Gauld delivers again as Whitecaps clinch playoff berth

Ryan Gauld came through again Sunday.

Gauld scored on a header in the 20th minute as the Vancouver Whitecaps came back to clinch a Major League Soccer playoff berth with a 1-1 draw with the visiting Seattle Sounders.

The Whitecaps' playoff berth, seemingly improbable when they were mired in a five-game losing streak early in the season, is their first since 2017. Vancouver finished the regular season with a  12-9-13 record, placing sixth in the tight Western Conference.

Mission acconplished

"My goal when I first came over was to reach the playoffs for the club and, thankfully, we've done that," said Gauld.

The 25-year-old Aberdeen, Scotland native helped the Caps begin their rally after he signed as a free agent in the summer after leaving his former Portuguese club Farense as a free agent. The Whitecaps paid Farense an undisclosed amount to avoid a possible dispute over Gauld's playing rights.

Gauld has been involved in most of Vancouver's goals during the playoff build-up, although primarily as a playmaker rather than a scorer. As he has done during most of his tenure with the Caps, Gauld teamed up with another summertime acquisition, Brian White on Sunday.

Gauld's header bounced in off the right post after White headed the ball to him. The marker gave Gauld six goals, along with four assists, for the regular season.

“I took a little bit of a gamble,” Gauld said. “(Ranko Veselinovic) put a good ball into the box (before White headed it) and I sneaked in hoping the second ball would drop there and, thankfully, it did. There wasn’t too much thought behind it.”

Gauld helped the Whitecaps rally from a 1-0 deficit after former Cap Fredy Montero gave Seattle a 1-0 lead on a penalty-kick in the eighth minute. The penalty resulted from a Vancouver hand-ball infraction on Cristian Dajome in the home side's box.

Kick in teeth

“It was a bit of a kick in the teeth to go one down,” Gauld said. “But we, like I've said many times before, we know how much quality’s in this group and we’re going to create chances against anybody. So we just had to make sure we didn’t get too nervous, too anxious about being one behind. We had to be calm and know that our opportunities would come.”

Vancouver interim coach Vanni Sartini, who replaced the fired Marc Dos Santos shortly after Gauld's arrival, was not about to single out the attacking midfielder for his effort Sunday or his effect on the team's renaissance. And, Gauld downplayed his contributions.

“It doesn't matter that it was me that got the goal,," he said, "The most important thing was the team getting the point that we knew that we needed. ... Obviously, it's good to score the goal, but that's not the most important part. It's all about the team." 

Unity prevails 

He said the club's unity, which has been prevalent since early in the campaign, was a big factor in successful playoff quest.

"I would say it's  the closest changing room I've been in," said Gauld. "Everyone gets on with everyone. The boys are always playing for each other. It's a great changing room to be a part of, and that definitely helps you out on the pitch."

The unity has also helped off the pitch as Gauld settled in with the Whitecaps and the club ultimately qualified for the post-season.

"We've had our ups and downs with the change of manager and stuff," said Gauld. "We've had some tough times, but the togetherness that we have in this group really made the transition a little bit easier. Toward the end of tonight's game, you could really see our togetherness and our fight to make sure that we got the result that we needed to get through."

The Whitecaps earned the post-season berth after being based at Real Salt Lake's home stadium in Utah at the start of the season due to Canada's Covid-19 restrictions prohibiting U.S. teams from crossing the border.  The Caps lost just two of their final 22 games of the regular season. 

Sartini credits fired coaches

Sartini credited former coach Dos Santos and his brother Phillip Dos Santos, the club's fired former top assistant coach, for their roles in helping the Caps rebound. Vancouver was on a lengthy MLS eight-game unbeaten when the Dos Santos brothers were fired following an upset loss to Victoria-based Pacific FC in Canadian championship preliminary-round play.

"I think we did a miracle," said Sartini of qualifying for the playoffs. "Pure and simple. And, we've been fantastic. And, I'm not talking about only my time in charge. I'm talking even before."

