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123 May 27 '19
In A-League history, there cant have been too many better 3-0 losers than Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday night. Buy Swell Water Bottle Australia .Tony Popovics side were extremely hard done by to leave Etihad Stadium on the wrong end of the lopsided scoreline.The Wanderers bossed the match in the first half, and finished the match with more possession, shots and more time in the opposition half than the victors.Perhaps thats why Popovic spared his players the blowtorch after the match, instead focussing on the positives.To come to Melbourne and play the way we did in the first half, were delighted with that, Popovic said.I wouldnt say the second half was poor either. Our first 15 minutes were excellent.Even at 2-0 we had some fantastic opportunities to get it back to 2-1.Overall were disappointed. Were getting punished for mistakes which is clear. Our football is excellent.But we need to do better in our final third, the final pass and shot, to get rewarded for our good play.The man who drew Popovics ire was referee Jarred Gillett.Gillett decided against awarding a penalty to Western Sydney when Jason Geria crudely tackled Jumpei Kasakumi in the box.Replays showed the young full-back missed the ball and clattered the Japanese attacker.The Wanderers boss made pointed reference to the clubs record with Gillett in the middle - just one win in the last 11 games - suggesting maybe its just a coincidence.But he couldnt contain himself when discussing the incident - which Victory coach Kevin Muscat agreed was worthy of a spot kick.If thats not a penalty, they should book him for diving, Popovic said.It was a clear penalty. There will not be a clearer one this year in the A-League.Theyre game-changers (but) we have to move on. Theyll explain themselves and move on as well. Well do what we can do better and hopefully they will too.Popovic will wait to see if Brendon Santalab, who was substituted with calf tightness at half-time, can play in next Friday nights match with Melbourne City.Either way, he expects his players to carry themselves as if they were the winners against Victory.There wont be a dent in confidence and belief because of the result, he said.We know that in six weeks we will be a lot better. In 12 weeks it will be a lot better.To be playing the way we are after six rounds is fantastic. Swell Bottle Sale Australia . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Cheap Swell Bottles . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No. http://www.swellbottleaustralia.com/ .Y. - Rob Manfred was promoted Monday to Major League Baseballs chief operating officer, which may make him a candidate to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner. Auston Matthews naturally slowed down a bit after scoring four goals in his phenomenal NHL debut.The Maple Leafs first overall pick is still on top of a league-wide youth wave thats only picking up speed.From Toronto to Arizona, teenagers and rookies had a major impact throughout hockey during the first month of the season.As November began, 19-year-old Edmonton captain Connor McDavid was tied for the league lead in points, while Matthews and 18-year-old Winnipeg sensation Patrik Laine both had a share of the leagues goal-scoring lead. Toronto forward William Nylander was similarly prolific, winning the NHLs rookie of the month award.Two straight bumper crops of youngsters are changing the game with precocious speed and skill. Theyre also bringing hope to frustrated fan bases across the continent -- particularly north of the border, where some of the best talent is taking flight.The generation thats taking over is a new one, in my opinion, said Oilers coach Todd McLellan, who coached McDavid, Matthews and several other top youngsters at the World Cup of Hockey. They havent played under the old clutch-and-grab rules. They never were exposed to it. Theyve always played free hockey. ... Theyre fast, and they like playing that way.Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr were in attendance when McDavid and Matthews had their first head-to-head meeting Tuesday night in the biggest showcase yet for the leagues young stars. While neither No. 1 pick scored in Torontos 3-2 overtime win over Edmonton, its clear they could be fighting for Art Ross trophies and Stanley Cup titles for years to come.Its not just Auston, and its not just Connor, Gretzky told reporters in Toronto. Theres some good young players on both teams, and expectations go up with that.Indeed, the 2015-16 campaign produced a banner crew of rookies league-wide, including McDavid, Buffalos Jack Eichel and Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. Chicago left wing Artemi Panarin, who turned 25 this week, scored 77 points in 80 games to beat out McDavid for the Calder Trophy.The new group appears to be equally promising. Matthews, Laine and Nylander appear to be ready for immediate stardom, while several other rookies have stepped into big roles.But for clear star potential, nobody tops McDavid and Matthews, who could be at the start of parallel career paths with similarities to the roads traveled by Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who broke into the NHL together as No. 1 picks in 2005.McDavid is no longer a rookie despite missing nearly half of last season with a broken collarbone, but hes still a teenager until January. Matthews just turned 19 after spending last year playing pro hockey in Switzerland, and he spent plenty of time with McDavid at the World Cup.Hes a good guy, McDavid said of Matthews. I get along with him. I definitely dont consider him a rival. ... Hes definitely not a guy that needs advice. Hes got a good head on his shoulders, and hes got a lot of confidence as well, so you dont really need to tell him anything.Signs of this youth explosion were obvious in September, when that 23-and-under Team North America captivated the World Cup with its up-tempo, exciting brand of play.It was a fun time playing with a bunch of guys who were kind of your age and really competing hard, Matthews said.While McDavid has the yooung Oilers off to a promising start, no city has more blue-chip talent than Toronto, the epicenter of hockey and the home of the perennially frustrating Maple Leafs. Swell Drink Bottles Australia. Although the standings still dont look great, coach Mike Babcock is giving significant playing time to six rookies -- including two of the highest-scoring newcomers in the game.Nylander, who had four goals and seven assists in his first nine NHL games, got a jump-start on this fall with 22 games for the Leafs last season. Matthews is probably the most tantalizing player in the sport, and he had the top-selling jersey in the NHLs online store last month.Three more Toronto rookies -- defenseman Nikita Zaitsev and forwards Mitch Marner and Connor Brown -- already look comfortable in the league. The gifted Marner would be the most talked-about player in Toronto if it wasnt for his two teammates lighting up scoreboards ahead of him.Laine was a 7-year-old Finnish kid when Ovechkin broke in with Washington, and he grew up idolizing the Russian star. The No. 2 overall pick last summer is off to a fantastic start in North America, scoring six goals in his first nine games with ferocity and flair.A surprising name was right behind Laine early on the rookie scoring lists: Travis Konecny, the smallish first-round pick who made the Flyers opening-night roster along with teenage Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov. Both rookies have stuck in Philadelphia, and Konecny had seven points in his first 10 games.Youre playing against men out there, Konecny said. Its definitely a little bit of an adjustment, but Im slowly getting used to it. The first few games, I felt like there was no time for me on the ice, but Ive been making room for myself and allowing myself to make more plays.BY THE NUMBERSA remarkable nine rookies averaged at least 0.67 points per game while playing in at least five games in October. Some of the kids making a major impact include:- Jimmy Vesey, the New York Rangers forward who signed as a free agent out of Harvard and immediately backed up his Hobey Baker Award credentials with five goals in October.- Michael Matheson, the 22-year-old Florida Panthers defenseman taking key roles on both ends.- Jakob Chychrun, the 18-year-old Florida native getting a regular role on the Arizona Coyotes blue line.- Zach Werenski, the 19-year-old Blue Jackets defenseman with six points in his first seven NHL games -- and surviving as a Michigan man in Columbus.STREAKINGArtem Anisimov has a career-high point streak of eight games after getting a goal and an assist in Chicagos 5-1 win over Calgary on Tuesday night.SLUMPINGThe Los Angeles Kings havent scored a goal in three straight games after their 4-0 trouncing by Anaheim in the Freeway Faceoff on Tuesday night.LEADERSGoals, Anisimov (Chicago) and Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), 7; Points, Anisimov, 13; Time on ice, Dustin Byfuglien (Winnipeg), 28:49; Wins, Cam Talbot (Edmonton), 7.GAME OF THE WEEKThe rematch of the Stanley Cup Final is Saturday night when Pittsburgh visits San Jose at the Shark Tank. Both conference champions are off to strong starts again this fall.---AP sports writers Dan Gelston and Stephen Whyno contributed to this report. ' ' ' 
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