Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope it was a good weekend and that you have good things in store in the week ahead.
Don Garber elected to make things interesting even during the break, coming to Vancouver to do a mini press tour in a bid to light a fire under PavCo to make some concessions as the team negotiates a new lease at BC Place.
Embedded in that was a veiled threat that the Caps could be moved if there aren’t changes made, particularly on the cut the team gets on things like concessions. Because MLS is a party to the lease, his words have some heft.
In light of the season the team has just had, I have a hard time seeing them being forcibly relocated but also this is Garber, who nearly did the same to the Columbus Crew. Doing something similar would torch a bridge with a growing and engaged market that finally has something going for it after years of mediocrity. It feels more like Garber is trying to use his bully pulpit to force some movement here and he is playing one of the strongest cards he has.
Efforts to secure a soccer-specific stadium have not budged. So while BC Place is really the only short-term solution, PavCo is also in a bit of a bind, as the departure of the Caps would blow a sizable hole in their efforts to fill up the stadium and make money. It feels like an area where compromise could easily happen — but you never really know with things like this.
It is disappointing that we have to do this during a remarkable season and with a playoff run that has (hopefully) not yet run its course. While the end of the year fast approaches, this feels like a deal that makes too much sense not to get done. The Whitecaps need a permanent, soccer-specific home but that isn’t coming for years. MLS needs a foothold in this market with the World Cup approaching. This fan base deserves a team that is finally living up to its potential. And both sides deserve a financially fair arrangement. It feels like something can be worked out — let’s hope there are adults in the room ready to make it happen.
Best of the Rest
More on Garber’s press conference/blustering and the current state of play for the stadium situation.
A shootout victory lifted the Vancouver Rise to the final, giving them a shot at making history as the first Northern Super League champions. Congrats to the Rise on a great series win!
Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor Cavalry could stop Atletico Ottawa from winning the CPL title in wild weather conditions.
San Diego saw off Portland 4-0 to punch the last remaining ticket in the West on Sunday night, a day after Minnesota outlasted Seattle to advance.