Vancouver Whitecaps CEO says intention is to keep team in city with 'no plan B'
Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps' CEO and sporting director, says a proposed new stadium comes at a time when the team's owners are preparing to sell the city's Major League Soccer franchise. He acknowledged political turbulence is affecting the team off the field, but he hopes the club's good start to the season continues.
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Vancouver Sun
5 hours ago
- Vancouver Sun
Moving Whitecaps from Vancouver would be 'a crime': FIFA vice-president
A vice-president of soccer's global governing body says moving the Vancouver Whitecaps would be 'a crime' and negatively impact the city's reputation after it hosts games at next year's World Cup. FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani spoke at a Vancouver Board of Trade event Tuesday, telling the crowd that relocating the Major League Soccer club would suggest to the world that the city simply wanted to host a party and isn't actually serious about the sport. 'You don't want to come out of the World Cup and your professional football club is playing in Sacramento,' said Montagliani, who is also the president of CONCACAF, soccer's governing body in North and Central America and the Caribbean. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. 'That would be a bruise on the city.' The Whitecaps announced in December that the current ownership group — Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash — had put the team up for sale. Speculation has since been rife that an out-of-town buyer will purchase the club and move it out of Vancouver. In April, the Whitecaps revealed that they are in talks with the City of Vancouver about building a new, soccer-specific stadium in the city. Club chief executive officer axel Schuster said at the time that those plans are intrinsically tied to the sale of the team. 'We are only working on one plan, one goal, and this is to keep the club in Vancouver and to find a very good setup for the future for this club in Vancouver,' he said. 'And part of all of this is to look in every possible option that might be needed to do this successfully.' Keeping the Whitecaps in Vancouver is key to continuing the city's love and support for soccer, Montagliani said on Tuesday. 'It is going to be a party — trust me. But it can't just be about a party,' he said. 'It's got to be about the youth. It's got to be about the game itself. And it's got to be about the continuation of the game.' He noted that Canada had to create its own league, the Canadian Premier League, in order to be eligible to bid for the 2026 World Cup. Losing one of the country's biggest teams would be a step backward, he said. 'To lose an MLS club on the back of the World Cup would be a capital crime, in my opinion,' he said. Montagliani is in his hometown of Vancouver to mark the one-year countdown to the tournament's kick off on June 11, 2026, when the first games will be played in Mexico City and Guadalajara. The final is set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Vancouver and Toronto are among 16 host cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Vancouver will host seven matches across the tournament, starting on June 13, 2026, including five in the opening round, one in the round of 32 and one in the round of 16. Organizers in B.C. said in April 2024 that it will cost between $483 million and $581 million for Vancouver to host the tournament. That number includes costs to the city, the province and upgrades to B.C. Place . Renovations are currently underway at the 54,500-seat stadium, including new and upgraded suites, more and larger elevators, gender-neutral bathrooms, improved Wi-Fi and a new central video board. A natural grass pitch will also be installed. The B.C. government has said it expects the World Cup will generate enough revenue to result in a net cost of between $100 million and $145 million. Vancouver and Canada as a whole have a unique chance to create something special with the World Cup, Montagliani said. 'For me, it's an opportunity of a lifetime for Canada,' he said. 'Maybe this has done us a favour, in terms of what's going on (with U.S.-Canada relations), in terms of our Canadiana. I really think it's an opportunity for us to take a global game and make it ours.'
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Moving Whitecaps from Vancouver would be ‘a crime': FIFA vice president
VANCOUVER – A vice president of soccer's global governing body says moving the Vancouver Whitecaps would be 'a crime' and negatively impact the city's reputation after it hosts games at next year's World Cup. FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani spoke at a Vancouver Board of Trade event Tuesday, telling the crowd that relocating the Major League Soccer club would suggest to the world that the city simply wanted to host a party and isn't actually serious about the sport. 'You don't want to come out of the World Cup and your professional football club is playing in Sacramento,' said Montagliani, who is also the president of CONCACAF, soccer's governing body in North and Central America and the Caribbean. 'That would be a bruise on the city.' The Whitecaps announced in December that the current ownership group — Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash — had put the team up for sale. Speculation has since been rife that an out-of-town buyer will purchase the club and move it out of Vancouver. In April, the Whitecaps revealed that they are in talks with the City of Vancouver about building a new, soccer-specific stadium in the city. Club chief executive officer Axel Schuster said at the time that those plans are intrinsically tied to the sale of the team. 'We are only working on one plan, one goal, and this is to keep the club in Vancouver and to find a very good setup for the future for this club in Vancouver,' he said. 'And part of all of this is to look in every possible option that might be needed to do this successfully.' Keeping the Whitecaps in Vancouver is key to continuing the city's love and support for soccer, Montagliani said on Tuesday. 'It is going to be a party — trust me. But it can't just be about a party,' he said. 'It's got to be about the youth. It's got to be about the game itself. And it's got to be about the continuation of the game.' He noted that Canada had to create its own league, the Canadian Premier League, in order to be eligible to bid for the 2026 World Cup. Losing one of the country's biggest teams would be a step backward, he said. 