We’ll get to the Caps, I promise. But Scotland[‘s WCQ victory], was there ever any doubt?

I think from quite a few people, yeah, but the results kind of went our way in the first round of games this break. You know, not getting a win in Greece but Belarus holding Denmark, doing us a big favour, and then it was an incredible performance against Denmark to put us in. I’m sure the whole country was going a bit mental.

Did you watch the game, Ryan?

In and out, we were training so I missed them the majority of the first half and then I caught the good part, the last 15 minutes that we all wanted to see, I managed to catch that. So, yeah, it was brilliant. [Scott McTominay’s bicycle kick] was ridiculous. There’s a photo of when he makes contact with the ball and just how high up his leg gets, it is ridiculous. I’m sure like everyone in Scotland will remember that goal for years and years. Then [Kieran] Tierney ’s finish and [Kenny] McLean from halfway. It was a good game, it’s one that will definitely be remembered.

How are you feeling right now? It’s been a massive break between the last match and this match coming up. Do you remember how to play football?

[Laughs] I think so, I think so. I’m feeling good. It’s been a packed schedule, obviously I missed the majority of it but for all the team, it has been a packed schedule the whole season so just to have this downtime to kind of refresh before such a big game, hopefully it comes in handy and we’ll have the international boys back today as well. So, there’s no excuses for fatigue or anything. Everyone will be fresh mentally and and physically. Everyone’s just looking forward to it. 

How did you deal with that long spell of not getting healthy, time, everybody asking you questions about when you’re going to come back? How are you mentally yourself and how did you deal with that over the months?

Obviously it was hard for me because I think 14 years now I’ve played professional and that’s the longest I’ve been out by a long way. So that was obviously not fun, not great to deal with, but at the same time, I kind of just said to myself, if you get down in the dumps or whatever, it’s not helping anyone, it’s not beneficial so just try to keep in good spirits and just accept that when the knee feels better, it feels better and I’ll be good to go. 

I’ve said it before, it was helpful that the boys were doing so well during that time because if you’re not winning games, if you’re playing poorly, this could become a dark place. But everyone was in great spirits all the time. Everyone was buzzing around the changing room and I was just happy to be around it.

LAFC is on Saturday and they’ve become a playoff nemesis. All of a sudden, Thomas Müller, Ryan Gauld, Brian White are all back. How’s that going to feel?

Yeah, there’s quite a few things there to look forward to. Obviously like me personally being fit for the playoffs when we weren’t sure if it was going to happen, I’m obviously delighted with that and it’s such a big game against a team we’ve struggled against in the playoffs in the past.

Me and Brian [White] were talking about it the other day. The last time me and him played together was the game I got injured in so we’re both looking forward to it and to getting minutes with each other again. We’re just looking to change what happened in the last couple years in the playoffs and since then, both sides have really changed.

We’ve changed a lot of our game under Jesper [Sørensen] and LAFC have kind of moved things about since Son [Heung-min] arrived. It’s definitely going to be an exciting game for the neutral and hopefully we make it exciting for the number of fans that are going to be there for us.

You’re out for a long time but you’re watching the games. Was there a perspective on the team that perhaps you’ve now garnered watching them for a few months from the sidelines that perhaps you didn’t fully appreciate when you’re that close to the team playing each week?

Since coming back, what I’ve noticed is, even in training, the intensity that we train at, the speed of the play, those are the main things that stick out to me as like, oh, that’s a wake up. Like, I need to get going again because of how well the boys have been doing and that does come down to the training and the effort everyone’s putting in. I think that shows when we go into games. A lot of games, we’ve played at an intensity that other teams have struggled to match.

Does that intensity put you in a position where you feel confident that you could actually go 90 minutes or how do you feel about that?

Yeah, I mean fitness wise I feel good. I’ve got no expectations. The boys have been incredible all year and the boys up top have been setting up goals, scoring goals, creating chances, and I’ve said since coming back, I’ve just got to obviously work as hard as I can to get my fitness back up and to get back to the level I want to be at and then just make sure I’m ready to do whatever I’m asked to do whether it’s like you said play 90 or whether it’s come on and just help see out a result for 10 minutes. I’ve just got to make sure that I’m ready for that and physically I feel good so I’ll just make sure that I’m ready for whatever comes this weekend

Pre-Q Context: Just after Thomas arrived, we had Vancouver’s gaffer on the show, and we asked him, “you’ve got Thomas now, and a strong attack midfield, where does Ryan fit in?” And he goes don’t worry about it, boys, Ryan’s going to fit in just fine.

