Johnny Russell netted the lone goal of the match for Sporting KC in the 43rd minute, but the Whitecaps managed to hold the visitors off the scoresheet in the second half and claim the three-point result.
Vancouver opened the scoring 23 minutes into the contest courtesy of Gauld’s third goal of the season. The ‘Caps’ dynamic new attacker pounced on a ball that was expertly headed back across goal by Brian White, lashing a shot on target that took a deflection of SKC midfielder Illie Sanchez and rolled into the net.
Teibert then doubled that in the 36th minute, collecting a ball at the top of the area and smashing a perfectly placed shot that evaded a diving Tim Melia, glanced off the post and into the net, giving the hosts a 2-0 cushion.
The visitors would strike back shortly before halftime through a class finish from Russell. The Scottish attacker teed up a distance look of his own from the right side that he curled beautifully into the goal as the far post, giving SKC a crucial goal heading into the halftime locker room.
In the end, Teibert’s strike would stand as the game-winner, as Sporting would press for an equalizer that never materialized in the second half allowing Vancouver to see out the 2-1 final.
