VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Whitecaps forward Erik Hurtado was known more for his wild hair style than his ability on the pitch prior to Saturdays match against the Columbus Crew. [url=http://www.cheapairjordan1forsale.com/]Cheap Air Jordan 1 China[/url] . That bleach blonde Mohawk still stands out, but no

VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Whitecaps forward Erik Hurtado was known more for his wild hair style than his ability on the pitch prior to Saturdays match against the Columbus Crew. Cheap Air Jordan 1 China . That bleach blonde Mohawk still stands out, but not as much as his first goal in Major League Soccer -- a wonder strike in the first half that helped propel Vancouver to a 1-0 victory in Ohio. The fifth overall pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, Hurtado has had to bide his time with the Whitecaps and he took full advantage of his first league start of the season. The 23-year-old controlled a long free kick in front of a Columbus defender on the right before cutting into the middle and unleashing a vicious left-footed shot from outside the 18-yard box that curled into the top corner. "You know how when you hit it on the sweet spot and you just know its going in? Thats what happened," Hurtado said after Mondays training session. "As soon as it left my foot, I was like Oh my God yes. Thank you God." The Fredericksburg, Va., native has played 22 MLS games since joining Vancouver last season, including five starts. But with the club parting ways with veteran striker Kenny Miller earlier this month, and with Darren Mattocks on the shelf with a hamstring injury, Hurtado is finally getting an opportunity under Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson. "Im maturing as a player. I matured over my rookie season last year a lot," he said. "(Robinson) having faith in me has been great. Hes going to give players opportunities if they deserve it. "Ive been working really hard on the field and I got my chance and took it." Hurtado stands out because of his raw talent, but also for a hairstyle that has earned him an array of nicknames from teammates, including Rufio from the movie "Hook" and Sonic the Hedgehog, in honour of the video game character. "I dont know if its like a Brazilian blowout mixed with a mohawk and some bleach -- got in a fight with a bottle of bleach or something like that," Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey said with a chuckle. "Thats his style and how he wants to express it and more power to him." Hurtado is fine with the jabs. "I dont know if Im trying to achieve anything," he said. "Im just trying to stay fresh." In his first season at the Whitecaps helm, Robinson couldnt care less what Hurtados hair looks like as long as he continues to develop and stays committed to his craft. "Hes an example to all the young players that things dont go your way sometimes," said Robinson. "Its important you put the work in and youll get your reward. It might not come in the next week or two weeks. It might come in the next two or three months, and thats what happened with Erik." Hurtados raw talent was evident to his teammates as soon as he arrived in Vancouver, but it was clear his game needed to be honed. "It was kind of like corralling a wild stallion, if you know what I mean," said Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit. "Hes one of those guys (where) you can see his athletic ability. You can see his pace, his power, and its about corralling that and making sure that turns into good football. You can see it really start to take shape now, you can see him gaining in a little bit of confidence." Speaking of confidence, Hurtado and his teammates have loads of it heading into Wednesdays second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal against Toronto FC. Robinson fielded a "younger than young" squad in last weeks 2-1 away defeat in the first leg, but that result means that a 1-0 victory for Vancouver at B.C. Place Stadium would see the Whitecaps advance to the final on the away goals rule. DeMerit and many of Vancouvers other veterans watched from the sidelines as the baby-faced Whitecaps, including Hurtado, battled hard against Torontos star-studded roster. "Guys are contributing when asked upon. Guys are staying on the same page and as a collective were continuing to work on our brand of soccer," said DeMerit, who looks likely to sit out against Toronto again this week after playing Saturday in Columbus. "That needs to continue. That mentality needs to continue to shift and even get better." Apart from Hurtados recent success, former No. 1 pick Omar Salgado has impressed since rejoining the Whitecaps from the second-tier Charleston Battery last week. A big target who has been plagued by injuries in his young career, Salgado seems fitter and had a great chance late against Columbus that just bounced wide in the games dying minutes. "Im still a little disappointed I missed that but every striker in the world misses chances," said Salgado, the top choice in 2011. "Its something youve just got to get over and score against Toronto." Robinson said saying goodbye to Miller was difficult because of their personal friendship, but added that it was a move that had to be made with youngsters like Hurtado, Salgado and Kekuta Manneh clamouring for minutes. "It was the right decision for the club and me moving forward with this group of players that Ive got," said Robinson. "It will give the young players more opportunities to play and Ive said from Day 1 that I will give them more opportunities and I think you will see that more now." Cheap Air Jordan 1 Retro . -- The Denver Broncos are shuffling their offensive line this off-season and Orlando Franklin provided some insight into their plans Monday by tweeting that hes moving from right tackle to left guard. Air Jordan 1 Shoes From China . