Whitecaps’ Scottish duo could reunite this weekend

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are set to put on a memorable experience on Saturday when they take on the San Jose Earthquakes.

This will be the first opportunity for Whitecaps fans to see the Scottish duo of Ryan Gauld and Stuart Armstrong together at BC Place. Vancouver’s lineup will be boosted by the return of several key players who were away on international duty last week.

The Whitecaps are 12-8-6 on the season and currently sit in sixth spot in the Western Conference with 42 points, while San Jose is last in the conference with a 5-20-2 record. 

Canada Soccer will have a strong presence at BC Place on Saturday, as head coach Jesse Marsch, general secretary and CEO Kevin Blue, and president Peter Augruso will be in attendance. The trio arrived in Vancouver on Wednesday following Canada’s 0-0 draw against Mexico on Tuesday.

Gauld returned to Whitecaps training on Tuesday after representing Scotland in a pair of Nations League matches last week. He made his Scottish senior national team debut on September 5 against Poland, coming on in the 71st minute. 

After fulfilling a lifelong dream of representing his country on the international stage, Gauld was even-keeled as he met with the media in Vancouver and described his debut.

“It was a good experience,” Gauld told Daily Hive. “Yeah, nice to be a part of it again after a while. Yeah, two not good results, but from a personal note, it was nice to be back involved.”

As Gauld gets set to return to the lineup, potentially alongside Armstrong, he’s not taking too much credit for helping facilitate Armstrong’s move to the West Coast. 

“I reached out to him to see if he was open to the possibility of coming,” Gauld said. “Then everyone else done their job. It’s good to have him here. I’m sure he’s going to be a big help.” 

When he is on the pitch, fans can expect to see Armstrong make an appearance off the bench. Armstrong played 12 minutes in his MLS debut last Saturday against FC Dallas. The Whitecaps want to ease Armstrong into action as his match fitness is not up to top level.

“We don’t have to forget that Stuart is in the second week of preseason, basically,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini told Daily Hive earlier this week. “When we are in a normal preseason, normally you’re cleared for a 30-minute game at a pace of a preseason game. Not the pace of a league game. I don’t think we can ask for more than 15 to 20 minutes.”

Whitecaps missing a key player

Brian White will not be available for selection against San Jose as he remains in concussion protocol. White suffered his second concussion of the season on August 27 in the second leg of the Canadian Championship semifinal match against Pacific FC.  

White was pulled from the Whitecaps match on March 23 against Real Salt Lake via a concussion substitution. White missed one match before returning on April 6.

“It’s a serious thing,” Sartini said. “This is a contact sport, and I think we’ve made strides in the last 10 years to the awareness of these things (concussions). I remember when I was playing, I think I got more than one concussion, but I was never diagnosed with a concussion. I just want a player to be safe and to treat their health in the best way. That’s what we’ll do with Brian. We know that when he’s back, he’s going to be cleared 100%.”

Ahmed impressing national team

Ali Ahmed continues to shine for both his club and country. Ahmed earned the start for Canada in their historic 2-1 win over the US on September 7 in Kansas City. The 23 year-old Ahmed also started in Canada’s draw against Mexico on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. 

Meanwhile, Marsch wants to see Ahmed take another step in his development.

“I think everybody here is really proud of Ali and how he’s been playing,” Marsch told the media in Vancouver this week. “He has a lot of the qualities and intelligence of a footballer. Tactically, he’s technically gifted. I told him he’s got to get in the gym more. Too many guys, they look like kids, and we need to help them look like men and play like men.”

Ahmed did not train with his Whitecaps teammates on Thursday as he had a recovery session inside. Ahmed is expected to train on Friday ahead of Saturday’s match. 

Whitecaps coach’s outfits drawing attention

T-shirt gate has surfaced once again as Sartini has drawn the ire of the fashion police. 

This is not the first time the Whitecaps coach has been criticized for his attire on the touchline during an MLS match in the last calendar year. 

Sartini was sporting an Andy Warhol t-shirt on August 31 against Austin FC.

Last Saturday against FC Dallas, Sartini was wearing a white buttoned-up dress shirt.

“The league… they know Italian,” Sartini said postgame on Saturday. “So they can translate. “I’m very happy that they make me dress better, so that’s good.” 

When pressed further regarding his clothing attire, Sartini had little to say this week. 

“I’ve never been told that I cannot wear (something),” Sartini said. “Of course, there are rules, and we have to follow the rules… you have to wear nothing that is against the MLS brand,” Sartini said.

When reached multiple times, MLS declined to comment.

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