AUSTIN, TX – Ryan Gauld took a star turn in the Lone Star State, leading Vancouver Whitecaps FC to a 2-1 victory in their first-ever match against Austin FC on Wednesday evening.
Q2 Stadium was the venue as the ‘Caps earned their first road victory of the season, extending their undefeated streak to seven matches, with an opportunity to tie their club MLS record in front of their fans at BC Place on Saturday.
This was another Whitecaps FC comeback, as Austin FC did open the scoring. Alex Ring cashed in on a corner kick from Sebastián Driussi in the 37th minute, placing a header perfectly into the top corner.
After the ‘Caps earned six corners of their own in the first half, a seventh in the match’s 52nd minute saw them finally arrive on the scoresheet.
The difference was Gauld, a halftime substitute whose impeccable, left-footed delivery found Brian White unmarked at the far post. His low header was fended off by Austin FC goalkeeper Brad Stuver, but the rebound ended up right at the feet of Jake Nerwinski, who toe-poked the ball home to tie the game.
Déiber Caicedo keyed the tiebreaker for Whitecaps FC in the 74th minute, capitalizing on a wide, empty swath on the left side of the field. Head up the entire way, an incisive Caicedo found Gauld’s perfectly timed run into the box, where the Scot beat Stuver by half a step with a sliding cross. The ball was sent across the goal mouth to a waiting White, who tapped in with ease.
Save a Jon Gallagher header that came dangerously close, Austin FC found few opportunities to level once they fell behind.
Florian Jungwirth, acquired by Whitecaps FC a few weeks back, made his debut with the team as a substitute in the 86th minute. An MLS veteran, Jungwirth joined the team after logging over 100 appearances with San Jose Earthquakes.
Whitecaps FC make their long-awaited return to BC Place on Saturday as they host LAFC. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. PT. live on TSN and AM730. The radio prematch show starts at 6 p.m. PT. Visit whitecapsfc.com for ticket information.
MATCH DETAILS
GE Appliances VWFC Player of Quality: Ryan GauldReferee: Rosendo Mendoza
Scoring Summary
37’ – ATX – Alex Ring (Sebastian Driussi)
52’ – VAN – Jake Nerwinski
74’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Gauld, Deiber Caicedo)
Statistics
Possession: ATX 62.4% – VAN 37.6%
Shots: ATX 9 – VAN 18
Shots on Goal: ATX 2 – VAN 8
Saves: ATX 0 – VAN 6
Fouls: ATX 15 – VAN 11*
Offsides:* ATX 2 – VAN 0
Corners: ATX 4 – VAN 10
Cautions
55’ – ATX – Hector Jimenez
62’ – VAN – Cristian Dajome
63’ – ATX – Matt Besler
Austin FC
41.Brad Stuver; 16.Hector Jimenez (20.Jared Stroud 75’), 3.Jhohan Romana (18.Julio Cascante 89’), 5.Matt Besler, 24.Nick Lima; 15.Daniel Pereira, 8.Alex Ring ©; 14.Diego Fagundez (21.Zan Kolmanic 75’), 10.Cecilio Dominguez (17.Jon Gallagher 30’), 7.Tomas Pochettino (11.Rodney Redes 89’); 25.Sebastian Driussi
Substitutes not used
31.Andrew Tarbell, 4.Aedan Stanley, 6.Sebastian Berhalter, 19.Freddy Kleemann
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
16.Maxime Crépeau; 23.Javain Brown, 4.Ranko Veselinović, 15.Andy Rose (26.Florian Jungwirth 89’), 28.Jake Nerwinski; 17.Leonard Owusu (25.Ryan Gauld HT), 19.Janio Bikel, 31.Russell Teibert © (55.Michael Baldisimo 81’); 11.Cristian Dájome, 24.Brian White (87.Tosaint Ricketts 78’), 7.Déiber Caicedo
Substitutes not used1.Thomas Hasal, 6.Bruno Gaspar, 27.Ryan Raposo, 30.Kamron Habibullah, 32.Patrick Metcalfe
