Robinson hopes for rebound after maddening May
Goals are coming in bunches this month for Vancouver, but in both directions
Groundhog Day is a comedy classic. Watching Bill Murray’s TV weatherman character Phil Connors, who’s forced to relive the same day over and over again, is a holiday tradition.
And Punxsutawney, Pa., could stand in for Vancouver, at least where the Whitecaps are concerned.
In four consecutive games, they’ve put themselves behind the eightball after defensive miscues resulted in goals against. But in each of those games, they’ve rallied to tie the score and earn a point.
So, Carl Robinson, have you seen the movie?
“Pass,” the Caps’ coach said with a laugh Tuesday after training at UBC.
You could forgive Robinson if he wanted to emulate the fictional Connors and indulge in some binge drinking and reckless behaviour, as May has been a maddening month for him as well as the players and fans.
One win in nine Major League Soccer games, but some dramatics and character to steal points in four straight ties. Vancouver’s nine goals in four games might be just one off the league lead over that span, but so too are the nine goals against.
“(May has been) fun. Lots of fun,” Robinson said wryly. “Lots of grey hairs. Fun, enjoyment, smiles, frustration, disappointment … a bit of everything really.
“I don’t think you could have packed more into a month than what we’ve seen. Some really, really good performances and some individual errors that you’re not likely to see over a course of a season, never mind in one month.”
The groan-inducing misses by the Caps’ two highest-paid players — Kei Kamara and Brek Shea — were opportunities that could have turned two of those ties into victories and have been lightning rods for criticism from the team’s fan base.
But the team is generating offence, leading the league in high-percentage scoring chances with 16 in May, and — apart from the outlying 2-2 tie in Dallas — is plus-41 in scoring opportunities over its past five games. They’re also second with 31 shots on target and third with 85 total shots in the month.
Defensively, the Caps don’t actually give up that many chances against, sitting in the top 10 in MLS, but the problem is opposing teams have been clinical against them. Saturday’s 3-3 tie with the Revs is the perfect example. New England scored on two of its six chances. The Caps? Three of 18.
The goals against, apart from a couple mirror-image left-footed howlers from the corner of the box, have come in a variety of manners. Own goals, poor offside execution, players losing their marks or playing too loosely, giveaways that get quickly turned into goals … it’s an ever-growing list.
And now the Caps have to fix the problems without their best player and team captain Kendall Waston.
“You paper over one crack and then another one comes,” said Robinson.
Good news comes with the return of centre-back Doneil Henry from the USL’s Ottawa Fury, where he was on loan to get some playing time ahead of Waston’s absence during the World Cup. There was also bad news; fullback Marcel de Jong, who has two assists in the past three games, injured his hamstring against the Revolution and will miss Friday’s game with the Colorado Rapids.
Henry made three straight starts for Ottawa, putting in imposing and impressive performances in three shutouts, before sitting out two games because of bronchitis and then fatigue.
“It’s difficult training on the turf and playing on the turf every day,” said Henry, who sat out all of last season healing an ACL injury.
“I started to feel a little bit of fatigue coming to the end of my stay, but it feels good to be back on grass. I don’t feel I’ve lost a step at all, I just need a couple days to get my body ready again. At the end of the day, I needed games. It didn’t matter where I played as long as I played games.”
Henry focused on his fitness in Ottawa, while keeping an eye on the Caps’ games and having frequent discussions with the coaching staff to stay abreast of the defensive issues that have seen Vancouver give up 27 goals this season, just two off the league high (Montreal).
“The miscues that are happening, it all comes down to communication,” said the Brampton, Ont., product.
“We need to be annoying — that’s what I say — because at the end of the day it’s not about being sensitive or thinking guys are having a dig at you, it’s keeping a clean sheet. Because it’s not his fault. We lose as a team and concede as a team. The more we can put each others’ fires out when they happen, I’m sure we’ll be all right.”
THROW-INS: Cristian Techera’s second-half hat trick against the Revs resulted in him being named the MLS player of the week on Tuesday. His three goals in 25 minutes were the 28th fastest in league history.
The 5-foot-2 Uruguayan jumped into the team lead with five goals on the season, all coming in his last four games.