There’s still work to be done, but the Whitecaps are on the cusp of a playoff berth, an MLS club record point haul, with CONCACAF Champions league representation already sewn up. Marwin Gonzalez Jersey . And it was all achieved with a younger squad, and without a 22 goal scorer. The great untold story of this campaign has been the recruitment of quality characters who have contributed to a new dressing room culture. It may be the most difficult and risky aspect of building a club because, how do you measure character? There are no analytics for it. It comes down to networks, gut, and trust in the guts of others. And it also requires hours upon hours of cross referencing. Gone are the days when YouTube clips and an agent’s word are good enough to sign someone. The Whitecaps off season recruitment began with the acquisitions of Mehdi Ballouchy and Steven Beitashour. Carl Robinson knew Ballouchy from his time in New York, while Beitashour’s reputation was impeccable. Between them; almost 300 MLS games played. Then came the unheralded signings of Nicholas Mezquida and Sebastien Fernandez, from an obscure club in Uruguay. At the time, many thought these were simply squad signings to improve the club’s overall depth. The quality was evident from day one. The work ethic was infectious. The personalities were magnetic. The most important transactions occurred during the Whitecaps pre-season stint in Portland, where they landed their two DP’s, Mattias Laba and Pedro Morales. If there’s one truth about Major League Soccer it’s that you must get your designated players right. They need to be your best players. They need to justify the designation and they need to be respected by their teammates. The on field contributions were instantly recognizable. But no-one could have expected the off-field roles both Laba and Morales would play. They became the new leaders in the Whitecaps dressing room. The Mauro Rosales trade was a one sided transaction in the maintenance department. Rosales is a consummate professional with an elite class resume and an abundance of MLS moxy. He too became an instant Lieutenant. But it was the signing of Kendall Waston which may have been the coup of the summer. It wasn’t as if Waston was some random pick from the Central American ether. He had a trial with Real Salt Lake, but they ultimately weren’t interested. The background research on Waston’s character was as thorough as all of the previous recruits, but Waston still represented a sizable leap of faith given his patchy form and the league he played in. The club’s technical team wanted to know everything about the player. His background, where he lived, what he ate, going even so far as calling opposition coaches to get their impressions of the strapping Saprissa Centre back. Carl Robinson and Martyn Pert have bird-dogs in virtually every corner of the world, long standing relationships built exclusively on trust. It may be the most important and exciting factor going into the off season, because there are more Wastons and Morales’s scattered around the globe and the Whitecaps know where to find them. Waston’s play of late has already attracted attention from other clubs. It’s just a matter time before the Whitecaps get an offer they can’t refuse for any number of their players. As hard as that may be to understand for the fans, the selling-on of talent is a huge part of the long term building of any club. The trick will be to maximize the value, while ensuring there’s always a pipeline of talent to fill the vacancies. Character is a critical aspect of any successful organization. In a short period of time, the Whitecaps have proven an ability to find players who have it. Now if they can find someone who’s exemplary temperament can match his ability to score, the club could be in for a banner 2015. Paul Molitor Jersey . This week, topics cover the World Series champion Red Sox, John Farrell and what to look forward to this off-season. Mitch Garver Twins Jersey . Dane Dobbie had four goals and two assists, Karsen Leung had two goals and two assists, and Matthew Dinsdale scored two and helped on another for Calgary (6-3). Shawn Evans and Jeff Shattler had eight-point games with a goal and seven assists apiece, and Jon Harnett and Geoff Snider also scored. http://www.twinssale.com/twins-bert-blyleven-jersey/ . