throw out Brandon Belt at second. He then made a nice over-the-head catch on the next batter and a running grab in shallow centre in the eighth with a runner on second. He said the ball hit his thumb area on the play he missed, and he didnt close his glove quickly enough. The Cuban star said before the game he will stay focused on baseball despite reports smugglers who got him out of his country threatened his life. He made two baserunning blunders in the season-opening series at Australia, then arrived late at Dodger Stadium for the home opener and was scratched. He vowed to remain focused on baseball and not the off-field issues "so those things that are happening dont torment me." Tim Federowicz hit an RBI single in the second to put the Dodgers ahead, and Adrian Gonzalez singled in a run in the fifth to chase Madison Bumgarner. Gonzalez extended his hitting streak to 12 games, adding an eighthh-inning double. Dennis Cholowski Jersey. Former Giants closer Brian Wilson gave up a leadoff double to Ehire Adrianza but escaped the inning unscathed. Kenley Jansen gave up a two-out RBI single to Adrianza before finishing for his fifth save. Ryu had surrendered a career-high eight runs in a career-short two innings against the Giants in the Dodgers home opener April 4. "Kind of what we needed today for him to go seven and go back out there for the seventh," manager Don Mattingly said. "It worked out." With his bushy beard freshly shorn, Bumgarner (2-1) had a three-start winning streak against the Dodgers snapped with just his second loss in the past seven outings against Los Angeles. The left-hander allowed two runs, six hits and three walks with six strikeouts in 4 1-3 innings but threw 99 pitches. "Not a whole lot went in our favour. Im not trying to change anything," Bumgarner said. "That was some of the best stuff Ive had so far. Its been tough getting deep into games right now." Los Angeles played without shortstop Hanley Ramirez, a day after he was hit by a pitch on the top of his left hand. The Dodgers said there is no fracture, and Ramirez said he had iced the hand eight times and planned to play Friday against Arizona to begin a 10-game homestand. NOTES: LHP Clayton Kershaw, on the DL with a strained muscle in his back, threw breaking balls off the mound and added velocity from his previous session. A rehab assignment is yet to be scheduled, nor any further tests at this time, Mattingly said. Kershaw will continue to throw every other day. ... Giants SS Brandon Crawford was given an extra day off to rest his tender right hamstring. He was available to play and took ground balls before the game. ... CF Angel Pagan didnt start because of knee soreness but appeared as a pinch-hitter. "He banged his knee into a wall a few days ago, so were giving him a break," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. ... The Dodgers improved to 11-2 when they score first. 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