Dein erstes Forum » Hes working hard. Hes not just working on his shot,

Defensive frailties reared their ugly head once again for Canadas mens national team, as they conceded a third-minute goal to the Czech Republic on their way to a 2-0 defeat in Olomouc on Friday. The game was the first of two international friendlies that Canada is playing during the international break, with the second game against Slovenia set for Tuesday in Celje. Canada looked uncomfortable defensively throughout the game, and every free kick that came into Canadas penalty box looked like ending up in the back of the net. They were fortunate to go into the break only trailing 1-0. At the other end of the pitch, Canada had chances to equalize in the first half. 30 minutes into the game, after a well-worked free kick, Tosaint Ricketts saw his shot blocked by Petr Cech. Minutes later, Canada was awarded a dubious penalty kick after Dwayne De Rosario fell in the box under pressure from Marek Suchy. De Rosario picked himself up to take the kick, but his effort was pushed around the post by Petr Cech. It was the last time that Canada would genuinely threaten Cechs goal. In the second half, only the Czechs looked like scoring, and it was no surprise that they got a second goal to put the result to bed. Some will try to put a positive spin on the performance by suggesting that a 2-0 loss was a reasonable showing against the 27th ranked team in the world. The reality is that the score remained respectable due more to the wastefulness of the Czechs and to the performance of Lars Hirschfeld in Canadas goal, rather than to anything Canada did to influence the game. Its becoming a tired narrative. Canada concedes sloppy goals and, when combined with creating very little scoring chances, come away with their tails between their legs. Which brings about the usual questions: When is Canada going to have a competitive mens team? When are we going to become legitimate contenders to qualify for the World Cup? Spaniard Benito Floro was hired to coach the team in July, and has only had four games in charge of the team. Four games is nowhere near enough of a sampling to pass judgment on Floros ability to take the program forward - he is still, in many respects, coming to terms with the size of the task before him. But it is enough time to make some observations about what he has done so far. Defensively, Ive never seen Canada look more fragile. Whenever we come up against decent opposition, defensive errors and organizational mistakes are our undoing. That is partly down to the players failing to take responsibility on the pitch, but it is also down to the coach. Against the Czech Republic, the first goal was conceded because Canada were far too deep defending a free kick. In fact, Canada dropped right onto the edge of their own 6-yard box - a cardinal sin when defending - before the ball had been played. This left no room for Hirschfeld to come and claim the ball and, coupled with poor marking from Marcel de Jong, left Ondrej Celustka with an easy header to give the Czechs the lead. If this had been a one-off, you could put it down to individual errors. But it was a theme that was prevalent throughout the first half, and worryingly, it continued into the second half, as well. This tells me that the problem was never properly addressed at the half by the coach. Floro did acknowledge after the game that the team "needs to improve" when defending set pieces, but there was little evidence to suggest that he addressed the issue during the game or at the half. This isnt a problem that has magically appeared though - Floro should have spent more time addressing it in training in the camp leading up to the game. Canadas lack of creativity at the other end of the pitch was not unexpected; it is the norm for scoring chances to be as rare a sighting for Canadian forwards as Halleys Comet. When Ricketts and De Rosario did have a sight of goal, they couldnt find a way past Petr Cech. Its hard to be critical, as Cech is one of the worlds best goalkeepers. But when you get a penalty kick, regardless of the opponent, you need to find the back of the net. De Rosarios penalty kick was poor, and Cech easily parried it around the post. Floro was hired to take Canada forward into World Cup qualifying in 2016, to give them the best chance possible of reaching the final qualifying round, the Hex. While that process wont begin for another three years, in the short-term, Floro needs to show tangible signs of progress. Otherwise, the little hope that Canadian soccer supporters have for a brighter future will fade away to nothing. Patriots Jerseys 2019 .C. -- Clemson celebrated a senior class Saturday that brought the program back as a national contender. New England Patriots Gear . 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Spencer Abbott and Trevor Smith scored third-period goals erasing a 2-1 deficit giving Toronto a late 3-2 lead.ATLANTA - Kyle Korver spent most of his career running around behind the 3-point stripe, a guy whose singular quest was to get open for a long-range shot at the basket.Turns out, he was so much more.At age 33, Korver has emerged as one of the key players on the NBAs most surprising team, helping propel the Atlanta Hawks to the best record in the Eastern Conference (35-8) just past the midway point of the season.Even Korver seems a bit amazed by it all.A lot of things have come together, he said. Ive played for some really good coaches, been on some really good teams. I learned a lot. Maybe I didnt play quite as many minutes, but I tried absorb it all and kept on trying to get better.Korver still shoots plenty of 3s, still does it better than anyone. But its the rest of his game thats been valuable to the Hawks.Crushing screens. Banging for rebounds. Crisp passes. Tougher-than-expected defence.Im not sure I understood how much Kyle could help us on both ends, said coach Mike Budenholzer, whose team has tied a franchise record with 14 straight wins and leads the East by a whopping six games.I think hes underrated defensively and just his versatility, his ability to pass, his unselfishness. He sets the most unbelievable screens. You would think people are supposed to be setting screens for him. But he loves to be physical, to get someone else open. He loves to pass. He wants to make sure guys are in the right spots. Hes just an unselfish pro in every way.Korver is having what could be a historic shooting season. He is making nearly 52 per cent from the field, hitting more than 53 per cent of his 3-point attempts, and connecting on 92 per cent of his free throws. Steve Kerr is the only other member of the 50-50-90 club, from the 1995-96 season with the Chicago Bulls, and he wasnt a starter like Korver.Of course, Korver wasnt a starter for most of his career, coming off the bench in 554 of 664 games over his first nine years in the league. Only after he was dealt from Chicago to the Hawks in 2012 — for nothing more than cash and a trade exception — did he land with a team that seemed to appreciate him as more than a role player.When Budenholzer ttook over as coach the following year, bringing along a San Antonio-style system that stressed teamwork over one or two guys carrying the load, Korver really began to blossom.dddddddddddd He got a tryout with the U.S. national team last summer; while he was cut before the world championships, the experience helped to bolster his confidence even more.Now, on a team where all five starters are in double figures but no one is averaging more than 17.2 points a game, Korver is being mentioned as a candidate for the All-Star Game.That really blows him away.A couple of years ago, I dont think people really thought I was a starter in the NBA, he said, chuckling a bit under his breath. But were all benefiting from each other and the system and coach Buds style. It doesnt matter what happens with the All-Star selections. Well be happy for whoever goes.While Korver will tell you he no longer cares about proving people wrong, teammate Elton Brand thinks otherwise.He might not say it, but I think so, Brand said. Hes working hard. Hes not just working on his shot, either. Hes working on his strength, his athleticism, his movement.Hawks forward Paul Millsap said those talents were there all along, but no one gave Korver much of a chance to show them until he got to Atlanta. The two had previously played together for almost three years in Utah, where Korver started just two of 180 games.The teams hes been on, they just relied on him to sit in the corner and shoot the basketball, Millsap said. On this team, hes got a little more freedom to make plays.Even to dunk.After being needled mercilessly by his teammates about his lack of above-the-rim skills, the 6-foot-7 Korver pulled off his first dunk in nearly two years in Atlantas latest win, a 110-91 blowout of Indiana on Wednesday night.Korver felt he got some pretty good air on the play.Later, when he watched a replay at home with his wife, he realized that he barely cleared the rim.I thought I was up kind of high, Korver said. My wife was like, Im really glad youre good at what you actually do.Thats good enough for the Hawks.___Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 ' ' '