Vancouver Whitecaps captain Gauld to return in Canadian Championship final

Vancouver Whitecaps' Ryan Gauld, back right, jumps to get his head on the ball as Brian White watches during the first half of a first-round MLS Cup playoffs soccer match against Los Angeles FC, in Vancouver, on Sunday, November 3, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld is set to return from a lengthy knee injury Wednesday when his team hosts Vancouver FC in the Canadian Championship final.

The team has not announced whether the 29-year-old Scottish attacking midfielder will be in the starting lineup or available off the bench.

Gauld has not played since March 8 when he sprained his left knee cap during a Major League Soccer game against CF Montreal, but returned to full training with his teammates in recent weeks.

His addition to the lineup comes during a crucial period for the ‘Caps. The club will look to capture its fourth straight Canadian Championship title on Wednesday, and has just three games left on the regular-season schedule.

It’s been a dominant campaign for Vancouver, which made it to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final in June and currently sits second in the MLS Western Conference standings with a 16-6-9 record.

Gauld has yet to play with the Whitecaps’ new star, Thomas Muller.

The 36-year-old German soccer legend signed with Vancouver in August following 17 seasons with Bayern Munich.

“I’m very excited to play with Gauldie,” Muller said earlier this week.

“If you train with him, you can see his skills, you can see his effort he’s putting in. And when I arrived here, I could see his face, and (the injury) was still painful sometimes. But the last couple of weeks, the smile was getting bigger and bigger.”

Gauld signed with Vancouver in July 2021 after playing for SC Farnese in Liga Portugal. Last year, he inked an extension that will keep him playing for the Whitecaps through the 2027 campaign.

He has 35 goals and 31 assists across 111 career MLS appearances, including 10 goals and 15 assists during the 2024 regular season.

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2025.