It had to happen at some stage of the season. The Caps had to concede a goal and lose a game.
Many of us thought going into Saturday's game that Buck Shaw Stadium would be the place for both to happen, and so it proved. Bang goes the dream of an unbeaten season!
The result might not have been exactly a shock but the nature of it certainly was, or the dramatic defensive collapse to be more precise.
Last week, we started <i>"In The Cold Light Of Day"</i> by saying <i>"What can you say about this Whitecaps defence?"</i>.
What a difference a week makes.
This time, we have to ask the same question and add in <i>"after we scored?"</i> to the end.
Those eleven minutes and three goals will surely be playing at the Caps Halloween party as it was nightmare inducing and it could have ended up a lot worse.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
The defence was all at sea for that period of the game and San Jose, led by an impressive display from ex-Whitecaps Shea Salinas on the wing, could and should have punished us a lot more.
It's hard to be too critical of a defence that has just set a Major League Soccer record. To go 427 minutes unbeaten to start a season is mighty impressive. To do so after the calamitous nature of our defending last season, even more so.
There is a strange irony that we were only able to surpass New York's old record by five minutes before the floodgates opened. And opened they most certainly did.
Jay DeMerit was absolutely dreadful on the first goal and I'm sure he'd be the first to admit it. Letting his man get goal-side of him was a bad enough mistake, but exactly what he was trying to do in the box after the throw in, when blasting the ball into row Z was the correct option, only he will know.
All understanding of marking seemed to be sucked from the defence during that horror spell and you have to say that it has been coming.
For all the resolute defending and game saving stops from Joe Cannon, we've rode our luck defensively several times this season. Just as we have been inches away from a foot or a header giving us more wins, we've also been a head or a goalie glove away from a couple of losses now.
Football is a game of inches most days, funny shaped ball or not.
The big difference between those games and Saturday is that we were finally up against a team who could finish.
What's particularly crazy about yesterday is that apart from a couple of early scrambles in the box, San Jose never looked like stopping the Caps from setting the new shutout record. Then someone seemed to flick a switch in their attack and they didn't look like they were going to stop finding the net.
Frustratingly, we didn't play bad for the other 79 minutes, and our defence clearly doesn't turn bad overnight, so I'm not too worried about what happened yesterday. It's probably good that it did happen, so we can address the problems early and realise we still have a lot to work on at both ends of the pitch.
If we keep repeating those mistakes in the next few games, I won't be feeling so dismissive.
You can be sure it's not something that Martin Rennie is going to just ignore. Tapes will be watched, discussions held, and there's some strong defensive back-ups eager to step up.
When I was growing up, a popular phrase for pundits was that you were <i>"only as good as your reserves"</i>. Well, the Whitecaps reserves won 2-1 against San Jose this morning, so our depth is there and maybe some of them should get a bit of a closer look in the upcoming games.
Moving away from nightmares to something which would give you sweet dreams, the build up play to John Thorrington's first half chance, when he hit the bar, was a thing of beauty.
Fourteen passes, involving nine different players. If you needed any proof that this team was capable of playing football, then this was it.
Cannon to Hassli to Thorrington to Bonjour to Lee to Davidson to Koffie to Harvey, then back to Davidson, then to Thorrington again, then to Koffie once more and back again to Davidson, whose beautiful flighted pass to Hassli was cut inside to Chiumiento, then on to Thorrington, then off the bar, when it really, really should have been buried.
The attack in general was also much better this week.
He may not have got a goal once again, but Eric Hassli probably had his best game of the season. He set up Sebastien Le Toux perfectly for his goal and put himself about well, shielding the ball and holding up play to allow support and neat lay offs.
Hassli was instrumental in a number of the Caps sixteen attempts on goal. Six of those attempts were on target and it was a much better all-round effort after none in the last two games.
Sebastien Le Toux shone from the start and was kicked off the park at times by a robust San Jose side, that got away with it time and again.
Camilo looked sharp when he came on and you have to wonder what may have happened in the match had he been able to start, although you can also say the same thing about Steven Lenhart with San Jose.
I'd have taken a point going in to the game, then thought we deserved all three by the time we scored, only to be left with the feeling that we got out of the game what we deserved in the end.
Three bookings this week, and I was a bit nervous in that second half with Jun Marques Davidson and Martin Bonjour picking up their early yellows, especially since referee Ramon Hernandez seemed to have a penchant for players wearing only white.
And, of course, I can't go a week without lambasting Sportsnet's coverage.
Again, we don't know whether it was the channel's own camerawork or the local affiliate, but the fact that we nearly didn't see the Caps goal was dreadful. It's pretty basic camerawork to focus on the events on the pitch, especially when it's a throw-in in a dangerous position. Instead we got a shot of Wondo rubbing himself.
I'm also sure that Craig MacEwen is now taking the complete piss out of everyone by saying both his <i>"it's in the back of the net"</i> AND <i>"would you look at that"</i> catchphrases when San Jose scored. Either that or he just completely panicked in the moment and just didn't know what to say, so reverted to his old standards.
Oh for the few upcoming matches on TSN. Thank god for Paul Dolan. it would be unbearable without him. He is knowledgeable and knows what he's talking about. He has been a great addition to Sportsnet's broadcast team.
Vancouver now have an eleven day break to try and get things back on track. It's going to be a toughie against Kansas City, but it will be a contest that will show us just how much of a serious threat the Whitecaps will be this season.
If we can't shine and compete against the best, we're maybe not as good as we were starting to think we were.
Mon the Caps.
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<b>AFTN 3-2-1 :</b>
3 points - SEBASTIEN LE TOUX (Really stepped up to the plate this game and the attention he was getting from San Jose clearly showed what a threat they felt he was.)
2 points - DAVIDE CHIUMIENTO (Another great game for Davide tacking back and helping out. We just need a little more at his usual end of the park.)
1 point - ERIC HASSLI (A good team player yesterday, with a lot of effort into all the good things that the Caps produced. Now just find the net!)
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