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Welcome to HTTN’s new feature: “ReCaps.” Patrick Johnson (@risingaction) will be writing his post-game thoughts on Whitecaps games. Here is the first edition.

ReCaps August 4, 2011: L.A. Galaxy

On a beautiful day, in front of a huge Empire Field crowd, the best team in the West was in town.

The Whitecaps’ line-up looked solid before the game, and despite Jay DeMerit’s absence it was as good a starting 11 as we’ve seen all season. The ‘Caps declared they were putting their best foot forward, and for 30 minutes, it almost looked like they were up to the task.

The Good

Shape in attack: while it may not have been wide enough to be effective through an entire 90 minutes – gaps created early didn’t seem to exist later – it created some serious havoc early on.

If Mustapha Jarju’s final touch was on target, he would have sprinted away from the Galaxy’s goal after potting his first and possibly second for the Blue and White off feeds from Eric Hassli and Davide Chiumento. The chemistry is quickly developing with the Gambian and his teammates and one has to believe the goals will follow.

In the 59th minute, the ‘Caps had their best chance to take a lead when Shea Salinas cracked the ball off the post. How he didn’t bag the goal is still shocking, but I suppose close calls are what should be expected from players acquired through the expansion draft.

The Less Good:

Eric Hassli: The big Frenchman has had a hard time when he’s being marked closely. He also looks to be adjusting to the new shape that Jarju brings. Camilo is improving every week, cutting in high from the left and looking more confident as time goes on, but Hassli has spent the past two (Soehn-led) months as a Drogba-style lone wolf in the middle.

Jarju’s dynamic running will likely open up space in behind him, and let’s hope Hassli catches on soon.

The Bad:

Control at the back: The biggest challenge faced by the Whitecaps this year has been overcoming their lack of defensive quality. With DeMerit in the lineup, problems decrease dramatically, but take him out and the gaps appear. Michael Boxall may yet emerge as a high quality player, but his apparent dearth of agility and quickness were glaringly exposed by Landon Donovan.

Granted, Donovan is probably the best player in the league, but Boxall was hanging on for dear life. As he learns the professional game, hopefully he will pick up how to play within his challenges and expose himself less. Unfortunately, at the moment, he’s a gamble.

The Ugly:

Set pieces: They stink. They’ve stunk all season. Time to try something new.

The Atmosphere:

Many have commented on the atmosphere produced so far at Empire Field; Roberto Mancini, coach of Manchester City, said, “The people in the stadium were fantastic.” High praise from a manager who has played at the highest level in front of crazed European supporters.

It seems like while Man City drew out some real “football” fans, the Galaxy drew out the Beckham groupies.

I found myself surrounded by bizarre people who paid to come to the game and talk about movies instead of actually watching the game. Luckily, these non-soccer fans won’t be coming back.