Was there a time during that period when you weren’t playing, and you’re seeing Thomas Müller coming in and you’re seeing the way the team’s playing as a whole and how well they’re playing, and thought, man, where do I fit here?

I can see where I fit in, but a part of me is also like, I’m not getting in, the way the boys have been playing. Like, put yourself in the boys’ shoes that have been playing every minute and playing really well. If you’re all of a sudden out of the team, you’d be saying like, “What the hell? What’s going on?”

So, like I said, I’ve just got to make sure that I’m ready physically, which I feel like I am and then when I’m asked to do whatever it is, I’ll be ready and so will the other boys. I think that’s what we’ve got here is a great team chemistry and everyone’s ready to fight for each other. Everyone’s ready to do the dirty work and do what’s asked. I think that’s what puts us in a really good position just now.

Do you feel 100% confident with the injury now and that you can go out there with confidence and not think about it?

Yeah, my knee feels really good, but the first couple of games back, it’s in the back of your head a wee bit. You don’t want to do anything stupid just to make anything come back but with the more games I’ve played, I’ve felt better and better. With the last 2-3 weeks, I’ve had to try and build up fitness. It’s not like I’m going onto the pitch with any reservations or anything.

What’s that look like, building up fitness, Ryan? Like what are you doing specifically to get there?

A lot of it was just on the pitch, like shuttle runs and the long boring jog and stuff. And then some work on the bike when I come back in as well. The guys upstairs put together a good plan for me to get me in a good position and just had to make sure I didn’t cheat myself out of any minutes on the bike as boring as it gets.

I don’t want you to get hurt, but I want you to try something stupid out there. I want a worldy bicycle kick so then we can go about doing all the Vancouver Whitecaps stuff for you.

[Laughs] I’m not getting my leg as high as McTominay.

Tell us about Thomas Müller. He comes in and he seems to have really adapted to life in Vancouver so well. He gets it. He gets what it takes. He’s just adapted to life there. How has he changed the mentality in that room? Or has he just fit in as one of the guys?

In the changing room, he’s fitted in as one of the guys. He’s just another one of the boys and he’s an outgoing person. Whether he’d done what he’s done or came from nowhere, the same person that he is would get on with everyone, if that makes sense. The way he just goes about his day, he has a laugh with everyone. He’s just a great guy around the building, but I think obviously in games we’ve seen what he gives us and what he can bring is a different level. 

What he’s given us around the training pitch like helping with little adjustments, going around people individually, talking about how we can do things better and how we can make things work to the next level has been brilliant. 

When he was first coming in, I was thinking he’s going to be brilliant for the young boys to see what a top top professional looks like but it’s been great even for me as one of the older guys in the team to see how he goes about his work. I think since day one, he’s been great. He’s fitted in and hopefully he can be a piece that helps move us on over the line.

Get to Know Me: Ryan Gauld Edition

Do you have a nickname?

Goldie

You have to DJ for a family party. What do you play to get the people dancing?

Oasis. No, no, no, Deacon Blue.

You’re in a Marvel movie playing a villain and you have to gain 80 pounds. What’s your go-to junk food to hit your contracted weight?

Beef burgers. Just like stack them.

If you weren’t playing football, what sport would you be playing professionally?

Golf but I would need a lot of practice. Like, a lot of practice.

What was your favourite club growing up and why?

Dundee United because I played for them and they did a thing where each youth player would get a ticket to watch the games on the weekend. So if I was going to go and watch a game, more often than not it was Dundee United.

You get to meet your sports hero, who is it?

Right now I’d love to meet Tom Brady. He’s a winner. Cool guy, cool guy.

You have a week off. Where are you vacationing?

Hawaii

Food you miss most from Scotland?

Haggis. I even put a haggis patty on top of the burgers you said earlier.

Potato chips or crisps? What do you call them?

Crisps