Uninspired Whitecaps Lose 3-1 To Houston Dynamo

There have always been excuses. For every loss or draw, there's been a fairly obvious excuse which is presented and accepted. Against Philadelphia, Hassli was sent off. Against New England the ref was crazy, and Hassli was sent off again. But what about now? What excuse can we make for this poorly played match away against Houston? There really shouldn't be one, as the Whitecaps were sluggish, disorganized and lacking the usual fight and grit which carried them through so many matches.

I can't say much about the first half. I was hurriedly driving home in an elephant-like Volvo as the radio crackled out occasional updates of the match. I couldn't hear much, but what I did hear gave me mixed signals. A goal for Houston, one right after for Vancouver, and then another goal for Houston before the half finished. Back at home for halftime, I got the chance to look at what was happening and the goals which were scored. While the two Houston goals were disappointing to see go in, the Vancouver goal was a clear reminder of the brilliance this team can produce. A wonderful ball through a defender's legs from Chiumiento to Camilo allowed the Brazilian to turn and smash the ball into the back of the net.

In the second half, I was hoping to see more goals flying in. Jay DeMerit was replaced by Russell Teibert, as the Caps captain had re-aggravated his groin. But my dream of an end-to-end match wasn't set to come true. Instead I saw a depressing 45 minutes from the Whitecaps, in which the team seemed unable to do anything. It seemed almost as if the Whitecaps were playing a man down, wait, make that two men down. They couldn't retain possession, string more than two passes together, or defend in any acceptable manner.

Houston Dynamo players celebrating their first win of their MLS season

And while Jay Nolly made some great saves (a very memorable one from a free kick), a third goal inevitably came as the backline was just too shaky and insecure. Bruin slipped through the defence and while Nolly came rushing out, Bruin dribbled it around the keeper and promptly slotted in the final goal of the match to make it 3-1. 

We'd seen it before. We have seen the Whitecaps 3-1 down, with just a few minutes to go, pull off a magnificent 3-3 draw, but it wouldn't happen today. The players were too tired and too beat up to rally for a reaction. It was a depressing display, in which the Caps were truly overpowered. A great display by Houston, which will hopefully show Teitur Thordarson the weaknesses of his team which need to be addressed.