GENEVA -- Risk-taking and counterattacks are the new fashion in football, according to a FIFA study of World Cup teams tactics. Shaquem Griffin Jersey . "The trend is for teams to play positively and do everything to win a game rather than merely not lose," FIFAs panel of coaching experts working in Brazil reported Friday. The best teams were rewarded for being "not afraid of losing their shape for brief moments," the 284-page document noted. "Outstanding fast transitions and counterattacking tactics," were praised as the most effective strategy at a World Cup which equaled the tournament record for most goals and was widely praised as the best in a generation. It was a different story four years ago. Then, the football was so poor in South Africa that FIFA President Sepp Blatter asked a task force to suggest ways of making football more entertaining. Though that panel achieved little, in Brazil the teams, coaches and players rose to their challenge. "The tempo of the game was impressive -- Brazil 2014 was one of, if not the fastest World Cups ever played," the FIFA technical report said. Other successful trends in Brazil included playing with at least two strikers, three central defenders and only one defensive midfielder. Controversial incidents -- including Uruguay forward Luis Suarez biting an opponent, and players continuing despite apparent head injuries -- are not mentioned in the document. Teams are also rarely criticized, though Brazil is not spared after being outplayed by eventual winner Germany and the Netherlands. "An incomprehensibly poor performance against Germany," the report said of the host nations semifinal humbling, adding that 7-1 was "a fair reflection of the strengths of the two teams." FIFAs coaches noted Brazils "attacking game not quite clicking into gear and some co-ordination problems obvious in defence." Tactically, the FIFA report says top teams no longer use two holding midfielders, which was effective in South Africa. A lone striker is also out of fashion. "Most teams played with two strikers (if not three), and the few teams that played with one lone attacker left the competition early," the report said. Goalkeepers like Germanys Manuel Neuer now function as an extra outfield player, and specialized coaching should reflect that, the report said. The report suggests playing with three central defenders is "on the rise again" thanks to the third-place Netherlands, surprise quarterfinalist Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay. Four years after Spain rode its tiki-taka passing to win the World Cup, the report notes effective use of the ball is now more important than simply having it. In Brazil, 21 of 64 matches were won by the counterattacking team having less possession. "Possession play must be efficient and not sterile," the report noted, adding that 34 of 171 goals in Brazil came from "quick transition play." "Counter-attacking tactics were once a tool in a teams armoury, but now some teams base their entire play around such tactics," the report said. More goals than expected came from corner kicks and "remarkable" high-quality crosses, and early leads were often overturned. "Teams that scored the first goal were at times too confident and too sure of themselves," the report said. Defensive tactics included aggressive pressing to get the ball in the first 15 minutes, and holding a back line at least 40 metres from goal. "Teams defended in a compact block in a high line and overloaded the area where the ball was," the report said. Costa Rica and Algeria are praised for making progress, and so was the CONCACAF region which also had Mexico and the United States reach the second round "Good development work has seen the gap between (CONCACAF) teams narrow, which automatically means that there is healthy competition and an improved standard of football," the report states. "Europe can be more than happy with their performance at Brazil 2014," the report said, after winning for the first time in the Americas. The four winless Asian confederation teams "lacked creativity, ideas, penetration and players who could turn a match in their favour." FIFAs experts also hope the World Cup will encourage a generation of unselfish players putting their team first. "Individual skill can only be effective if it is fully in sync with the efforts and philosophy of the team." Dontae Johnson Seahawks Jersey . Geovany Soto had an RBI for the Cubs. Carlos Silva gave up one run on three hits over six innings to pick up the win. Josh Willingham drove in the lone run for the Nationals, who had just four hits. Rasheem Green Seahawks Jersey . -- The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will forever be tied together for making the same spectacular misjudgment on budding NBA sensation Jeremy Lin. http://www.theseahawksauthenticonline.com/DJ-Fluker-Jersey/ . - Josh Sterk scored twice to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 7-1 rout of the Ottawa 67s in Mondays Ontario