Ryan Gauld scored a hat-trick to help Vancouver Whitecaps thrash Portland Timbers 5-0 in the Western Conference Wild Card match.

Brian White and Stuart Armstrong also got in on the goals as the Whitecaps set up a meeting with top seed Los Angeles FC in the Best-of-3 First Round.

Most of the damage was done by three goals in 11 first-half minutes, with Gauld opening the scoring by capitalising on a goalmouth scramble on 20 minutes.

Mathias Loborda created the second with a lovely bit of skill, setting up White for a first-time finish, before Gauld scored a sumptuous volley, giving James Pantemis no chance.

While Portland offered some fight at the end of the first half, they could not keep their momentum in the second, with Armstrong’s diving header just six minutes after the restart putting Vancouver out of reach.

Gauld then wrapped up his hat-trick just before the hour mark, peeling off the back of the Timbers’ backline to slot his low finish past Pantemis from a tight angle.

Onward #VWFC | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/II6OKxWwBk
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 24, 2024

Data Debrief: Five-star Whitecaps back on track

Vancouver booked their playoff spot early, but slumped over the line at the end of the season, going winless in their last seven outings in the regular season and losing the last four.

Vanni Sartini could not have asked his players to rekindle their form at a better time though, getting the better of their Cascadia Cup rivals for the first time since March.

Despite losing their home advantage due to scheduling clashes, Vancouver looked at home at Providence Park. They matched Portland's 12 shots, but got eight on target and accumulated 2.38 expected goals (xG).

Gauld was responsible for four of those efforts, hitting the target with each one. He also had the most touches in the opposition box (eight) and made the most passes in the final third (17) among his team-mates.