Late Goal Doesn't Taper Defensive Cracks in Portland

After returning from my lengthy vacation, it took me some time to get back into my usual rhythm regarding the Whitecaps. The game against Portland is the first game I've seen for about six solid weeks, and I can't say I saw any improvements in my Whitecaps.

Like usual I got home late and turned on the TV with the game already started. I pop open my Macbook to start tweeting and the first thing I see happening in the match is a Portland Timbers goal which highlights every worst defensive nightmare I might have had about the Whitecaps. Poor marking on a set-piece, chaos on a loose ball, and giving the opponents the space and time to poke that ball into our goal.

The next thing I saw/heard simply terrorized me. It was the imposing presence of Timber Joey (in stunning HD) sawing through a massive trunk, as the huge amount of fans roared in appreciation for their side which just went two goals up. A horrifying return to reality compared to my cheery expectations after having missed out quite a bit.

After watching the rest of the first half, I actually saw a couple of good signs. The Whitecaps were a bit more organized in possession, moving the ball around with care. Yet as soon as it came to the final third, things seemed to crumble into nothingness, often leading to a counter-attack for the Timbers. That's when I understood what was going on. Desperate defending could sum up what was too many close calls, forcing Joe Cannon to be in a constant primal stance of focus. As the second half ended, I was a pretty crushed fan. I returned to see my side suffering against a fellow expansion team which had more fight, strength, and much scarier fans.

As the second half began, I was hoping for one of those famous "Whitecap comebacks", and in a certain way there was a slight comeback. The team had a bit more focus in the second half, retaining the ball well, and trying to create some chances when possible. As usual Koffie struck me as a soothing presence amid the chaos of the Timbers fans, and a hard-working Harvey at left-back was a new face who showed promise. Thorrington was doing his best to stop the Timber's from ever being able to walk again, but in a noble fashion which earned my praise.

Although there were a couple of opportunities, nothing every truly materialized. Instead, Portland was making me sweat bullets, especially when they were almost gifted a goal (mistake by Koffie, who tried to head back to Cannon), and instead they hit the inside of the post. It really should've been 3-0 by that point.  The Whitecaps were truly unable to defend, even if Jay DeMerit was playing in the heart of our defence. There were simply too many errors and an overall fear (probably thanks to the amazing Timbers fans in the stadium) which let the opponents easily and quickly reach our goal.

While Tom Soehn tried to make substitutions as best he could, the substitutes (Jarju, Salinas, and Salgado) made no difference at all. It was pretty disappointing stuff, especially because I was expecting big things from Jarju who, after all, is our second DP.

In the end, when all hope seemed to have been sawed over and again by Timber Joey, Camilo popped up with a great goal. Harvey popped the ball through to him, and the Brazilian turned and then placed the shot to make it 2-1. The match ended like this, a horrible display which steadily improved, finishing off with a sweet note which sadly just isn't enough.

Camilo, celebrating his lovely goal.

There are serious defensive problems which need to be fixed. And while perusing Twitter, I found the very interesting OptaJack stat which said the following about the Whitecaps:

It's certainly something very interesting to know, especially because I was a big fan of Teitur. What are your thoughts on this stat? What were your thoughts on the defeat? Share your comments below!

And finally, this isn't one of my traditional match reports, and I felt like recounting things with a bit more creative fluidity. Please let me know if you liked this more, or if you prefer more factual match reports by commenting below.

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Camilo and Chiumiento Show their Magic in MoCap

After a month away from my dear Whitecaps (vacationing in Italy), I'm glad to finally be back and able to check up with everything that has been going on with the team. Right away I saw the highlights of a fantastic 4-2 home victory against the Chicago Fire, and while there were some new faces that I didn't recognize playing for the Caps, the team still had the same heart and spirit as ever. What caught my eye next was a Youtube video of a Motion Capture session for EA Sports, using Camilo and Davide Chiumiento.

I'm a big fan of the FIFA videogame series, and seeing two of my favorite players working with the development team of the game was pretty awesome. In the video we get to see the two players try and hold a serious face while being photographed, along with some pretty silky skills. 

Here's the vid below:

Now that I'm back, I'll try and return to covering the Whitecaps as much as possible. Now, I've got some researching to do on the new signings and what's happened in the past month which I missed. Share in the comments below what I've missed, and whatever else you have to say about the Caps and the motion capture sesh!

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