He’s the best player in Vancouver Whitecaps history since the team joined MLS in 2011, and his name is Ryan Gauld.
And this season may be his best.
The Whitecaps magician is one of the most under-appreciated and under-acknowledged stars in MLS.
In the last 11 MLS games Gauld has been on an absolute tear scoring nine goals and adding seven assists. Gauld’s two goals and two assists in the last two games helped Vancouver earn back-to-back MLS road wins for the first time since 2018, putting them in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Since joining the Whitecaps in 2021, Gauld has established himself as the ‘Caps top playmaking distributor with his precise passes, vision, and sublime crosses.
The 27-year-old has a knack for picking out his teammates and putting the ball on a platter for them. Gauld has quietly climbed the ranks and become the Whitecaps’ all-time MLS assist leader, with 23.
History maker. @RyanGauld is now the all-time club leader in @MLS assists with 23 #VWFC pic.twitter.com/4RaR4Kg6kz
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 31, 2023
The biggest beneficiary of Gauld’s playmaking ability has been Brian White, who leads Vancouver with 10 goals this season, and has scored 26 MLS goals since the Whitecaps acquired him in 2021.
“He’s a great player. I say everyday he’s my favourite player,” White told reporters earlier this week. “It’s great having him out there. I think we have a good connection on the field.”
In the first few weeks since his return to the Whitecaps, Sam Adekugbe has seen the high level of play, commitment, and the difference Gauld brings on and off the pitch.
“I can easily say he’s one of the best players I’ve played with,” Adekugbe said. “Not just him as a player, but also his character. He’s such a good guy. You can see his quality on the pitch and you can see his importance in the locker room. He’s a top player, he’s got many goals and assists and we just hope that it continues for us.”
The run of form from the Scotland-born midfielder has earned Gauld some MVP talk. But Vancouver’s humble star is of course downplaying it.
“It’s the first I’ve heard of anything,” Gauld said when asked by Daily Hive. “The last couple of months they’ve been better for myself. I’m not talking statistically. It took me a long time to get going. Hopefully it stays that way until the end of the season.”
🏴 Ryan Gauld 🆚 🇩🇪 Hany Mukhtar, 2023.
It's time to put Gauld in the MVP conversation. He's about as valuable as anyone to his club.#VWFC #EveryoneN pic.twitter.com/JVniHLJj7a
— Peter Galindo (@GalindoPW) August 27, 2023
While the stats are nice to look at on paper, they don’t make much of a difference if the team isn’t getting results. Personal achievements have never been something that drives Gauld, he’s always been an athlete that looks at the bigger picture.
“I’ve never really been a flashy kind of guy,” Gauld said. “It just kind of comes from my upbringing. It’s a team game at the end of the day. What matters is the team. Obviously it’s nice to get the goals and the assists, but the most important thing is the team and that’s what always comes first to me.”
Since May 31, no one in @MLS play has had more goal contributions (15 – nine goals, six assists) or expected goals (6.31) than Ryan Gauld. MVP.#VWFC pic.twitter.com/ZaeT3SD6ql
— Whitecaps FC Communications (@VWFC_PR) August 29, 2023
Alphonso Davies, Camilo Sanvezzo, Pedro Morales, Fredy Montero, Young-Pyo Lee, Jay DeMerit, and David Ousted all had big moments during their time with Vancouver, but they didn’t ended up playing for the Whitecaps during the prime years of their careers.
Gauld made the move to the Whitecaps from Liga, Portugal when he was 25 years old with the potential for his best football days ahead. He quickly adapted to a new team, league, and country. The west coast has become home for Gauld and he loves living in Vancouver.
“There’s not a lot of bad things you can say about the city,” Gauld said. “We’re travelling, we get to see a lot of different cities and speaking to quite a lot of boys around the league, everyone loves coming here. A great place to live and I’ve enjoyed the three years so far.”
Gauld and the Whitecaps will continue their seven-game road trip when they take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Vancouver are currently 10-8-7 on the season and in good position to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the second time in the last six years.
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