So if you're not capping and he's not capping, what's the difference? When he eventually retreats he needs to spend one year running back to base, while you get back to yours in 15 seconds. Mainly though I'd suggest sending your CE to cap elsewhere instead of using CE as mainline infantry.
I think the name "combat engineer" confuses too many people. They're primarily utility/engineering units. Without considering the flamethrower, I use CEs to wire, sweep and lay mines, repair vehicles, and cap less traversed areas of the map. It's the same as the Rear Echelon "problem". Some players simply don't understand the role of a utility unit, and expect REs to hold their own vs Grens and Volks.
Sturmpios are tough enough to hold the line as early/mid game assault units but in exchange they cost 80% more mp. When a sturmpio is using up his squad time sweeping/laying mines, wiring, and repairing vehicles, you're basically using a 300mp unit to do the same thing a 170mp unit does. By mid-game, the sturmpio will be overtaxed, and coupled with the increased cost, those are the counterbalances to the early game superiority the squad enjoys.
the problem imo is that cons simply do not have parity either in cost efficiency fighting ability or utility vs volksgrenadiers... this means a t2 sov player has to resort to the maxim which isnt enough on its own... USF UKF and sov T1 at least have individually better infantry in exchange for cost efficiency... conscripts trade nothing for their weakness...