VANCOUVER — With goals suddenly hard to come by and their hold on a playoff position slipping, the Vancouver Whitecaps could use a get-well card.

Fortunately, instead of mailing off a $4.95 special from Hallmark — flowers and hearts on the outside, sappy verse inside — MLS is sending Chivas USA to Vancouver on Sunday.

Ah, the Goats. They surprised New York 3-2 on Sunday in Los Angles, but still have just four wins in 24 games, with 45 goals allowed and only 24 scored. The perfect pick-me-up for a team in need of a positive result.

And if a rhyme about a return to health is still needed, we can pin this to the BC Place locker-room door:

Hope you’ll soon be feeling fine

The way you were before

Because things just won’t be the same

Until you’re well once more.

Vancouver fell out of the top five in the sardine-can like Western Conference on Saturday, giving up a stunning third-minute goal on a turnover and a misplay and falling 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy before a sellout crowd of 21,000 at BC Place.

It was the 10-9-6 Caps fourth loss in the last six games and the third time in five that they have failed to score. The run started with a 2-1 loss in Los Angeles to the two-time reigning MLS champion Galaxy, who now have surged four points ahead of the Caps.

With seven of their last eight games against teams in that fierce battle for the five playoff spots in the West, the Caps desperately need the three points that stumbling Chivas should serve up.

“As long as we go and do the right thing, we’ll be fine against Chivas and get back to our winning ways next week,” said captain Kenny Miller. “That’s very important. The conference is so tight. We’re playing eight of our last nine games against conference rivals, so we need to make sure, particularly at home, we’re picking up three points.”

They didn’t do that Saturday, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.

The Caps controlled play for long stretches against a Galaxy side content to sit back and play counter-attack after picking up that early goal. And while Vancouver could have done better at breaking down the Galaxy defence, the Caps did create a handful of quality chances, only to suffer from a lack of finish.

“The fact we didn’t get a result is disappointing, but I don’t think anyone’s head goes down from that performance,” said Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie.

The Caps, the league’s highest scoring team on home turf, were missing MLS goal-scoring leader Camilo, who sat out with a slight groin pull. And he was definitely missed

“Obviously in a game like tonight, that was really tight, Camilo is someone who could make a difference,” said Rennie, who added that he expects the dynamic Brazilian to be back Sunday against Chivas.

Darren Mattocks started for Camilo, but the Jamaican was largely ineffective. Rennie made two other lineup changes, inserting Andy O’Brien, who had missed 11 games with a hamstring pull, at centre back for Carlyle Mitchell and midfielder Matt Watson for the struggling Daigo Kobayashi.