The Whitecaps will play a single-elimination game at Sporting Kansas City in late November after upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifying games conclude.

Scot vs. Scot?

In an interesting side story, Gauld could face fellow Scot Johnny Russell in the playoff match. Scottish fans have been clamouring for both players to be added to Scotland's national squad, but coach Steven Clarke has resisted thus far.

Russell finished tied for ninth in MLS regular-season scoring with 15 goals. He also furnished eight assists in 30 games played. 

But Russell is questionable for the playoff contest due to an undisclosed lower-body injury. He stayed on the bench Sunday during Sporting Kansas City's regular-season finale against Real Salt Lake -- even though the game had important playoff implications. 

Playoff berth hopefully just a start

Real Salt Lake scored moments before the final whistle to gain a 1-0 win -- and the final Western Conference playoff spot. As a result, Sporting Kansas City missed its chance to finish first in the Western Conference and receive a bye in the opening round of the playoffs. Kansas City wound up placing third and was left to play the Whitecaps.

"He's got a wee bit of an injury," Gauld said of Russell. "Hopefully, for him, he'll be back fit and ready to play in the playoffs. But, yeah, it should be a good game. We proved (October 17 at home) that we're capable of beating them. We'll go there with the same intention, and that's to go into the next round. If Johnny has one of his off nights, if he makes it (into the lineup), then it's brilliant for us."

It would be a major disappointment for Gauld to lose to Sporting K.C. after everything he and the team have faced while qualifying for the post-season.

"You know, us getting into the playoffs, hopefully that's just the start for us," he said. "We don't want to carry on and in two weeks time be going home."

Soccer

Back in June, the Vancouver Whitecaps paid a hefty price to acquire Brian White, but he is proving to be a steal of a deal.

White scored his 12th goal of the season and a played a prominent role in another one as the Whitecaps doubled Minnesota FC 2-1 on Wednesday night to move into a playoff sport in Major League Soccer's tight Western Conference.

Th(e Caps (12-9-1) overtook three teams while moving above the playoff bar and into fifth place with two regular-season games remaining against teams with whom they are contending.

Playoff fate in own hands

“You don’t want to leave anything up to anybody else to depend on,” said the 25-year-old White. “To have our fate in our own hands is great.”

The Whitecaps were not close to being in control of their own destiny when White arrived via trade from the New York Red Bulls. The Caps were in the midst of a five-game losing streak and using Sandy, Utah as their home base due to the pandemic-induced Canadian border closure. 

CEO and ex-coach prophetic

Vancouver sent the Red Bulls $400,000 in targeted allocation money, and the Red Bulls could receive another $100,000 in conditional general allocation money. Whitecaps sporting director and CEO Axel Schuster's comments at the time are proving to be prophetic.

“(White) is a player with good finishing qualities, as he has proven over the past two MLS seasons,” said Schuster in a news release.

Former Vancouver coach Marc Dos Santos was even more bang-on.

“(White) will be an important option for the team," Dos Santos said in the same news release. "He’s comfortable playing alone or with another forward. It is a good opportunity for us and for him."

White has been especially good in tandem with midfielder Ryan Gauld. The dynamic duo has factored into most of Vancouver's goals since the losing skid ended.

White and Gauld were at it again Wednesday as they combined on what proved to be the winning goal. Culminating a three-way passing play, Gauld set up White as the striker gave the Caps a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute. Forward Cristian Dajome drew the second assist as he started the play from the left edge of the Minnesota box.

The goal looked like it would be an insurance marker, but Fanendo Adi tallied for Minnesota in added time.

Moments before half-time, White essentially earned Vancouver's opening tally, an own-goal by Minnesota defender Michael Boxall, a former Whitecap. Midfielder Russell Teibert lofted a long lead pass from  Vancouver  territory and White chested the ball down. But he miskicked on his attempt to lob the ball over Minnesota goalkeeper Tyler Miller. The goalkeeper then inadvertently swatted the ball into Boxall and it bounded off him into the net.

