The Whitecaps lost their grip on the Western Conference lead, getting pummelled by Milan Iloski and San Diego FC in a catastrophic defensive performance that will raise some big questions about the squad moving forward.

There were chances for Vancouver to get back into this game and chip away at what became a 5-3 defeat but the finishing was almost as bad as the defensive structure, which kept getting ripped apart in transition.

It wasn’t as bad as the CONCACAF Champions Cup final defeat but it will ask lots of questions about the players and the tactical setup. We try and take a stab at some answers in the report card — read on:

Yohei Takaoka: 5

Made a couple of big saves in moments where the Caps lost control of the match but he couldn’t do it on his own and his teammates basically set him up in front of a Milan Iloski firing squad. He wasn’t crisp enough on a couple of the fast breaks which didn’t do himself any favours. 

Tate Johnson: 5.5

A bit naive at times defensively, failing to close down to allow Andres Dryer the time and space to ping in the decisive cross for San Diego’s third. Johnson had some flashes of quality, driving forward into space well, but was never able to make much out of it and this ultimately led to him being out of position for the inevitable San Diego counters.

Ranko Veselinovic: 4.5

Underestimated the pace of Milan Iloski on more than one occasion and was lost in no man’s land for the second goal (though you could make a good argument he was fouled). He looked shaky all match, even when he wasn’t punished for it, and seemed to be struggling for confidence at times.

Tristan Blackmon: 5

Returned to his usual standard after the match was out of sight and he was in his ball playing role but was poor until that point, looking ill prepared to cope with San Diego and missing two gilded edge chances.

Edier Ocampo: 6.5

Vancouver clearly made it a top priority to get Ocampo isolated in space on the right hand side and he was a bit wasteful with the time and space he was often given. So, naturally, he belted one into the back of the net for his first league goal. I thought he looked a bit sharper and dangerous when he moved into the winger position after Laborda came on.

Jeevan Badwal: 4

Offered very little going forward (he had the fewest touches of any Caps player) and was anonymous defensively.

Ralph Priso: 4

Had some bright moments early but then basically faded into oblivion with the rest of the midfield, finding himself woefully out of step with the incisive San Diego attacks. 

Andres Cubas: 4

At the start of the match Cubas was shifted into a more advanced position and it seemed to throw everything out of whack structurally, leading to a midfield that was mostly impotent. 

Pedro Vite: 8

There is a universe in which the Caps created enough to win this match and that is basically entirely thanks to Vite. As the only attacking player who seemed locked in and showed any real verve going forward, Vite was at the centre of things for Vancouver and he deservedly picked up an assist to pad his stat sheet a bit on top of a monster six key passes. 

Daniel Rios: 5

The Caps were generally too slow and indecisive going forward and Rios typified this. There was one moment where he received the ball at the top of the box and did a 180 degree spin trying to decide what to do. His teammates let him down at points, to be sure, and Rios hit the post from distance but he didn’t do much to influence this one otherwise.

Emmanuel Sabbi: 5

Was wrongly denied a penalty inside of ten minutes and that was perhaps his best chance 1v1 in space, the area where Sabbi is typically at his most dangerous. He had a couple of real chances but scuffed the shots, in a fitting metaphor for the Whitecaps’ evening. My stock in Sabbi continues to crater and I imagine he will find himself out of the starting lineup when players come back from international duty.

Mathias Laborda: 7.5

Besides picking up a yellow card minutes after coming on at half time, this was a much needed performance from Laborda. His arrival helped steady things a bit and was extremely dangerous on the right hand side, applying some composed through balls to unlock San Diego.

J.C. Ngando: 6

Didn’t make much of an impact but was a welcome addition simply because he offered something a bit different in the midfield.

Antoine Coupland: 7

Thrilling to see Coupland grab a goal in his debut to help make the scoreline look a bit less lopsided. It was a well taken finish that will hopefully stick in the mind of the coaching staff if they need more emergency attacking reinforcements.