Saturday night in Texas, the Vancouver Whitecaps secured a valuable three points with a 1-0 win against Austin FC, as they resumed MLS play after more than a month away.

It was one of Vancouver’s most complete performances of the season, as they enjoyed the run of play throughout the full ninety minutes, outside the odd half chance for the home side. Despite playing very well in the first half, it appeared as though the Whitecaps may have been falling into the trap of playing well but failing to capitalize on their positive play, especially when Ryan Gauld had his 44th minute goal called back for an offside play in the lead-up. This frustrating phenomenon was something that happened often to Whitecaps teams of seasons gone by, but this year things appear to be different, especially on the road.

The Whitecaps responded in the second half by maintaining their intensity from the first stanza. These efforts were finally rewarded in the 70th minute, as Pedro Vite scored his first goal of the MLS campaign on a thunderous strike from outside the area (on his weak foot, I should add) after a give and go with Ryan Gauld, pushing the Whitecaps ahead. It was no less than the Whitecaps deserved for their efforts, but it must have also been a relief for Vanni Sartini and his men who surely wondered if (or when) they would be able to break through.

Like they did against Pacific on Tuesday, Vancouver was able to see out the match without major incident, even with 10+ minutes of added time to test their fitness in the Texas heat. With the win, the Whitecaps have bought themselves some valuable bonus points ahead of a home-heavy finish to their MLS campaign, as they currently sit 5th in the West with matches in hand on those above them.

With all that said, here are three thoughts from the match in Austin:

An Eye Ahead

The Whitecaps have talked a lot over the last month about their stretch run with so many home matches, as they try to push for a top four place.

With so many players (Andres Cubas and Ryan Gauld amongst them) about to miss next week’s match against FC Dallas on international duty, it’s really important for Vancouver to buy themselves whatever breathing room they can as opportunities present themselves. Simply put, they did that against Austin on Saturday night.

I think the same can be said of upcoming fixtures against Dallas and San Jose at home. As much as you want to see Vancouver go after the big dogs in the West and make an impact come playoff time, it’s also very important that Vancouver can take care of business, either home or away, against teams that they outclass. It’s clear that Vancouver is a much better team than Austin right now, so it was encouraging that the performance reflected it in this match. I’m hoping to see more of the same over the next couple of weeks, even as Vancouver’s depth is tested.

The Slow Burn

Boy, we had to wait a long time for another goal in MLS play for Pedro Vite, but it was certainly a beautiful goal to behold. On the eve of being called up to the Ecuador squad, Vite has shown signs over the last two matches of the player that Vanni Sartini and the Whitecaps want to see: a player that is confident and creative, in addition to impressive defensive skill-set he’s added to his arsenal in recent years.

As with Vite, I also thought this was a really good match from Ali Ahmed, particularly in the second half. Like Pedro, the end product has not really been there for Ali this season. I won’t lie when I say that’s been frustrating. Yet at the same time, both of these young players appear to be settling into Vanni Sartini’s system more and more as the season goes on (same could be said of Seb Berhalter as well), and it feels as though the Whitecaps might be on the precipice of another big step forward if these young players are ready to take the jump.

The Big Guns

Sometimes you just need your designated players to show up in a big way. Although they did not have a goal between them on the night, Ryan Gauld and Andres Cubas felt like they were everywhere for Vancouver: Cubas with his clinical ball winning ability, and Gauld was his finesse to link play with his teammates and launch dangerous attacking sequences.

There was something about Gauld’s face from the walk-in before the match that just looked like he was determined to leave the stadium with three points, and that’s great to see if you are a Vancouver supporter. Gauld and Cubas both appear to really embrace their role as the emotional leaders of this team on the pitch, and I think that rubs off on those around them, especially the young guys.