VANCOUVER -- Goalkeeper David Ousted received a most fitting welcome to Vancouver when he arrived Thursday afternoon. It rained. Although the new Vancouver Whitecaps recruit was beaming about his move to Canada from Danish Superliga side Randers FC, the grey skies and wet weather perhaps reminded him that pinching the starting spot from Brad Knighton is going to be no summer walk along the Stanley Park seawall. Ousted, 28, is coming off a superb season in Denmark where he steered Randers to third place in the Danish Superliga on the back of 14 shutouts and a spot in the upcoming UEFA Europa League. But the six-foot-three goalkeeper felt it was time for a change of scenery and a new challenge. "I wanted to try and go abroad and play in other places than Denmark and this was the place that had all the right features for me both on and off the field," he said at his introductory press conference Friday. While Ousted will have to wait until July 9 before he is eligible to play, his signing sets up a tantalizing battle in net between him and Knighton, who has a 3-1-1 record and a 2.00 goals-against-average in five MLS games this season. Could the Whitecaps have a Vancouver Canucks goalie situation on their hands? Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie said the club was "really honoured" to have snared the services of the respected Dane, however the onus is on the new recruit to earn his stripes. "Hes coming into a team thats doing well and hes coming into a situation where he will have to be at his absolute best to even get on the field," Rennie said. "Right now Brad Knightons the number one and hes been doing well while weve been getting good results. "(Brads) got a great presence as well and hes a strong leader too so I think that it will be a great battle. Theyre both around similar ages (Ousted is older, by five days), theyll push each other really hard and I think theyll both become better through the competition." Ousted said it was "important" for any team to have players vying for every position, but he is well aware of what is needed to claim the coveted No. 1 spot. "Hard work is the key to getting in there," he said. "Im going to get my physical levels up, Im going to work as hard as I can and when the coaches think Im ready, Ill get the chance and I will have to grab it." Before arriving in North America, Ousteds exposure to MLS was minimal at best, but he was able to get a taste of what to expect. "I quickly saw that the level is quite good over here," he said. "I went over and saw some of the matches and just the spectators and the whole hype around the game is something Im really looking forward to." Ousted hopes to bring his family over to Vancouver in about a month, but in the meantime he is aiming to get straight down to business on the training track on Monday. "Im looking forward to try and see if I can hit the ground running here, work hard and come in (to the team) as early as possible," he said. "So theres a lot of hard work for me in the next couple of weeks and then I hope to get settled really quick." Ousteds arrival brings the number of goalkeepers at the Whitecaps to four, with Knighton, veteran Joe Cannon and Simon Thomas already in the ranks, so plenty of eyes will be on the player between the posts going forward. But it doesnt bother the soft-spoken Roskilde native. "I love it (the scrutiny)," he said, flashing his pearly white smile. "You have the chance to be the hero and the villain on the same day. "Im looking forward to the pressure and I hope Ill be the hero most of the time." 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A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah coach Kyle Whittingham scoffed at the suggestion that his team doesnt have much to play for in the Foster Farms Bowl on Dec. 28.The Utes (8-4) started the season 7-1 and controlled their chances for the first Pac-12 football championship in school history, but fell out of contention by losing three of their final four games. Facing Indiana (6-6) in the Foster Farms Bowl doesnt have the same cachet as the Rose Bowl, but the Utes say they have something to prove.Theres always something to play for, Whittingham said. You dont need a carrot out there. Just your competitive instinct, if nothing else. Theres always reasons to play.The team was all smiles after Tuesdays practice with senior receiver Tim Patrick high-jacking safety Chase Hansens interviews and other players teasing and joking around during the media session. It wasnt the look of a team still consumed by a lost opportunity.The senior class will be playing its last collegiate game and some are looking to make one last impression on NFL scouts. And Whittingham wants a third consecutive nine-win season for the first time since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.It was disappointing, the way the season ended, Whittingham said. A couple of those teams were Top 10 teams, so its not like we were playing sisters of the poor. Nonetheless, we didnt finish how we wanted. But thats life. You have to bounce back.Hansen and Patrick acknowledged they lingered on the last month longer than other defeats. The offense sputtered in those final three losses and the 30-28 lloss at home to a four-win Oregon team that eventually fired coach Mark Helfrich was a significant failure.dddddddddddd.Thats not how the 2016 Utes want to be remembered.Just show the nation what were really made of, Patrick said. Things didnt really go our way this year, but theres still a lot of key players coming back next year and this is our time to show what theyre made of.Hansen posted a team-high 86 tackles as a sophomore, but said hes still focused on the moment despite being set up for a monster individual season in 2017.It can be real hard to motivate yourself to keep going after a tough month, but thats what makes this team cool, Hansen said. Were excited to come play with each other and be able to go to the bowl game, regardless of what bowl game it is.Hansen has the luxury of not looking ahead as an established starter, but Whittingham confirmed this is a chance for younger players to make their first impressions for next season. There are additional practice opportunities for developing players and the coaching staff is taking notes.Without a doubt, Whittingham said. Its a great opportunity for our coaches to start to get a really good look at projecting spring ball depth charts and that type of thing. Who we like and who we think may be able to help us next year.---More college football http://collegefootball.ap.org---Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter: www.twitter.com/KareemCopeland ' ' '
