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VANCOUVER -- For at least a few hours, the Vancouver Whitecaps could put the Camilo Sanvezzo saga aside. As their best player continued to orchestrate his dramatic exit from the club, the Whitecaps added size and creativity at Thursdays Major League Soccer SuperDraft. Vancouver had two picks in the first seven, taking defender Christian Dean at No. 3 before adding midfielder Andre Lewis at No. 7. "Being selected is a dream come true," said Dean. "Especially a team on the West Coast, growing up in California ... (Vancouver is) close to home." Hearing a player actually wanting to be with the club should come as welcome news for fans of the Whitecaps, who are now resigned to the fact that Sanvezzo -- the flashy Brazilian striker who won the 2013 MLS Golden Boot -- will be sold to a Mexican team after forcing Vancouvers hand. And its not only Dean who is happy about his new team. "My mom is ecstatic," he added. "I think shes happier than I am." The 20-year-old from East Palo Alto was selected using the pick Vancouver acquired in the July 2012 trade that sent striker Eric Hassli to Toronto FC. Dean spent the last three seasons with the NCAAs California Golden Bears, starting all 55 games he played. "I bring energy. Big, athletic, on the larger side," said Dean, who stands six foot three and weighs 198 pounds. "Good feet -- especially at centre back, I kind of pride myself a little bit on that. Its something that I like to use to my advantage." The Philadelphia Union, who hosted the draft, traded up to take Connecticut goalkeeper Andre Blake with the first pick before D.C. United used the second selection to take defender Steve Birnbaum, who was Deans college teammate at Cal. "I dont know much about Philly," said Blake, who originally hails from Jamaica. "I heard something yesterday about how its the place for a cheesesteak or something. Thats as much as I know. But Im pretty sure Ill get adjusted and learn everything I need to know." Meanwhile, the Montreal Impact took Creighton defender Eric Miller with the fifth pick, FC Dallas took Calgary-born striker Tesho Akindele from the Colorado School of Mines at No. 6, and Toronto FC traded up to draft Xavier defender Nick Hagglund at No. 10. Left-footed with the ability to play either in the centre or left of defence, Dean said he will have to increase the physical side of his game against MLS competition. "I think I will have to adapt. College was a physical game, especially stepping up from the youth level to college, it got more physical," he said on a conference call. "I think playing against bigger and stronger people, Ill have to become a lot more physical and to do that Ill just have to make a little mental jump." Dean might just get that chance as Vancouvers backline has at least one hole heading into training camp next month with the retirement of Y.P. Lee. Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit doesnt have a contract for 2014, but new head coach Carl Robinson has said he wants to bring the veteran back into the fold. "I think Im ready to come in and play, wherever I would have ended up," said Dean, who suited up as a centre back in college this season after two years on the left. "Especially with Vancouver, coming in the defence will be something that will be a possibility for me." Robinson said the Whitecaps had Dean rated high on their draft board and were delighted to see him available when it was Vancouvers turn to pick at No. 3. "Christian is a fantastic athlete. I think it was clear for everyone to see at the combine, as well as throughout the college season, that he was a fantastic prospect," said Robinson. "Hes got a lot to learn, but hes got a good head on his shoulders." Dean has never been to Vancouver and said that he wasnt tipped off during pre-draft discussions with the club that the Whitecaps would be his destination. "I talked to the coaching staff while I was at the combine during one of the player meetings and hit it off," he said. "Other than that there was no real talk of Hey, well select you or stuff like that. "It was kind of a bit of a surprise, but in the end Im happy that I got picked by Vancouver." Lewis was also pleased to be joining the Whitecaps, but for different reasons. "Im a fan of Vancouver because of Darren Mattocks," the 19-year-old said of the Whitecaps striker and fellow Jamaican. "I love the support that the fans give to Vancouver. Im looking forward to starting my professional career with the Whitecaps and to just go there and work hard and do my best." Lewis said he and Mattocks live about 10 minutes apart but that pair didnt speak about the possibility of being teammates in MLS. The five-foot-nine, 145-pound midfielder, who will join the Whitecaps from Jamaican club Portmore United F.C. when pre-season training begins next week, represented his country at the under-17 and under-20 levels before earning his first senior call up in 2012. "On the pitch, I always want to be a top player," said Lewis. "Win or lose, I want to be on top of my game at all times." Robinson said that like Whitecaps striker Kekuta Manneh -- a player that Vancouver selected fourth overall at last years draft -- Lewis has "something special." "I think hes got a fantastic football brain," said Robinson. "Hes got a fantastic understanding of the game for someone so young and he was a prospect that we wanted to make sure we got on board." Notes: As a Generation Adidas player, Deans salary will not count against the MLS salary cap. ... Dean said he is friends with Whitecaps striker Omar Salgado from their time with the U.S. under-20 team. ... In the second round, Toronto selected Elon midfielder Daniel Lovitz at No. 24, Vancouver took Connecticut striker Mamadou Diouf at No. 30 and Montreal went with Cal Poly midfielder George Malki at No. 37. ... The third and fourth rounds of the draft take place on Tuesday. Cheap Air Max 1 Australia . -- Jim Furyk was 10 shots worse and right where he wanted to be Saturday in the BMW Championship. Air Max 1 Australia Sale . