Ryan Gauld wants more trophies at Vancouver Whitecaps after 2022 CanChamp
By Chris Smith
After completing his first full season as a Vancouver Whitecaps player, Ryan Gauld is looking to lead the club to more success in 2023.
The Scottish playmaker hit eight goals and seven assists in 32 appearances across all competitions in 2022, leading the Whitecaps to the Canadian Championship title - their first major trophy since 2015.
As a result, Vancouver can go in chase of five separate trophies in 2023, with a Concacaf Champions League campaign to look forward to alongside battles for the Leagues Cup, MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield, and defense of their Canadian Championship title.
It's going to be a tightly packed schedule, but one Gauld is relishing as he goes in search of more medals.
“We’ve got to go into each one with a positive outlook and with a hope of winning more trophies,” Gauld told VWFC's official website.
"It's going to be good, I think it's something that everyone's looking forward to, the Leagues Cup is a new format, a lot of the guys here, like myself, haven't played Champions League, we have obviously the Canadian Championship to try and retain as well as MLS so everyone's really looking forward to it."
The Whitecaps aren't exactly short of inspiration when it comes to sealing more silverware. Their shootout victory over Toronto FC in last season's final - in which Gauld scored the first penalty - delivered their first piece of major silverware in seven years, following defeats in their last two CanCham finals.
Gauld recalls that triumphant evening fondly and is hoping to use it as a spark to ignite further success in 2023.
“That’s what we all play football for, because we all want trophies, so to get the chance to win it in Vancouver in front of a packed house stadium was something that we’ll all remember,” recalled Gauld.
“We don’t want it to just be once every 10 years or something [we win a trophy], we want to give continuity to that so next year we’ll be looking to do the same.”
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