Whitecaps aim to bounce back against Colorado after 'debacle' in L.A.

VANCOUVER — Playing the Colorado Rapids in a quick turnaround Wednesday night at BC Place could be the best medicine for the Vancouver Whitecaps after they looked anemic losing their last match.

Head coach Vanni Sartini called the Whitecaps’ 5-2 road loss to the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday “a debacle” but expects a “bounce back” against Colorado as his team continues to hunt for a Major League Soccer playoff spot.

“To be honest, the worst thing in L.A. was they didn’t beat us because of a tactical masterpiece or we didn’t know what to do,” Sartini said after training Tuesday. “We just made a lot of individual mistakes. When a lot of players make individual mistakes, there’s something we have to fix collectively.

“We didn’t have too much time to prepare (for Colorado) but we don’t have to make major changes in terms of tactics. We know what our strengths are. We have to work on our strengths from minute one.”

The Whitecaps (8-11-6) and Rapids (8-9-7) are in a group of six teams hovering around the playoff line in Major League Soccer's Western Conference. Nashville holds the seventh and final playoff spot with 33 points. The Galaxy also have 33 points but are ranked sixth with two more wins.

Just three points separate eighth-place Portland from 11th-place Vancouver. A win against Colorado would vault the Whitecaps past Nashville.

The Rapids come to Vancouver on a roll, having just one loss in their last seven matches (3-1-3). The Rapids have struggled on the road with a 1-7-3 record. A 5-4 win in New York against the Red Bulls on Aug. 2 ended a 10-game road winless streak.

Striker Diego Rubio leads the Rapids with 12 goals and six assists. His goal on a penalty kick in a 1-1 draw with Columbus Saturday extended his scoring