The Whitecaps knew they needed a high-end central defender even before the season started. That need was exacerbated on Saturday after a second half meltdown that saw the Caps fortunate to escape from PPL Park with a point, despite leading 2-0 at half time. The difference between the 4-3 win in Portland and the 3-3 draw in Penn State was the first 25 minutes of the 2nd half. Against the Timbers, the Whitecaps didnt allow their opponents any kind of life after the interval and, in the end, added a fourth goal. In Philadelphia, there was only one team that came out of the tunnel it seemed and Vancouver was under siege from minute 46 on. A simple tactical switch by the Unions John Hackworth saw a largely invisible Zach Pfeffer replaced by Michael Lahoud, whose defensive work in midfield seemed to allow Philadelphias technical players to see more of the ball. Beyond that, it wasnt pace that got the home side back in the game, but instead some good, old fashioned wing play and continuous service to a rejuvenated-looking Conor Casey. The 32-year-old target forward was simply no match for the Whitecaps central defenders. Before getting injured, it seemed as though Jay DeMerit was the more likely Whitecap to win the odd aerial battle, but after landing awkwardly in the 38th-minute, one has to wonder whether Jay DeMerits long-term availability is in serious jeopardy. Compounding the Whitecaps troubles at the back was a worrisome performance by Johnny Leveron, who has been touted as Carl Robinsons guy since the boss scouted him after an impressive 2012 Olympic campaign. The 23-year-old Honduran is billed as a defensive quarterback - a player who can make a great first pass. But on Saturday, his first pass was often a panic ball straight into touch and defensively, well, Leveron had a nightmare. He couldnt catch up anywhere close to Sebastien LeToux on the equalizing goal and then he inexplicably gave Casey acres of space at the top of the box, meekly turning his back on what was then the go-ahead goal. With Andy OBrien turing 35 this month and Jay DeMerit now on the sidelines, the centre-back search has suddenly become the bigger priority than a goal-poaching striker. Short term, Carlyle Mitchell could be back in the picture. He and Leveron found some synergy together in one of the more fruitful periods of the 2013 campaign thanks to the Trinidadians recovery speed and defensive athleticism. Third-overall pick Christian Dean still needs some seasoning, which makes one think that a young, athletic blue-chip centre back is now at the top of the shopping list with the transfer window about to open. Carl Robinson and his web of scouts will be scouring the globe to hopefully unearth a player who fits the Whitecaps criteria of young and with upside value. Asked about a rumoured MLS link with former Man City and Everton vet Joleon Lescott, the manager acknowledged his pedigree, but admitted that the 31-year-old former England international could command an unrealistic wage. To think that Vancouver has taken four of six points away from home while conceding six goals in those games makes you wonder where they could be if they shore up, arguably, their most vulnerable position. Hakeem Butler Womens Jersey . -- Antoine Bibeau bought the Val-dOr Foreurs valuable time at the Memorial Cup with his 51-save shutout Friday. Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys .J. -- New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is going to start the off-season training program with a surgically repaired left ankle. http://www.thecardinalsshoponline.com/ . The St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to arrive in Boston in time for a workout on Tuesday afternoon. Much of Mondays discussion focused on Bostons lineup considerations as the series progresses, specifically when the venue shifts to St. Kurt Warner Womens Jersey . - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury. Andy Isabella Youth Jersey . He was still a kid, going into his senior year of high school. Thursday, the point guard stood in front of a couple dozen members of the media and spoke with poise about how much hed grown since then, and how hes ready for the next level.The Canadian broadcast premiere of ESPNs much-anticipated 30 for 30 documentary The Price of Gold airs Sunday at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN. From filmmaker Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes), The Price of Gold revisits the saga that rocked the figure skating world ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games: the assault on Nancy Kerrigan, and the plot that led its way back to her rival Tonya Harding. The Price of Gold will have encore broadcasts on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 1pm et/10am pt on TSN and Thursday, Jan. 30 at 1:30am et/10:30pm pt and 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. About The Price of Gold The world couldnt keep its eyes off two athletes at the 1994 Winter Games in Lillehammer - Nancy Kerrigan, the elegant brunette from the Northeast and Tonyya Harding, the feisty blonde engulfed in scandal.dddddddddddd Just weeks before the Olympics, on Jan. 6, 1994 at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Kerrigan was stunningly clubbed on the right knee by an unknown assailant and left wailing, "Why, why, why?" As the bizarre "why" mystery unraveled, it was revealed that Hardings ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, had plotted the attack with his misfit friends to literally eliminate Kerrigan from the competition. Now two decades later, The Price of Gold takes a fresh look through Hardings turbulent career and life at the spectacle that elevated the popularity of professional figure skating, and has Harding still facing questions over what she knew and when she knew it. ' ' '