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. http://www.cheapairjordan1forsale.com/ .C. -- Kevin Harvick won his first career pole at Darlington Raceway on Friday as he looks to chase his first Southern 500.Morocco was thrown out of the 2015 African Cup of Nations and dumped as the host Tuesday after refusing to commit to the scheduled dates early next year because of fears over Ebola.The tournament in January and February will now have a new host country only two months before kickoff, the Confederation of African Football said after an emergency meeting at its Cairo headquarters.CAF didnt announce the replacement host, but said it had received some applications.These applications are currently under review, and the executive committee will finalize the selection of the successful national association shortly, the African football body said in a statement.It didnt name any of the candidates.South Africa, Egypt, Sudan and Ghana have all already indicated they are unwilling to replace Morocco, partly because of Ebola. Nigeria, Angola and Gabon have also been mentioned as possible stand-in hosts.The decisions by CAF were taken at a meeting that was forced by Moroccos refusal to hold the tournament on the planned dates of Jan. 17-Feb. 8 because of the threat of the spread of Ebola. The disease has killed about 5,000 people in West Africa, and Morocco wanted the 16-team soccer event postponed until 2016 because of fears the deadly virus would arrive with supporters and other travellers.CAF repeatedly refused Moroccos request to postpone the African Cup, the bodys main money-earning tournament, and gave the country until Saturday to commit to the planned dates. Morocco declined again.The Royal Moroccan Football Federation reiterated its refusal to hold the competition on the dates indicated, CAF said Tuesday. Therefore having firmly and unanimously notified ... its decision to keep the competition on the dates indicated, the executive committee confirmed that the Africa Cup of Nations 2015 will not take place in Morocco.CAFs executive committee also decided that the national team of Morocco is automatically disqualified because of its refusal to host. CAF will decide on further punishments for Morocco for breaching its contract as host, it said.CAF must now decide on a new host nation, one which will have little time to prepare. The decision on the new host would be made shorrtly, CAF said, but it didnt give a solid timeframe. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Shoes For Sale. It also will have to re-schedule the final draw for the tournament, and the ongoing qualifying competition might be affected if a country currently playing in the qualifiers is given an automatic place in the final tournament as the new host.After Morocco indicated last month that it wanted a postponement, CAF approached seven countries to act as possible short-notice hosts, according to South Africa, one of the nations on the list.No country has publicly said yet that it wants to host the tournament in Moroccos place.Although Guinea is the only one of the three West African countries worst-affected by Ebola to still have a good chance of qualifying for the final tournament, there was nothing stopping fans from the other Ebola countries from travelling, Moroccan authorities said. They warned of the dangers of supporters from football-mad West Africa mixing with large groups of other fans at stadiums.Morocco said it wouldnt stand down over its position because of advice from its health authorities, which took precedence over sports.Moroccan authorities were criticized by some sections of their own media over their decision, which could result in a ban from future editions of the African Cup.While harping on the risk of Ebola, Moroccos position is strongly contradicted by Royal Air Marocs 15 flights a week to countries affected by Ebola, an editorial in the French-language Moroccan daily Les Echos said. There are not less than 1,500 people transported from these countries to Morocco every week, without a single case detected.The paper predicted severe penalties and a negative political impact for Morocco.Morocco is also scheduled to host FIFAs Club World Cup next month, featuring Champions League winner Real Madrid. The country said it was willing to continue with its hosting duties for that tournament because it didnt expect many supporters to travel to it from Ebola-affected regions.The two African teams playing in the Club World Cup are from Morocco and Algeria.___Associated Press writer Paul Schemm contributed to this report.___Gerald Imray is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GeraldImrayAP Cheap Throwback Baseball Detroit Tigers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Colorado Rockies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Houston Astros Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Kansas City Royals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Angels Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Miami Marlins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Milwaukee Brewers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Minnesota Twins Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Mets Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball New York Yankees Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Oakland Athletics Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Philadelphia Phillies Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Diego Padres Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball San Francisco Giants Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Seattle Mariners Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Tampa Bay Rays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Texas Rangers Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Washington Nationals Jerseys ' ' '