Vancouver Whitecaps fans fear Vegas relocation: “It should be a national embarrassment”

Soccer is not the main sport in the United States. It’s not even second. In fact, it’s not even on the podium when it comes to entertainment. A World Cup, the biggest sporting tournament on the planet, is coming to its shores this summer, and there are innumerable locations within the vast expanse of the country where you could easily live for 4 weeks and fail to notice the circus is in town.

For those who care about soccer in the States, legitimising the sport is a primary concern. MLS, outside of the country, is seen as a retirement league, somewhere sunny for ageing pros to play after a hard-fought career in Europe. The fans may live it with the same passion and dedication as anywhere else, but the reputation is what it is. And moving the Vancouver Whitecaps to Las Vegas is only going to further enhance that negative perception.

We spoke to Nicholas Naughton-Rumbo of the Vancouver Southsiders, the Whitecaps’ main supporters group. He talked about what the club means to the city of Vancouver, its inter-generational impact on the population, and how a move for the Whitecaps could open the floodgates for MLS to rip other teams out of their homes and into more lucrative locations.

Savethecaps.com is where you can join the fight and get involved in keeping the Whitecaps where they belong, in Vancouver.

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