Portland Timbers manager Caleb Porter admitted his team weren't good after a 4-1 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps ended its quest for a return to the Major League Soccer postseason.
Portland won the 2015 MLS Cup and needed a result against Vancouver to reach the playoffs and defend the title.
But a pair of Giles Barnes goals and two quick strikes from Vancouver sealed Portland's fate, as they become just the third team in MLS history to miss out on the postseason after winning the Cup.
Following the match, Porter told a news conference: "When I look at the overall performance, I didn't think we were good. I didn't think we defended well, and I thought we had some surprisingly poor performances out of our key guys."
Portland finished the season without a win on the road.
Adding insult to injury, Portland's rivals the Seattle Sounders beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 to secure its playoff spot, while the win for Vancouver means the Cascadia Cup -- contested between these three teams -- will end up in Canada this season.
"There has to be some long, hard discussions and reflexion on what went wrong," Porter said. "It's a combination of things, but for me there were holes in the team all year long."
Meanwhile, Vancouver boss Carl Robinson wondered where this type of performance had been all season, as the Whitecaps are also set to miss the MLS playoffs.
"This performance absolutely drives me mad," Robinson said. "I know we have the players to do it, but we haven't done it on a consistent basis. Why? I don't know.
"I'm going to get to bottom of it because I don't want to be sitting here next year saying the same things to you like a broken record. We finished on a high today, but I'm not fooled.
"I can't fault any of my players today. I thought we played with an energy and an enthusiasm and a will and a desire, but we haven't done that too many times this year, which is why we are where we are."
Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted stopped what appeared to be an easy goal for Portland's Lucas Melano in the 18th minute. Melano was subbed out for the second half.
The Timbers did not have starters Liam Ridgewell and Diego Chara for the match against the Whitecaps because of yellow card accumulation.
The match was also the last for Timbers midfielder Jack Jewsbury, who has played 14 MLS seasons with his final six in Portland. Traveling fans at BC Place chanted "Captain Jack!" in his honor after the game.
"It's been unbelievable," Jewsbury said after Sunday's match. "I never knew what I was getting into when I came to this team in 2011."
Information from the Associated Press was used in this story.