Ryan Gauld scored on a penalty kick in the 89th minute as the host Vancouver Whitecaps rallied for a 1-1 draw with MLS-leading FC Cincinnati on Saturday night.
Gauld’s goal came just six minutes after Cincinnati’s Luciano Acosta broke a scoreless tie.
Cincinnati (12-1-4, 40 points) had a franchise-record six-game winning streak snapped, while the Whitecaps (5-5-7, 22 points) extended their unbeaten streak at home to nine matches (5-0-4).
Gauld, who scored on a penalty kick in the 88th minute last Saturday in a 1-1 tie with Sporting Kansas City, got another attempt after Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga tripped up Sergio Cordova just inside the top of the 18-yard box. Gauld blasted a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the net, leaving goalkeeper Roman Celentano no chance.
Acosta came off the bench to open the scoring in the 83rd minute. He took a long through ball from Miazga at the top of the 18-yard box and lobbed a left-footed shot over Vancouver goalie Yohei Takaoka and into the far-side netting. It was Acosta’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Vancouver’s Brian White twice tried to lob shots over Celentano, but he put an attempt just wide of the right post in the 11th minute and launched one over the crossbar and into the netting atop the goal in the 79th.
Both goalies made two saves.
Takaoka dropped to his knees to save a 20-yard shot by Dominique Badji in the 51st minute. He also smothered Brandon Vazquez’s attempt from the top right of the 6-yard box in the 12th minute.
In the 23rd minute, Celentano made a diving save on a shot from the right side of the penalty area by Vancouver’s Sergio Cordova after a through ball from Ryan Raposo. Celentano made an easy stop at the right post on a header by the Whitecaps’ Javain Brown in the 64th minute.
–Field Level Media
