Vancouver Whitecaps FC head coach Vanni Sartini may play Ryan Gauld out of position once again, after the Scottish midfielder took home Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire honors for Matchday 21.
Playing as a left wingback instead of his normal central spot, Gauld excelled in Saturday night's 3-2 victory at LAFC, contributing to all three 'Caps goals with a 1g/2a performance.
After assisting on Ranko Veselinović (2') and Brian White's (23') early tallies, Gauld scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 63rd minute, helping Vancouver extend their unbeaten streak to four games (2W-0L-2D) while also exacting some revenge on the Black & Gold for eliminating them from the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals earlier this season.
The 27-year-old veteran's impressive output at BMO Stadium also moved him into third place on the Whitecaps' all-time assists list with 19, surpassing Yordy Reyna (17). He's also now just one of eight MLS players to produce at least four goals and four assists in each of the last three seasons.
Gauld, who joined the 'Caps midway through the 2021 campaign from Portuguese side FC Farense, is on an offensive tear of late, notching four goals and three assists in his last four league games – on top of the goal he scored in his club's recent Canadian Championship final win over CF Montréal.
He is Vancouver's second Player of the Matchday recipient in 2023, following Simon Becher's distinction in Matchday 6.
The Whitecaps are on the road again in Matchday 22, with a visit to Western Conference rivals Sporting Kansas City scheduled for Saturday night (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
The MLS Player of the Matchday presented by Continental Tire is selected each matchday of the regular season through both media and fan voting in a process conducted by MLS Communications. A panel of journalists from the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) comprises 75 percent of the vote, while a Twitter fan vote represents the remaining 25 percent of voting. NASR consists of members of print, television, radio, and online media.
