Match Preview - Vancouver Whitecaps
Game Info
Kickoff: 9:39PM CST
Watch: Apple TV
Location: BC Place, Vancouver, BC
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 1W-4L-1D all-time record against Vancouver.
Austin FC has never won at BC Place, with their last trip across the border yielding a 2-1 loss in which Austin was thoroughly dominated by the Caps. Austin’s lone win versus Vancouver came on April 23, 2022, in the form of a 3-0 win at Q2 Stadium that featured a first-half brace from Maxi Urruti.
Vancouver Whitecaps Recent Form:
Vancouver welcomes Austin FC to Canada with a great run of recent form. In their last five matchups, the Caps are 3-1-1 with wins over Portland, Toronto, and Seattle. The Vancouver offense is humming thanks to one of the most dynamic duos in MLS, Ryan Gauld and Brian White.
Brian White broke the all-time scoring record for Vancouver with his stunning goal against Red Bulls last week. On top of that, Gauld is in the top 3 in all-time goals scored for this club, meaning they have two of the most successful players in franchise history in peak form.
Sprinkled in those last five matchups is a 3-1 loss at the hands of the Galaxy. Let’s take a look at what the Galaxy did to secure a big-time win on the road in Vancouver. Vancouver is not a team that keys in on having possession, keeping the ball just 45.9% of the time, good for 24th in MLS. Further highlighting how they like to play, they have just 189 touches inside the opponent’s box which places them in 23rd place league-wide (although it’s notable that they do have a game in hand on Austin FC). This team likes to get out and run. They excel at changing the field with precision and pace, choosing to overload either side and then hit defenses that are being sucked towards the ball with change-of-field passes that create mismatches for the defense. This style requires a backline that plays high up the field – making them susceptible to counters.
On the season, Vancouver has created 28 big chances but have missed out on 16 of them. Compare that to just four big chances missed for Austin, but it must be noted that Austin has only created 13 of those moments in their 10 games this season. Part of the reason Vancouver has an inflated number of big chances is due to Brian White’s unrelenting style of play. The Whitecaps employ a fast-paced offense that utilizes those field-changing passes to create angles for White to capitalize on. As soon as the ball switches sides to the feet of the speedy Fafà Picault or “Scottish-Messi” (Gauld), White can be seen calculating the angle to run at the defense to create the utmost pressure. His timing is impeccable and the synergy between he and Gauld is a sight to behold. In their most recent loss to LA Galaxy, White could have scored four goals. He had a header off the post, a missed opportunity in a 1v1 situation with Galaxy keeper McCarthy, and another shot that ended up trickling just outside of the far post. This team comes fast and furious at their opponents in the attacking third and being aware of where White is at all times will be crucial to keeping this high-powered Vancouver attack at bay.
Now that we’ve discussed how Vancouver created a lot of opportunity in that Galaxy game, let’s take a look at how the Galaxy utilized their speed in the open field and pushed the ball out wide before returning their possession to the middle of the field to create their scoring opportunities. Pec and Paintsil put consistent pressure on the Vancouver fullbacks with their tremendous speed before returning the ball to the middle of the field to allow Puig to survey the landscape. With the midfield of Vancouver stretched in their offensive style, Puig had tons of real estate to operate with and found darting runners behind the Whitecaps backline to create goal-scoring opportunities.
This will be a key aspect for Austin to attempt to exploit. With Jader Obrian's blazing speed on full display thus far this season, it will be important to continue to loft him chances in behind the opponent’s back line for breakaway opportunities. It may be even more important for Driussi to have the time he needs to be more of a facilitator than a goal-scorer in this game.
Austin’s Recent Form
Introducing THE hottest team in MLS right now – Austin FC! That feels nice to say after a rough start, don’t it? We are by no means the best team in the league, but we are playing great soccer right now and winning in a variety of ways. We have adapted our style, adjusted our tactics, and consistently put out strategies and gameplans to highlight our opponents weak points.
As discussed above, Vancouver can be hit on the counter, but this game will be decided by how aware and attune the defensive unit is to the full-throttle offense that Vancouver likes to attack opponents with. Our centerbacks will need to stay compact in order to limit Brian White’s opportunities to score. When they change the field, it’s important to not get too overloaded to one side, as they can switch the ball with ease and expose defensive units that don’t remain disciplined. Defense wins championships and we will need a great performance from the likes of Julio Cascante and Brendan Hines-Ike, as well as a physical midfield that is ripe off a dominating display against one of the most dangerous players in the league in Puig.
