SEATTLE (AP) 鈥� MLS Commissioner Don Garber said before at the on Friday that the Vancouver Whitecaps need to have a new stadium deal in order to keep the club in Vancouver.
鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to keeping the team here if we have a viable stadium project,鈥� Garber said, 鈥渨hich we don鈥檛 have now.鈥�
Financial hurdles have hit the club despite its success on the pitch. BC Place, the Whitecaps鈥� home since 2011, is government-owned and operated by B.C. Pavilion Corporation, restricting the club from potential revenue streams.
In April, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim said the city has offered space at Hastings Park on its east side for the team to build a stadium.
鈥淣ow, we face the difficult part,鈥� Sim said at the time. 鈥淏C Place is owned and operated by the Provincial Government. In fact, it鈥檚 the only stadium owned and operated by a government found anywhere in the MLS. In order for the team to stay in Vancouver, the Whitecaps and Province must sign a bridge deal that will allow BC Place to become viable in the near term while a new stadium can be designed and built.鈥�
Scheduling flexibility has also been a problem, as the Whitecaps had to forfeit home-field advantage for a 2024 playoff game due to a motocross event taking place at the stadium.
鈥淲e want to keep the team there, but we can鈥檛 do that unless the political influencers and their entities put together something that will allow Vancouver to not be at the bottom of the list,鈥� Garber said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have the tools to be successful.鈥�
The Whitecaps sit atop the Western Conference standings during the MLS鈥� World Cup break. They reached their first MLS Cup Final in 2025 and have won four consecutive Canadian championships.
The fan support has reflected that success. The Whitecaps rank eighth among 30 clubs in average attendance this season, and they led the league in attendance during last year鈥檚 playoffs.
With the stadium situation still a barrier for financial success,
鈥淚 think the city, which has its issues, that corporate community that鈥檚 not been very supportive of the club, is now recognizing what soccer and the Whitecaps actually mean to the city,鈥� Garber said. 鈥淲e are a very relevant club that doesn鈥檛 have a good business model.鈥�
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Ben Kule is a student in the University of Georgia鈥檚 Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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