Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all are enjoying your Thanksgiving holidays and that this post finds you amid a restful long weekend.

It was heartbreak for a shorthanded Caps side on Sunday night, with Vancouver doing everything necessary to win after a stilted first half. That’s despite lacking … basically every good attacking and midfield player not named Brian White.

The frustration from conceding a sloppy goal late to Illie Sanchez will likely overshadow what was a strong performance in the second half. Vancouver conceded 30 seconds in and if you would have shut off the TV after that, I wouldn’t have blamed you. Similarly, if you had shut off the TV at halftime, you would have been justified. The build up just wasn’t working for the Caps and things looked dire.

One moment, however, turned the game on its head, with pinpoint Sebastian Berhalter set piece delivery forcing an own goal and an equalizer. Combined with the introduction of Deiber Caicedo and Damir Kreilach, this opened things up for White, who did everything but score over the final half hour. On three occasions, White should have had a headed goal and on three occasions he missed by inches. That was ultimately the difference.

Two bones to pick on the closing goal. One, that was unacceptable from Bjorn Utvik and Alessandro Schopf to get shredded by Nathan Ordaz. Even if you do get beat, you simply must foul him, take the yellow card and move on. Letting the chaos play out unchecked was a disaster.

Two, Giuseppe Bovalina was clearly fouled in the moments leading up to the goal and Drew Fisher, who had a poor match, erred in not blowing his whistle. The Caps did themselves in with poor defending but the refereeing did them no favors against LAFC … again.

Vanni Sartini also didn’t do his side any favors. Starting Levonte Johnson over Deiber Caicedo, Mathias Laborda over Giuseppe Bovalina and waiting to introduce Damir Kreilach were all serious flaws and it wasn’t an accident that the Caps only started looking better when those changes were made.

This wasn’t a game where we could learn a lot big picture given the absences but getting some sort of result would have been a real way of getting some positive momentum back.

There are no points for moral victories and the loss ultimately leaves the Caps with a do-or-die prospect on decision day: win against Real Salt Lake (and get help) or be resigned to the play-in game. Not exactly an appealing proposition.

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