There is a certain complacency that sets into a team's psyche when they grow accustomed to losing. The preconception that they are going to lose anyway detracts from their overall performance and leads to a sad sack group of losers, moping about like a troop of lost girl guides on a nature walk. While nobody will come right out and say that this is what is going on (possibly for fear of offending girl guides everywhere) it feels more and more like we are watching the New York Islanders of the MLS from week to week. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Tonight's performance was embarrassing. Not like the first loss to L.A. where we had our asses handed to us, but in the way when you are disappointed when you find out your favourite baseball player is on the juice. Unlike last week's match where the game could have easily gone either way, tonight it didn't even look like the Whitecaps cared.
While Jay DeMerit and Alain Rochat both received "praise" from their coach for being "much better" with regards to organizing the back line, and communicating, they still have to be held accountable for the fact that Rochat turned the ball over with a lazy pass, and seconds later yet another miscue led to former Manchester United recruit Kenny Cooper being left alone on the edge of the box to hammer home the decisive volley. Jeb Brovsky who was supposedly playing right back was nowhere to be seen in the replay, and after he should have been tracking back to where Cooper ended up scoring from. The rookies abilities as a fullback certainly need to be called into question. The question remains why does Jordan Harvey continue to play left back when Alain Rochat could easily slide out wide and Michael Boxall play centreback.
The defence should not be the only ones with their feet held to the fire after today's loss. As I predicted in my preview earlier it would almost certainly take two goals for the Whitecaps to come out the victors and the quality just simply was not there. For the squad to get 2 goals on Troy Perkins today it would have taken a miracle. The team barely managed two shots on goal over 94 minutes. Neither shot inspired any sort of reaction beyond "meh".
John Spencer said post game that "The table doesn't lie" and he is bang on. According to the table we are the worst team in the league, and the proof seems to be in the pudding. Both Mustapha Jarju and Long Tan found themselves on the pitch, and their playing time is a testament to the low calibre of this squad. While Jarju thinks the game well his first touch does not appear that much better then that of Jay DeMerit or Joe Cannon. Serious questions need to be asked if Tan and Jarju are on next year's squad. In the same breath the players they came in for did not fair too much better. Hassli was a step behind all match and even if he'd been on top of his game the service he received throughout the first half was mediocre at best. To say that Davide Chiumiento played poorly seems unfair he may have actually had one of his better performances on the year but he was not able to create the chances necessary for a goal scoring opportunity, and in the end the quality simply was not there.
Soehn spoke to the fact that his two substitutions created a much needed spark at the end of the game. While both players ran hard neither ever presented any kind of threat to the opposition. Nobody really seemed to want to take over this game and that is possibly the most disappointing thing of all. At the end of the day if you're team comes out flat to start in as important a game as this; perhaps the coach needs to take a long hard look in the mirror. The Grand Opening of your new barn, a derby game and less fizz then my Grandma's 2 month old stockpile of 7up?! Inexcusable!
If the players don't even show up for the game the fans almost certainly will follow suit.