The Whitecaps five game road trip ended in Chicago last night as it had begun in LA back on June 23rd - with a loss.
At least this one wasn't a hammering. In many ways it was worse. It was a game there for the taking, or at least getting a point out of. As was Toronto on Wednesday and the draw in Chivas last weekend.
Five games, four points, three losses, two countries travelled and one tired bunch of players.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
The Caps would have liked six points at least. I was hoping for nine. We have to settle for four, but at least three of those came in the crunch game against 6th placed Colorado.
When we went in to face the Rapids last month, we had a seven point advantage over them and they had a game in hand.
One long road trip later, we have an eight point advantage and they still have a game in hand.
That's actually pretty good considering we've just got the toughest stretch of our season out of the way and we played like crap at times.
Our travels are at least over for a little while at least.
By the time Wednesday comes round, it will have been 28 days since the Whitecaps have played a game at BC Place.
The weird and wacky MLS schedule now has the Caps at home in four of the next five games, before heading off on another four game road trip during the end of August and the start of September.
At least all of those games are now in the west.
Fourteen games to go, eight home and six away, and each one will now be huge with regards to not just whether the Whitecaps make the playoffs or not, but exactly where they finish in the West and how tough their playoff campaign will be.
Does only playing Western Conference opposition give us an advantage or does the pressure of every game counting more just add to the pressure?
Of the nine teams in the West, only Vancouver, Dallas and Seattle have no more Eastern opposition to face. Chivas, Portland and Salt Lake have three such games and all six teams have to travel east for at least one match.
The Caps will have less travel, less hassle with timezones and more time at home. They have no Champions League games to worry about, like LA, RSL and Seattle and no stupid friendlies draining their energies.
There will be more pressure, but I think this is a squad that can thrive on that and that is one of the reason that Rennie is looking to bring in experienced heads that have done it at the top level.
We may have had a squad that could get us to the playoffs, but Rennie is trying to build one now that will be able to do some damage once they get there.
That's why our home games are now crucial. We're averaging two points a game at home and we have to continue to be at least there for the remainder of the season, starting Wednesday.
Just to have a quick look back at the Chicago game, it was disappointing that a slow start and the inability to fully utilise the man advantage for the last twenty minutes is what ultimately cost us in the end.
As soon as we saw the line-up, you knew we were in for a defensive performance.
That's all well and good, and it has had results on the road. The problem then comes when you lose an early goal and don't have the personnel on the pitch that can do much about it.
At least Rennie went for the early substitutions this time and I felt that both Dane Richards and Camilo really changed the game when they came on and impressed.
Richards looked good on his Caps debut. His pace is electric. That one ball he chased down from a Darren Mattocks pass was just breathtaking. It's the speedy winger I've yearned to see for ages and once he settles you have to feel that him and Mattocks will be electric together and a nightmare for defences all over.
Camilo must know that he is playing to stay with the team. We saw glimpses of the player from last season and he really added a spark.
I'm getting fed up using the work 'spark', or rather bemoaning the lack of it. There isn't enough of it in the middle or up front to get points at the moment, at least not in away formation mode.
Barry Robson had a good second half, but he is still holding on to the ball too long, giving possession away and looks uninterested for challenging for the ball sometimes.
As we said a couple of days ago, I don't expect to see the Robson I know until next month. The danger he poses from set pieces and long range strikes is already there to see though. Just need to work on his sharpness.
Gershon Koffie has disappeared a little these last few games. If we had the necessary manpower, I'd rest him for a few matches. It was good to see Jun Marques Davidson back though, allowing Y-P Lee to go upfield more without wondering about the consequences.
A few of the guys could do with a rest by the looks of them. They looked pretty gassed by the final whistle yesterday.
I'd still like to see us bring in a creative midfielder, who can also put himself about a bit. I'm going to chuck Adam Moffat's name back in here again, since he was mysteriously left out of Houston's gameday eighteen today and has previous with Rennie.
Two huge home games now coming up.
We have to avoid defeat in both ideally, which may be hard the form that LA and San Jose are in. I'll take whatever we can get from them.
With players going, rumours circulating about those coming in and only one win in five, the confident feeling surrounding the team has eroded a little.
If we can now use our home fortress to get this back over the next week, then I think we'll be just fine.
Do we currently have the personnel to do this? Well we'll soon find out.
It's not going to get any easier from here on in.
'Mon the Caps.
<center>********************</center>
<b>AFTN 3-2-1:</b>
3 points - JOE CANNON (Kept us in the game once again when his backline let him down)
2 points - CAMILO SANVEZZO (Really felt we looked like going nowhere till he came on)
1 point - BARRY ROBSON (Had a good second half and not afraid to shoot)
<p>