'Caps playing for their lives

Photo: The Canadian Press

With the Vancouver Whitecaps' playoff hopes hanging by a fraying thread, head coach Carl Robinson expects to learn a thing or two about his players in the coming weeks.

Making the post-season in 2016 remains a mathematical possibility with four games left on the schedule, but in reality, the focus has probably already shifted to next year.

And Robinson plans on being ruthless in his assessment when it comes to who stays and who goes.

"Individually, they're playing for their lives," the Welshman said this week. "We've not reached targets that we wanted to this year. If you're not consistent enough, if you don't put the ball in the back of the net consistently enough and you don't keep it out of your goal, things like this will happen. I've got to address that, I will address that.

"There will be players going out and players coming in. It's as simple as that."

What's also simple in the short term is the predicament the Whitecaps (9-14-7) find themselves in ahead of Saturday's must-win game at B.C. Place Stadium against the Colorado Rapids (12-5-11).

Vancouver likely needs to run the table to have any chance at the playoffs, but even four straight wins might not be enough for a team sitting six points back of the Western Conference's final berth thanks to a 1-6-3 slide in Major League Soccer dating back to mid-July.