VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Ryan Gauld scored his 50th career goal with Vancouver and Yohei Takaoka recorded his 11th clean sheet of the season to help the Whitecaps beat the LA Galaxy 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Gauld is the first player in Vancouver's MLS era to record 50 goals and 50 assists with the club.
Takaoka, who made five saves, is one shutout behind LAFC’s Hugo Lloris for the MLS lead.
Vancouver (14-5-4) remains three points ahead of second-place Houston for the Western Conference lead.
Los Angeles (7-10-8) has posted a 2-3-1 record over its last six MLS matches.
Brian White opened the scoring in the eighth minute when he headed forward Thomas Müller’s flick over the defense and volleyed it home.
Gauld dribbled through traffic, following a poor pass by a Galaxy defender, and sent in a shot from the penalty spot in the 57th for a 2-0 lead.
With White, Gauld and Müller subbed off, Bruno Caicedo converted a penalty kick in the 89th that JT Marcinowski got a hand on.
Los Angeles: Hosts Seattle on Saturday.
Vancouver: Hosts Austin on Sunday.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller (13) is subbed off during the first half of an MLS soccer match against Los Angeles Galaxy in Vancouver on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps' Bruno Caicedo (14) celebrates his goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy with with his teammates during the second half of an MLS soccer match in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White (24) celebrates his goal against Los Angeles Galaxy during the first half of an MLS soccer match in Vancouver on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva has again been refused permission to compete internationally following a second round of checks after her status as a neutral athlete was revoked.
The International Skating Union on Thursday said Valieva was one of four Russian skaters, all 2022 Olympians, who were deemed not to “satisfy the requirements to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes.”
The others are men's skater Mark Kondratiuk and the ice dance team of Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin. No specific reasons were given in the four cases.
“The ISU will not comment further on individual cases while any applicable appeal rights remain available,” it said.
The latest obstacle to Valieva's career comes more than four years after disputes about her positive doping test overshadowed the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
Valieva and the other skaters can appeal within three weeks to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. There was no immediate comment from Valieva or the Russian figure skating federation.
The ISU is allowing more Russians to compete as neutral athletes this season, after most had been barred from its events following the invasion of Ukraine. It states they are “presumed eligible unless they fall within the disqualifying criteria.”
That has meant skaters such as Valieva have been considered eligible briefly after filing the paperwork for neutral status, only to have that status revoked soon after.
The ISU barred skaters from Russia and its ally Belarus in 2022. It allowed a limited number to return for the Milan Cortina Olympics and a qualifying event last season. Two Russian figure skaters, Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik, competed at the Olympics as neutrals without national flags and symbols but neither won a medal.
The ISU rules say skaters may be refused neutral status if they are serving with military or security forces, have previously participated in military operations against Ukraine or have “actively and publicly supported that war” since 2022.
In a separate matter, Valieva is also pursuing legal action over the process around her doping ban, which ended late last year.
A document published by the European Court of Human Rights on Monday showed Valieva filed a claim against Switzerland over a Swiss supreme court decision against her last year. At that time, she was attempting to have the suspension overturned.
Valieva’s claim to the European court alleges that the Swiss court infringed her rights by refusing to consider alleged new evidence in her favor, the ECHR document says. At the Swiss supreme court, Valieva’s lawyers presented an Associated Press news article from September 2024 to claim the World Anti-Doping Agency suppressed evidence.
See full AP coverage of European sports here
FILE - Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow on Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, File)