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. Canada weathered the storm after squandering a lead with a series of made shots. "Its a fantastic win for our country with 11 first-time Canadian national team members," said head coach Roy Rana.VANCOUVER - Like just about everyone else in the building backup goaltender Eddie Lack was surprised when he suddenly was summoned off the bench against the Winnipeg Jets Sunday night. Lack replaced an injured Roberto Luongo late in the first period then watched defenceman Chris Tanev score the winning goal midway through the third as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Jets 2-1 in a tight NHL game. "I was a bit surprised for sure," said Lack, who stopped 15 shots to improve his record to 6-2-0. "I didnt hear anything before that he was hurt. "I just stuck my glove on and got out there." Luongo, one of the goalies being considered to represent Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games, suddenly left the ice with 3:30 remaining in the first period. Head coach John Tortorella said Luongo had a lower body injury and is day-to-day. The game was Vancouvers last before the Christmas break and the Canucks dont play again until Dec. 29 in Calgary. Luongo had his leg clipped early in the period by big Winnipeg defenceman Dustin Byfuglien. He also was knocked flat on the ice during a goal-mouth collision with the Jets Blake Wheeler. Tortorella said Luongo had spoken with trainer Mike Burnstein briefly a couple of shifts earlier but had no idea the veteran goaltender was in any trouble. "I didnt know," he said. "It surprised me." Tanev broke a 1-1 tie at 10:23 of final period when he took a pass in the high slot from Zack Kassian and ripped a shot past Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. It was Tanevs fourth goal of the season, leaving him tied among Canuck defenceman with Dan Hamhuis and Jason Garrison. "Im just trying to get pucks to the net," he said. "It seemed like the seas parted when I got it. It was awesome when I walked into it." Brad Richardson also scored for Vancouver with his first power play goal of the season. Tortorella said the Canucks need players like Tanev and Richardson to contribute as the season continues. "You cant depend on just a couple of guys," he said. "I dont think this team for the last little while has. "I think everybody has kind of chipped in." Evander Kane scored on the power play for Winnipeg. The Jets pushed Canucks at times but couldnt beat Lack. Winnipeg has lost five of its last seven games. "We had some opportunities to score but I thought we didnt push the pace that we needed to," said Kane. "t;Not having the success now, its very frustrating. Kirby Puckett Twins Jersey. Its not something you want to be part of. Were going to have to figure out a way to change that and get out of that rut." The Canucks came into the game riding the emotion of a 3-2 shootout victory over the Blackhawks Friday night in Chicago. Lack was in goal for the game that saw Vancouver battle back from a 2-0 deficit. "Its fun when the team is winning," said the 25-year-old Swede, playing in his first season with the Canucks. "I feel like I have a great connection with the team. "I feel like they are there for me. It makes it easier." The win was even sweeter for Lack since his father, grandmother and girlfriend were among the sellout crowd of 18,910. Tortorella praised his teams effort, especially coming off a three-game road trip. "At the beginning of the third period it looked like we were ready to drop," said Tortorella. "I really respect the way they held on." Winnipeg coach Claude Noel said his team failed to take advantage of its chances. "I thought we carried a fair bit of the play, but theres a difference between carrying the play and finishing your plays," he said. "It isnt about scoring chances. "We just couldnt close out the game. That was the disappointing part." Richardson opened the scoring at 10:09 of the first period when he deflected a Hamhuis shot past Pavelec. The Jets tied the game at 9:38 of the second period. Wheeler sent a pretty pass to Kane, who beat Lack on the glove side. Jets rookie Mark Scheifele earned an assist for his eighth point (three goals, five assists) in the last five games. The goal came just a few minutes after Lack made a big stop off a point-blank shot from Byfuglien. Referee Ian Walsh left the game in the second period after a collision with Vancouvers Dale Weise. The game continued with Kyle Rehman acting as the lone referee. The Canucks improved their record to 22-11-6 for 50 points, leaving them tied with the San Jose Sharks for fifth-place in the Western Conference. The Jets are 11th in the West with a 16-17-5 record for 37 points. The Canucks have won nine of their last 11 games and collected points in 10 of those matches. CANUCK NOTES _ David Booths assist on Tanevs goal was his 100th career assist. ...Defenceman Kevin Bieksa played his 500th career game. ....Vancouvers Tom Sestito and Winnipegs Anthony Peluso engaged in a first-period fight. ' ' '