Fafá Picault, Stuart Armstrong, Yohei Takaoka lead Whitecaps over Earthquakes 2-0

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Fafá Picault had a first-half goal, Stuart Armstrong scored late in his second career appearance and the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 on Saturday night.

Yohei Takaoka finished with two saves to earn his seventh clean sheet of the season for Vancouver (13-8-6).

The Whitecaps grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute on a goal by Picault and took it into halftime. Picault used his head to score with an assist from Ryan Gauld off a corner kick. It was his ninth goal this season and the 11th assist for Gauld.

Armstrong gave Vancouver a two-goal lead in the 86th minute with his first netter of the season. It came after he subbed in for Alessandro Schöpf in the 84th.

Daniel De Sousa Britto had a career-high nine saves in his seventh start of the season for San Jose (5-21-2).

The Earthquakes travel to play the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday. The Whitecaps hit the road to play the Houston Dynamo on Wednesday.

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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer