A shorthanded Caps side nearly hung on for a well-earned point on Sunday night but instead fumbled the ball in stoppage time and walked away with nothing, continuing their late-season slide. The result would have been a phenomenal performance from a team largely comprised of backups and there were a couple of standout performances, even on an otherwise dispiriting night. Who are we talking about? Read on for the report card grades.

Yohei Takaoka: 5

You feel like Takaoka could have been more aggressive to come out and deny Mateusz Bogusz’s chipped opener. His shotstopping was not in doubt, however, as he made a couple of phenomenal stops later on in the first half. Also could have probably done better on the game winning goal.

Mathias Laborda: 5

I still just don’t get the concept of Laborda as a wingback and would have rolled the dice on Giuseppe Bovalina myself but Laborda was fine enough in this one. He was OK defensively but just didn’t lack a ton of danger going forward and was quite conservative in his outlook (admittedly without a ton of help at times on the right wing). 

Bjorn Utvik: 6.5

Got shredded by Nathan Ordaz late in the match but was otherwise competent in the backline. Relied on his passing quite a bit to build up from the back.

Ranko Veselinovic: 6.5

I had no real notes, which is generally a good thing for a centerback, though he did have a couple of rare mishaps in the air.

Tristan Blackmon: 6.5

A pretty quiet match for Blackmon before his header forced an own goal out of LAFC, showing how useful the former LAFC man can still be going forward, either on set pieces or as an outlet in the attack.

Ryan Raposo: 5.5

Raposo was certainly the more attacking-minded wingback, as you would expect, and he was used effectively as a third attacker to try and bolster the shorthanded Whitecaps offense. I struggle to think of anything clear cut he created in the box but his passing was solid. 

Sebastian Berhalter: 7

When the Caps tried to go direct for Brian White, Berhalter was usually the one pulling the strings. His service was superb on Tristan Blackmon’s goal, with his pinpoint cross creating a nightmare for Hugo Lloris. His set piece delivery continued to be fantastic.

Ralph Priso: 6.5

Priso looked decent enough in this one. If the match stays in front of him and he’s not scrambling to keep up, Priso is solid in winning back balls. Was tidy in his passing and the only foot he put wrong was finding himself out of position on Illie Sanchez’s game winner.

Alessandro Schopf: 6.5

Schopf would sort of drift out wide, presumably to support the wide players in coping with LAFC’s quality on the wings. The problem is this left him pinned back and unable to help when the midfield became overrun. That’s essentially what happened on Bogusz’s goal and I don’t quite get Vanni Sartini’s thinking on this.

That being said, I thought Schopf was decent when the Caps were in possession. Two key passes showed that he was solid in progressing the ball and his service into the box was excellent.

Brian White: 6.5

Played the role of the main orchestrator, trying to conduct by converting his hold up play into counter attacking opportunities. He didn’t see many chances in the box until the 74th minute, when he put a header inches wide of the post. Whether it was that one or another chance later on in the second half, you would have expected White to take his goal, and those opportunities are one of the reasons Vancouver couldn’t convert this performance into a result.

Levonte Johnson: 5.5

Had a couple of nice moments, holding the ball up and picking apart LAFC defenders in tight spaces and he put in some nice service, including a pinpoint cross for Brian White. Those moments were probably a bit few and far between, and I would have rather seen Caicedo from the start.

Deiber Caicedo: 7

Caicedo brought a level of unpredictability that the Caps sorely needed and it was his danger that brought the Caps within inches of forcing an own goal.

Giuseppe Bovalina: 6.5

Looked dangerous and seemed to do enough to win a foul on the break in stoppage time, but Drew Fisher had other plans.

Damir Kreilach: 7

Was another sub that possibly came too late, but he was helpful in progressing the ball and giving the Caps another runner in the box, opening up more space for Brian White. It isn’t an accident that White’s chances started emerging after Kreilach came on.