Vancouver v Austin Analysis: Dominant yet disappointing draw for the golden ‘Caps

It was a packed house at BC Place, as Vancouver Whitecaps hosted Austin FC for their 50th anniversary match. Over 32,000 watched on as the ‘Caps put on a clinic in terms of controlling a game, but struggled to put goals on the board which resulted in a dramatic-turned-disappointing draw for the home side. And despite it being a goalless draw, there was plenty to talk about so here are two.

‘Caps Lacking That Cutting Edge

As soon as that final whistle blew, a collective groan echoed across BC Place. It wasn’t like the Whitecaps had lost this match against Austin, but it did feel like they lost a fantastic opportunity to get three points on the night. Head Coach Vanni Sartini had explained in the last few weeks that his side needed to be more patient when they were attacking and not get carried away. Long-time fans will be familiar with that scenario: the Whitecaps on the front foot but losing their heads in matches and end up losing games that they shouldn’t have lost in years gone by. Sartini was looking for his side to avoid such a fate last night.

On one hand, fans can be proud of just how dominant the Whitecaps were at home. They outshot Austin 23 to four. They limited Austin to an xG of just 0.1. Any other night, with those 50/50 decisions going their way (especially with the referee), the Whitecaps would have washed the floor with Austin to the tune of 2-0 or 3-0. It was not the performance itself that was lacking, as the stats and the eyes in the stadium can reflect their commanding showing. It was that there was a lack of killer instinct, an act of individual brilliance, that would have pulled Whitecaps through their frustrations.

Social media feeds will be full of outcries for that DP attacker that has been wanted – and perhaps needed – for ages now. And while I try to not entertain such drastic comments that lambast what is usually a very effective attack, I cannot help but see this game as a point in their favour. Across the league, you see various teams have those game-changers, those luxury players that can turn a match on their head with just a flick of their proverbial switch. They are players that can ghost for 85 minutes and win a match in merely five. They just seem to always have something in their locker, even if they can’t tap into it at all times.

Looking at the Whitecaps bench, and there was a significant lack of that kind of aura. Levonte Johnson is an energetic and direct option, but misses that experience and clinical nature that you need in games like this. Damir Kreilach missed this game through injury, and may have been able to be that game-changer, but his repertoire so far this season hasn’t given many hopes of him filling that role. That is not to say that the Whitecaps are “all bark, no bite”, since they have shown various times this season that they can be clinical. But the difference between the great teams and the good teams sometimes just comes down to having those “moments players” step up to the plate and deliver. Especially in matches like these. Time will tell if the lack of such a luxury player will come back to haunt them, or merely be an example of how the collective whole is always greater than the sum of its parts.

Stellar Defence Going Under the Radar

Around the 70th minute, the phrase “it’s just one of those games” came to mind. All football fans have seen these kinds of games before: the one where one team dominates but can’t get the ball in the net and as the minutes tick by, they give more and more hope to the opposing side that they can steal the result from right under their noses. That is why the tension was rising in the stadium as the game wore on. But credit to the Whitecaps because they did not let Austin FC have even a sniff at goal for the majority of the game.

“I could have played in goal instead of Yohei [Takaoka] and it wouldn’t have made a difference” described Sartini on how secure the Whitecaps were at the back vs Austin, and it reflects a trend so far for the Whitecaps. The Whitecaps have stepped up in terms of their defensive organisation this year. According to American Soccer Analysis (yes, here come the stats), the Whitecaps have the best xGA (Expected Goals Against) in the league with 10.51 after ten matches. They’re joint-second in Goals Against alongside Minnesota and Houston with 10, and have conceded the 4th least shots in the league as well. Simply put, they are really strong at the back this season, and it’s not really being talked about as much as it should be.

And while we can rave about the back-three and the goalkeeper for their contributions to these numbers, a good defence starts from the front. Ryan Gauld and Brian White do stellar jobs of pressing oppositions’ defenders, like in this match against Austin. Andres Cubas continues to be a quiet-yet-vicious janitor in the midfield, cleaning up attacks and breaking down potentially dangerous plays before they can even begin. Even the wide players like Ahmed, Adekugbe, and Raposo make sure that there are no easy balls inside when the play goes wide. In truth, it is – as expected with a purely zonal defensive team – an entire group effort that has allowed them to step up their defensive game.

Much of the focus of this game will be on the lack of goals on the other end, and as it should be, but we cannot bypass what has been a superb performance from the team when they are out of possession. As the saying goes “goals win you games, but defences win you championships”. Well if the Whitecaps can get the goals part of it sorted, they may very well have a championship defence in the making.