On the offensive side of the ball, Austin will have their opportunities if they can find Seba in the middle of the pitch with space and allow him to dissect the backline of Vancouver with timely passes in behind to the likes of Obrian and Rubio. Seba should have plenty of turf and time to operate with if Austin can win the ball in the middle of the park, so he needs to be patient and clinical with his distribution. I truly hope Owen is a full-go this week as he has displayed a penchant for operating in tight spaces and allowing others to run off him. There will be chances to hit Vancouver’s back line with through balls and get attackers in on the Whitecaps keeper, Yohei Takaoka.
Speaking of Takaoka, while his numbers are fine, he has looked very shaky to me in the film I have watched on him. He’s calm, but often times he looks unprepared to deal with shots coming his way. If the Verde and Black can catch him napping, we have to feel good about our chances.
While I find it unlikely, there is a non-zero chance that Seba doesn’t go in this matchup. The man hates turf and has clearly not been himself when he plays on that surface. Whether it’s a mentality thing or not, we need him to be locked in, as he has been, to create our chances. We’ve seen how this team looks on the road without him. On top of that, the long ball will be available to us. All of a sudden, Austin is ranked second in the league with 31.7 accurate long balls a game per FotMob, a stat they were 14th in last season. The chemistry developing between Obrian and Ring could be called upon again to catch Vancouver off their spot and hit them with an open-field goal.
Defensively, our unit has been excellent for the majority of the season. We have a strategy and we are executing it well. As mentioned above, Vancouver rarely has touches inside their opponents’ 18, which means that allowing them to shoot from the outside plays right into our hands. Keep them contained, find Brian White on cuts, and keep good ball pressure on Gauld. We could see another excellent shift from the back four of Austin.
Injury Report
ATX - Dani Pereira (Out - Not Injury Related)
VAN - Damir Kreilach (Out - Ankle)
Vancouver Players to Watch
Brian White - The Whitecaps’ all-time leading scorer is as hot as they get right now, with goals in each of his last four games. He is one of the best offensive players in the league and a lot of fun to watch (when he’s not bearing down on your favorite team’s back line). He creates dangerous passing lines for his teammates to feed him the ball and is deft with his timing. If you fall asleep on defense, don’t be surprised if White is picking the ball up out of your net before you can blink.
Ryan Gauld - The man they lovingly call the “Scottish Messi” is third all-time in goals for Vancouver. He has already created 20 chances for this team and is a premier distributor in this league. He requires physicality and consistent on-ball pressure to be dealt with. Keeping him and White off the scoreboard is a tall task, but I expect Austin to be ready for it.
Ryan Raposo - The Canadian-born midfileder is a hard worker and solid distributor. It helps to have White and Gauld to pass to, but he picks his spots carefully and delivers the ball on time when need be. He can get sucked up the field in an effort to aid the attack, which can create opportunities for Austin.
Austin Players to Watch
Jáder Obrian - It’s been highlighted in this article many times as to how Austin FC can get the better of Vancouver’s back line. Jáder has to be patient with his runs and hit the timing just right to get behind that mid block and get opportunities against Takaoka. With Driussi acting as the puppet master in the middle and drawing the attention of multiple defenders, Obrian will have his chances to dash past the fullbacks.
Bradley Scott Stuver - With Vancouver’s willingness to cede possession in favor of fast attacking, and their inability to create touches inside the 18, Mr. Stuver will be dealing with shots from outside the box from a variety of Whitecaps contributors. The man is the hottest goalkeeper in the league right now with two clean sheets in his last two outings and a league leading 51 saves. Give us some more big saves Bradley Scott Stuver and frustrate this Vancouver attack to the final whistle.
Brendan Hines-Ike - The Austin center back pairing will have their work cut out for them with the trio of Picault, Gauld, and White. Hines-Ike’s defensive awareness this season has been astounding and having a body on White as he makes his timely runs will be key to limiting Vancouver’s offense. Hines-Ike is up for the task and will need to account for White as he comes streaking towards net.
Austin’s Keys to the Game
Cede Possesion? - Vancouver is basically allergic to controlling the ball. Will Austin try to counter that as they did with Houston by allowing them to have it? I’m curious to see how Coach Wolff and his staff want to approach this high-powered attack, and this very well could provide us the best chance to win. Keeping this team in front of our defensive mid area is important and could frustrate the Whitecaps.
Checking Boxes - An aspect of this team that won’t show up as xG or xGOT or xG+A is that this team has HEART and a lot of it. We have a collective chip on our shoulder and if you don’t think players have rallied around the low expectations, then I don’t know what to tell you. This team is utilizing everything at their disposal to make up for the roster limitations it currently has. They’ve been breaking curses and taking names for more than a month now, and they have another opportunity this Saturday to exorcise the Vancouver road demon. Is 2024 the year Austin secures their first win at BC Place? We shall see.
Predictions
E - 2-1 Austin FC
ZG - 2-0 Vancouver