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again. http://www.cheapairmax1australia.com/ . You can, too, Clay Buchholz, if we ignore the sixth inning of Game 2. Doug Fister and Jake Peavy, youre up next in Game 4 and theres a lot to live up to. Air Max 1 Australia Wholesale .Chanathip Songkrasin opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Kroekrit found the target twice in the 57th and four minutes from fulltime.Vietnam and Malaysia play their second leg on Thursday. Vietnam won the first leg 2-1. Cheap Air Max 1 Online Australia . Right-hander Ricky Nolasco and the Twins agreed to terms on a free-agent contract Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.CALGARY - Canada not only reinforced its status as a winter sport power in 2014, but proved to be a pretty good road team at the Winter Olympics.The country fell one medal short of its best Winter Games performance in Sochi, Russia, in February. The host team won 26 four years earlier in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C., to set the new benchmark.To claim 25 in Russia without the advantage of home ice and snow indicates Canadas athletes stayed confident and adapted.Canadas sport leaders — Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Sport Canada and the winter sport federations — have set overall medals won as the standard of success.The stated goal for Sochi, as it was four years earlier, was to win the overall medal count.Canada finished fourth in the overall tally behind host Russia (33), the United States (28) and Norway (26). In 2010, the Americans were first with 37 and Germany second with 30 ahead of third-place Canada.After setting a record for gold medals at a single Winter Games with 14 in 2010, Canada wasnt far off the pace in Sochi with 10 to sit third behind Russia (13) and Norway (11).Sweeping mens and womens gold in hockey and curling was immensely satisfying to those watching at home.But the fertile ground coming out of Sochi is in freestyle skiing. With terrain parks in ski resorts from coast to coast, this country is a natural playground for flying off jumps on two skis and inventing tricks in the air.Canada has depth of talent in freestyle skiing. If you include skicross, which is governed internationally by freestyle but domestically by Alpine Canada, the freestyle teams nine medals accounted for more than a third of Canadas total in Sochi. Four times in freestyle events, there were two Canadian medallistsCanadas Paralympians again hit the target of finishing among the top three countries in gold medals won with nine in Sochi.The host country ranked third in 2010 with 10 gold and stayed third in Sochi behind the Russians with 30 and the Germans with nine. Cross-country skier Brian McKeever collected three gold to increase his career count to 10.Sochi tested the resiliency of Canadas athletes, coaches and support staff and will provide a template for Pyeongchang, South Korea, in 2018.Thousands of kilometres and multiple time zones away from home again, the Canadian team will attempt to maintain the gain, which was the mantra heading into 2014.Peter Judge stepped out of his job as chief executive officer of the Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association post-Sochi and immediately into the role of director of winter sport for OTP.He said the top reason for the freestyle teams success in Sochi was athletes travelled to the area at least three times for competitions or training camps prior to the opening ceremonies.Familiarization has always been the critical component of major Games and world championships, Judge said in Sochi. Weve always tried too be in there early and often.ddddddddddddThey came here, they felt at home. There was not too much weirdness at all. Having that familiarity, having that comfort, youre dealing with 80 per cent less stuff right off the bat.Canada is keeping up the pace post-Sochi with several notable results to open the 2014-15 World Cup season.Calgarys Sam Edney became the first Canadian male to win World Cup luge gold. Ottawa long-track speed skater Ivanie Blondin has picked up five medals, including two gold in the womens mass start.Short-tracker Charles Hamelin of Sainte-Julie, Que., claimed four individual medals, including gold in the 1,500 metres. Moguls skier Phil Marquis of Quebec City won his first World Cup in two years.Olympic skicross champion Marielle Thompson of Whistler, B.C., and Vancouvers Georgia Simmerling earned gold and silver respectively in their first race this winter while Calgary skeleton racer Elisabeth Vathje has won a gold and a silver in her first two World Cups.Alpine skier Manny Osborne-Paradis of North Vancouver, B.C., kicked off his season with a downhill silver in Lake Louise, Alta.The countrys continued success depends largely on two elements: money and recruiting talented athletes into winter sport. The Canadian taxpayer is the single biggest funder of its athletes.According to the office of the Minister of State for Sport, the federal government spent $150 million on high-performance sport in the four years between 2010 and 2014, which was an increase of $25 million over the previous quadrennial.That figure doesnt include the Athletes Assistance Program, which provides up to $18,000 to approximately 1,800 carded athletes annually in direct money.OTP allocates about $62 million of the federal government money annually to summer, winter and Paralympic sport based on medal potential. That means if a sport federation has athletes with medal potential, they get OTP funding. If not, no money.Its a tough-love philosophy not loved by all, particularly if you are a ski jumper or skeleton racer not getting much from OTP.But since this system has largely produced results Canadians can feel proud of — and thus wont object paying for — its likely here to stay for now.Under Marcel Aubut, the Canadian Olympic Committee has aggressively pursued corporate sponsorships with a goal set in 2012 to raise $100 million by 2016.The COC committed to diverting $37 million of it to OTP a year ago. But there are still money gaps in athletes lives as they try to make ends meet. Theres also a concerning lack of resources in some sports to develop the next generation of Olympians.The COC is responsible for preparing athletes for the Games environment and looking after their needs on the ground.The expenses for South Korea will be at least comparable to Russia if Canada follows the same strategy of getting athletes there early and often before 2018. ' ' '