Vancouver Whitecaps' Jay DeMerit looks on as Whitecaps goal goalkeeper Joe Cannon makes a save during the second half against the Seattle Sounders in MLS soccer action in Vancouver, Saturday, May 19, 2012.Jonathan Hayward/CP
The Vancouver Whitecaps did not achieve one of their primary goals. Now, they will focus on the other one.
The Whitecaps resume their Major League Soccer playoff quest Saturday in Portland, Ore., as they attempt to put a disappointing loss in the Canadian Championship final behind them.
The Canadian title has eluded the Whitecaps since their days in lower-tier leagues, but they dropped the two-game, total-goals final series 2-1 on aggregate to a Toronto team that has lost all nine of its MLS games.
The Caps lost the decisive second leg 1-0 in Toronto on Wednesday, delivering a lacklustre performance that defied the importance of the game.
Although Saturday's contest still marks an early point on the road to the MLS promised land, it serves as an important milepost during Vancouver's second season in North America's top league. The Whitecaps (5-3-3) and Timbers (3-5-3) both entered MLS last season, but Portland placed a respectable sixth in the Western Conference while the Whitecaps finished last overall with two different coaches. The Timbers also beat the Whitecaps in both games between the teams.
Vancouver has been the better team lately in league play, posting three wins and a draw in its last five games. Portland has lost four of its past five games, with only a draw to its credit.
A Whitecaps victory will serve as another sign of how far Vancouver has advanced under new coach Martin Rennie, who has strived to put his stamp on the team. Vancouver can also match the six wins that it mustered all of last season.
Rennie has rotated his lineup considerably lately as the Whitecaps have played two games per week throughout the month. He is expected to do the same in Portland before his club gets a two-week break.
"It's basically because we've got so many games and we want to be making sure that we're putting out a strong lineup in every game," said Rennie.
The Whitecaps showed signs of progress in a 2-2 draw with a strong Seattle Sounders squad last weekend. But Seattle's 90th-minute tying goal and the loss to Toronto raised more questions about the Whitecaps' ability to play their best at the right time — and produce offence consistently.
Vancouver has a bevy of talented strikers, but no strong offensive tandem has emerged. Camilo has three MLS goals to date and Eric Hassli has netted two, but they have scored their goals while playing apart or with help from others.
Camilo, a shifty five-foot-seven, 155-pound Brazilian, can dribble through two or three players and score. He is more of a solo artist and sometimes keeps the ball longer than he should while trying to take on defenders.
Hassli, a six-foot-four, 200-pound Frenchman, has also shown an ability to turn defenders inside-out while playing a power game, but he is more of a finisher and needs passers to find him in space and other teammates to create room for him.
At times, Hassli has thrown up his arms in exasperation at Camilo's inability to send him the ball when he is open. Hassli has a stronger connection with midfielder Davide Chiumiento, who displays considerable vision on the pitch, but has been in and out of the starting 11.
At the outset of the season, it was hoped that Hassli and fellow Frenchman Sebastien Le Toux, who plays a hybrid midfielder-striker role, would display some chemistry. They did on Vancouver's first goal of the season against Montreal, as Hassli set up Le Toux with a header.
But Hassli and Le Toux have not lived up to their French Connection billing, in large part because Hassli has played a reserve role in several games lately.
Hassli started in Toronto, but it remains to be seen whether he will revert back to a reserve role. Rennie said Hassli "has made a big difference" while subbing in. He came off the bench to score Vancouver's goal in a 1-1 tie in the first leg against Toronto and also scored the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over San Jose earlier this month in the same fashion.
Rennie said the management of Hassli's playing time has "almost been textbook-perfect" as the club brought him back from a "nightmare scoring slump" that spanned 17 games over two seasons.
Like Hassli, Le Toux, who has three goals, tends to be more of a finisher, but has not found a reliable offensive partner.
Omar Salgado, 18, has emerged as a playmaker while being deployed as a left winger in his second season with the Caps. Rookie Darren Mattocks, a speedster comparable to Camilo, has displayed considerable promise, but suffered from a lack of finish against Seattle. Rennie wants him to be more "clinical" with his chances.
Rennie predicted Salgado and Mattocks will be great players over time. In the meantime, the search for consistent scoring will continue.
Notes—MLS Players Union salary figures show that Hassli will earn a team-high salary of $790,000 this season, not including bonuses and other incentives the Whitecaps may have included. Jay DeMeric is Vancouver's second-highest-paid player at a guaranteed $237,500. ... Portland's highest-paid player is striker Kris Boyd at $1.5 million. Boyd shares the team goals lead at three with Darlington Nagbe. ... The game serves as part of the Cascadia Cup an in-season series between Vancouver, Portland and Seattle. The club with the best record in games between the teams will claim the trophy, which was created by fans. ... Whitecaps defender Alain Rochat is expected to play despite leaving Wednesday's game in Toronto early with a leg injury. ... Vancouver striker Atiba Harris, bothered by a sore thigh, did not make the trip. ... Portland is coming off a 1-0 loss to Spanish side Valencia in a friendly.