The Province

The effort’s there, just not the goals

Whitecaps are getting their chances, but lack of accuracy has become a worrying trend

- Patrick Johnston pjohnston@postmedia.com

In all the hubbub over missed penalty calls, bad penalty calls and missed penalty kicks after Saturday’s 1-0 Whitecaps loss to D.C. United, an offensive story got lost.

Even before the late goal off a controvers­ial penalty kick by Lamar Neagle, the Whitecaps should have been well in front: they dominated possession — and more importantl­y — they dominated the shot counter. And the shots were good ones at that.

Were the Whitecaps unlucky, or did they simply run out of luck?

“We deserved and should have got three points,” Carl Robinson said flatly on Saturday.

That the Caps lost because of missed opportunit­ies was obvious to everyone at B.C. Place, from fans, to the coaches, to the players.

The Caps hit the woodwork four times on Saturday, something no team had done in Major League Soccer since 2010. They should have scored more. They should have won.

But they didn’t. And the lack of accuracy on display is a worrying sign.

During the past couple months, the Whitecaps have been a much improved team. It has been noted in this space before that while the Whitecaps have improved defensivel­y and are limiting opponents’ quality opportunit­ies, they’re still struggling to create much on offence.

It’s not just that they’re struggling — but there’s plenty of room for creative improvemen­t.

Christian Bolaños, now in form, has been a bright spot. So has Cristian Techera — other than his late penalty kick effort on Saturday, which clanged off the right post.

But neither Tony Tchani nor Andrew Jacobson are noted attackers, though both have found themselves with scoring chances on their feet. Tchani had a chance on the door step late against D.C. but keeper Bill Hamid showed why his reputation as a ball stopper is so high. (That Tchani then smashed his body into the post to Hamid’s right was a fitting summary of Saturday’s struggles.)

Fredy Montero opened the season with a burst, but hasn’t scored in a month. That he’s still getting shots is a good thing. He’s scored a goal just about every three games in his MLS career, and with four goals in 12 appearance­s, he’s on his usual pace.

The saviour in all this may prove to be Yordy Reyna. The creative Peruvian was brought in to shore up the Whitecaps’ attack but broke his foot late in pre-season. He’s been training mostly on his own for the last few weeks but last report had him set to return next month.

With his team’s need for another offensive option, you can only imagine what he might add.

The Whitecaps aren’t exactly struggling on attack — Saturday was the first time they’d been shut out since the Snow Bowl in Salt Lake and just the third time all year — but they’re not in fifth gear either.

“We need more from some,” Robinson said Saturday. He was talking about the players in the squad, but surely he was speaking with the return of Reyna in mind. Given his skill set, he’ll get a crack at the lineup whenever he’s ready, and someone will be dropping out.

The diving problem

Calling out referees is nearly always a fool’s game, but the penalty call which drew the game-deciding goal was poor. The replays made it clear that José Guillermo Ortiz dove to draw the referee’s whistle. And it was all the worse since Ortiz had been admonished just this week for diving in his last game.

Coming soon, MLS will have video review available for referees to help get their calls right. You sure hope they would have spotted the dive.

That referee Soren Stoica consulted with his assistant to get the later call against Brek Shea right is commendabl­e, even if the process was laboured. Getting the call right is most important.

The execution, however, must be consistent. Giving referee’s assistants power to point out foul play or unsportsma­nlike behaviour is a good start. Allowing a video ref to highlight instances of the same would further add to the needed re-conditioni­ng of players.

If the league is serious, they can look at how hard rugby officials worked to get foul play, dangerous tackles and more. They suspended players after the fact. When players realized all eyes really were watching all the time, the game became much easier for the ref.

As it is, soccer is a tough game to officiate. Forcing honesty from players will do a lot for everyone.

 ?? GERRY KAHRMANN/PNG FILES ?? DC United’s Jared Jeffrey keeps the ball away from Vancouver’s Christian Bolanos in Saturday’s game at B.C. Place. The Whitecaps lost 1-0 in a game of missed opportunit­ies that coach Carl Robinson later said his team deserved to win.
GERRY KAHRMANN/PNG FILES DC United’s Jared Jeffrey keeps the ball away from Vancouver’s Christian Bolanos in Saturday’s game at B.C. Place. The Whitecaps lost 1-0 in a game of missed opportunit­ies that coach Carl Robinson later said his team deserved to win.
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