Vancouver Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld to miss start of season after knee procedure

By Canadian Press on January 27, 2026.

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps will be without captain Ryan Gauld to start the 2026 Major League Soccer season.

The club has announced the Scottish midfielder had a arthroscopic debridement procedure done on his left knee in Innsbruck, Austria, on Tuesday.

Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster says in a statement that the club believes Gauld will make a full recovery by April.

The news comes after Gauld suffered a knee capsule sprain and bone bruise to the same knee last March, an injury that sidelined him for more than six months.

He finished the season with 15 appearances across all competitions, and tallied three goals and three assists.

The Whitecaps are currently holding training camp in Marbella, Spain, and will play their first game of the season on Feb. 18 when they visit Costa Rican side C.S. Cartaginés in CONCACAF Champions Cup play. They’ll kick off their MLS campaign at home against Real Salt Lake on Feb. 21.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.

The Canadian Press