Vancouver Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld is targeting personal improvement for their next MLS game against CF Montreal, following a 1-1 draw against Monterrey in the Concacaf Champions Cup.

Gauld had nine shots against the Mexican side, but managed just two on target and failed to find the back of the net.

"I'm not used to having that many chances and missing them all," said Gauld, who has scored 34 goals in 110 regular-season MLS games with the Whitecaps. "If I [scored] on my chances, we could have won the game.

"Hopefully, that's the one time that will happen. I just need to do better."

Head coach Jesper Sorensen, meanwhile, threw his support behind Gauld and said: "Ryan is always working hard," said Sorensen. "He's an excellent captain. He was involved in most of the most dangerous attacks we had."

The Whitecaps face a quick turnaround to host Montreal at the weekend, for what will be their sixth game in all competitions this season. But prior to their draw against Monterrey, Sorensen suggested that the players are getting better and better.

"I've also seen players really taking on the challenge some of the things we've been working on and progressing day by day," he said.

"And then I've seen a really strong group where everybody supports each other and helps each other every day and works well on the training ground and wants to push each other forward."

Defender Ranko Veselinovic also made it clear that a large number of games in a short space of time does not pose a problem to the players.

"It is a lot of games at the moment, but us players, we like it when it’s like that," he said.

"Everybody loves more games than training. So it's good, especially when we have good results. It feels nice. There is not a lot of time to enjoy those wins, but if we continue winning, it's going to be nice at the end."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Sam Adekugbe

Sam Adekugbe is the fourth player in the Whitecaps' MLS history to score in each of his first two appearances of a season. The only player in team history to score in each of his first three games of a season was Octavio Rivero in 2015.

The full-back has already doubled his goal tally compared to last season and the season before, having scored just once in each.

CF Montreal – Prince Owusu

Prince Owusu has been directly involved in both of Montreal's goals so far this season in MLS, scoring one and assisting the other.

The forward scored nine goals for Toronto FC last season, which was a career-high in MLS.

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

Montreal have lost their first two matches of a season for the third time in the last four years (also 2022 and 2023). The club began with three straight losses in both of those seasons.

They also failed to hit the target with any of their three shots against Minnesota United last time out, which is the first time in nearly two years they have failed to hit the target in a regular-season match, last doing so in April 2023.

The Whitecaps, meanwhile, have opened a regular season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2018 with their six goals their most ever at this stage of a season.

They have also lost just two of 12 matches against Montreal in Vancouver since the clubs joined MLS (W8 D2). The Whitecaps have won their last three against Montreal at BC Place.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 56.1%

Draw – 22.7%

CF Montreal – 21.2%