Gauld shines as Whitecaps roll past Galaxy

VANCOUVER — Ryan Gauld scored a brace and Brian White added a goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps led 3-0 after 23 minutes but still needed a goal from Sergio Cordova in injury time to defeat the L.A. Galaxy 4-2 in a Major League Soccer game Saturday night.

Gauld scored on a pretty play in the 10th minute and a penalty kick in the 23rd. The Scotsman now has eight goals and five assists in his last nine games across all competitions.

White opened the scoring in the second minute.

The Galaxy made things interesting with midfielder Gaston Brugman scoring in the 61st minute and Marco Delgado in the 74th. It was the Galaxy’s first loss in seven games (2-1-4).

Cordova decided the game in extra time when he kicked in the rebound of a shot from Deiber Caicedo.

The win moves the Whitecaps (8-7-7) into seventh place in the MLS Western Conference with 31 points.

The Galaxy (5-10-7) are 13th in the West with 22 points.

Many in the crowd of 18,354 at BC Place Stadium where just getting seated when White opened the scoring with his eighth MLS goal of the season. Midfielder Ryan Raposo sent a crossing shot into the box. The five-foot-11 White outleaped a Galaxy defender and headed the ball past the outstretched fingers of goalkeeper Jonathan Bond.

Gauld made it 2-0 just nine minutes later. Midfielder Julian Gressel fired a shot that went off the foot of a Galaxy defender. Gauld collected the rolling ball and launched a right-footed shot into the right top corner.

Vancouver had two golden chances just a few minutes later. First Gauld took a shot from distance that hit the crossbar then bounced back onto the field. Midfielder Alessandro Schopf pounced on the ball but his shot from close range also hit the crossbar and stayed out.

White and Gauld were also involved in the third Vancouver goal.

White had a breakaway before being tripped up by defender Chris Mavinga in the box. Mavinga was tossed from the game in the 21st minute after being assessed his second yellow card of the match, leaving the Galaxy to play a man down.

Gauld easily scored on the penalty kick for his seventh MLS goal of the season.

Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka was forced to make a diving save in the 31st minute on L.A. midfielder Riqui Puig’s right-footed shot from outside the box.

Brugman scored on a right-footed shot from the top off the box off a pass from Puig.

Delgado drew the Galaxy to within one after taking a pass from Preston Judd and putting a shot between Takaoka’s legs.

NOTES

Gauld became the fourth Whitecap to score two goals in an MLS game this season, joining White, Gressel and Simon Becher. … The Whitecaps defeated Austin FC 2-1 on Wednesday to snap a two-game MLS losing streak. … The last time the Whitecaps won consecutive MLS games was an April 1 win over CF Montreal followed by an April 8 win against Portland, both at home. … The Whitecaps wrap up a four-game homestand on Friday when they face Club Leon in the inaugural Leagues Cup tournament.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2023.