MLS
Vancouver Whitecaps up for sale
The owners of the Canadian franchise will try to sell the club at a critical time for the entity.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are on the way to changing hands. The group that owns the club’s shares has asked financial services multinational Goldman Sachs for help in finding a buyer.
The idea is for the team to remain in Canada and not relocate to another city (something that has happened in the past with other teams, both in the NBA and the NFL).
Vancouver to host two major tournaments next year
Vancouver expects a complicated schedule in the next two years as it will host both the 2025 Gold Cup and the 2026 World Cup - the latter being held in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Growing soccer community in Vancouver
“Our group is committed to transforming our local soccer club into a strong contributor to our community,” said Greg Kerfoot, co-owner of the club, in a statement. “It is gratifying to see how meaningful the Whitecaps have become to so many, and to have been able to contribute to the growth of a vibrant and thriving soccer community in Vancouver, the Lower Mainland, British Columbia, and beyond.”
The investment group, led by Kerfoot himself, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett and NBA Hall of Famer and former Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash, has not yet received firm offers for the shares they hold. “The club intends to build on the momentum of an exciting 2024 and is actively preparing to take another step forward in 2025,” the Whitecaps said.
The Vancouver franchise has become one of the most eye-catching in recent years in the MLS. Their youth academy produced Alphonso Davies, one of the world’s star defenders, who was transferred to Bayern Munich for 22 million dollars in January 2019. This season the team reached the playoffs for the third time in four years, in addition to doubling the number of season ticket holders. The new owner will have to face the dilemma of moving from his home, currently owned by British Columbia.