Ryan Gauld: "Loves it" at the Whitecaps - "No contact" with Scottish natioanl team

©TM/IMAGO

The Vancouver Whitecaps have been off to a phenomenal start to kick off the 2024 Major League Soccer season. After eight games, the ‘Caps are second in the Western Conference, just two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy with one game in hand. One of the main reasons for the hot start to the season? Ryan Gauld. After scoring 11 goals and 12 assists in 32 MLS regular season games last season, the Whitecaps captain has gotten off to a great start this year. Transfermarkt caught up with Gauld to chat about the strong start to the season, his performances, working with Vanni Sartini, national team ambitions, and much more. 

Stats

R. Gauld Attacking Midfield

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Career stats–
MLS

Games

88

Goals

26

Assists

23

“I think, first and foremost, we have a very talented squad,” Gauld said when asked about the Whitecaps’ strong season. “Also, we have many of the same boys from last year and the year before, so we have had some continuity with the team’s spine.” That part is certainly true. A look in the database reveals that much of the core of this team has arrived in 2021. Those players are Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinovic, Pedro Vite, Brian White, and Gauld. Other vital pieces like Andrés Cubas, Ali Ahmed, and goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka arrived last season. 

That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been an evolution under Sartini this season. “We are keeping the ball better,” Gauld said. “This year he has set us up more compact than we were the last couple of years. We are much harder to break down. But we are also more dangerous as soon as we get the ball back. It took us a lot longer to score the same number of goals we scored this year than last year.” Gauld is right. The Whitecaps have already scored 17 goals this season, which is six more goals than at the same point last season. 

Ryan Gauld on Sartini’s setup: “We score more goals as a team” 

Gauld has had a much stronger start to the season than last year. Hampered with fitness issues to start the 2023 campaign, the 28-year-old produced his first assist on matchday 10 against Minnesota United (3-2). Despite the slow start, Gauld still managed 23 goal contributions last year. This year Gauld has already scored three goals and provided one assist in eight MLS games. “I am playing higher up and more central,” Gauld said. “That means I can have a stronger impact on the game and get on the ball more on the final third to score goals myself but also provide chances for the likes of Brian [White] or Fafá [Picault].” Indeed, by the time of writing, Gauld, according to Wyscout, was third in MLS with 62.5% accurate passes to the final third.

The Scot, however, somewhat shrugged off his personal stats. “I have never been the guy who cares too much about being the one to put the ball in the back of the net,” Gauld said. “We score many goals as a team.” Again, a look at our database underlines this. The Whitecaps already had nine different scorers this season, with White leading the way with four goals, followed by Picault and Gauld with three goals each. 

Those three combined, in fact, are the fourth most dangerous attacking trio in MLS (overview). The Whitecaps, together with St. Louis CITY SC, San Jose Earthquakes, and the LA Galaxy, also lead MLS with nine different goalscorers. “In the past, it was mostly me and Brian scoring all the goals. This year, a few of the boys have chipped in. It is nice to score goals and get assists. But we have one of the best attacks in the league, and it doesn’t matter where the goals come from.” Indeed, only Inter Miami CF (22 goals) and the LA Galaxy (21 goals) have scored more often than the ‘Caps.

The best Ryan Gauld ever? “I think there is more to come” 

Going back to last season, a very strong argument can be made that Gauld is perhaps one of the most impactful players in MLS. But has he reached his ceiling yet?  “I think this is the best I have been since coming to the league,” Gauld said when confronted with that question. “Over the last few years, I have been getting better and more comfortable. But I think there is more to come. More in terms of wanting to control games and have even more of an impact not just by scoring goals or creating chances but by controlling the pace of our game. I think there is way more to come.” 

In fairness, Gauld has put his stamp firmly on this Whitecaps team. In that regard, Gauld is a classic no.10, a playmaker who doesn’t just set up chances but also firmly controls the game. In some ways, Gauld is a bit of a unicorn as the classic no.10 has become rarer in modern football. “You don’t see so many out-and-out no.10s anymore,” Gauld said when asked about classic playmakers. “Football has changed so much and is more tactical and physical. The way no.10s used to play, just staying in the pockets and not worrying about running, you can’t do that anymore. You would be a man down if you play like that.” 

Ryan Gauld celebrates one of his three MLS goals this season (IMAGO)

While Gauld certainly fits the mold of a classic no.10, Sartini’s system simply doesn’t allow for any player to be idle. In that regard, the Scotsman is perhaps the next step in the evolution of a no.10. A player who can dictate a game the old-fashioned way but remain heavily involved in the running game. It is a rare breed of a player for sure. 

Gauld: “No contact” with Scotland – Playing for Canada would depend on “many things” 

Despite being a bit of a unicorn, a special player, there still hasn’t been a call from the Scottish national team. “Being Scottish, my goal is getting to the Scottish national team,” Gauld said. Has there been any contact? “No, no contact. I just have to keep working hard.” Could that open the door to play for Canada? After all, Gauld has just signed a new long-term deal with the Whitecaps that will keep him at the club until 2027. “

I love it here,” Gauld said. “When the opportunity came to extend my contract and stay for a few more years, it was quite an easy decision. I just hope that over the next four years, we can have some success in the league.”  Theoretically, another four years would be enough time to obtain a Canadian passport. Gauld pauses for a moment before answering that question. “That’s a bridge we cross another time, I think. I am not someone to think too far ahead in the future and it will depend on many things.”