The roar of the crowd and standing ovation from Vancouver Whitecaps fans when Ryan Gauld made his return in the Voyageurs Cup final on Wednesday night was an outpouring of love and support that meant the world to Gauld. 

It began when he subbed on late in the match, with fans at BC Place giving him a standing ovation.

Standing ovation for Ryan Gauld, who is seeing his first game action with the Vancouver Whitecaps in nearly 7 months pic.twitter.com/GP2ocyrqZt

— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) October 2, 2025

The crowd erupted just four minutes later, as Gauld scored in his first game action since March 8, following a left-knee capsule sprain.

“To hear that when I came on was obviously it was really nice,” Gauld told Daily Hive in a one-on-one interview following training on Friday. “To know that I’m not forgotten about around the place it was nice to get that recognition, that reception. I’m thankful that the fans were that happy to see me back on the pitch.

“Thankfully I could help out with a goal.”

How we’ve missed you! Gauldy secures his first within 4 minutes on the pitch! 👊#VWFC | #CanChamp pic.twitter.com/hhUHeaVIvX

— X – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 2, 2025

There were ups and downs, and setbacks, during the six months and three weeks that Gauld spent on the sidelines working his way back to full fitness for his triumphant return. 

“I would have loved to be back sooner,” Gauld said. “There was also a point when we were looking at it and wondering if it would even be this season. We just didn’t know how quick the bone was going to heal. It’s taken a lot longer than we expected, but it’s hopefully in the past now. Hopefully it’s not going to cause much bother from here on.”

Throughout the season Gauld was testing his limits and pushing himself further than maybe he should have to make it back to contribute to a Whitecaps team that has found success in the Concacaf Champions Cup, Canadian Championship, and MLS regular season.

Whether it was running laps for five minutes in running shoes, riding the bike in the gym, or those first few touches with the ball with cleats on, Gauld was all in, all the time. One of the biggest challenges was patience and hoping that his knee pain would dissipate faster. 

Now that Gauld is back, will he have to work through any further knee pain?

“No, it feels good so far,” Gauld said. “Obviously I don’t feel at my full ability, but that’s not down to knee pain or anything, that’s just down to being out for six months, not having the sharpness and the fitness. I’ve got a ways to go to get that, but it’s not been limited at all by my knee.”

A close-knit Whitecaps locker room was always there to lift Gauld up on tough days. Sebastian Berhalter, Tate Johnson, and Ali Ahmed were there to encourage and cheer on their captain in mid-July when he started to run through pylons with some ball dribbling. 

“It’s easy to keep good spirits around such a good group,” Gauld said. “Also knowing that if I was down in the dumps or whatever and if I was feeling like that, it’s not beneficial for myself or the group. I just tried to be myself for the last six months and just be around the guys.”

Jesper Sørensen and his staff will continue to monitor Gauld’s minutes, gradually increasing them with three regular-season fixtures remaining. The Whitecaps host the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday at BC Place. 

How much will the Scottish international play going forward?

“We will monitor him,” Sørensen told reporters on Friday. “We will build him back up through games, training sessions, and make sure that he gets stronger and stronger. Not the other way around. He’s also got a mental and physical boost of being ready to go again and being back on the pitch. We’ll build him up and try to not overload him immediately.”

When he is on the pitch, Gauld is absolutely buzzing to team up with Thomas Müller.  

“To play with a guy like that who’s done what he’s done at the top level, I’m looking forward to getting minutes with him,” Gauld said. “Even getting to learn things from him and just figuring out how to play with each other on the pitch as well. I’m looking forward to it.” 

Ryan Gauld on #VWFC fans being more engaged this season.

“I’ve not seen that here before until playoffs. It’s nice that we’re seeing that kind of energy, togetherness and attitude from fans. We just need to make sure we make it worthwhile for them, make them keep coming back.” pic.twitter.com/n1HMuPmgAD

— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) October 3, 2025

Ahead of the MLS playoffs later this month, there is a different mentality and confidence from Gauld and his teammates. The Whitecaps are 16-6-9 and tied at the top of the Western Conference with San Diego. Both teams have 57 points, while Vancouver has a match in hand. 

Vancouver will go into the playoffs with home pitch advantage. If there is a decisive Game 3 in the first round, Gauld and the Whitecaps will host it in November at BC Place. 

“We’ve got a really good record when it comes to games at BC Place,” Gauld said. “It obviously gives you that little bit of an advantage. Having your fans there as well, hopefully packing out the stadium, would be the next thing to push us on.”

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