VANCOUVER — Carl Robinson has heard the question many times over the last few weeks but admits he doesn't have an immediate answer.

How can the struggling Vancouver Whitecaps turn their season around in time to make Major League Soccer's playoffs?

"If I had an answer I would gladly tell you," the Whitecaps' head coach said after a training session this week. "It strictly has to come down to hard work and a belief in the players."

A three-game losing streak at a crucial time of the season has many Vancouver fans questioning if the team is good enough to reach the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Whitecaps (8-11-6) will try to restore some confidence when they play Sporting Kansas City (10-11-5) Saturday at Children's Mercy Park.

Vancouver heads into the weekend sitting eighth in the Western Conference with 30 points, two back of the Portland Timbers who hold the sixth and final playoff spot. Kansas City is fifth with 35 points.

Vancouver and Kansas City play against Tuesday night at BC Place in a CONCACAF Champions League match.

The Whitecaps are 2-4-3 in their last nine MLS games. Vancouver has scored just once in the last four games while allowing six. Overall, the Whitecaps have given up 34 goals, the most of any Western Conference team.

Sporting KC is also 5-1-3 all-time against Vancouver and are 3-0-1 when playing the Whitecaps at home.

It's not an ideal situation, but Whitecaps defender Tim Parker said there is no sense of desperation, even with just nine games remaining in the season.

"There is a lot of belief within these guys," said Parker.

"The problem is sometimes you're not going to play your best football, but you have to find ways to win. That's what we are working on, just being able to energize and find ways to win games."

Midfielder Andrew Jacobson has endured many losing streaks during an MLS career with stops with D.C. United, Philadelphia, Dallas and New York.

"I've seen some swings before," said Jacobson. "This team is far better than teams I've pulled out of slumps on.

"We have the players to not just get out of a bad stretch of results (but) actually go on and do something this year."

The Whitecaps have struggled to find consistency this year. Robinson has juggled his lineup looking for a winning combination.

Parker said the different alignments are just part of the game.

"We expect adjustments," he said. "As a player you have to be ready for those kind of adjustments.

"If the lineup changes, then you have to roll with it and try and do your best at that spot."

Robinson wears his hair short, which is probably a good thing. Otherwise the mistakes and mental breakdowns committed by his team might have him tearing his hair out.

"We need to be better individually," he said. "We need to be better collectively.

"Winning breeds confidence. At the moment we need to increase our confidence levels individually and collectively. My job is to try to keep working with these players to build confidence. It doesn't happen overnight. It happens over a period of time. We have to get back to basics."

The Whitecaps play five of their remaining games on the road. So far this year Vancouver has been 3-8-1 in games away from BC Place Stadium. Last year, when the Whitecaps finished second in the West with a 16-13-5 record they were 7-7-3 on the road.

"Thinking that we can win a couple of games on the road isn't a big deal for me," said Parker. "Last year we had a great record on the road.

"If we can pick up that form, and get back to some of the things we did last year, it will be key."

Kansas City is 2-2-1 in its last five games. They have won their last five MLS home games, outscoring their opponents 12-3.

Over the last three seasons it's taken at least 50 points to make the Western Conference playoffs. Following last week's 2-1 loss to San Jose, Robinson said his team would probably need to win five or six games down the streak.

He seemed to be backing off that number this week.

"I don't look at the points we need because the reality is we don't know the points we need," he said. "What we need to do is get points on the board. We need to do it sooner rather than later."