Coyotes had earned points in three

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Despite the on-pitch action being over for another year for Canadas three MLS teams, there is still plenty to be resolved in the coming weeks as the Whitecaps, Impact and Toronto FC all have crucial decisions to make ahead of the 2014 season. Chris Doleman Vikings Jersey . On this weeks blog, I look at three big questions surrounding our MLS clubs. 1. Who is next in Vancouver? When the Whitecaps took the decision not to renew the contract of head coach Martin Rennie after two years with the club, it seemed as though Frank Yallop would be the man to take over the job. However, the former Canada head coach instead became the top man in Chicago with the Fire - a deal that was completed in the space of 24 hours, something that maybe caught Vancouver a little bit by surprise and ruled out a leading contender to replace Rennie. The Whitecaps have now started the interview process. Current assistant coach Carl Robinson should be a leading candidate. Another name in the running is Richie Williams. Marc Weber reported in the Vancouver Province this week that Williams was in Vancouver to meet with club officials about the position. The former New York Red Bulls player and assistant coach is currently head coach of the United States U17 team. Promoting Robinson would be a move that is welcomed by many of the Whitecaps players. Both Canadian Russell Teibert and MLS Golden Boot winner Camilo have given their support to the former Wales international who has plenty of experience in Major League Soccer since joining the league in 2007. He is well-respected around the league as a bright young coaching mind who will go on to be a successful head coach in Major League Soccer. The Whitecaps have a wealth of young talent within their squad and their Residency Program so the new coach must be someone who is capable of developing that talent. Both Robinson and Williams have experience in that area. There is also the possibility of the Whitecaps holding out to see who else becomes available in the coming weeks. Will Sigi Schmid stay in Seattle? Is out-of-contract Jason Kreis really a viable option? With decisions needing to be taken regarding players futures, the Whitecaps need to move swiftly to fill the void if they are to have the maximum time available to prepare properly for next season. 2. Will Marco be back in Montreal? Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo apologized to the MLS family during his post-season press conference earlier this week following his clubs meltdown in Houston a few days earlier. The 3-0 defeat against the Dynamo was hard to take, but the way in which the team lost their heads was a bitter pill to swallow. Finishing with eight men was bad enough, but losing top scorer Marco Di Vaio for the first three games of next season after supplemental discipline was a further kick in the teeth. Whether or not the loss of Di Vaio will be a problem for Marco Schallibaum to deal with remains to be seen. The Swiss coach is keen to come back for another year, but Saputo and Sporting Director Nick De Santis are still unsure whether they want to stick with Schallibaum in 2014. That would have been unthinkable even two months ago, with Montreal still tied for first place in the Eastern Conference as late as mid-September, but the way they plummeted down the standings has raised concerns. Saputo is wise to take his time over the decision instead of making a rash move while the emotion of the playoff exit is still very raw. If Schallibaum isnt back, it would be the third coach in as many years for Montreal. The decision must come down to why Saputo and De Santis believe things went wrong in the closing weeks of the year. In late summer, they were happy with the coach and expected him to lead them into next year. Does the last two months of the season change that? Down the stretch, the Impact were unable to field a settled lineup due to a number of significant injuries. It seemed the squad also struggled to deal with the impact of the added Champions League games in the schedule. That is beyond Schallibaums control, but there were also questions surrounding some personnel decisions as well as some key games where they looked flat. Schallibaum is an intelligent coach and someone who has the respect of many of the players. If given the opportunity to return, I believe he will have learned some key lessons from his first season in MLS, and will come back a stronger, wiser leader next season. 3. Is Torontos DP search nearing an end? Toronto FC supporters have grown tired of broken promises in recent years, especially in the 2013 season when there was plenty of talk about Designated Player signings that wasnt backed up with actions. However, it seems under new MLSE president Tim Leiweke, the club is finally getting close to securing a couple of big name additions. Two of Torontos main targets right now are Italian forward Alberto Gilardino and England striker Jermaine Defoe. Gilardinos agent attended the final match of the season at BMO Field against Montreal a couple of weeks ago, and reports suggest a deal has been agreed upon with the strikers current club Genoa which would see the man who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006 added to the Reds squad at some stage next year. The club is also doing all it can to woo Defoe. The Tottenham Hotspur striker is a former teammate of Reds head coach