Austin FC 3, Whitecaps 0: When it rains, it pours for Vancouver

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are hoping that April showers bring May flowers.

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Austin FC drowned the Whitecaps under a deluge of goals Saturday night at Q2 Stadium, winning 3-0 and keeping Vancouver winless on the road this season. The gloomy storm clouds continue to hover over the Caps after their worst start ever — it now includes their current three-game skid — while the sunshine is warming up Austin, which has won three straight for the first time in history.

Head coach Vanni Sartini conceded in the week leading up that his opponents were heading in the opposite direction as his was. But Sartini was looking ahead to a three-game home stand in May that would give them a chance to turn things around from an April record of 1-3 at this point.

“To be the Whitecaps, the version of the Whitecaps (from last year) so aggressive, all together, playing very solid defensively and playing very simple offensively… that’s the only way to get away,” he said on Friday.

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“This situation sees us seven points behind the line. We have a great chance in May to reduce that gap because we have a lot of games in a row at BC Place, so let’s take this week like a good ignition for the real catching up that we’re going to have in May.”

But that rocket has fizzled on the launch pad, as the Whitecaps (1-6-1) are now eight points behind Real Salt Lake (4-2-2), who sit seventh and the final playoff berth. And the shower could continue with a visit to their Rain City rivals in Seattle next week.

Austin (5-1-2) is now undefeated at home and first in the West, and got two goals from Max Urruti, and one from Sebastian Driussi.

Here’s what we learned…

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MIDDLING MIDFIELD

A midfield getting overrun has been a consistent theme in the Whitecaps losses this season, and Saturday was no different.

It was a downhill run for Austin the first half, jumping to a 2-0 lead and holding 73 per cent of the ball.

The central spine of Russell Teibert, Pedro Vite and Michael Baldisimo were bypassed and passed through, and the press was inconsistent in its efficacy.

This is exactly the reason why the Caps are reportedly going to shell out close to $3 million for No. 6 Andrés Cubas, a ball-winning, ball-moving midfielder, but that help isn’t coming for a while. The transfer is expected to be announced next week, but despite holding a US visa — it’s not believed to be a work permit — getting the paperwork done is going to be a process.

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CAPS KILLER

Vancouver fans breathed a sigh of relief when Chris Wondolowski hung up his cleats with San Jose, as he had 14 goals against the Caps in his career — the most in MLS by any player.

But they might have forgotten about Max Urruti, who has now scored against Vancouver in three straight seasons, on three separate teams, and now has nine in his career against the Caps — second only to Wondo.

The 31-year-old Argentinian forward doubled his season total with Saturday’s brace, opening the scoring 11 minutes in, when he split Jake Nerwinski and Ranko Veselinovic to take a through ball from Driussi and power it past Thomas Hasal.

Fifteen minutes later, he was at it again, taking two touches on a pass into the box on a turn-and-shoot to beat Thomas Hasal to the far corner.

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WOE IS ME

If it can go wrong, said Sartini, it has for the Whitecaps this season.

The latest incarnation of Lady Luck’s scorn has been a spate of injuries that left the Caps without Deiber Caicedo (flu), Caio Alexandre (broken hand), Ryan Gauld (concussion), Cristián Gutiérrez (left calf tightness) and Leonard Owusu (right foot contusion). Centreback Erik Godoy was on bench for the game, but the team said his fitness was not ready for a 90-minute first-team excursion yet.

That mean the youngest starting XI of the season for Vancouver and five changes from last week, with Cristian Dajome starting on the bench. It was a hostile environment to play in — Austin is 4-0-1 at home — and played aggressively until Urruti’s goals sapped their enthusiasm.

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BY THE NUMBERS

4: Shots on goal for Austin. They scored on three of them. Los Verdes already led the league with a goal every 0.52 shots on net, an average that will only go up.

eleven: Total number of Vancouver shots, one more than Austin’s total.

67.4: Possession in the game for Austin. It’s not the benchmark of performance, but it is a good indicator. Last-place San Jose, for example, came into the weekend leading the league with 63.0 per cent possession, but are winless on the season. But Austin dominated the game, never giving Vancouver a chance for any buildup play, and spending most of the game in the Caps’ half.

100: Number of MLS appearances for Tosaint Ricketts, who came on as a sub in the 79th minute.

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Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Seattle Sounders

7 pm, LumenField. TV: TSN1. Radio: AM730