They have a passionate fan base, well-attended matches and stellar on-field performances — yet the Vancouver Whitecaps' future in the city is in jeopardy.
As an investor group files a formal bid to Major League Soccer to buy and relocate the club to Las Vegas, Whitecaps management maintain that there is "no viable offer" from a buyer that would keep the team in Vancouver.
The problem certainly isn't on the field or among the fans.
Maayan Zilbershtein was one of about three dozen fans who gathered Thursday at the Vancouver Convention Centre, where the FIFA Congress was meeting.
The protest — held shortly before news of the Las Vegas bid led by businessman Grant Gustavson broke — saw fans brandish "Save the Caps" signs and sing club chants while wearing the team's blue-and-white colours.
Vancouver resident Zilbershtein said he's travelled across North America to support the team in cities like Miami and San Diego.
"I don't want to lose that, you know, that sense of community and just the ability to be able to support a team like that," he said.
Kamran Eshghi, an associate professor in the school of sports administration at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ont., said the owners likely feel the team can get a better deal in another city that would let the buyers keep stadium profits from things like food and drink sales.
"They don't have control over so many things that happen within the stadium," Eshghi said.
He added that BC Place isn't designed for just soccer, and Major League Soccer prefers their games to be held within soccer-specific stadiums, where they don't have to compete for scheduling or revenue.
While details of the Gustavson bid aren't public, Eshghi said that Las Vegas could be offering more opportunities, like financial subsidies, that make a move more appealing.
The Whitecaps are sitting at second place in Major League Soccer's western conference standings, have a low salary cap and enjoy one of the best attendance records in the league.
But the team's owners have been looking to sell since 2024, a decision the owners frame as necessary because of economic challenges surrounding stadium revenue and access.
British Columbia's Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon framed it as a cash grab in comments to reporters on Thursday.
"We understand that the value has gone from $35 million to close to $500 million, and they see an opportunity to cash in on that," Kahlon said of Vancouver's current ownership group, which includes Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and former NBA star Steve Nash.
"But we also believe that the MLS owes it to the fans in Vancouver to do whatever they can to keep the team here."
The team has said that despite its success on the field, it's at the bottom of the league in revenue.
Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said the club's lease at BC Place Stadium wasn't sustainable because of restricted revenue from food and beverage sales and less flexibility around scheduling.
The team signed a memorandum of understanding with the City of Vancouver in December over exploring the possibility of a stadium, and it agreed to a one-year deal with PavCo, the provincial Crown corporation that owns BC Place, in February.
Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster said at the time that the lease would not solve the team's long-term financial viability issues.
Eshghi said that unless the team gets a good deal from the city or the province that allows them more control over stadium operations, the writing may be on the wall for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
"The league owners and the MLS, they will be behind it. They want better valuation, they want more profit, they want soccer-specific stadiums, they want to have better control over the scheduling," Eshghi said.
"I think that it is very, very likely that Vancouver Whitecaps will move to another city, unfortunately."
Kahlon said the Whitecaps haven't come forward with a proposal for taking over the lease at BC Place, but added a meeting between Garber and Premier David Eby on Wednesday resulted in an agreement to meet again to find a way for the team to stay in Vancouver.
The bid seeking to buy the Whitecaps proposes building a privately financed soccer stadium in Las Vegas, with no public funding.
For Whitecaps fans, the move would be a devastating blow.
Kaja Antic, a fan from Langley who was at the protest, said Garber doesn't seem to fully support the Canadian market.
"It just kind of feels like he's trying to push them out of the door," she said.
She added that she's built many great friendships during her years following the team.
"This team's been here for 52 years. It's older than the MLS league itself. I feel like it's an important marker in B.C. sports history, football, world history," Antic said.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