Minnesota (12-11-9) will likely have a hard time qualifying for the post-season after dropping out of playoff contention, making Vancouver's task a bit easier. But the Caps have become adept at helping themselves.

The Whitecaps improved to 7-1-0 at B.C. Place Stadium since relocating from Utah in August. The Caps are 10-2-8 in their past 20 games overall.

Striker revising his fortunes

While the Caps have turned their season around, the New Jersey native has also reversed his own slow start. He was saddled on the bench for much of his time with the Red Bulls, starting just three of five games and registering only one assist after earning the club's offensive player of the year award last season and producing 16 goals and four assists over the past two campaigns.

“It’s great to contribute to the team and help win games,” said White. “Hopefully I can continue to score goals and we can continue to win games.”

The Whitecaps will play a road game against Los Angeles FC on Tuesday and then conclude the regular-season at home on Nov. 7.

Soccer

Whitecaps' unbeaten streak comes to an end

A different coach might have ripped his team.

But Vanni Sartini didn't.

The Vancouver Whitecaps interim coach was far from furious after Friday's 1-0 Major League Soccer loss to the Portland Timbers at B.C. Place Stadium. 

An own-goal off Vancouver defender Ranko Veselinovic in the 66th minute gave the Timbers (10-10-3) the win, ending the Whitecaps' unbeaten streak at 10 games and snapping their pure win streak at five games. The loss prevented the Whitecaps (7-7-8) from moving above the Western Conference playoff bar.

"If we play like this, if we keep working like this, I guarantee that we are gonna be above the line at the end of the day," said Sartini. "If we are going to lose games, it's good to lose games like this, when we don't deserve (to) and we outplay the opponent. So we don't have to get frustrated. In soccer, sometimes you can't control the outcome, but you can control the process, and the process is going well."

A sometimes physical affair

The game had a more subdued atmosphere than previous Caps-Timbers contests, due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has resulted in smaller crowds at reopened Canadian sports facilities. But it still had its emotional and physical moments.

"It was a really tough game and we knew that they are an experienced team," Sartini said. "We knew that it was going to be a battle and we fought. We fought well. It was entertaining for the people, too. Unfortunately, we didn't score at the end. But the push that we did at the end, I would say, showed that the team alone is in a good moment technically and tactically but also physically."

It looked like the Whitecaps would force a tie in the late going, but Portland defender Claudio Bravo stopped Deiber Caicedo's booming shot on the goal line.

Gauld held in check

The Timbers managed to hold Vancouver attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld in check, although he still figured prominently in scoring chances and with adept corner-kicks that have made the Whitecaps a much greater threat on set pieces than they used to be. Sartini acknowledged that the Timbers kept a close eye on Gauld, who has emerged as an offensive hero in recent games since joining the team in August.

"For sure. Now, the teams are gonna see us and, probably, they're gonna think about giving a special treatment to Ryan. He didn't flourish like in the previous game. But he was in most of our chances. In the first half, he won the ball that we almost had the goal wide open. I think he was maybe a little tired like all the team. But I think the performance is at least sufficient and I'm happy with his performance."

Sartini also had good reason to be happy with goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, who was solid and provided one of his more stellar moments with a diving save off Sebastian Blanco in the 64th minute before the Timbers tallied a couple of minutes later.

Like his coach, Crepeau was philosophical and predicted a post-season berth.

"In the last few games, we (have been) harder to beat than in the past," he said. 

The Caps were, indeed, difficult to beat Friday against a talented Portland squad that posted its third straight win, thanks largely to some timely saves from goalkeeper Steve Clarke. 

"It was a tough game for us," said forward Cristian Dajome through an interpreter. "We had our chances, but we really couldn't finish tonight."

But Dajome also wants the Caps to reduce their back-line errors.

"We have to go back to the intensity we have been showing in previous games."

New Whitecaps coach Sartini ecstatic over first win

Vanni Sartini got emotional Sunday night.

So did Vancouver Whitecaps players – but in a good way.

