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Ryan Gauld has long been overlooked by Scotland but remains vital to Vancouver Whitecaps

Ryan Gauld has long been overlooked by Scotland but remains vital to Vancouver Whitecaps

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No Vancouver Whitecaps player registered more goals and assists in Major League Soccer last season than Ryan Gauld. It was a similar story in 2022, but 2023 was so impressive some pushed the Scottish playmaker as a potential MVP candidate. Lucho Acosta ended up winning that award, but Gauld has been Vancouver MVP from the moment he arrived two-and-a-half years ago.

By Graham Ruthven

So much of the Caps’ attacking play flows through Gauld. He is their attacking dynamo and the difference-maker around which Vancouver have built around. It was therefore unsurprising that the Canadian club have signed Gauld to a new four-year contract extension as a Designated Player before the start of the 2024 season.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini dubbed Gauld a “working class” DP due to his work rate. Indeed, Gauld doesn’t leave the leg work to others – he understands his role in the wider team structure. The Scot plays his part in the Vancouver press and is willing to help out wherever he is needed, proving his worth in several different positions.

Nicknamed ‘Mini Messi’ as a teenager, a lot was expected of Gauld from a very young age. He made his breakthrough at Dundee United and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most exciting youth prospects anywhere in Europe. A transfer to Sporting CP – who put a €60m release clause in his contract – followed.

The next phase of Gauld’s career saw him stall somewhat. He struggled for regular game time in Lisbon, but stayed in Portugal as he went out on loan to several different clubs in the country. It was at Farense where Gauld finally started to realise the potential he’d shown as a teenager, scoring nine times in his final Primeira Liga season before joining Vancouver. 

British Columbia has been a good fit for Gauld, as a person as much as a player. He is known to spend his spare time hiking and surfing. He has built a life for himself in Vancouver where he lives with his fiancé. This has been the ideal environment for Gauld to make himself himself a Whitecaps icon. 

Despite his eye-catching – and consistent – form at club level, Gauld has yet to receive international recognition. The 28-year-old has represented Scotland at youth level, but has never made an appearance for the senior team. He has only ever been called up once – 10 years ago – despite his name being frequently mentioned as an option.

Scotland are well-stocked for midfield options with John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie and Billy Gilmour all in good form at the moment. Steve Clarke has also built a squad that operates more like a club team than an international one – not many opportunities are afforded for outsiders to force their way in.

And yet Gauld’s skill set would give Scotland a different dimension. He is a diminutive creator and someone who would offer invention and goal threat on the ball. Clarke has surely considered opening the door for Gauld at some point. “It’s one of the main goals for any player, to play for their national side,” admitted the playmaker. 

Gauld feels so comfortable in Canada that he has openly pondered the possibility of playing for his adopted homeland. The experiences of Jason Cummings, the Scottish-born forward who played for Australia at the 2022 World Cup, and David Wotherspoon, another Scottish-born player who played for Canada in Qatar, have surely given Gauld food for thought.

For the time being, though, Gauld is focused on pushing the Whitecaps forward. Having fallen in the first round of the play-offs in two of the last three seasons, the aim is to make an even deeper post-season run in 2024. Forwards Damir Kreilach and Fafa Picault have been signed to help achieve this and take some of the attacking load off Gauld.

Now in his peak years at 28, Gauld’s career didn’t pan out in the way many envisaged when he first appeared on the radar. And yet the Scottish playmaker is exactly where he wants to be. After two-and-a-half successful seasons in MLS, there’s good reason to believe 2014 will be another exceptional year for the “working class DP.”

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Ryan Gauld has long been overlooked by Scotland but remains vital to Vancouver Whitecaps

No Vancouver Whitecaps player registered more goals and assists in Major League Soccer last season than Ryan Gauld. It was a similar story in 2022, but 2023 was so impressive some pushed the Scottish playmaker as a potential MVP candidate. Lucho Acosta ended up winning that award, but Gauld has been Vancouver MVP from the moment he arrived two-and-a-half years ago.

By Graham Ruthven

So much of the Caps’ attacking play flows through Gauld. He is their attacking dynamo and the difference-maker around which Vancouver have built around. It was therefore unsurprising that the Canadian club have signed Gauld to a new four-year contract extension as a Designated Player before the start of the 2024 season.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini dubbed Gauld a “working class” DP due to his work rate. Indeed, Gauld doesn’t leave the leg work to others – he understands his role in the wider team structure. The Scot plays his part in the Vancouver press and is willing to help out wherever he is needed, proving his worth in several different positions.

Nicknamed ‘Mini Messi’ as a teenager, a lot was expected of Gauld from a very young age. He made his breakthrough at Dundee United and quickly earned a reputation as one of the most exciting youth prospects anywhere in Europe. A transfer to Sporting CP – who put a €60m release clause in his contract – followed.

The next phase of Gauld’s career saw him stall somewhat. He struggled for regular game time in Lisbon, but stayed in Portugal as he went out on loan to several different clubs in the country. It was at Farense where Gauld finally started to realise the potential he’d shown as a teenager, scoring nine times in his final Primeira Liga season before joining Vancouver. 

British Columbia has been a good fit for Gauld, as a person as much as a player. He is known to spend his spare time hiking and surfing. He has built a life for himself in Vancouver where he lives with his fiancé. This has been the ideal environment for Gauld to make himself himself a Whitecaps icon. 

Despite his eye-catching – and consistent – form at club level, Gauld has yet to receive international recognition. The 28-year-old has represented Scotland at youth level, but has never made an appearance for the senior team. He has only ever been called up once – 10 years ago – despite his name being frequently mentioned as an option.

Scotland are well-stocked for midfield options with John McGinn, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson, Ryan Christie and Billy Gilmour all in good form at the moment. Steve Clarke has also built a squad that operates more like a club team than an international one – not many opportunities are afforded for outsiders to force their way in.

And yet Gauld’s skill set would give Scotland a different dimension. He is a diminutive creator and someone who would offer invention and goal threat on the ball. Clarke has surely considered opening the door for Gauld at some point. “It’s one of the main goals for any player, to play for their national side,” admitted the playmaker. 

Gauld feels so comfortable in Canada that he has openly pondered the possibility of playing for his adopted homeland. The experiences of Jason Cummings, the Scottish-born forward who played for Australia at the 2022 World Cup, and David Wotherspoon, another Scottish-born player who played for Canada in Qatar, have surely given Gauld food for thought.

For the time being, though, Gauld is focused on pushing the Whitecaps forward. Having fallen in the first round of the play-offs in two of the last three seasons, the aim is to make an even deeper post-season run in 2024. Forwards Damir Kreilach and Fafa Picault have been signed to help achieve this and take some of the attacking load off Gauld.

Now in his peak years at 28, Gauld’s career didn’t pan out in the way many envisaged when he first appeared on the radar. And yet the Scottish playmaker is exactly where he wants to be. After two-and-a-half successful seasons in MLS, there’s good reason to believe 2014 will be another exceptional year for the “working class DP.”

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every MLS game live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage including shot maps, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.