Vancouver Whitecaps rookie head coach Carl Robinson has hardly made a wrong step during his opening six months in charge at the club. His team is exciting to watch and sitting nicely positioned in the Western Conference playoff places with one match to play before the World Cup break and he has a group of players who are clearly enjoying working with him. Away from the pitch, Robinsons start has been equally impressive, as he looks to build a club with a distinct identity. The ‘Caps have become quickly known for their youthful, attacking play, but Robinson is determined to make sure he also has a team that conducts itself in the right manner. In a global sports world where there is always plenty of negative behavior to talk about, the Whitecaps coach has made it clear he wants an open and honest locker room. That was evident this week when he was asked about an incident involving Whitecaps Uruguayan attacker Sebastian Fernandez during Sundays 4-3 win at Portland. Fernandez clearly attempted to get Timbers defender Pah Madou Kah into trouble with the referee by pretending to be struck in the face. Replays clearly showed there was no contact. Robinson was as clear as could be when talking about the incident, stating that there is no place for that behavior within his club. “I spoke to him (Fernandez) at length and the players as a group,” said Robinson. “I have told them it is not acceptable. I dont condone that, the club wont condone that. It was dealt with internally and wont be happening again.” “Its not what Im about as a head coach and its not what the club is about,” he continued. “Its important they know that. It does happen, but its not going to happen with our club and Ive made my feelings known. Weve dealt with it and we move on, but its important I make him aware that its not acceptable and he wont be doing it again.” Its a refreshing approach from Robinson and one which is not seen enough from managers in the global game. A different example of the ‘Caps coach being open in his approach to management is with the clubs daily training sessions. Training grounds around the world are usually blanketed in secrecy - its all smoke and mirrors. In Major League Soccer, most teams allow media to watch their sessions for the final 15 minutes when there is nothing on show that could give away any information – but Robinson has taken a completely different approach. Every one of the Whitecaps training sessions is open to the media from start to finish. Its certainly a popular decision with the members of the media covering the team on a daily basis, but Robinsons open access policy is about much more than making people happy. “I opened up to you guys because I think it is an important relationship the club has and you are an important part for us,” Robinson said this week when asked about why he decided to go against the trend. “Ive got nothing to hide. You know the way I play and Im sure, if other teams do their homework, they will know the way we play as well. I want you to see the team spirit and camaraderie we are trying to build. If you watch training and see the way I work and how Gordon (Forrest) and Martyn (Pert) work, it will give you a fair idea of how we want to play.” Of course, while everything is going well for Vancouver, things are much easier, but from what I have seen of Robinson so far in his management role, Im certain he will have the mental toughness to deal with difficulties when they come the way of his team. The building process continues - on and off the field – as the Whitecaps look to move forward as a club, but Robinsons values are shining through as he looks to lay a solid foundation for future success. New England Patriots Pro Shop . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s. New England Patriots Gear . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/. Today, their baseball playing sons were reportedly traded for each other. According to the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Cubs dealt minor league outfield Trevor Gretzky to the Angels for catcher Matt Scioscia. Patriots Jerseys 2019 . The actual winners on transfer deadline day are those clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City who were well prepared and managed to get their main incoming business done well ahead of the transfer window closing. Tottenham were able to add seven players by spending over 100 million pounds and also ensured maximum return for the Gareth Bale transfer to Real Madrid by managing the move superbly. New England Patriots Shirts . Karlovic of Croatia used his big serve to beat Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic 7-6 (6), 7-6 (7). Kohlschreiber had lost all of his three previous matches against Istomin but the German broke serve for a decisive 3-2 lead in the third set and held on to reach his first final of the year. INDIANAPOLIS -- The hard part for the Indiana Pacers isnt over. It takes time to climb out of a slump. "Once youre not playing well and you finally get a win, the hardest part is maintaining that consistency," Paul George said. "You have to understand that its going to be different every night, but you got to find a way to build off the first win." George had 27 points and 13 rebounds, David West scored 15 points and the Indiana Pacers snapped a three-game skid with a 101-94 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. George hit a 3-pointer from 35-feet to give the Pacers a 94-90 lead with 3:19 remaining and Indiana never trailed the rest of the way. Josh Smith scored 15 of his 24 points in the first quarter and finished with five rebounds, and Greg Monroe added 16 points for the Pistons, who have lost four of their last five games. Brandon Jennings hit a 3 to get Detroit within 94-93 before George scored, forced a turnover and West hit a jumper to give the Pacers a 98-93 lead with 1:35 left to play. "We were locked in really early in this game," George said. "They made a late push when we were up a good eight points, they made a pretty good push. But I felt our guys were locked in throughout this whole game." Georges two free throws with 8:54 left in the third gave Indiana a 58-50 lead. The Pistons bounced back with a 9-0 run and Rodney Stuckey hit a 3-pointer to give Detroit a 74-73 lead with 13 seconds left in the third. The Pacers gave fans mixed signals. At times Indianas sluggish play showed signs of a team that continues to struggle with chemistry, shooting and turnovers. The Pistons scored 17 points off 10 Indiana turnovers. At other times the Pacers looked like the same old team fans were used to before the All-Star break. Bankers Life Fieldhouse was abnormally silent when the Pistons went on an 8-0 run midway through the first quarter and took a 23-14 lead after Monroe scored with 4:19 left in the opening quarter. Then the Pacers showed signs of life. They went on a 12-2 spurt to close out the first. George scored to give the Pacers a 28-27 lead with 20 seconds leeft in the first.dddddddddddd. Evan Turner dunked and West scored to give the Pacers a 35-32 lead with 8:03 remaining in the second quarter. "We had good pace, we threw it up the floor, we attacked," Pistons interim coach John Loyer said. "I cant fault the way our guys played. They competed their butts off against the best team in the East." The Pistons went on an 8-0 run to take 40-35 lead with 5:13 left in the second quarter. Stephenson then sparked a 10-0 surge with a one-handed dunk and George closed it out with a 3 to give the Pacers a 45-40 advantage with 3:20 left in the half. Georges free throw with 31 seconds left in the second gave the Pacers a 50-46 lead at halftime. The Pistons handed Indiana its first home loss of the season, 101-96 back on Dec. 16 -- one of the few positives for Detroit this season. The Pacers won twice in Detroit, including a 112-104 overtime win on March 15. Indiana hopes Wednesdays win over the Pistons is the start to getting back to playing at the level they were. "You get a win, but you have to string a couple together," Pacers centre Roy Hibbert said. "Winning is hard work. We have to see if we can keep it going." It wont be easy. The Pacers play three of their next four games on the road. They go to Toronto on Friday and will host Atlanta on Sunday before going on the road to Milwaukee and Miami next week. They host Oklahoma City on April 13 in Indianas final home game before the playoffs. NOTES: Detroit G Chauncey Billups was out after left knee surgery. ... Pistons G Josh Harrellson was out with a knee injury, C Andrew Bynum was out with a sore right knee and G C.J. Watson was out with a right hamstring straight. ... Hibbert left the game with 1:21 left in the first quarter after he hit the back of his head falling to the ground on a Flagrant 1 foul called on Charlie Villanueva. Team officials said Hibbert has questionable with a sore neck, but he started the second half. . The Pistons shot 44 per cent in the first quarter and led by as many as nine points, but went 23 of 68 (33.8 per cent) in the final three quarters. ' ' '