The Whitecaps are playing their biggest game since 1979. Shout it from the rooftops

Yahoo

2 days ago

If a team wins a continental title but no one sees it, does it still make a sound?
Of course, there will be a few people watching Sunday's CONCACAF Champions Cup final between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Cruz Azul, the Mexico City club that is hosting the match.
There will be a couple of thousand fans watching on the big screen at Terry Fox Plaza outside B.C. Place. And there will be a smattering of fans at home, the rare souls who have access one way or another to One Soccer, the Canada Soccer-affiliated channel that holds the rights to the game (kickoff 6 p.m.).
But for the majority of Vancouver sports fans — and we know there are many, given how well the Canucks, Lions, Whitecaps and the rugby sevens, continue to do in selling tickets — there are few options.
Sure, we've long been a finicky bunch, a cohort with a reputation for enjoying the event aspect of things more than being diehard about the pure sport, but we do turn out.
We know, just from our own website data at The Province and Vancouver Sun, that local sports fans are not exactly a sticky bunch. Write a Canucks story and it stands a good chance of being well-read. Write about the Lions or Whitecaps or Canadians and it's most likely not.
And that's despite Vancouver's ball sports teams doing consistently well in the stands, let alone on the field.
The resurgence of the Vancouver Whitecaps this season — is it a resurgence when you've never finished an MLS regular season in the position they currently hold, on top of the league? — has made an impact in the stands.
And this is not a team that plays in darkness. If they were playing in darkness would have they pulled in 50,000 to face Lionel Messi?
How many of those 50,000 know that the Caps are playing Sunday in Vancouver's biggest soccer game since the 1979 Soccer Bowl?
Let's be clear: I am not being negative here. I'm just lamenting the fact that it's so hard to break through into popular consciousness in the modern era. I asked a group of pretty sports-conscious friends if they knew the Whitecaps' game on Sunday was for the continental title and the answers were telling — one knew they were in the final, but didn't realize it was this weekend. Another had no idea at all (maybe his algo isn't showing it to him, he quipped).
And that's probably the biggest truth. We live, frustratingly, in a social media world now. For so many, our only exposure to information is by scrolling.
I don't know if we can change that. But rest assured we'll keep trying to find some sticky readers for our stories.
What I do know is that these Whitecaps are for real. They're playing exciting football. They don't even have their best player right now. They're a team rife with personality too. Their games are super accessible for fans of all ages.
And they deserve all our attention.
That part is hard, though.
When times were good for the Canucks a decade ago, they drew in all kinds of adjacent buzz. Bars and restaurants would put the games on without a moment's thought.
If the Whitecaps can keep their winning ways going — and there's every reason to think they will — that will do something about making themselves into a new version of must-see entertainment.
But getting them on to local TVs in bars, let alone in homes, is a different challenge, one to be discussed another day. It requires making it easier to throw digital streams on TVs that are still wired for cable.
Whether you are watching or not, do know that Brian White remains one of the best strikers in North America, Pedro Vite is as complete a midfielder as we've seen in this town in years, Andrés Cubas will kick your shins until the cows come home, Tate Johnson is a lot faster than you, Ranko Veselinović is a lot taller than you, and Jesper Sorenson is a lot more intense than you.
Will Cruz Azul learn this lesson the hardest way on Sunday? Keep your ears sharp, because you may hear some roaring going on about you.
LIVE — Sunday, if you aren't able to find a venue with One Soccer or get down to Terry Fox Plaza, be sure to log on to www.theprovince.com to follow along with the action as we live-blog the final.
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