Ryan Gauld scored twice to lift the Vancouver Whitecaps past Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Wednesday night, ending a six-match regular-season winless streak at Kansas City, Kan.
Gauld has scored in three consecutive MLS games, pushing his season total to a team-high seven.
Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka made four saves but was denied a clean sheet late for Vancouver (6-5-4, 22 points), which had gone more than a month without leading in a match. The Whitecaps were on a 0-3-3 slide entering the night.
Marinos Tzionis scored in extra time for Kansas City (2-8-5, 11 points), which has lost six in a row and had its winless streak extend to nine matches (0-7-2) in MLS play. Goalkeeper John Pulskamp wasn’t credited with a save.
It was just Vancouver’s seventh victory in 24 all-time matchups with Kansas City, which won the 2023 meeting on its home field.
Gauld scored in the 39th minute on the Whitecaps’ only shot on goal in the first half.
The sequence began with Javian Brown’s throw-in from the right side. The first ricochet went to Gauld, whose initial shot was blocked. But the ball went right back to Gauld and he drilled it past Pulskamp.
With Gauld’s first goal, Vancouver led for the first time since April 27.
His second goal came in the 82nd minute. He intercepted a pass and raced undeterred into the box to launch the shot.
In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, Tzionis’ second career goal gave Kansas City a chance for a comeback. He was assisted by Khiry Shelton.
Tzionis was a substitute in the match. His only other MLS goal came in 2022.
–Field Level Media
