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Major League Soccer

The Pitch: The White Gauld Era of Whitecaps History

April 9, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


Below is a selection of marquee MLS matches to watch during Matchday 9 action on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app:

Red Runs Rampant: The New York Red Bulls handed FC Cincinnati its first loss of the season to end a two-game road swing and jump into first place in the Eastern Conference, and now return to Red Bull Arena on Saturday to take on Chicago Fire FC at 7:30 p.m. ET.

SKC Look to Pack Arrowhead: With six goals in their last two games, Sporting Kansas City is firing on all cylinders in front of goal just in time for what will be a record-breaking crowd at Arrowhead Stadium for their game against Inter Miami CF this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

Top of the Mountain: In the Western Conference, Vancouver Whitecaps FC climbed to the summit of the standings with a resounding win over Canadian rivals Toronto FC and set themselves up for an enticing match against the second-place LA Galaxy on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Last Unbeaten Standing: The Philadelphia Union remain the only unbeaten MLS team remaining heading into Matchday 9, and arguably the Union's biggest test of the season so far in Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium awaits on Sunday (2:30 p.m. ET, Free on MLS Season Pass / FOX).

Few players have the opportunity to win trophies and establish themselves as club legends throughout their careers. For Scottish midfielder Ryan Gauld and New Jersey native Brian White that opportunity came when the pair arrived at Vancouver Whitecaps FC during the 2021 Secondary Transfer Window, ushering in a new era for the club.

With two scores this season, White sits two goals shy of tying Camilo Sanvezzo for the club's all-time goals record across all competitions (43) during their MLS era.

Gauld is tied for fifth with Fredy Montero (28) in that regard after scoring last weekend and is already the club's all-time assist leader across all competitions. In just over two-and-a-half seasons, the pair of naturalized Vancouverites have established themselves as two of the best players to set foot on the field for the Whitecaps since 2011.

Reinforcements from this past offseason have helped shoulder the offensive responsibility to start this season, but it's no question that success is still driven through Gauld and White. In the club's 50th anniversary season as a professional team, the pair are setting the tone early for what could be a historic year for the Whitecaps, on and off the field.

In a wild comeback victory over the San Jose Earthquakes, Sebastian Driussi and Austin FC found a winning goal in the 101st minute, the latest goal in club history.

Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Zack Steffen announced a collaboration with VOYCENOW to auction signed merch, with all proceeds going to The Boys & Girls club of Metro Denver.

Real Salt Lake forward Cristian 'Chicho' Arango is firmly establishing himself as an early Landon Donovan MLS MVP contender and has scored four goals in his last two games. The Colombian international is tied atop the MLS Golden Boot presented by Audi race with six goals so far this season and has also chipped in four assists through the first seven games of 2024.

Of the 10 players to earn MVP honors since 2014, only Carlos Vela scored more than six goals through his first seven games (nine) in his MVP-winning season (2019), and Vela (five) and Alejandro Pozuelo (six) are the only players to record more than four assists through the first seven regular-season games of their MVP seasons. Vela is also the only MVP to produce more goal contributions (14) through his first seven appearances than Arango (10) since 2014.

Arango has grown from the complimentary goal-scorer that helped LAFC lift MLS Cup in 2022 to the front-line leader powering Real Salt Lake in 2024. Now, he will aim to reward the faith put in him by RSL and head coach Pablo Mastroeni to lead the club behind an MVP-caliber season.

Major League Soccer kicked off its seventh annual Greener Goals Week of Service, highlighting league-wide activations and raising awareness for environmental issues throughout the soccer community.

Throughout Greener Goals Week of Service, MLS clubs and league office staff will volunteer their time by conducting environmentally friendly projects in partnership with charitable organizations to positively impact local communities.

Inspired by reforestation and natural ecosystems, MLS players will be sporting adidas One Planet pre-match jerseys in celebration of Earth Week titled "One Planet. One Chance." The pre-match jerseys are made from recycled materials and come in three distinct colors, representing the woods, soil, and water. The 2024 One Planet pre-match jerseys will be available at MLSstore.com and select club retail locations starting April 9 at 11 a.m. ET.

As part of Greener Goals, MLS will partner with SandSi and Green 2 Sustainable to pilot a new program with select MLS venues that will measure their greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental impacts. This measurement tool will provide MLS venues the opportunity to benchmark environmental performances and explore opportunities to reduce emissions associated with game-day operations in addition to supporting local environmental initiatives.

For more information on Week of Service initiatives, including sustainability tips and MLS club efforts leading up to Earth Day, follow @MLSCommunitySpotlight on social platforms or visit MLSsoccer.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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