In front of the largest crowd ever in their MLS era, the Vancouver Whitecaps settled for a moral victory. “It’s a fantastic performance,” said coach Vanni Sartini after his team played to a 0-0 draw against Austin FC on Saturday at BC Place.

BOTTOM LINE: Austin heads into a matchup against the Vancouver Whitecaps after recording two straight shutout wins. The Whitecaps are 4-2-0 against Western Conference opponents. The Whitecaps rank 10th in the Western Conference with 42 shots on goal, averaging 4.7 per game. The Whitecaps are also fourth in MLS play with 18 goals.

Though Vancouver is technically third in the West with 17 points, it has the highest points per game in the conference, having played one fewer match than the Galaxy and Real Salt Lake, who have 18 points. It also is tied for best goal differential at plus-8 with the Galaxy.

Austin FC seek to continue their strong play and record their fifth victory in six matches when they visit the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night. During the five-game stretch, Austin FC have won their past two outings by shutout and have scored nine goals.

If they start to get ahead of themselves, they can kiss a shot at the top of the conference table goodbye for now. Austin FC is stuck in a Western Conference logjam at 15 points and just three points out of the top spot,

On a night of celebration, the Vancouver Whitecaps endured their fair share of challenges as they played to a 0-0 draw against Austin FC on Saturday at BC Place. With 32,465 fans on hand for the Whitecaps’ 50th anniversary match — a team record for the Whitecaps’ MLS era — the club settled for a second straight draw to bring their