Vancouver Whitecaps supporters have “fallen in love” with Ryan Gauld, according to St Johnstone legend Nick Dasovic.
And it’s now time for the Tartan Army to get the chance to see what the hype is all about.
Dasovic, a reserve coach with the Canadian MLS side, has watched the former Dundee United prodigy help elevate the Whitecaps since his summer arrival.
And he is in no doubt that Gauld has what it takes be as big a hit for his country as he is for his club.
“We were obviously different generations as far as playing in Scotland was concerned so I didn’t know anything about Ryan,” said Dasovic.
“When I was told he might be coming here I started to look into his career path and some of the videos I was sent from Portugal made me think: ‘geez, this guy’s a good player’. And you hear about the ‘Mini Messi’ nickname.
“It says a lot about his character that he chose to move to Europe from Dundee United rather than England.
“He certainly hasn’t disappointed here, that’s for sure.
“You can talk about how good he’s been on the pitch – and he has been very good – but the biggest thing he’s brought is humility.
“He’s such a good person and he quickly earned the respect of his team-mates with his work ethic.
“As I know well, that’s a Scottish trait.”
A godsend
Dasovic added: “Normally clubs buy DPs (designated player signings) to be star men but, for me, they have to make the players around them better as well, which is what Ryan is doing.
“You can see the improvement.
“He’s been a godsend. The fans love him to death.
“He’s helping us along the road to the play-offs (and was man of the match in another win in midweek), which we haven’t been to for a few years.
Worked his magic 🪄@RyanGauld is your #VWFC GE Appliances Player of Quality from #VANvMIN pic.twitter.com/ggN5z9kppz
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 28, 2021
“The MLS is growing. Trust me – it’s a very good standard.
“I’ll be honest, I’m shocked he hasn’t been called up for the Scottish national team already. I truly am.
“I watch Scotland play and, to be fair they are on a higher level than they’ve been in a long time, which is fantastic.
“But I think Ryan deserves the chance to get his feet wet.
“Johnny Russell has been called-up a few times – deservedly. The way Ryan is playing, he definitely deserves to be selected now.”
Ryan Gauld with another crucial assist for the Vancouver Whitecaps last night who have lost just twice in 16 games since his debut. It's no coincidence that striker Brian White is also enjoying his best run of scoring form with Gauld behind him. 🏴🇨🇦pic.twitter.com/qPTBIgFIUW
— Byron Hutchison (@ByronHutchison) October 28, 2021
After leaving Tannadice seven years ago, Gauld has played pretty much every midfield and forward position bar striker.
At Vancouver he is the attacking focal point of the side.
Numbers through the roof
“He’ll either play as a single 10 or as one of two 10s,” Dasovic explained. “Either way, it’s a very offensive, creative role.
“He’s on the ball a lot in our build-up and is always around the goal looking to score or assist.
“His numbers are through the roof.
“Like I say, the fans have fallen in love with him.”
Dasovic and Gauld’s old teams clash in the Premiership this weekend, which might make Monday morning training at Vancouver interesting.
“I think Ryan thought I was a janitor when he first arrived!” Dasovic joked.
“I told him I used to play for St Johnstone back in the day but I wouldn’t expect him to know anything about that (Gauld was one-year-old when he signed for Saints in 1996).
“I see him every day to say ‘hello’.
“I didn’t know that he was in the United team in the 2014 Scottish Cup final Saints won. I’ll wait until after the season is finished before I bring that one up!”
When it comes to Saints v United, none of the Tayside derbies Dasovic played in carried that sort of significance.
But it was a fixture the talented central midfielder, who earned over 50 caps for his country, relished.
United v Saints
“There are two games against Dundee United I played in that stand out,” he recalled. “One for a good reason, one for a bad.
“We won 1-0 at Tannadice when the rain was coming down in buckets (April, 1999).
“They had a cover on the pitch and they pulled it up the wrong way and the water came flooding down the tunnel and into our dressing room!
“The pitch was pretty much unplayable that day but Danny Griffin scored a free-kick and we won.
“The other one was quite soon after Luggy (Paul Sturrock) left us, I think.
“It was at McDiarmid (September 1998). I just remember Luggy screaming instructions – as he did – and I kept looking over because I was so used to hearing his voice.
“We got a bit of a doing (3-1).”
