Vancouver Fans Witnessing Stuart Armstrong’s Emerging Quality

Scotland midfielder Stuart Armstrong’s “pedigree” and “quality” are now becoming evident after an initial period of struggle with the Vancouver Whitecaps. This assessment comes from Canadian football podcaster Alexander Gangue-Ruzic, who noted that Armstrong was in “pre-season mode” upon his signing but is currently displaying his abilities. The playmaker, previously with Dundee United and Celtic, became part of the MLS team in early September, having departed Southampton as a free agent. The 32-year-old now plays alongside Ryan Gauld, a popular figure among Vancouver fans and a fellow Scotland international. Gauld secured a hat-trick during the 5-0 wildcard round victory against Portland Timbers, which ensured a place in the play-offs. However, the Whitecaps were defeated 2-1 by Los Angeles FC in their initial play-off match on Monday evening. During an appearance on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, Gangue-Ruzic stated: “It’s unique for Armstrong because he signs in September and here that’s the run-in. “It’s booking play-off qualification, one of his first games was playing in a cup final because the Whitecaps had reached the final of the Canadian Championship, and it was clear he wasn’t up to speed. “And that’s not his fault. He signs here, he’s in pre-season mode. “I know he’d been training with Brentford, I think he’d mentioned just trying to keep up to speed and he’s dropped right into [a squad with] guys who’ve been playing since February together for months. And it took a while. “He was struggling, he didn’t look fit, he had some injuries. “But I will say he’s really come along lately, his last two games have been fantastic. “You’re starting to see the quality that you were expecting when he was signed, the pedigree that he has. “And I think that’s exciting because there’s no doubt he fits perfectly into this team when healthy, when fit, and it took a while for those things to come together.”