It was 10:35am on March 9, 2012. Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Wed been there for a few minutes already. We were early (as we usually are) for the Whitecaps practice, which was scheduled to begin at 11am. There wasnt a soul to be seen outside the dressing room, as all of the players and coaches were already inside preparing for training. The time is etched in my memory because it was then, at 10:35am, that Darren Mattocks came strolling down the hallway. Big headphones blaring, he didnt look like he had a care in the world. He certainly didnt look like a rookie who was late for the last practice before his first game as a professional soccer player. He bowled on by and walked into the dressing room - the last player to arrive by a wide margin. I turned to Luke, completely bewildered by what I had just witnessed, and asked him, "Is he having a laugh?" (Im paraphrasing - my choice of words were far more industrial than that.) "That would NEVER happen in Europe. No chance. The senior players would crucify him for that. And the manager would have him banished to train with the youth team." I couldnt believe what Id seen. In 18 years as a professional player in Canada and the UK, Id never seen a young player show such blatant disrespect for the rules and hierarchy of a football club. First to arrive, last to leave is a principle that all rookies (apart from Mattocks, clearly) adhere to religiously. They do so because they know that they not only have to impress their manager, but more importantly, they have to impress their teammates. They have to earn the respect of the senior players if they are ever going to be considered one of them. You see, experienced players can suss out a fraud in less than one training session, and it doesnt take long for them to figure out if a young player comes with an ego. Those egos dont last very long though, because the senior players simply dont tolerate them. They chip away at the arrogance of youth, exposing flaws until the young player sees the light; that they arent the finished article and that they have to work hard if they are ever going to fulfill their potential. It is a humbling that involves brutal honesty, but it teaches young players humility and mental resiliency - two vital ingredients in having a lengthy professional career. That humbling clearly hasnt happened for Darren Mattocks. He has been allowed to live in the bubble that he has created for himself - one in which he thinks hes already the finished article. Mattocks spoke on a Jamaican football program this week, where he revealed that he "carried Vancouver to the playoffs last year" and that "every team in MLS wants me". On former head coach Martin Rennie, Mattocks said this, "If me can do successful [sic] with my first season, and in my second season, you will try to jeopardize my career, Im not naive and Im not gonna stay (in Vancouver)." His responses were as brazen and as arrogant as Ive ever seen. You could write Mattocks attitude off to his youth, but he is 23-years old. Its not like he is a baby in the world of football. Hes a grown man, at an age where his European counterparts will have already amassed 150+ first team games. You could also argue that someone has been filling his head with ideas of grandeur, leading him to believe that he really is the world-class striker that he imagines himself to be. But these arguments are nothing more than excuses. They wont help Darren Mattocks. What he needs is some tough love. What he needs is for someone to hold a mirror in front of his game, so that he can see himself for the player that he really is. So here goes. Darren, you have exceptional athletic ability, and you are arguably one of the finest athletes in Major League Soccer. But you were voted the top prospect in MLS under the age of 24 last year because of your potential, not because you are the finished article. You are a 23-year old man, but you have the football intelligence of a 15-year-old boy. You are reactive, rather than proactive, and you use your pace and athleticism to make up for the fact that you are often in the wrong position to begin with. The timing of your runs is poor, your finishing is poor, and you do not retain possession of the ball nearly well enough to be considered amongst the leagues best. You did not play a starring role this season because you simply didnt earn the right to do so. You are judged on everything you do - in training, in games, in your demeanour on and off the field - not just on your statistics. Unless you realize this, you will never be in a position to fulfill your undoubted potential. Unless you realize this, you will become just another player who failed to live up to his potential. The choice is yours, Darren. You can carry on believing that it was Martin Rennies fault that you had a poor season. But youd be wrong. You are the only reason you struggled this year. If anything, Martin tried to protect you from the things Ive just told you, because Im not alone in my assessment of your game. Many of the senior players in your dressing room think the exact same things. And I suspect that now that Martin is gone, youll be hearing it from them very soon. For your sake, I hope you listen to them. Nike Air Max Supply From China . The 10-year deal the league and players agreed to that ended the 2011 lockout gave either side the right to opt out after six years. With the league projecting financial growth, there has been speculation that players will take that option in three years, especially since a new national TV contract will be in place by then. 