Vancouver Whitecaps continue to fall

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Is there an El Niño this year?

Actually there seems to be an El Niño every year so scratch that question, but it’s just that the traditional Vancouver Whitecaps’ slump seems to have arrived in the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness rather than in the season when the distant huntsman winds his horn, and the sky lark sings with me (that sounds like my typical summer anyway).

The latest installment of said slump arrived when the Whitecaps lost 2-1 at home to New York City FC and, for the second straight home game, Vancouver played the first half as though the fear of conceding was greater than the anticipation of scoring and, for the second straight home game, their fears came true when Frank Lampard opened the scoring in the twenty ninth minute.

Then, for the second straight home game, the Whitecaps came out after the interval and really went at their opponents and, for the second straight home game, they couldn’t find a way to turn all their possession into goals.

This time though they were gifted a penalty when referee Ricardo Salazar decided that Kendal Waston had been fouled in the area (he hadn’t) and Pedro Morales scored from the spot to give the Whitecaps two minutes plus stoppage tie to earn a vital three points.

And they certainly had chances to do just that as time and time again they outnumbered the NYCFC defence on the break but time and time again they failed to find the right final pass or the cutting finish.

Then, with seconds remaining, referee Ricardo Salazar decided that Frank Lampard had been fouled in the area (he hadn’t) and David Villa scored from the spot with what was essentially the last kick of the game.

There will no doubt be much debate about those decisions but in the cold light of day Carl Robinson needs to solve the problem of why his team suddenly seems incapable of grabbing the initiative from the first whistle and only waits for things to go wrong before they finally wake up.

He said after the first Seattle game that he wanted his team to see how the opposition would play in the opening minutes, but all that did was allow an experienced team to find their feet and control the first half.

Similarly on Saturday the Whitecaps allowed a team with a terrible defence to settle into the game and gain the upper hand in midfield.

Certainly the decision to essentially disregard the Champions League by playing a second string squad in Seattle on Wednesday looks to be less than astute in retrospect and it probably wasn’t a good idea to instill into the players the idea that some games don’t really matter just as the season hits its zenith.

All that negativity aside though the Whitecaps still sit atop the Western Conference standings (at the time of writing) but suddenly they are only four points clear of sixth place and though a playoff spot still seems a certainty the quality of that playoff spot is less clear.

If the Whitecaps do want that coveted home game in the post season (and they really do) they are going to have to figure out what ails them fairly quickly.

But maybe starting home games looking as though they want to win rather than looking as though they want not to lose might be a good first step?

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