By Canadian Press

Whitecaps notch first road win, beat Los Angeles FC 3-2

Jun 24, 2023 | 11:28 PM

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Defender Ranko Veselinovic scored in the second minute, Ryan Gauld had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Whitecaps never trailed in a 3-2 victory over Los Angeles FC on Saturday night.

Vancouver (6-5-7) beat the defending champions on the road for the first time in its eighth attempt. The Whitecaps had lost three straight on the road coming into the match and were 0-8-7 in their last 15 away from home.

LAFC (9-4-5) had won back-to-back matches entering play after a 0-5-1 winless skid.

Gauld had a hand in Veselinovic’s first goal this season and the third of his career. Gauld and Sergio Córdova set up Brian White’s seventh goal of the campaign to give the Whitecaps a 2-0 lead in the 23rd minute.

Dénis Bouanga scored unassisted in the 45th minute to pull LAFC within a goal at halftime. Bouanga has 11 goals this season, second in the league to the 13 of Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar.

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on this weekend in Medicine Hat and area: Dec. 13-15

17h ago

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Mustard Seed adding new shelter spaces at Alberta government's request

Dec 12, 2024

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

Dec 12, 2024

Gauld picked up a goal for the fourth straight match when he scored unassisted in the 63rd minute for a 3-1 lead. That came in handy when LAFC’s Carlos Vela took a pass from Mateusz Bogusz in the 68th minute and found the net for a sixth time this season. Gauld and Lucas Cavallini — last season — are the only Whitecaps to score in four straight contests.

LAFC was coming off a first-minute goal by Bogusz in a 1-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. It was the first time a club won a 1-0 match on a first-minute goal since Allan Cruz did it for FC Cincinnati in a win over CF Montreal in 2019.

Gauld’s scoring streak comes after a 13-match scoreless run.

UP NEXT

Vancouver travels to play Sporting Kansas City on Saturday. Los Angeles FC hits the road to play FC Dallas on Saturday.

—

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sport

The Associated Press