vVANCOUVER -- Jay DeMerit says if Kekuta Manneh can realize his full potential, the 18-year-old wont be with the Vancouver Whitecaps for very long. Custom Chicago Bears Jerseys . Until last week, the Gambian-born forward was having a productive rookie season in Major League Soccer, flying mostly under the radar outside of Vancouver. But everything changed thanks to a stunning hat trick in a 4-1 road victory over the Seattle Sounders on Oct. 9 that saw the Whitecaps keep their playoff hopes alive. "Hopefully, if he keeps the right attitude, hell be somewhere else," DeMerit said Thursday when asked where he saw Mannehs career in a few years. "Thats not a bad thing. You draft kids to mentor them and make them better and you try not to hold those kinds of guys back. "Everyone speaks of his talent, and he knows of his talent. Now its just about making the most of that talent." But the 33-year-old Vancouver captain cautioned: "Hes not going to go anywhere unless he performs here first." And perform he did against the Sounders in a game the Whitecaps badly needed. Manneh scored in the 12th, 42nd and 54th minute for the franchises first MLS hat trick to send Vancouver to its first-ever league victory in Seattle. "Its always great to score a goal (and) especially a hat trick. Im really grateful to my team for the support they gave me," said the five-foot-nine Manneh, now also the youngest player to score an MLS hat trick. "It was a great feeling." Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie has had difficulty finding a consistent strike partner for Brazilian forward Camilo Sanvezzo this season, but seems to have something with Manneh. "Throughout the season hes just been developing as a player whos got exciting technique, great skills," said Rennie. "Hes naturally just a very gifted player and now hes learning the things weve been talking about. Hes learning his position a little bit more. Hes learning what it means to be a professional player." Named MLS player of the week for his performance against the Sounders, Manneh was born in Madiba Kunda, Gambia, and played soccer non-stop as a child. "(Soccer) is all we do," he said with a smile. "Thats the sport you want to play. "We still have the field that I played on -- a dirt field." After his mother died when he was 10 years old, Manneh found his way to a Gambian soccer academy, which had a partnership with youth clubs in the United States. Manneh left Africa at age 15, eventually finding his way to a team in Austin, Texas, where he billeted with a family that would eventually adopt him. Fast-forward three years, the Whitecaps took Manneh with the fourth pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. The club has tried to bring him on slowly, but he showed flashes of brilliance early in his professional career. "Coming in the first year I just wanted to learn as much as I could from the coaches and the senior players," he said. "I just came in every single day, worked hard and it paid off." Manneh came on as a second-half substitute with Vancouver trailing 2-0 against FC Dallas on April 27 and brought his team back to level with a goal and an assist. The Whitecaps (12-11-9) are three points out of the final post-season spot in the Western Conference, but play their final two games of the season against the fifth-place Colorado Rapids (13-10-9), who currently hold down the last playoff berth. Colorado hosts Vancouver on Saturday, before playing at B.C. Place Stadium on Oct. 27. With five goals and two assists in 18 games, including four starts, Manneh is trying to help the Whitecaps secure a playoff berth that seemed unlikely just a few weeks ago. "Over the course of the year, hes improved," said Rennie. "Hopefully over the course of a couple years he can improve the same or more and then youve got really a potentially consistent top player." Roquan Smith Jersey . John Albert Elway, 24, was booked into jail early Saturday morning after an incident near a college campus in downtown Denver, according to jail records. Taylor Gabriel Jersey . Venus Williams advanced to the ASB Classic final in Auckland on a walkover when fellow American Jamie Hampton withdrew from their semifinal Friday with a right hip injury. http://www.bearsrookiestore.com/Bears-Aaron-Lynch-Jersey/ . 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.BEREA, Ohio -- As he discussed the possibility of quarterback Johnny Manziel being picked by Cleveland in the upcoming draft, Browns linebacker Quentin Groves made a small sign of the cross. A prayer that hes coming? A plea that he stays away? Groves intentions with his gesture werent clear. Like just about everything around Johnny Football, theres no definite answer. The most polarizing player to enter the NFL in a while, Manziel, is being closely linked to the Browns, who own the No. 4 overall pick in next weeks draft and have been seeking a franchise quarterback for more than a decade. Clevelands inability to land a QB either in the draft or via free agency or blind luck may be the single biggest reason the Browns have only made the playoffs once since 1999 and seem to change coaches every year. There are those who believe Manziel can save the Browns. Others feel the Texas A&M quarterbacks dazzling skills -- and size -- wont translate to the pro game. Hes dynamic. Hes too small. Hes a game-changer. Hes self-absorbed. Hes a hard worker. Hes a head case. Hes charismatic. Everyone has an opinion on Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner who has been projected as being picked anywhere from the top 5 to the bottom of the first round. "If Johnny Manziel came through, if he beats out the other quarterbacks that are here, its all good," Browns Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden said. "I like Johnny Manziel. I like him a whole lot." Hadens not alone. Sports radio talk shows here are crammed with callers screaming for the Browns to choose Manziel, one of several QBs in this years class expected to go in the early rounds. Cleveland hasnt used a pick higher than No. 22 on a quarterback since taking Tim Couch first overall 15 years ago. The Browns have done their homework on Manziel. The team recently worked him out privately in College Station, Texas, and brought him to Cleveland to visit their training facility and headquarters. As they consider taking him, Browns general manager Ray Farmer and owner Jimmy Haslam wanted to get to better know Manziel, who served a suspension last season for violating an NCAA rule involving signing autographs, as a person. Theyve seen him on film. Nothing beats the real thing. "I dont think I have any reservations with who Johnny is," Farmer said. "Hes a good young man. I think the interesting part about Johnny is that, much like a lot of us, you dont get a handbook for how to operate in certain instances. Allen Robinson Bears Jersey. "When you go from being a kid from Tyler, Texas, to being Johnny Football and winning the Heisman Trophy really quickly, they dont hand you a manual and tell you how to handle the media swarm, how to handle the paparazzi, how to handle people coming up to you at dinners. "He would tell you very candidly that its probably not how he would have written it up now that hes at the end of it or getting towards the end of his college career, but you live and you learn." Manziel would certainly put Cleveland back on the football map and revitalize a flagging franchise. Hed sell tickets and move merchandise. But is that enough? Groves called one of his college coaches now at Texas A&M for a scouting report. "I asked him, How is Johnny? Is he a football guy?" Groves said. "He said, Honestly, hes the most competitive guy youll ever meet. He is a guy that will come in, be the first in, last to leave. thats just him. I know you have the flashy lifestyle (Groves mimics Manziels signature finger rub), (rapper) Drake and all that stuff, and at the end of the day the guy wins ballgames. "He makes plays. He extends drives and wins ballgames." Browns offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan, who coached quarterback Robert Griffin III in Washington, thinks Manziels unorthodox style can win in the pros. "If you can make those plays in college, you can do it in the NFL," he said. "The one thing about the NFL, theres a lot of tape out there. Youve got to be able to do everything. "Whatever you do very good, theyre going to eventually be able to shut that down and youre going to have to do something else. Hes going to be able to make plays in this league. Eventually when they try to contain him, hes going to have to do everything he didnt always have to do in college." The Browns must also consider all that comes along with Manziel. Number 2 brings a three-ring circus. Groves, for one, believes the Browns are suited to add Manziel. "Were a mature enough team to handle it," he said. "Weve had some individual success here and people have handled it well. Josh Gordon and (Alex) Mack going to the Pro Bowl, Joe Thomas going to the Pro Bowl. Joe Haden and Jordan Cameron making their first Pro Bowls, things like that. I think we can handle it." Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Wholesale Flames Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys ' ' '