SoccerGrowing pains for Whitecaps

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Whitecaps coach Teitur Thordarson has to rally his troops after Sunday's loss in Houston. (Canadian Press)  

You only get one "Get Out of Jail Free" card.

The Vancouver Whitecaps played theirs against Sporting Kansas City. Expecting another miracle in Houston's humidity was too much to ask. Fatigued by a hectic schedule and weakened by injuries and suspensions,salvation was beyond the Whitecaps.

It is the nature of the business and Canada's newest MLS franchise needs to deal with it.
 
Major League Soccer is tough for a multitude of reasons. The travelling, the schedule, the heat, the cold and the physicality all come with the territory. The players are the product and they are paid, in some cases very modestly, to perform week in, week out.
 
It's difficult at the best of times. Consistency is hardly a hallmark of MLS which probably likes it that way. The notion that any team can beat any other permits parity and denies dynasties. It also helps to sell tickets in late summer as 18 teams chase an initial 10 playoff spots.
 
Some would cry foul following the Whitecaps' second road loss. Coach Teitur Thordarson was forced to prepare a game-ready team on half a week's rest. Hometown Houston had used largely a reserve team for their midweek US Open Cup exit.
 
Tank running on empty

The inequality in overall fitness levels grew as the game wore on. By the time the Dynamo cantered out of sight with 15 minutes remaining, there was nothing left in the Vancouver tank. Houston could, and perhaps should, have scored more but the result was never in doubt.
 
This from a team which has struggled out of the gate. The Dynamo had not scored more than a single goal in each of its first 3 regular season games. It was still searching for its first win of the new campaign when Vancouver came calling. The orange monkey is off its back.
 
The true cost of defeat remains to be seen. Captain Jay DeMerit is back on the treatment table after aggravating the groin injury from which he had just returned. If rest and recuperation doesn't fix the problem, the Whitecaps' leader will eventually need surgery.
 
Had Eric Hassli been around it might have been different. The Whitecaps' Designated Player was again reduced to the role of spectator. Thordarson must be wondering whether the Frenchman's indiscipline will become a liability during the team's expansion year.
 
The midfield engine room failed to spark. The ball winning aggression of Terry Dunfield was sorely missed, allowing Houston to build far too easily, while Ghanaian teenager Gershon Koffie is away on international duty until the end of the month.   
 
By the time he gets back it will be all hands on deck. Vancouver is about to embark on a punishing timetable of 8 games in the space of 28 days. Thordarson will need as many able bodies as he can muster so his players must stay fit and stay out of trouble.
 
Some of them are learning on the job. Rookies Jeb Brovsky and the much hyped Omar Salgado can now call themselves professionals having featured against Houston. French defender Mouloud Akloul also got a first, brief, first taste of MLS.
 
The Whitecaps have shown us what they're about in the opening weeks. This is a team which is prepared to roll up its sleeves and work hard to the last. It has also incorporated some strength and quality going forward - a combination which will always create goal scoring chances.
 
My concern is at the other end. The 'Caps have yet to register a clean sheet and while the alarm bells may not be ringing, it is a situation which needs addressing. Vancouver has conceded more goals than any other MLS team and that's a worrying trend.
 
It is more troubling when you consider this a roster built from the back. Thordarson has two tried and tested goalkeepers and in DeMerit and Alain Rochat, a wealth of experience in his back four. It looks good on paper but opponents are consistently finding a route to goal.
 
This weakness has a twofold effect. The Whitecaps' inability to defend for 90 minutes puts pressure on the strikers to score at the other end. It also encourages opponents to 'have a go' and press for free kicks in dangerous positions around the edge of the penalty area.
 
In mitigation, Vancouver is still adjusting to life in MLS. Whatever the stated goals, we need to put this in context and accept that expansion teams experience growing pains. A shutout, sometime soon however, would be a huge lift for all involved.

Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed

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