Ryan Nelsen and when asked about the 31-year-old, Nelsen said he would be a phenomenal signing, speaking in glowing terms about his finishing ability and also his character on and off the pitch. While the additions of Gilardino and Defoe alone would not guarantee a turnaround, they would go a long way to finally giving the long-suffering fans a team capable of challenging for the playoffs. It would give the club two proven goal scorers who have the potential to be prolific in MLS – if they get the service. Thats where new GM Tim Bezbatchenko and Nelsen would have to work hard to ensure they can secure the pieces necessary to give those big name players the opportunity to thrive. While these deals are still not across the finish line, it does seem as if significant progress has been made, and Toronto are closing in on a couple of major signings that would finally provide the fans with something to smile about. Andrew Sendejo Vikings Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Jim Plunkett Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. http://www.jerseysnflauthenticofficial.com/nfl-jerseys/minnesota-vikings/scott-crichton-jersey-c-1_462_2224.html .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Carolina Hurricanes have spent a good portion of the past two weeks on the road and had mixed results. Theyre headed home for a long break with a nice road win, thanks to their top line. Eric Staal had a goal and two assists, Jeff Skinner scored for the third straight game and the Hurricanes ended a four-game road trip with a 3-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night. "Its a big win for us. You look at the standings, you have to pick up points wherever you can," Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller said. "But its the way we won. At the end of a long road trip, we fought and played hard to beat a good hockey team." Playing on the road for the sixth time in seven games since Dec. 3, the Hurricanes withstood an initial flurry and goal by Phoenix to pull out an impressive road victory before getting five days off. Justin Peters was solid and made some big saves down the stretch, stopping 37 shots. Nathan Gerbe tied the game in the second period and Skinner put the Hurricanes ahead early in the third with his eighth goal in six games. Staal put the finishing touches on it with an empty-net goal, giving his line -- he skates with Skinner and Tuomo Ruutu -- 16 goals and 17 assists since Skinners return from injured reserve on Nov. 21 "We are getting chances," Skinner said. "Sometimes thats the way it goes, it goes in, sometimes it doesnt. We got some chances and I was lucky to capitalize on them." Phoenix played a solid game, going up 1-0 in the first period on Paul Bissonnettes first goal in two years. The Coyotes had plenty of chances over the next two periods, but couldnt get anything else past Peters, and lost a key faceoff in the third that led to Skinners goal. "We werent bad tonight, but we could have been way better," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "We could have used a spark from somebody tonight and it didnt come." Coming off a difficult stretch, the Coyotes had earned points in three straight games, including a 6-3 win over the Islanders on Thursday, despite missing several key players. Phoenix was short-handed again against Carolina. Captain Shane DDoan missed his fourth straight game with an illness, defenceman Derek Morris was out for the fourth straight game and left wing Lauri Korpikoski sat out his 11th straight. Art Shell Raiders Jersey. The Coyotes have been getting by with production throughout their lines and the start of Saturdays game was no different. Generating some good early chances, Phoenix scored midway through the first period, when Jeff Halpern kept the puck in Carolinas zone and found Connor Murphy at the right point. He fed a pass to Bissonnette in the crease and the fourth-liner redirected it in for his first goal since Nov. 19, 2011, against Buffalo and first at home since 2010. "Its just good for confidence, just getting chemistry with our line," Bissonnette said. "Weve got guys in and out of the lineup and our line keeps changing, so its nice to play with the same guys and get comfortable." The Hurricanes took over after that. Gerbe tied it at 8:50 of the second period, keeping it on a 2-on-1 and beating Smith to the glove side with a wrister for his seventh of the season. Peters made a huge save late in the second period, stopping Antoine Vermette on a breakaway, and Skinner put the Hurricanes up by scooping up a loose puck off a faceoff and whipping a shot past Smith 3 minutes into the third to score in his third straight game. Peters turned the Coyotes away when they turned up the pressure late, including a spectacular save against Mike Ribeiro. "We talk about timely goals; he made some really timely saves at the right time of the game," Muller said. "He looks real confident." So do the Hurricanes after a big road win. NOTES: Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt dropped the ceremonial puck before the game. ... Hurricanes rookie C Elias Lindholm did not play after taking a hard hit against Calgary on Thursday. ... Doan spoke during the second intermission and said he still doesnt know what caused him to be sick the past 10 days, but has responded to medicine and is feeling better. No timetable has been given for his return. ... 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