COMMERCE CITY, Colo. ā A three-game MLS road trip ended with a fizzle for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday nightas they fell 2-0 to the Colorado Rapids, their eighth away loss of an uneven 2016 campaign.
āIt was not a good result,ā Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said post-game. āFair play to Colorado, they looked sharper than us from the first whistle.ā
Fatigue was a definite factor for Vancouver, who played a CONCACAF Champions League match in Trinidad on Tuesday.
āWhat I donāt do is use things as excuses,ā Robinson explained. āBut itās not ideal, let me tell you that. When youāre playing Champions League games, itās very difficult. Everyone thinks theyāve got a bad schedule. We know we travel the furthest and have to catch connections, but itās no excuse for me.ā
The Whitecaps did add a fresh body with the injection of new addition Giles Barnes, who was acquired from Houston prior to this weekās transfer deadline. But Vancouverās offense continued its struggles, and the Whitecaps found themselves on the end of their fourth straight road shutout.
āIt didnāt go the way we wanted it to go,ā Barnes said of his Whitecaps debut. āObviously coming here, we were all in great spirits. I think it was a good week, but we didnāt get the result. Weāve had a couple of days together. I think it was a difficult game for us and we didnāt play particularly well in all areas. Weāve got the next game and thatās what Iām looking forward to.ā
Whitecaps defender David Edgar made his MLS debut. But the Vancouver defense was also taxed in the loss, with Rapids midfielder Marlon Hairston breaking through for a goal and an assist.
āEverything takes time,ā Robinson said of the integration of new players into the lineup. āMiracles donāt happen overnight. David came in today and played very well on Tuesday. He was tired but he didnāt quit. I canāt fault the effort.ā
Needless to say, after 10 days away from BC Place that Robinson said felt like āa month,ā the Whitecaps are eager for a return home as they prepare for San Jose's visit next week (Friday, 11 pm ET; UniMĆ”s in US, TSN in Canada).
āWe look forward to it,ā said Robinson. āWe want to play at home and we want to win our home games.ā