Caps hit bottom with loss to Toronto FC
But Rennie’s squad still in good shape to create distance with chasing playoff pack
Oh dear. Wednesday’s outing against Toronto FC was billed as the chance for the Vancouver Whitecaps to finally break their Canadian Championship jinx by beating a team that had lost all nine of their games in Major League Soccer and were going through the kind of internal self angst that would make a Woody Allen character seem the epitome of rational thinking.
It wasn’t to be though as Vancouver fell 1- 0 to a late goal in a match that seemed to be slipping from their grasp almost from the first kick.
What went wrong?
Pretty much everything, but here are a few of the highlights.
A front three of Eric Hassli, Camilo and Sebastien Le Toux just doesn’t work and the lesson is surely that playing the three best goal scorers doesn’t necessarily produce the best chances to score goals.
Neither Camilo and Le Toux are natural wide players and Hassli was back to being the Hassli that is so frustrating to watch. A little less gesticulation and a little more action please.
The midfield three were little better with Gershon Koffie having his worst game of the season and John Thorrington failing to providing any genuine attacking threat. It’s particularly galling that a central three that is largely built for substance over style has twice been rolled over by Toronto.
Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the night though was that the Whitecaps never put their rivals under any genuine pressure, an unforgivable sin given the obviously shallow nature of their confidence.
This defeat wasn’t solely about systems and tactics, it was a loss that revealed that this Whitecaps team still hasn’t learned how to go for the jugular of an opponent that is there for the kill.
It was also a loss that may have convinced coach Martin Rennie that the arrival of Scottish midfielder Barry Robson in the summer is the least that is needed if his side is to eventually become a genuine force in MLS, but for now his thoughts will be turning to Saturday and another Cascadia derby, this time against the Portland Timbers.
Changes will obviously be made with the return of Omar Salgado giving the side the width it lacked against Toronto and it would be nice to see somebody other than Le Toux given a run out on the right.
Nobody works harder than the Frenchman, but his sending off on Wednesday may have been an indication that he is becoming frustrated at his lack of production in that role and one of Matt Watson, Etienne Barbara or even Darren Mattocks could offer the chance to freshen things up in that area of the field.
The good news for Vancouver is that the MLS results on Wednesday evening mostly went their way meaning that if they do get the win in Portland, they will give themselves a very nice cushion ahead of the chasing playoff pack.
The defeat, and the performance, in Toronto was the low point of the season so far, but at least the players have the chance of a quick redemption.
Let’s hope that they take it.