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VANCOUVER - Andy OBrien sat out seven straight games because of injury and coaching decisions earlier this season for the Vancouver Whitecaps.Fellow defender Kendall Waston wasnt even a member of the Major League Soccer club until August.What a difference a couple of months has made for both players.OBrien and Waston form an unlikely partnership in the centre of defence for the Whitecaps, who are riding a four-game shutout streak heading into Wednesdays winner-take-all first-round playoff matchup against FC Dallas.Like most great pairs, they differ in many ways.The 35-year-old OBrien is a no-nonsense veteran of 300 games in the English Premier League, while the 26-year-old Waston was a relative unknown in these parts until arriving in Vancouver from a club in his native Costa Rica.Theyre two opposites, said fellow defender Jordan Harvey. Kendalls that aggressive one and Andys that calming influence. Andys the communication guy in the back and really keeps that backline solid, and Kendall really raises the level of intensity and gets guys up for it.OBrien said things have worked with Waston largely because of how well they compliment each other on the pitch.I think hes playing very well. I suppose Im just Steady Eddy and thats how Ive played my career, said the former Irish international. Kendalls aggressive, very dominant, on the front foot. I think when you play with somebody and you know what theyre going to do, its easy to adjust around that player.In terms of what youd expect from a big centre back, he does what it says on the tin.It often takes time for new teammates to jell and Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said before the team left for Dallas on Monday hes surprised how quickly OBrien and Waston have meshed together.Kendall coming in has obviously been a massive hit for the club and for himself, but hes settled in off the field as well. They boys have welcomed him in, said Robinson. Him and Andy have been fantastic over the last couple of weeks.Waston scored the goal that clinched Vancouvers second playoff berth in three years on Saturday, flinging himself at a corner kick and powering the ball over the line in a dramatic 1-0 victory over the Colorado Rapids in the regular-season finale.Waston always has a smile on his face — at least off the field — and said he used to watch MLS games on television back home.Now hes in the middle of the action for a squad that went an impressive 4-0-1 over its final five games just to qualify for the post-season.Its very good that I could come here because this is one of my dreams coming true, said Waston. I try to enjoy it every day.He added that hes learned a lot from OBrien in their short time together with the Whitecaps.Andy OBrien is a guy I want to copy a lot of things from because hes very professional, said Waston. The success hes had in life is because of that.I have a good relationship with him.Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted has had an outstanding season for Vancouver with an MLS-leading 13 shutouts. But hes quick to share the credit with the rest of his team, including the two players who line up right in front of him.I think theyve been fantastic, said Ousted. Youve seen Kendall, the things hes done just scoring goals and being strong defensively, and Andy has been rock solid the whole season.Robinson said over the weekend he initially thought Waston would be a good addition for the 2015 campaign, but former captain Jay DeMerits injury and subsequent retirement forced his hand. OBrien, meanwhile, got hurt and then fell out of favour in mid-season before battling back to regain his spot ahead of Carlyle Mitchell and Johnny Leveron.Age is just a number and I think you need to judged by what you do on the pitch, said OBrien, who started 11 of Vancouvers 13 clean sheets. Statistically Im happy with the games that Ive played, the results that weve had.The defence faces a tough test against Dallas, and OBrien, Waston and Harvey will be without usual right back Steven Beitashour, who limped off with a hamstring injury against Colorado.Robinson could opt to go with 19-year-old Sam Adekugbe — who was subbed on in the first half against the Rapids — or 20-year-old Ethen Sampson to fill the void.The Whitecaps have struggled to score for long stretches this season — they went the equivalent of five straight games without a goal at one point — but the defence has been resolute the last month and was the main factor into the Western Conferences top-5.We can talk about that wed like to score more goals, but its imperative that you keep a strong backline, said OBrien. I think collectively as a team weve done that very well.Notes: The winner of the Dallas-Vancouver one-game playoff will meet the Seattle Sounders in a two-leg semfinal. ... After Vancouver clinched its playoff spot Saturday night, the players were back on the practice field at 11 a.m. Sunday morning.Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter China Vans Shoes Wholesale . Kevin Durant certainly played like there was on Sunday night, scoring 36 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Thunder made quick work of the visiting Pacers with a 118-94 win. Vans Shoes Discount Online . -- The Oakland Raiders expect to have starting right tackle Tony Pashos back for Sundays game against the Houston Texans. http://www.vanscheap.net/. Jones took a beating, the worst one of his record reign, in a bout against Alexander Gustafsson that knocked the light heavyweight champion on the canvas for the first time in his career and put his belt in jeopardy. Cheap Vans Shoes China . Just as the meeting was beginning, Major League Baseball unveiled Rule 7.13, an experimental rule for the 2014 season aimed at eliminating what the league calls “egregious” runner/catcher collisions at home plate. Vans Shoes Clearance Sale .Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems to be leaning the fiscally responsible way.Let me put it like this: Its going to be a challenge, Jones said of re-signing both of Dallas biggest potential free agents.JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Matt Kuchar made the most of his short day at The Barclays. Kuchar didnt tee off until Friday afternoon at Liberty National and knew he had no chance to finish. He could barely see his ball cross the water and set up a two-putt birdie on the 13th hole that gave him the outright lead, and there was enough light coming from lower Manhattan across the Hudson River to hit his tee shot on the 14th. The horn sounded, and by then, he was ready to go home. Kuchar was at 10-under par with five holes remaining and had to return Saturday morning to hold his one-shot lead over Webb Simpson and Gary Woodland, who both finished the second round in the rain-delayed tournament. Simpson had to play 29 holes -- 11 holes to finish his first round in the morning, followed by his second round -- and he was ready to go more. He ran off six birdies over an eight-hole stretch and had a 5-under 66. "Its much nicer when youre playing well to keep playing. And when youre playing well, you feel like you could play 40 holes in a day," Simpson said. "My main goal ... I just wanted to get done today. It just felt nice to putt out on 9, knowing that Ive got tonight to sleep and catch up on rest." Woodland was one of the last players to finish at twilight Friday, and he finished strong. Woodland, back on track after a win at the Reno-Tahoe Open three weeks ago, birdied four of his last five holes for a 64 to join Simpson in the clubhouse at 9-under 133. "I feel ecstatic right now to be done," Woodland said. "It was a close call coming down the stretch if we would be able to finish. Luckily, I played great today, gave myself a lot of opportunities, and I drove the ball phenomenally and rolled some putts in, especially late." As for Tiger Woods, he couldnt get off the course fast enough. Woods challenged the target set by Simpson with three birdies in five holes -- he was two shots behind -- and he had a pair of par 5s in front of him. He failed to make birdie on either of the par 5s, and made three bogeys out of the bunker through the 12th hole to fall off the pace. He made birdie on the 13th, the last hole he completed, but was still five shots behind Kuchar, who was in his group. "I got off to a great start today and then lost it the middle part of the round and made too many mistakes," Woods said. He also said his back remained sore from what he said earlier in the week was due to a soft bed in his hotel that led to stiffness in his neck and bad. He said the pain increased throughout the round and when asked if a specific shot made it hurt, he replied, &"Every one.dddddddddddd" "Im going to get treatment right now ... and be ready for tomorrow morning," Woods said. It was the second straight year at The Barclays he has said a soft hotel bed caused stiffness in his back. Last year, it caused him trouble in the third round. Rory McIlroy showed more signs of turning his game around. After three double bogeys on Thursday, he limited the mistakes with some nifty par saves and was at 5 under with two holes remaining, starting with a shot from the 17th fairway after a big tee shot. Kuchar stopped with his tee shot just short of the green on the par-3 14th, and he had no inclination to finish. ""I feel like in the morning, they will be perfect greens," he said. "A situation where Im on 18 and can pretty much have a proper nights sleep and not have to worry about going out, Ill finish on 18. But in this situation ... it was amazing, we were down on the last hole, 13, kind of a little bit down the hole and it was dark. I wasnt sure we were going to tee off on 14. Coming out over the water, it brightened up by a good margin. Its actually a beautiful skyline. "I think when the sun sets coming off, it was a nice little place to be this time of night." It looked even better atop the leaderboard, though theres still a long way to go -- and plenty of stars right behind him. Keegan Bradley set the tournament course record with a 63 and was at 7-under 135, along with Rickie Fowler (64) and Adam Scott, who was tied for the lead at one point until a lazy finish for a 66. Phil Mickelson, trying to retool his game after his British Open win, had a 69 and was seven shots behind the clubhouse lead. The last time The Barclays was at Liberty National, Heath Slocum won at 9-under 275. Since then, some of the landing areas were widened and the slopes on the greens were softened. Plus, the course was very little rough this year. And the soft conditions from the rain Thursday is making it easier to make birdies. For some players, their year was over. Ben Crane, after opening with a 67, had to withdraw with a lower back injury after playing just four holes of the second round. At No. 125 in the FedEx Cup, he wont be among the 100 players advancing to the second playoff event next week outside Boston. Lucas Glover withdrew with a hand injury, ending his season. The cut would not be made until Saturday morning, and Erik Compton needed two more rounds to try to qualify for the next tournament. He did his part, a birdie-birdie finish to get back to even-par 142. That was right on the line for making the cut. ' ' '