'To lose an MLS club on the back of the World Cup would be a capital crime, in my opinion,' he said. Montagliani is in his hometown of Vancouver to mark the one-year countdown to the tournament's kick off on June 11, 2026, when the first games will be played in Mexico City and Guadalajara. The final is set for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Vancouver and Toronto are among 16 host cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico. Vancouver will host seven matches across the tournament, starting on June 13, 2026, including five in the opening round, one in the round of 32 and one in the round of 16. Organizers in B.C. said in April 2024 that it will cost between $483 million and $581 million for Vancouver to host the tournament. That number includes costs to the city, the province and upgrades to B.C. Place. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Renovations are currently underway at the 54,500-seat stadium, including new and upgraded suites, more and larger elevators, gender-neutral bathrooms, improved Wi-Fi and a new central video board. A natural grass pitch will also be installed. The B.C. government has said it expects the World Cup will generate enough revenue to result in a net cost of between $100 million and $145 million. Vancouver and Canada as a whole have a unique chance to create something special with the World Cup, Montagliani said. 'For me, it's an opportunity of a lifetime for Canada,' he said. 'Maybe this has done us a favour, in terms of what's going on (with U.S.-Canada relations), in terms of our Canadiana. I really think it's an opportunity for us to take a global game and make it ours.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Resilient Vancouver Whitecaps blank nine-man Seattle Sounders 3-0 to set club record
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps overcame a string of adversity to blank their regional rivals, the Seattle Sounders, 3-0 on Sunday. The result extended the 'Caps (10-1-5) unbeaten streak in Major League Soccer play to a club record 11 games. Homegrown talent Jeevan Badwal notched his first MLS goal in the 40th minute, Mexican striker Daniel Rios scored to cushion the lead in the 70th, and veteran striker Damir Kreilach put away a penalty kick in the 88th. Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka recorded his eighth clean sheet of the season. The Sounders (7-6-5) went down to nine men early in the second half following a pair of red cards. Seven of Vancouver's 11 starters were listed as questionable for the game after about half of the team came down with a gastrointestinal illness following the CONCACAF Champions Cup final in Mexico City on June 1. The 'Caps were also without nine additional players who have been called up to their national teams, and star attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld, who remains sidelined with a knee injury. Vancouver signed seven Whitecaps FC 2 players to short-term agreements Sunday to bolster their ranks. Six of the players were on the bench at the start of Sunday's game, including central midfielders Jackson Castro and Antoine Coupland, centre back Adrian Pelayo, left back Daniel Russo, right back Nikola Djordjevic and striker John Selemani. The visitors came close to opening the scoring in the 31st minute when midfielder Pedro de la Vega sent a ball skittering along the turf from the top of the penalty area. His shot appeared to deflect off the leg of a Whitecaps defender and sail just wide of the far post. Nine minutes later, a 'Caps rookie got his side on the board. Wing back Edier Ocampo sliced a ball to J.C. Ngando at the top of the six-yard box and he ticked it on to Badwal. The 19-year-old Whitecaps academy product from Surrey, B.C., stuck out his right leg just in time to redirect the ball in past Seattle 'keeper Stefan Frei to make it 1-0. The Sounders controlled 65.1 per cent of possession across the first half and held a 6-5 edge in shots, but the Whitecaps registered the lone on-target shot. Vancouver came into the second half with renewed energy and pressed to create chances. Seattle appeared to get frustrated and the emotions boiled over in the 52nd minute when wing back Nouhou grabbed his Vancouver counterpart Mathias Laborda around the neck and hauled him down as Laborda charged toward the Sounders net. Referee Ricardo Fierro pulled the red card from his pocket, leaving the visitors with 10 men. The 'Caps briefly appeared to double their lead in the 53rd minute when centre back Bjorn Utvik booted a shot in off a corner kick. The goal was quickly called off because Vancouver defender Ranko Veselinovic made contact with Frei as he leapt for a header, hauling the goaltender down and impeding his ability to stop Utvik's shot. Seattle ran into more trouble in the 55th minute when centre back Jonathan Bell made contact with Priso as he charged up the field. Fierro once again pulled out the red card. The Sounders players argued the call, but Bell soon walked off to the locker rooms, leaving Seattle with just nine players on the pitch. Rios boosted Vancouver's lead to 2-0 in the 70th minute, collecting a pass from Priso at the top of the penalty area and firing a right-footed shot in from the top of the penalty area for his second goal of the season. Ocampo had a prime chance to make it 3-0 in the 73rd minute. In alone, the wing back twisted to blast a jumping right-footed shot on target, but Frei dove to punch the ball away. Priso, too, had a chance in the 76th minute with a high shot that appeared poised to sneak in below the crossbar. But the Seattle netminder leapt up and touched it over to keep the score 2-0. Another Sounders foul late in the game proved costly. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Midfielder Joao Paulo made contact with 'Caps striker Emmanuel Sabbi inside the area and Fierro signalled for a penalty kick. Kreilach, who came off the bench for Badwal in the 74th minute, stepped up and sent a low ball rolling into the corner of the goal in the 88th minute as Frei dove in the opposite direction. UP NEXT The Whitecaps will be back in action Saturday when they visit the Columbus Crew. The Sounders will start their quest for the FIFA Club World Cup next Sunday against Brazilian club Botafogo. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025.
