Vancouver Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld experienced an emotional boost on Wednesday, scoring a goal to celebrate his return from a near-seven-month absence due to a knee injury.

Gauld aims to make another move forward Sunday when Vancouver (16-6-9, 57 points) hosts the San Jose Earthquakes (10-14-8, 38 points).

Fresh off the bench, Gauld made an immediate impact by converting from the top of the penalty area to help the Whitecaps secure their fourth straight Canadian Championship with a 4-2 victory over Vancouver FC.

“He’s been the team’s captain for a while now, and he has been one of the best players for this club since he arrived,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen said. “He is an important player for us, and he means a lot. He brings a lot on the pitch, but also off the pitch as well.”

Ali Ahmed tallied twice on Wednesday for Vancouver, which is vying for the top spot in the Western Conference with three matches remaining.

San Jose, in turn, is clinging to the ninth and final playoff spot in the West entering play this weekend. The Earthquakes snapped a three-match skid with a 1-0 victory over San Diego FC.

“I’m sure it gives us some confidence,” San Jose head coach Bruce Arena said of beating a top-tier team in the West. “We’re going against another good team Sunday in Vancouver, a difficult venue to play in, but I think we’ll go there with a lot of confidence that we can win the game.”

Josef Martinez scored in the 14th minute of that match and converted a penalty kick during San Jose’s 2-1 win over a short-handed Whitecaps club on Aug. 9. The Venezuelan has five goals in four career matches versus Vancouver.

Martinez’s 13 goals have him tied for the team lead with Cristian “Chicho” Arango.

Brian White, who scored in the previous encounter with San Jose, has boosted his team-leading goal total to 16 by tallying in four straight MLS matches for the Whitecaps.

–Field Level Media