Despite heading into the game on the back of three straight road wins against top teams, Vancouver Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson had warned that a struggling Colorado Rapids could prove to be one of their stiffest tests of the season.
The Rapids only took 79 seconds to prove Robinson correct, going ahead through a Vicente Sanchez strike in the opening moments.
Kekuta Manneh tied things up before Kevin Doyle's first MLS goal ensured that Vancouver's poor run of results in Colorado continued, leaving Robinson looking at a mixed bag of performances from his team.
"We're obviously disappointed that we didn't pick up anything from the game," Robinson told Vancouver TSN 1410 radio after the match. "I think if you look at it overall, the 90 minutes, there were a number of players who performed to their levels, there were a number of players that dropped their levels slightly. They took two chances, we took one. Disappointing tonight."
Robinson was pleased with the way his side responded to the early setback to get back on level terms. But he was left dismayed that the 'Caps then failed to exploit that momentum swing and earn their fourth straight road win, and was particularly critical of his defense.
"We got ourselves back in the game by playing some good football in the first half and creating a number of chances and scoring one goal," Robinson added. "We tried to challenge them to kick on in the second half. We know it's going to be difficult here. We've had a very poor record here, we know that. But again we gave them a sloppy second goal. We switched off. There's no one marking in the box."
Goalkeeper David Ousted has saved the Whitecaps on several occasions in recent weeks and he produced another 'Save of the Week' contender in the 17th minute to instinctively deny a Luis Solignac rocket, keeping it a one-goal game. Vancouver grabbed the equalizing goal just three minutes later.
Ousted's performances of late have perhaps masked some defensive lapses, and Robinson felt those continuing mistakes at the back are what cost the 'Caps dearly in the loss to the Rapids.
"We did play some good football, but there's no point in playing good football if you switch off and don't do the basics in defending," Robinson said. "You can analyze both goals, and individuals didn't do their jobs and their roles and responsibilities, which is why today we're walking away with nothing."
They may have left Colorado empty-handed for the second time this season, but Vancouver wrap up a grueling five-game road stretch with nine points taken from a possible 15.
Impressive wins at LA, New York and New England were bookended by disappointing defeats at Montreal and Colorado, and Vancouver would surely have gladly taken that points haul when the schedule came out.
"We'll try and analyze it like that," Robinson said. "You get greedy in football once you win a game – then the second game you look as a bonus game, but you feel you can win it. We've come off the back of three wins and we tried to be greedy today.
"We felt we could have and if we'd played to our levels, we should have won. We know Colorado's a difficult team. They've had things go against them recently, but we let them off the hook today."
