The Vancouver Whitecaps are returning home and looking to put their road trip woes behind them.
The Whitecaps have not won away from B.C. Place in Major League Soccer regular-season play this year and have taken 14 of their 17 points at home.
鈥淚 think we should be getting more points than what we鈥檝e got,鈥� said midfielder and captain Ryan Gauld.
Vancouver (4-5-5) is tied for fourth in goals in the Western Conference but has failed to turn that offence into consistent wins.
鈥淲e鈥檝e dropped points when we shouldn鈥檛 have, but if you look at the table there鈥檚 a lot of teams close together,鈥� Gauld said.
The Whitecaps haven鈥檛 picked up a win in eight straight league road matches and are tied for second in the division for the most draws, trailing the Colorado Rapids who have six.
The B.C. team also has the same number of points after 14 games compared to this time last year, with players admitting their frustration at doing so.
鈥淚 think we need to look at our ability this year and how we鈥檝e jelled compared to last year, we would want more points, 100 per cent,鈥� said defender Tristan Blackmon.
Head coach Vanni Sartini was outspoken in his criticism of the referee in the loss to St. Louis City SC, saying the Missouri club had 12 players on its team and called the officials鈥� performance 鈥渟hameful.鈥�
He followed that by adding that he was expecting a letter from the league apologizing for the refereeing performance.
鈥淚t looked like the referee was a player for them,鈥� he said following the loss.
Sartini said Tuesday that he was aware of and understood his players鈥� frustration.
鈥淲e need to be better. It鈥檚 not easy to channel the frustration in a positive way. It鈥檚 easy to channel the thing we do, which is trust in the process,鈥� he said. 鈥淓veryone can see we鈥檙e underachieving, I would say, and not because we鈥檙e not playing well.鈥�
He also refused to say his team had been unlucky with its results.
鈥淟uck is like religion, it鈥檚 a senseless concept 鈥� we have to be better at finishing our chances,鈥� he said.
Major League Soccer announced Tuesday that the Whitecaps violated the league鈥檚 mass confrontation policy during Saturday鈥檚 match and would be issued an official warning.
Blackmon, Ranko Veselinovic, Luis Martins, Andres Cubas, Deiber Caicedo and Levonte Johnson have all been issued an undisclosed fine for their role in the incident.
The Whitecaps have a four-game home stand, including the Canadian Championship final against Montreal CF, with an 11-day break before their next away match.
鈥淲e have to get as many points as we can,鈥� said Blackmon. 鈥淲e鈥檝e shown how good we鈥檝e been at home.鈥�
Vancouver is facing off against the Houston Dynamo (5-3-5) on Wednesday, with the Texas club sitting one point ahead of the Whitecaps in the Western standings.
It鈥檚 the two teams鈥� first meeting of the season.
Houston are one of the most solid teams at the back, conceding 12 goals, second least in the conference.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (4-5-5) VS HOUSTON DYNAMO (5-3-5)
HOME HAPPINESS: The Whitecaps are unbeaten in their last six MLS home matches (4-0-2), scoring 12 goals and keeping four clean sheets during that span.
ROAD WOES FOR HOUSTON: The Dynamo have only won one of their last 13 away matches in MLS play, a record dating back to last season.
MILESTONE APPEARANCES: Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka reached 200 professional appearances at the club level in the win over Pacific FC on May 24 while Gauld reached 300 professional appearances at the club level during Saturday鈥檚 loss to St. Louis.
Nick Wells, The Canadian Press
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