VANCOUVER — Barry Robson is sorry, sort of.

The midfielder conceded Wednesday he probably should have tracked back after twice losing the ball — once on a freekick, the other time on an uncalled foul — instead of standing, frustrated, late in the second half of the Whitecaps’ 1-0 home loss to the Portland Timbers.

The best thing about Robson is how badly he wants to win. The worst thing about him is he wants to win so badly that when things don’t go his way, such as the ball or a referee’s decision, his reaction can be overtly negative. It can affect teammates, as well as how fans view a team doing everything it can to grow.

Besides his fierce competitiveness, Robson has a world-class left foot and distributes the ball as well as anyone on the Whitecaps. That’s why the Major League Soccer club signed him as a “designated player” to a three-year contract worth $600,000 annually. That’s why coach Martin Rennie, when Jay DeMerit was injured in August, put the captain’s armband on Robson just six weeks after the Scotsman’s arrival in Vancouver.

And this is why Robson’s actions on Sunday were halting — not because he was by any means entirely responsible for a dismal loss, but because everyone should expect better from someone hired to lead the team.

“When you’re in the heat of a battle in a game, sometimes you don’t do things right,” Robson explained ahead of Saturday’s game in Salt Lake City, essentially a dress rehearsal for the Whitecaps’ playoff game next week in Los Angeles. “And I’m not a perfect example; I know that. I’m 33 years old and I’m still working at my game to be better. But I do see myself as a leader on the pitch. I’ve come to a different (soccer) culture. I need to work on the way I am, which I am doing.

“I do the best I can for my teammates; I work hard for them every day in training. I work hard on the football pitch for them. And, yeah, I maybe get too frustrated at times. But it’s something I’ve been working on my whole career — not to get more frustrated. I’ve maybe got a bit more frustrated since I’ve been here because we haven’t won as many games as I would like. But that’s because I want to win.”

The Whitecaps are 4-9-4 since Robson, who arrived mid-season from English club Middlesbrough, was installed at the heart of the Whitecaps’ lineup.

That move was the most significant of several summer changes made by Rennie that muddied roles for players.

Robson seemed to play in a rage, crunching into tackles, screaming at teammates and opponents with equal venom, shouting at referees and often flinging his arms into the air in frustration.

It was entertaining when Robson screamed at MLS totem David Beckham in July. But it seemed silly when he yelled at Portland coach Gavin Wilkinson near the end of Sunday’s game.