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Its been a frustrating week for the ballclub.NEW YORK -- Despite three untimely errors, the Washington Nationals found a way to win at Citi Field. They always do. Asdrubal Cabrera hit his first home run for Washington and tumbled over a retaining wall to make a terrific catch, leading the Nationals past the New York Mets 3-2 Wednesday night for their 10th straight victory in Queens. "Were going to have games like this every once in a while. The fact that we were able to overcome it is key," manager Matt Williams said. "We were fortunate tonight." Rafael Soriano held on in the ninth following Travis dArnauds leadoff homer, getting the final two outs after the Mets put a pair of runners in scoring position. Matt den Dekker was thrown out at home on pinch-hitter Eric Campbells grounder to shortstop -- and the call was upheld after a replay review to determine whether catcher Wilson Ramos blocked the plate illegally. Curtis Granderson hit a comebacker on the next pitch, giving Soriano his 27th save in 31 tries. "Weve got the best bullpen in the game," starter Jordan Zimmermann said. Bryce Harper and Kevin Frandsen each hit a sacrifice fly in the seventh to make a winner of Zimmermann (8-5), who did not permit an earned run or a walk in 6 1-3 innings. Drew Storen pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half, and the NL East leaders won for the 24th time in their last 28 road games against the Mets dating to Sept. 12, 2011. They havent lost in Queens since June 29 last year. "Come out of here kind of feeling like you stole one," Adam LaRoche said. "Luckily our pitchers in a few innings made some big pitches when we needed them. Kind of bailed our defence out, which has been pretty solid." Washington has outscored the Mets 70-20 during the winning streak at Citi Field, which ties a franchise record for the longest at one venue away from home. The Montreal Expos won 10 road games in a row against the Chicago Cubs from 1982-83. "This is a tough one because they gave us a chance to beat them tonight," New York manager Terry Collins said. Coming off his 200th career win last Friday, Mets starter Bartolo Colon (11-10) allowed two runs -- one earned -- in seven innings. Leading 1-0, Colon gave up a leadoff double in the seventh to LaRoche. LaRoche stopped at third on a single to centre by Ian Desmond, who advanced to second when Juan Lagares high throw ticked off the glove of cutoff man Lucas Duda for an error.dddddddddddd That ended up hurting the Mets. Harper tied it with a sacrifice fly, Ramos singled and Frandsen put the Nationals ahead with another sacrifice fly. "One bad pitch and they took advantage," Colon said through a translator. Cabrera connected in the eighth off Jeurys Familia. The two-time All-Star hit nine home runs for Cleveland this season before he was dealt to Washington at the July 31 trade deadline. In the bottom half, Cabrera bolted from his spot at second base and made a running catch of Grandersons foul pop just before hitting a retaining wall and going head over heels. Frandsen handed New York its first run when he dropped dArnauds fourth-inning fly in front of the left-field warning track. "Its not being lazy or anything -- just dropped it. That stuff happens," Frandsen said. "Especially after screwing up and making a huge mistake, youve got to redeem yourself." TRAINERS ROOM Nationals: RF Jayson Werth sat out again and will remain sidelined for at least a couple of days after receiving a cortisone injection for his sore right shoulder. Williams said Werth has a sprained AC joint, but an MRI showed no structural damage. Mets: RHP Matt Harvey (elbow) threw 27 pitches during a bullpen session at the teams complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. ... RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (right elbow inflammation) is scheduled for another rehab outing Saturday with Double-A Binghamton. UP NEXT Looking for a three-game sweep, Washington sends Stephen Strasburg (8-10, 3.68 ERA) to the mound Thursday night against Dillon Gee (4-4, 3.54), who is 7-3 with a 3.23 ERA in 13 career starts against the Nationals. DIFFERENT STORY Michael Taylor, who homered in his major league debut Tuesday, went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts for the Nationals. Taylor started in centre field and batted leadoff, his regular spot in the lineup at Double-A this season. Center fielder Denard Span was rested before entering on defence in the eighth. BUSY MAN Mets star David Wright extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a first-inning single. But the crowd groaned as he tried to stretch it to a double and was thrown out easily by Frandsen, who also made a sliding grab on Wrights drive in the sixth. ' ' '