It's Not Time to Panic

They were a high flying, undefeated football club just three short weeks ago, but now the Whitecaps find themselves in a bit of a tailspin. Two extremely winnable matches have both ended in a disappointing effort and defeat, leading many to scream that the sky is falling. As I drank my beer and watched the match with a few of my friends in a crowded bar, we heard a few unbelievable comments. I have included my favorite three:

1) "Fire Martin Rennie!" (Natch. Heard directly after the match)

2) "Trade Darren Mattocks!" (Slight WTF)

3) "Re-Hire Tommy Soehn!" (Okay, that one didn't happen)

While I'm sure the majority of Whitecaps faithful aren't that reactionary, the point is that for some, the Whitecaps are in desperate need of change, and now. While I can jump on certain issues pretty quick myself, I'm here to assure everyone that the time to freak out is certainly not now.

Admittedly, the Houston match was ugly, and I don't think anyone can argue that. While I'm sure more people were hoping for a strong bounce back effort against Chivas USA, we have to remember that the match was essentially lost on an unlucky deflection off Jun-Marques Davidson. Good teams lose matches as well, and the Whitecaps were basically equals against a team that might be better than we're giving them credit for.

This match might have been more disappointing because of how well the Whitecaps played against Chivas last time out. It was a 4-0 trouncing that helped seal a post-season berth for the club, and perhaps the sentiment was the score could be similar on the weekend. I get that; expect a cake walk, get beat and there's bound to be some confused and angry faces out there.

This is still a good club, and while we'd all like them to be 4-0, they're not. However, they still have a roster that boasts an amazing level of talent, and perhaps it will take them a bit before they truly reach their stride. Let's look at the positives though, shall we? Kenny Miller still looks unbelievable, the backline is without Jay Demerit and they haven't crumbled, we boast depth at the goal keeper position, and we have so much depth up front that one of our better strikers in Camilo is fighting for playing time. Be happy about those things. Take into consideration that this is a 2-2 club that has been competitive in every match. If they truly haven't hit their stride yet, imagine how good they'll be when they do. Think about how good this club will be when Reo-Coker, Kobayashi, and Mattocks are all clicking at the right time.

Back to back losses isn't exactly inspiring. However, let's give them a few more weeks before the nooses come out. They have the potential to be an elite club; let's hope they realize it soon.