The Formations Both the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact lined up in 4-2-3-1 formations with a number of changes for both teams. Blues Jerseys 2021 . Montreal coach Frank Klopas was missing five players whom he would normally consider for his starting XI: Marco Di Vaio, Justin Mapp, Felipe, Sanna Nyassi and Hernan Bernardello. Vancouver coach Carl Robinson had to replace the injured Jay DeMerit, as well as Nigel Reo-Coker, who was in New York with his wife, who gave birth to the couples first child. The Game After the excitement of the World Cup over the last two weeks, this game was something of a letdown. There were chances at both ends, but both teams – Vancouver, in particular – failed to perform up to their potential. Whitecaps fans have come to expect up-tempo, free-flowing football at BC Place this season. After scoring 17 goals in their seven-game unbeaten run leading up to Wednesdays match, the Whitecaps failed to excite their supporters and struggled to find a way past a stubborn Impact team. Pedro Morales, usually the creative maestro of the Whitecaps team, was off his game. His passes, normally precise and incisive, went astray as Montreal stymied and frustrated Vancouver. Far too often, promising moves broke down in transition as Vancouver failed to find a way to exploit the athleticism and speed of its front three – Darren Mattocks, Erik Hurtado and Kekuta Manneh. There was an expectation that the three young speedsters would create a significant advantage for Vancouver, but Montreal did an excellent job of denying all three players time on the ball and space in which to operate. The midfield partnership of Patrice Bernier and debutant Gorka Larrea hustled and harried Morales, Gershon Koffie and Matias Laba, preventing the Whitecaps midfielders from finding their intended targets. Montreals central defensive partnership of Matteo Ferrari and Heath Pearce did an excellent job of marshaling Hurtado and, with little support from Mattocks and Manneh, Vancouvers front man endured a frustrating night. After scoring a goal in each of his last four games for the Whitecaps, Hurtado failed to trouble the Montreal back four. The Impact could have come to Vancouver to ‘park the bus – put as many players as possible behind the ball, hope to keep a clean sheet and steal a point on the road. While that was the ultimate outcome of the match, Montreal looked the more dangerous side in transition. Both Issey Nakajima-Farran and Maxim Tissot provided service to Andres Romero and Jack McInerney, whose movement was superb. McInerney caused problems for Vancouvers central defensive partnership of Andy OBrien and Johnny Leveron all night and, if the Impact had been a little more precise with their service to McInerney, he may very well have provided the breakthrough that the visitors needed. In the second half, Montreal hit the post through McInerney and the bar through Tissot, and may consider themselves unlucky not to have come away with all three points. But they had goalkeeper Troy Perkins to thank for keeping the score 0-0 at the other end, as the Montreal shot stopper made a number of fine saves in the second half. The pick of the bunch was a fantastic tip around the post from a low, driven Morales free kick that seemed destined to find the bottom left corner of the Impact goal. The Positives The Montreal Impact have had a difficult season in MLS. With just two wins to their credit – none coming away from home – most observers felt that a home win was as close to a sure thing for Vancouver as possible. But Montreal were solid defensively, nullified the pace of Vancouvers front three and looked dangerous in transition. Given the number of players unavailable to Frank Klopas, Montreals coach has to be pleased with a point. Both goalkeepers were excellent for their respective teams. David Ousted and Troy Perkins each made a number of reflex saves to keep a clean sheet. The Negatives Vancouver failed to live up to the high standards they have set for themselves on home soil this year. Their build-up play was methodical and, far too often, their passes failed to reach their intended target. Apart from Ousted, there wasnt a single player who played up to his potential. The message from Carl Robinson will be a simple one - chalk it up to a bad day at the office and move on to the next game. The Star Man While both Ousted and Perkins were superb, Perkins just shades it for his second-half performance. Vancouver threw everything they had at the Montreal goalkeeper, who dealt with everything in his stride. The Vancouver Whitecaps travel to Colorado on Saturday, June 28 to take on the Rapids (TSN, 6pm PT 9pm ET) while the Montreal Impact host the Houston Dynamo on Sunday, June 29. St.Louis Blues Pro Shop . -- Among the 31 players at the Montreal Canadiens rookie camp, none feels closer to cracking the NHL roster than right winger Aaron Palushaj. Cheap Blues Jerseys .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. https://www.cheapblues.com/ . -- Downcast before the final game of what had been a difficult road trip, the Ottawa Senators found a way to dig out a little momentum in the desert before heading home. KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Serena Williams capitalized on a critical double-fault by Yaroslava Shvedova to survive a 69-minute first set and win her opening match at the Sony Open 7-6 (7), 6-2 on Thursday. "It was an incredibly tough first set," Williams said. "I just needed to relax and yet keep up the intensity." The top-ranked Williams seeks a record seventh Key Biscayne title, and her second in a row. No. 4-seeded Maria Sharapova, a five-time runner-up in the tournament, joined Williams in the third round by beating Kurumi Nara 6-3, 6-4. Seeded players had first-round byes. In mens play, former world No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt became the third active man to win 600 matches when he rallied past Robin Haase of the Netherlands 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. Fellow Australian Bernard Tomic lasted only 28 minutes in the shortest match since the ATP started keeping such records in 1991, losing to Jarkko Nieminen 6-0, 6-1. Tomic, who won just 13 points, is mounting a comeback from surgery on both hips and was playing for the first time since January. "I did the best as I could," he said. "Hopefully in a little bit of time I can get back to 100 per cent." Williams, who owns a small share of the NFLs Miami Dolphins, wore a dress in the teams orange and turquoise colours -- which may explain her slow start. Or maybe it was because she hadnt played since Feb. 21. Williams had to erase a 5-3 deficit in the first set, and then fell behind 6-3 in the tiebreaker. Shvedova pushed a forehand into the net, then the Kazakh hit a nervous double-fault that allowed Williams to exhale. She won the nnext two points with aces, then closed out the set with a backhand winner, a fist pump and a scream of "Yes!" Her game steadied in the second set, when she had 18 winners and only 10 unforced errors -- bad news perhaps for opponents to come in the tournament Williams considers her hometown event. Blues Jerseys 2020. She lives an hour north in Palm Beach Gardens. "I love playing here," she told the crowd. The 33-year-old Hewitt also staged a comeback. With the victory, he joined Roger Federer (942 wins) and Rafael Nadal (675) in reaching the 600 match milestone. "Not many people get the opportunity to get close to that, so it means I have been around for an awfully long time," Hewitt said. "Im getting old. A few years ago when I had the last couple of surgeries, I probably would have doubted Id get to this stage. Im grateful Im out there and able to compete with the best guys." In other womens play, No. 5-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany won her opening match, beating Peng Shuai of China 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (5). Kerber, a two-time Grand Slam semifinalist, matched her best showing at Key Biscayne by reaching the third round. Ana Ivanovic beat American Lauren Davis 6-1, 6-1, and No. 8 Petra Kvitova defeated Argentinas Paula Ormaechea 6-3, 6-4. Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2006 champion, lost to Croatian qualifier Donna Vekic 7-6 (5), 7-5. Fridays stadium court schedule features the winners of 34 Grand Slam titles in five matches. The parade of champions will include Federer, Novak Djokovic, Venus Williams, Andy Murray and Li Na playing their opening matches. ' ' '