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."
