NEW YORK -- Chris Young thinks hes a New York kind of guy. So when the Mets approached his representative shortly after the start of free agency, the 30-year-old outfielder was eager to reach a deal rather than test the market. "It did give a peace of mind that I was looking for," Young said Tuesday after completing a $7.25 million, one-year contract with New York. "Im not a fan of waiting until the last minute and stretching out everything. Id rather just know where Im going and get it done." Young hit .200 with 12 homers and 40 RBIs last season for Oakland, which acquired him from Arizona as part of a three-team trade after the 2012 season. His best year was 2010, when he was an All-Star and batted .257 for the Diamondbacks with 27 homers and 91 RBIs. Mets captain David Wright and manager Terry Collins helped recruit him. "Just a fresh start in New York. Ive always been excited about playing in the New York market," he said. "Those kind of things intrigue me as far as, I like playing on big stages. I like big-game moments." Not that the Mets have seen many of those lately. New Yorks outfield combined to hit .238 this year (29th in the majors) with 50 homers (tied for 24th) and 209 RBIs (16th), according to STATS. "Were very excited to have him," general manager Sandy Alderson said. "Chris has had a distinguished career to this point, and we think with regular playing time will be able to return to his All-Star-caliber performance from his days in Arizona." Young joins a projected outfield that includes Eric Young Jr. -- the NL stolen base leader -- and defensive whiz Juan Lagares, who may be slightly ahead of Young in the pecking order for centre field. "Playing centre field has always been my natural position," Chris Young said. "Last year with the As, I did play some left and some right as well, but there was a learning curve and I did struggle at times with it early on, but as the season went on I was able to get more comfortable with it." While the Mets hope to be more active in the free-agent market this off-season, they have been taken aback by the prices. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta agreed to a $53 million, four-year contract with St. Louis, and catcher Brian McCann has a tentative $85 million, five-year deal with the Yankees. "I think in some instances the contract amounts have gone way beyond what most would have predicted," Alderson said. "In other cases they may be generally in the line. For example, I dont know that anybody is terribly surprised about the McCann contract. I think people have been surprised about the Peralta contract." WINNIPEG -- Despite the heated womens soccer rivalry between Canada and the United States that has developed since the London Olympics, coach John Herdman says its important not to make too much of their meeting next week in Winnipeg. "I know for the U.S., at times, they just look at it as another game and they come into the game nice and light and bright, whereas our girls often see it as something bigger than it is," he said Thursday from Vancouver, as the Canadian roster for the exhibition game next Thursday was announced. "Were looking at some new strategies to try and retain the passion but remove the psychological burden." For Winnipeg-born midfielder Desiree Scott, the pressure will be even greater than he suggested. It will be the first time her parents have ever seen her play live. "Its a massive thing for Desiree and weve all got a big smile on our faces," Herdman said. But he says part of the teams job will be to help her focus on doing what she does best and ignore the added pressure. This is a good chance to see how much development has taken place since Herdman started to refocus the team on the kind of game he says they need to play to be competitive at the 2015 World Cup, being held in cities across Canada, including Winnipeg. "This is where your true gap analysis comes in and you get a great sense of how far youve come along the line towards success at the World Cup," he said. "Theres a certain style and approach we want to go with. . . Its more abouut in this game the attacking processes of managing the ball better under the sort of pressure the U.ddddddddddddS. put you under, as well as being a lot more clinical in those key moments, that transitional moment where we are getting chances but not converting." Canada, currently ranked seventh, lost to the No. 1-ranked Americans 1-0 in Texas in their first meeting this year and hasnt managed to beat the Americans since 2001. Then there was the bitter semi-final loss to the Americans at the 2012 Olympics, where a controversial call by a referee left Canadian fans, and players, outraged. One player from that heartbreaker will be returning for this match. Striker Melissa Tancredi is back after taking a couple of years off to return to school. "Shes close to returning back to professional football in the NWSL and to be back full-time with Canada so shell come into this squad a little bit behind the eight-ball but Melissas presence is always felt." He says shes not going to be able to play 90 minutes after being off for two years, but shes a tough competitor with the kind of spirit and grit that can rub off on young players. One player Herdman would have liked still hasnt recovered enough from an ACL injury to play, natural left-footer Lauren Sesselmann, and hes also missing those who play for Swedish teams because of the travel time and a short turnaround. It provides a chance for Herdman to introduce some young players such as 16-year-old Jessie Fleming and 17-year-old Sura Yekka. ' ' '