Caps veteran Teibert can relate to LAFC’s early growing pains
The Whitecaps enjoyed a dream start to their MLS era.
Eric Hassli scored a brace in their inaugural match, a 4-2 win over Toronto FC, a showcase win in front of the 22,500 fans packed into Empire Stadium.
What followed, though, was a nightmare. It was another 15 games before the Caps won again. They finished the season last in MLS with six wins, 18 losses and 10 draws. The scored the fewest goals (35) and allowed the second-most goals against.
It was a mental grind, and playing through it gave Russell Teibert some perspective on what expansion side Los Angeles FC is currently going through.
“I remember being the new team in the league, and we definitely didn’t have the best first season,” he said. “It’s growing pains. And I’m sure LAFC will go through some.”
They are — and they’re painful. The newcomers burst out of the gate with a 1-0 road win over the Seattle Sounders, then thumped Real Salt Lake 5-1 the next week at Rio Tinto.
But after jumping out to a 3-0 lead against the L.A. Galaxy, the wheels fell off and LAFC lost the crazy El Tráfico derby 4-3.
The pain continued the next week in Atlanta, when they suffered a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of the Five Stripes, meaning they’ve been outscored 8-0 over their last 143 minutes of action.
And now it’s a visit to B.C. Place Stadium, where the Whitecaps are unbeaten in a team record 11 starts.
“We’re building a team. We have to be together,” said LAFC striker Carlos Vela.
“We have to be strong, be a man. To talk face-to-face and say what happened. We have to change, we have to change the situation.”
Teibert can relate. The Caps are once again drawing criticism themselves after a 2-1 road loss to a depleted Real Salt Lake squad over the weekend, a game in which the visitors had most of the chances and greater time of possession. Vancouver (3-2-1) is now second in the Western Conference behind Sporting Kansas City.
“I don’t think you can look at results too much right now,” said Teibert, who’s played in three games this season, all wins.
“It’s too early to look at the standings. You’re trying to build something with the team, build some chemistry. This league, it’s definitely not a sprint, it’s a marathon.”
The Whitecaps stretched their legs running all over RSL, but tripped over their own feet by conceding two goals on counterattacks at the end of each half. They outshot, out-chanced, outpossessed and out-ran Real, but ended up losing.
“Between both boxes, we dominated the game,” said coach Carl Robinson.
“We had the ball, we had more possession — and I don’t read too much into that — but we weren’t clinical enough in both boxes.
“We switched off twice, both at the end of each half, and when that happens, it comes back to bite you.
“I thought we were in control, we were never in any danger … but we let ourselves down.”
While they have been the best road team in the league over the past four seasons, the Caps have been doing historically well of late. Their team-record streak without a defeat — the current longest run in MLS — stretches back to Aug. 19, 2017, against the Houston Dynamo.
Their well-documented travel schedule, all 22,000 kilometres of it, includes another 6,500km round trip on April 20 when Vancouver heads to Kansas City, Miss., to take on Sporting KC. But, for now, being home is welcome respite.
“I’m so happy to be back home. I’m tired of travelling,” said Teibert.
LAFC will play six games on the road to start the season — the loss to the Galaxy was technically an away game — before they host the Sounders on April 29.
It’s been a gruelling start, even for players like Steven Beitashour, who has endured the West Coast travel schedule before as a member of the Whitecaps.
“To start the season off with all these road games, it’s going to be a grind,” said Beitashour.
“You’re going to have to dig in deep.”