Good Monday morning Caps fans, I hope you are gearing up for a lovely week ahead and that your weekend was a much-needed rest.

Well, maybe the Caps didn’t hit rock bottom against the LA Galaxy. They followed up their embarrassment in LA with another 3-0 defeat in Colorado. The performance wasn’t quite as bleak as in LA but it wasn’t up to the Caps’ standards either.

There is good news and bad news embedded in this. The good news is Pedro Vite, amid much transfer speculation, suited up and played. The bad news is that he did so as a forward, which has historically been the least effective place to play him. Vite wasn’t bad but the attacking pieces never really gelled and it showed in the play, with Brian White and Emmanuel Sabbi struggling.

The backline did no favors either and while Yohei Takaoka came up big to deny Rafa Navarro from the spot, he then biffed it on the third Rapids goal.

Vancouver has now lost three of their last four and have firmly come back to earth. They’ve shipped 11 goals in that time frame and the solidity and style that characterized the team early in the season is nowhere to be found.

This continues, of course, to be a reflection of the load this team has been forced to carry in terms of the volume of matches and the injuries that have come along with it (all this for a team that already had some of the thinnest depth in the league). It also could be a case of Sorensen ball getting found out a bit by other teams which, combined with the injuries, has led to what we’ve seen recently.

The main thing for this team now is to regroup and try and be in the best possible position when the playoffs roll around. Given that the Caps have a game in hand on San Diego and Minnesota, I’m not waving the white flag on winning the west but they will need to pull out of the tailspin pretty quickly in order to hang in there.

Ryan Gauld and Ali Ahmed are progressing in their return from injury but they won’t be back before the Leagues Cup break. Trying to get what they can before then and then using the 10 day pause to get healthy and rested for the run in seems like the best course of action. That also gives a window to integrate any new signings into the team (please, let there be new signings … ).

I still have belief but, for the first time in a long time, that belief is wavering. Still, we made it to July before the bad run of form hit. Compared with where this team was a year ago, there are worse places to be.

Shameless Self Promotion

We run down the Rapids match and how the Caps might be able to pull out of this tailspin. Caleb also looks ahead to the looming transfer window and what might make sense in terms of business. And we have the latest on where things stand in the CPL.

Best of the Rest

EDIT: Removed an outdated article on Canada Soccer because I’m too dumb to read a timestamp.

The Whitecaps 2 side picked up a point in a 0-0 draw with the Rapids 2 team.

Well, we at least have some positive developments with Ryan Gauld’s progress.

Caps target Luc de Fougerolles has signed a new deal with Fulham. Well, on to the next one!