Sartini, the club’s new interim coach, guided the Whitecaps to a 4-1 victory over Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer action at B.C. Place Stadium. The game was as lopsided as the score indicated, with RSL only managing to score off a couple of timely bounces in the game’s final minute.

"It couldn't go better,” said Sartini. “I'm very happy right now. I'm like a little kid when he's happy. I want everybody to know that I'm happy."(

With the win, the Caps extended their MLS unbeaten streak to a record nine games, surpassing the mark set in 2014, and moved closer to playoff contention.

"I was everything on the scale,” said Sartini of his emotions. “I was excited, scared preoccupied, inspired. I was every adjective and now I'm just happy."(

Caps extend unbeaten streak

Sartini made his head coaching debut, moving from his post as the Whitecaps Academy’s director of methodology, after the club unceremoniously fired Marc Dos Santos on Friday. The dismissal came a day after a humiliating 4-3 loss to lower-tier Pacific FC in Canadian championship preliminary round play in Victoria.

The Whitecaps (6-7-8) delivered a much more inspired effort Sunday than they did in the B.C. capital.

"I think it's kind of simple to say, but the win cures everything,” said Sartini. “When you win, everything looks in a better perspective, and the guys were also happy and they should be happy -- and proud of their performance."

RSL also sported an interim coach, former assistant Pablo Mastroeni, who was promoted on Friday after Freddy Juarez unexpectedly bolted to Seattle, , albeit for an assistant’s position, according to reports. Juarez made the unusual decision with his club above the playoff bar because of his uncertain contract status with RSL next season and the team’s anticipated sale by the end of 2021, The Athletic and other media outlets reported.

The temporary Whitecaps and RSL coaches acknowledged their unusual situations in a brief conversation.

“Crazy” situation

"We just said that the world of soccer is crazy, because Thursday we had completely different jobs, the both of us, and then we were there now leading the team. As I said, this situation is kind of unusual, but that's how it works. We need to adapt or die. In Italy, we say, either we swim or we drown. So let's swim. And, let's see how much longer we can swim."

Sartini said he walked between the teams as they were about to walk onto the pitch after half-time because felt trouble brewing.

"There was the start of a confrontation or something. I just wanted to avoid any problem, to walk with our players and their players, because we were up in the score and we didn't want to risk anything -- red cards or having a brawl or something."

Instead, the Whitecaps showed their fight through strong offence and defence.

Designated player Ryan Gauld led the Whitecaps offensively for the second straight home game, scoring a goal and setting up two others, including an RSL own-goal. Brian White and Florian Jungwirth also scored for the Caps.

Anderson Julio tallied for RSL (7-8-6) shortly before the final whistle. RSL suffered its second straight loss and fourth in six games.

Jungwirth said the Whitecaps wanted to respond after letting down Dos Santos and his brother Phil, an assistant coach who was also fired, with a bad effort on Thursday.

Whitecaps “felt the guilt”

“We felt the guilt,” said Jungwirth, who scored his first goal since 2018 while playing for the San Jose Earthquakes. “We came out flying today. There was a lot of anger in us.”

Gauld took the corner kick that led to a Salt Lake own-goal in the 33^rd minute and enabled Vancouver to take a 1-0 lead into half-time. After Brian White gave the Caps a 2-0 lead in 53^rd minute, tapping in a rebound after RSL goalkeeper Andrew Putna mishandled a cross, Gauld scored on a header 10 minutes later.

Jungwirth rewarded Sartini for giving the centre back his first start as a Whitecap since being acquired in a trade from San Jose earlier in the month as he home another Gauld corner-kick.

After scoring, Jungwirth reluctantly did a dance routine with Leonard Owusu and other teammates. Owusu had choreographed the moves in training.

“When he came (following the goal), I was already celebrating,” said Jungwirtth. “I had to laugh. He insisted to do the dance. I hope it didn't look too embarrassing for me, because I know Leo's a far better dancer, I think I still did pretty well."

Jungwirth displayed emotion in a different way in the first half as he shoved RSL’s Noah Powder in the back after he took down Bruno Gaspar hard, earning a yellow card for the infraction.

