SoccerWhitecaps must 'learn how to win'

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The Vancouver Whitecaps saw their winless streak extended to 13 matches with a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday (Getty Images)

Remember a couple of weeks back how Barcelona reduced Manchester United to tears? Try as they might, the English champions couldn't get the ball off their Spanish counterparts. When they did gain possession, United couldn't hold onto it.
 
An ocean away, in a parallel soccer universe, something similar is happening to the Vancouver Whitecaps. Their latest loss, a 2-0 setback Saturday at the hands of Real Salt Lake, highlighted the shortcomings. New head coach Tommy Soehn has inherited a team which must 'learn how to win.'
 
Not my words, you understand. They belong to former Whitecaps' captain Martin Nash, recently retired and now providing analysis for the club's regional TV broadcasts. Nash knows what he's talking about and like many Vancouver fans is becoming increasingly frustrated.
 
I am not surprised. Like so many, Nash believed the Whitecaps were ready to make a splash in Major League Soccer. Most of the pieces appeared to be in place for Vancouver to hit the ground running and 'do a Seattle'.
 
In other words, pack 'em in, make 'em smile and make the playoffs as an expansion franchise. If the Sounders could do it two years ago, what is stopping their Cascadian rivals from emulating the feat? Seattle is going well again but the Whitecaps are propping up MLS in the West.
 
Coaching is certainly a factor. The Whitecaps gave Teitur Thordarson a chance to prove himself in MLS and make the job his own. Based on his achievements with the team as a second tier club, he had earned the opportunity to make the transition with his players.
 
Something special in Seattle

The Sounders did things differently. You will recall the controversy which accompanied Sigi Schmid's abrupt departure from Columbus and subsequent unveiling in the Emerald City. Seattle wanted a proven MLS winner to coach the team and Schmid was ready for a new challenge.
 
Brian Schmetzer is still part of the Sounders coaching team. The man who guided the USL version to two Championships in three seasons is Schmid's assistant and was clearly a candidate to lead the MLS team. Unlike Thordarson he wasn't given the chance and Seattle is flourishing.
 
Soehn, like Schmid, knows a bit about MLS. As a player he was part of the Chicago team that won the MLS Cup in its expansion year. As a coach he's learned from some of the best. He was assistant to Bob Bradley in Chicago and Peter Nowak at DC United.
 
He's enjoyed success in his own right but Soehn is already on borrowed time. A third of the season has flown by and the euphoria of an opening week 4-2 win over Toronto FC has been firmly placed in context. Soehn needs to quickly make a tangible difference or his tenure may not last much longer than his predecessor.
 
Every business must have ambition. It doesn't matter whether it's a professional soccer club or a cup-cake shop. If the owners lack the will to win and the resolve the overcome adversity, the business will fail. Ambition, though, must be based on realism not fantasy.
 
Steady, sustainable growth always triumphs over short term gratification. Despite the illusion of preparedness, the Whitecaps have made mistakes. Like any business, the job now is to rectify those errors, learn from then, and move on.
 
Clearly Thordarson was not the man for the job. Evidently Eric Hassli is a high risk import. I like the way he leads a line but his own stupidity has made him a marked man. Number 1 draft pick Omar Salgado may turn out to be a decent player, but right now the 17 year old is no more MLS ready than I am.
 
Quite possibly the bar was set too high. The Sounders bucked the trend by reaching the post-season in 2009. Real Salt Lake, Chivas USA, Toronto FC, San Jose and Philadelphia have all had to take their medicine in recent years following painful expansion campaigns.
 
Loyal fans

The Southsiders aren't going anywhere. Whitecaps' fans have waited long enough to rejoin North America's elite and they'll all be back in 2012 whether or not the team makes the playoffs. For the time being, they're happy to have a proper team and a proper stadium.
 
It is not as though Vancouver is getting hammered home and away. Just a few days ago I was chatting to President Bob Lenarduzzi following Thordarson's dismissal. He told me the team has "been in every game," a sentiment I would echo with a couple of exceptions.
 
That would suggest there's not too much wrong. A little help from Lady Luck would certainly aid the cause and a scrappy win, decided by a dodgy own goal, would do wonders for confidence. It will come sooner or later and when it does, the 'Caps better be ready.

Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter

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