'Three clean sheets in a row': Is Austin FC's latest scoreless draw better than the first one?

Two months ago, Verde went to the Pacific Northwest and got horribly outshot, but escaped the match with a draw. Does context makes Saturday's déjà vu result better?

0-0. It’s the scoreline that soccer gets panned for by people who don’t really know the sport. It’s now happened twice for Austin FC this season.

The first episode, on March 2, came against Seattle in the midst of a five-game winless streak to start 2024 in worrying fashion. In that match, Verde was outshot 23-2, ceding shots on goal 4-1, and losing the possession battle by roughly 55-45.

Last night, at Vancouver, the match played out similarly stats-wise, with the Whitecaps outshooting Verde 23-4 (including a 7-1 shots on goal advantage) and gathering more than 62 percent of the possession.

But this scoreless draw comes in the middle of a 4-1-1 run that’s vaulted Verde to 5th in the West, which may or may not stick depending on what the Rapids do later today against NYCFC. And it’s the first time in four attempts that Austin FC’s done something other than lose under BC Place’s two roofs (you’ll understand that reference if you listened to the latest episode of Swoontower).

Goalkeeper Brad Stuver — expanding his MLS saves lead with seven more (per MLS’s count) to get him to 54 (by FBref’s count) — is presiding over a defense that hasn’t let in a goal in more than 300 minutes, and the team’s next two matches are Copa Tejas battles against teams currently struggling to score.

Context makes all the difference for how a 0-0 result looks, though Stuver and head coach Josh Wolff see the two scoreless draws a bit differently.