VANCOUVER, B.C. – There was a lot of soul searching and honest reflection when the Vancouver Whitecaps headed back to training on Tuesday following a comprehensive defeat to the Portland Timbers at the weekend that saw them drop out of the playoff places in the West.
Any home defeat is tough to take, never mind to a playoff rival, but it was more the nature of the loss that hit the Whitecaps hard, with their attack failing to muster much bite and being kept off the scoresheet for the fourth time in five games.
After their excellent early season form, it raised the question, have other teams simply figured the Whitecaps out and learned how to shut down their attack?
"Maybe. When you're playing up against a certain player, as we do here in the Western Conference especially when we play three times a year, they do know how to play against you," was Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson's assessment.
"We've got a lot of guys with pace. Since Kenny Miller left, we haven't really got a smart player up front, and I don't mean that in any disrespect to Darren [Mattocks] or Erik [Hurtado], their strengths are their strength, their running behind, their speed on the ball, and Kekuta [Manneh] fits into that category as well."
Robinson is aware that Vancouver’s attack has been seen as one-dimensional. It’s an aspect he’s been keen to change all season and although enquiries have been made for a striker of a different ilk, Robinson has not been able to get a deal done.
"It's something that we do know about and we're working with that and seeing if we can add something," Robinson said. "But if we don't get to add something now it's because it's not the right fit. I don't want to make a kneejerk reaction. I've got 100% faith in these young players and we're continuing to be better."
Andy O’Brien has been working hard with the young Whitecaps strikers all season. The veteran center back has been teaching them the tricks of his defensive trade and how defenders will play against them. O’Brien knows that the time has come for them to show something fresh and new or risk being replaced, but he also has a belief that they can turn things around.
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"Quite a few people have said they've been worked out," O’Brien told reporters. "Still, in a level race they'll beat the majority of guys. Ultimately, if they don't score more goals, they will be replaced and that's the nature of the business.
"It's self explanatory from a senior guy's point of view but I guess the frustration is that we've seen them score goals. We've seen them score headers, we've seen them score left foot, right foot, we've seen them being a nuisance. It's just a matter of it happening more often and more consistently between now and the end of the season.
"I'm not going to stand here and say it isn't worrying, but we have faith and they've demonstrated that they can do it. That needs to come out."
