"I could stand here and make excuses. I'm not making excuses," Robinson told reporters at training yesterday. "We need to be better as a group, the individuals need to be better and I said that to the young group of guys I've got as a forward group in there, and we're working at it.
"At the moment we're not putting ourselves in proper situations that we should be, we're not probably getting enough bodies in the box. That's something we've reviewed, me over the last 48 hours especially, because we need to try and find a solution.
"We have got nine games left, we can't keep saying this in two or three more games time because it might be too late. We've got to make sure that our very good start to the season doesn't peter out."
And what a start it was. The Whitecaps were in free flowing, glorious goalscoring form. 25 goals from 13 games before the World Cup break. A 1.92 goals per game average, and even Erik Hurtado had finally found his shooting boots and actually started to look like a striker.
We talked at the time about whether the break would be a momentum killer. We always thought it would take a little toll but not such a drastic one. Since they returned to action, the Whitecaps aren’t even managing a goal per game. They’ve scored 8 times in 12 games, for a 0.67 goals per game average and that’s nowhere near playoff form.
And neither is four goalless games out of the last five.
So what's happened to the team? Where and why did it start to unravel?
Robinson has said in recent weeks that a good team doesn't become a bad team overnight. Very true, which perhaps indicates that the Whitecaps weren't actually a good team in the first place, but more one who caught their opponents unprepared for what they would bring and punched a little bit above their weight on their eight game unbeaten run.
One theory is that the Whitecaps have been figured out. Their strikers are simply too one dimensional and teams know how to shut them down, which basically just involves stopping them running.
It was talked about at training this week and I covered it in my piece for MLSsoccer.com this morning.
All well and good, and probably true, except this hasn't been the first time it's been raised.
"I think teams have adapted to our style of play. At the beginning of the season they didn't really know what to expect. We've got a few games under our belt, half the season under our belt. Teams know what our strengths are. When you go out to a game, just like we look at film at team strengths, they're trying to counter our strengths."
That was Erik Hurtado talking at training on July 22nd. We're now over a month down the line, nothing's changed and we're having the same discussions.
Robinson agrees with that theory to a certain extent, but also has one of his own as to why his team have been flopping of late.
"Inconsistency, not just of young players but I think players in general," he suggested. "There's a reason why players are maybe playing in Major League Soccer rather than the Premiership in England, or playing in La Liga. It's because they maybe have got some deficiencies in their game.
"With young players you have ups and downs. Ten games ago, Erik Hurtado had scored five in five and he was looking unbelievable. Maybe his confidence has been dented a little bit, things aren't going his way, but he's still the same person, he's still the same individual. He's trying his hardest, his giving it everything he's got but people go through ups and downs in their young career."
So what can Robinson do to try and kickstart his young steeds if a new striker doesn't appear to be looming soon on the horizon (which is looking increasingly less likely)? Formation is most certainly one avenue that he is actively looking at.
The Caps changed to a 4-4-2 formation towards the end of the Portland game and looked livelier, helped by the addition and runs of Sam Adekugbe at left back. It would be a major surprise if Robinson doesn't go with that formation from the start against DC.
Robinson had pondered before how to fit Pedro Morales into such a formation and there are others who may struggle to find a place in the team if the Caps go down that route. But at this stage of the season, it is worth a try and will be given a try, and it could be just up the alley of Kekuta Manneh.
Some people have been crying out for Manneh to get a chance to play as an out and out striker. It's his preferred position and it's the one that he's had the best success in both within MLS and before. Seattle hat-trick anyone?
He's wasted on the wing and has been ineffectual at that position for months. At this stage of his career he doesn't appear to have the footballing brain to play there and on Saturday looked confused and lost as to what to do. A case of too many people giving him advice and he can't think straight as a result?
Robinson acknowledged the clamour to play Manneh up top but again feels that he just doesn't have the football acumen right now to pull it off as the lone striker. But it's a whole different story in a 4-4-2 formation.
"I think Kekuta can play up front as a two," Robinson said. "He did have success last year but sometimes playing him up front on his own I think would be very difficult, which is why I've tended to stay away from it. It is something that we've looked at over the last two weeks, about playing him up front. We didn't think it was the right time. Will it be the right time this weekend? Maybe.
"But I think he needs a partner. Darren's done very well this year up front on his own, as has Erik at certain times, but we haven't got enough numbers in the box and we haven't created enough chances, so I've got to find a solution."
Easier said than done on current form? Perhaps, but after showing faith in his strikeforce, Robinson knows things can continue as is and ended with a clear message for his four young strikers.
"I will find a solution, but with the personnel we've got in there, we've got to mix and match sometimes," he said. "If someone's not doing their job correctly, then there will be changes."