Wednesday night in Cincinnati, the Vancouver Whitecaps dropped just their third match of the MLS season in a 4-3 defeat at TQL Stadium.

It was a bit of a messy return to league play for the Whitecaps, as they played right into Cincinnati’s hands in a wide-open match that had five goals inside the first 36 minutes.

Vancouver has been an extremely consistent defensive team under Jesper Sørensen; however, they didn’t look like it in this match, as both centrebacks picked up a yellow card inside 20 minutes, while Tate Johnson and Bruno Caicedo struggled to stay on the same page when it came to closing down the home side’s right attacking flank.

That frailty led to some miscues at the back, and the home side took full advantage. That said, the hosts did profit from two very low-quality looks with high-quality finishes, first from Bucha in the ninth minute, and then Evander in the 36th, but generally, it was just too easy for Cincinnati to find space in and around Vancouver’s penalty area, and Takaoka probably could have done better with the shots from distance as well.

If we want to talk about positives, we have to start with Ryan Gauld. It was a sight for sore eyes to see him return to MLS play, and he was tremendous, especially early, dropping into half-spaces and pulling out defenders. While his first goal was a bit fortunate, it was thoroughly deserved given the quality of his overall performance. His class shone through again in the 58th minute, as his quick response pulled the Whitecaps within one, even though they were not able to make any further impact. Equally, I thought Jeevan Badwal had a quality match, not only because of his first-half tally, but also through his chance creation and movement.

The other thing we probably have to talk about is the lack of depth off the bench in this one. Not only because it limited Vancouver’s ability to find a tying goal, but also because the Sebastian Berhalter rumours are picking up at a rapid pace. It feels as though he has played his last match in a Whitecaps shirt. That’s well deserved on his part, but that’s small comfort for supporters who would love to see him lead another charge towards an MLS Cup in Vancouver.

Secondarily, Thomas Müller did not feature off the bench, which is not a big red flag, but also not ideal when you are chasing the game. Vancouver has really benefited from playing so many home games, and I wonder what kind of effect all the travel will have on a player with a lot of mileage on the body already.

In sum, this was a match where the Whitecaps were undoubtedly far less than their best, and yet they still won the xG battle and were the better team for long stretches. I also think this Cincinnati team is a whole lot better than they showed before the World Cup break.

With that, the Whitecaps are on to Minnesota, as they close out a road trip before returning to BC Place on August 1.