Vancouver Whitecaps

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

Congratulations to the Whitecaps, who will get to join N.America's MLS!

The Vancouver Whitecaps will join Major League Soccer for the 2011 season, it was confirmed today, in what may be the worst-kept secret in Lower Mainland sports circles.

MLS commissioner Don Garber made the announcement, as the Whitecaps prepare to move from venerable Swangard Stadium in Burnaby to a renovated BC Place Stadium. The venue there is to undergo $365 million worth of improvements before the new MLS team takes to the field, improvements that will include a retractable roof.

"We are thrilled to welcome Vancouver into Major League Soccer for the 2011 season," Garber said. "The ownership team of Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash love the game and represent a new breed of ownership group. Our new Vancouver team also provides an attractive stadium plan and a market with a rich soccer tradition."

The Whitecaps ownership group consists of Kerfoot, Luczo, Mallett two-time National Basketball Association MVP Nash, whose brother Martin is captain of the United Soccer Leagues First Division champion Whitecaps club.

Kerfoot is the owner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and former CEO of Crystal Decisions Software. Luczo is president, CEO, and chairman of the board for Seagate Technology and part owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Mallett is part owner of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants and is the former president and COO of Yahoo! Nash — a guard for the NBAs Phoenix Suns — is a two-time NBA MVP, and along with Mallett, is an investor in women's professional soccer.

Vancouver Sun

[ping-pong-alex]

who cares

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

who cares

says a TeBe fan.... oh the irony.

I tell you what... lets just shut this english language bit and sip beer and suck sausage in the irrelevance of the lower divisions of German football in the hope that someday somebody in the world notices that we exist.

Don't be such an ignorant snob, Alex, because especially as a fan of TeBe and Fulham, it stinks of glass houses and stones as well.

It is actually quite an important event in the history of "soccer" here in Canada and North America and no more irrelevant (considering i will hopefully get to see a game and some TeBe fans have been to Vancouver in the past) than a lot of shite Threads in this forum that you gladly contribute too.

But I guess anything that involves "fucking Yanks" is going to be dissed. What is the big news in the Cuban, Venezuelan or Iranian leagues?

[Britney Biers]

laus über die leber gelaufen? "leicht" überzogene reaktion.

unfortunately, there is no mls in german tv at all since lothar mathäus stopped playing at new york metro stars. nasn america is not showing soccer.

[Herr.Dienst]

"leicht" überzogene reaktion.

I can't understand Alex behaviour, either. No reason for such an outburst of fury!

[Loddar]

Who cares ?
Soccer in America is like "Murmeln" in New Caledonia.

[Norbert]

Well - it´s not that unimportant or irrelevant. o.k. - I don´t know much about the MLS, but the national squad is doing just fine in their qualification campagne for the 2010 World Cup. It´s way not that important than "traditional" US Sports (like Baseball or American Football), but I think it´s way above the importance of "Murmeln" in New Caledonia.

What so ever - just cool down your emos a bit DBA and PPA. I personally like to here about football (I dislike the term soccer) all over the world.

[Doughnut Boy Andy]

1st game of the season today. Am getting a lift down to Vancouver and then will have to get the night bus back as the game starts at 7pm. With the Canucks making the NHL play offs this year, ice-hockey has certainly taking the public interest here in Vancouver and I am not hopeful of a big turn out. The MLS ruling means that Vancouver are already concentrating on next season anyways and even the familes of the hockey players are getting more coverage than the Whitecaps. The match is against Charleston Battery, a team i have never heard of, and even bwin does not mention the game, so I do not know who is favourite to win.

@Norbert and Britney

I dont need to calm down. Alex knows i am in Vancouver and that this might be interesting to me. Just to write "who cares" was a really trashy thing to do so i have every right to be angry. It is really sad that someone who plays an important role in the fan scene is so ignorant and rude like this.

@PPA

It is shocking that three weeks later, you have still not even written something like "Sorry I did not mean it like that. I was just joking" or tried to contact me via mail or something. You would never react like that if one of our on tour fans in Australia wrote about their local team there..... it's just ignorant.

[mr. bungle]

After watching some Whitecaps-clips I really understand what you meant telling about some kind of "westberlin"-ambience at the Whitecaps stadium. Seems to be a quaint place to watch football indeed and some of the party scenes remind in some way to what we had during the last weeks. it even feels kind of familiar seeing always the same ten to fifteen faces supporting and partying - no matter which clip i ever chose to watch. the supporter scene of course might be less "alternative" than e.g. the current tebe-scene, but no wonder that... - I could imagine that today's vancouver as well is probably much more "westberlin" than charlottenburg, or am i wrong?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0 ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If ... re=related

[mauve]

Just read this thread a BIT late...but hope that the arguments are out of the way already? Man...what about caravannes of love? Good..I am a pessimist and idealist at the same time!