Hockey League action.Both Toronto FC and the Vancouver Whitecaps face tricky games this weekend, as both teams cling to their respective playoff lives. TFC sits in seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference with six games left to play, while Vancouver sits in sixth place in the Western Conference with five games remaining. Canadaa€?s third MLS team, the Montreal Impact, is already eliminated from playoff contention. Whitecaps fans will have one eye on the earlier game on Saturday, as TFC takes on the Portland Timbers (TSN1, TSN4, TSN5 1pm et/10am pt). A Toronto victory, coupled with a Vancouver win over Real Salt Lake (TSN2, 7pm et/4pm pt) would see the Whitecaps leapfrog the Timbers into the fifth and final Western Conference playoff place. However, victories for both teams will not be easy to come by. While Jermain Defoe returned to Toronto from England this week, the injured star is not fit to play and will be a spectator at BMO Field on Saturday. Defoe hopes to join in full training on Monday, but his involvement in TFCa€?s remaining fixtures will be largely dependent on how quickly he can get up to speed. The Timbers are coming off a massive 3-0 home victory over Vancouver. It was a clinical performance from Portland, who dominated the game in both penalty areas. A glorious finish from Diego Valeri opened the scoring for Portland before striker Fanendo Adi added a brace to seal the points in the second half. Portland will be buoyed by finally having their playoff chances in their own hands - outdo the Whitecaps over the remaining five games and the Timbers will claim a playoff place. A settled back four has certainly helped Portlanda€?s cause of late, but the midfield duo of Canadian international Will Johnson and Diego Chara provide the real bite in Portlanda€?s team. That defensive solidity allows Diego Valeri, Darlington Nagbe and Rodney Wallace the freedom they need to support and supply their front man, either Adi or former TFC striker Maximiliano Urrutti. In order for Toronto to beat Portland and boost their own playoff hopes, they will need to put in another strong performance, like the 3-0 victory last week against Chivas USA. Granted, Chivas is the joint worst team in MLS, tied with the Montreal Impact on 24 points, but there were positive signs in Torontoa€?s overall performance. The return of Steven Caldwell at the heart of defence was a massive boost for TFC and I liked heead coach Greg Vanneya€?s decision to play Michael Bradley at the base of the midfield diamond with Jonathan Osorio at the tip. Rashaad Penny Seahawks Jersey. Vanney will need to replace Jackson on Saturday, as the Brazilian was red-carded against Chivas and is suspended. Vanney may opt for a tactical change, as Portlanda€?s 4-2-3-1 formation will likely be what the home side has to contend with, but the midfield diamond can work for TFC if Bradley and Osorio perform up to their capabilities. If Gilberto can continue his rich vein of form up front, he will cause problems for Portlanda€?s back line. In Vancouver, the Whitecaps might face a less-than-full-strength Real Salt Lake team. a€?We need a result, RSL head coach Jeff Cassar said earlier this week. Were going to put the best team out there that we feel is going to give us a result. But at the same time, we have to be smart, since were getting toward the end of the year. But I feel very confident in the team that were going to be putting on the field.a€? He has every reason to feel confident in his team. RSL has won five of its last eight games, including a 5-1 win over Colorado last weekend. They get goals from multiple players and have a tried and tested tactical approach to the game. The 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield has become synonymous with RSL over the last few years and their players are well-drilled in its workings. They will line up in that way, but Vancouver has options to counter RSLa€?s formation. Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson could opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation, like the one that came from two goals down to steal a point in Aprila€?s 2-2 draw with RSL in Utah. Or he could opt to match up RSLa€?s formation with their own 4-4-2 diamond midfield, with Russell Teibert and Mauro Rosales flanking Matias Laba and Pedro Morales in midfield. The 4-2-3-1 formation provides more width and leaves Vancouver less exposed defensively in wide areas, but the 4-4-2 diamond is probably best suited to the strengths of the Whitecaps midfield quartet. Whatever formation Robinson elects to employ, he will need better from his front men a€“ the Whitecaps have failed to find the back of the net in five of their last seven games. Honduran Johnny Leveron trained all week with Vancouver after returning from international duty, and could return to the lineup to partner the impressive Kendall Waston in the heart of Vancouvera€?s defence. 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