"That's the way I play,” said Jungwirth. “I leave it all for the team. When I'm on the field, I'm a wild dog. I go in every duel. I don't mind what happens. And when someone attacks my teammates, I'm gonna protect them in every way. … I've never received a red card in my whole career, so I know which buttons I have to push in my opponents to provoke them. That's the way I play. That's the way I've performed for years. It's worked out well for me, and I hope the fans and the coaching staff like that."

Sartini had no complaints about Jungwirth or any other Vancouver players. However, RSL interim field boss Mastroeni was less than impressed with his charges.

RSL coach: Wrong mentality

“I feel like we didn’t have the right mentality,” Mastroeni told reporters. “Physically, I think they were first to most balls and picked up all the loose balls. It was a very difficult match.”

RSL’s only goal resulted after a shot bounced off a Whitecaps defender, hit the crossbar and came right to Julio. Before then, RSL’s best chance came late in the first half. Justin Meram booted Powder’s rebound on a hard shot from distance over an open net.

While the Whitecaps hoped to build on the win, RSL players wanted to forget their loss. Salt Lake captain Albert Rusnak said his club’s effort “went wrong pretty much everywhere.”

“This is one of those games you don't take anything from into the next game,” said Rusnak.

 

Whitecaps come home to spirited win

The Vancouver Whitecaps got the homecoming they wanted Saturday night.

And, Ryan Gauld got the home debut he sought.

In their first real home game since March 2020, the Whitecaps posted a 2-1 comeback win over Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer action at B.C. Place Stadium.

“The win was important to get (the fans) back,” said coach Marc Dos Santos, whose team played its first real home game in 539 days.

Gauld, a recently acquired 25-year-old Scottish midfielder who came on , delighted a small but raucous crowd as he headed in the winning goal in the 89th minute off a a Ryan Raposo cross.

Gauld enjoys "pretty good" debut

"As debuts go, it was pretty good," understated Gauld, who is Vancouver’s designated player.

Gauld also thought he scored his team’s first goal in the 60th minute as he pounded in a rebound after the ball bounced off the crossbar. But officials determined that Brian White’s attempt in a scramble seconds earlier actually crossed the goal line.

The Caps (5-7-8) were forced to play their previous home games in Sandy, Utah due to Canada’s border closure due to COVID-19, and they drew a tough opponent in LAFC (6-9-6). The hosts trailed 1-0 on Diego Rossi’s penalty-kick in first-half stoppage time after a video review showed that Vancouver defender LAFC striker Brian Rodriguez just inside the Whitecaps area.

The deficit came despite the fact that Vancouver earned seven corner kicks in the first half but still allowed LAFC more shots on target and a decisive edge in ball-possession time.

“The first half wasn’t good,” said Dos Santos. “We’re aware of that. But in the second half, we responded quick.”

The Caps got a bit lucky when LAFC’s Diego Rossi hit the post after Vancouver goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau stopped Brian Rodriguez about five minutes before Gauld emerged as the homecoming hero. Had LAFC scored, it might have spoiled what Dos Santos called a “fairy tale moment” for Gauld.

But the Caps’ return to B.C. Place was a major story in itself – with plenty of atmosphere, starting from singer Marie Hui’s booming renditions of both the American and Canadian national anthems.

Raposo had "goosebumps"

"Coming out for warmups, I had goosebumps right away,” said Raposo, who played his first game before fans in Vancouver after joining the team last season shortly before COVID hit. “We had kind of gotten used to playing away.”

After the win, the 1960s song Stand By Me was played over the stadium speakers, and fans sang heartily along after the Caps who tied a club-record eight-game unbeaten streak with the win. The unbeaten streak comes after they suffered five straight losses early in the season.

By airing the song, the club was trying to send an obvious message to the faithful as it attempts to improve on the field and recover from the pandemic’s financial impact.

“It (was) definitely nice to sing along with them after the game – for sure,” said Raposo. “Good vibes.”

And, the Whitecaps hope those good vibes continue as more home games and a potential playoff spot loom.