Good Friday morning Caps fans. I hope you all are having a good week and that your Friday the 13th is not ominous in the slightest.

Sadly, it appears we are not the only group of supporters who must rally to save our beloved club. Monday’s column briefly touched on the alarming news that CF Montreal owner Joey Saputo is putting the club up for sale, seemingly to the highest bidder. This is a news item that is highly relevant and, frankly, infuriating, and thus deserves more column inches.

Saputo’s comments on Monday suggest that he will attempt to sell to an ownership group that wants to keep the club in Quebec. But he also wants any buying to pay market rate for the club. It is rich that a deadbeat owner is trying to maximize the club’s value now after years of neglecting and declining to invest in the team. But I fear that this is hurtling towards the inevitable conclusion of Montreal departing MLS, a reality that is perhaps more acute than the situation in Vancouver.

Let’s be clear: MLS turning its back on Vancouver and/or Montreal is a sign of a league that is both disinterested in soccer history in North America and, more importantly for the bean counters at MLS, disinterested in the future of the sport on the continent. While Las Vegas or Indianapolis may be more lucrative in the short term given the current state of the Canadian dollar, there is just as much growth potential in Canada’s biggest cities. They are larger metro areas with a richer soccer history and surging demand for the sport. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: MLS turning its back on Canada would be the biggest mistake the league ever made and a massive own goal for improving the quality of American MLS teams and the U.S. Men’s National Team. The Canadian National Team has become a top rival for the U.S. and who do you think develops those players? It might someday be the CPL but, at the moment, the lion’s share of that work is being done by the three MLS teams.

But we don’t even need to evaluate the idea of relocating the Impact (and they will always be the Impact) from a dollars-and-cents standpoint. The Saputo family has phoned in running Montreal. In the rare instances in which they sort of tried, the team flourished, fans poured in, and we got to see one of North America’s best derbies. This is a market that deserves a high-level MLS team. I give Supra credit for a promising debut season in the CPL, but they alone are inadequate.

Obviously, Montreal has the same stadium issues Vancouver has, with the added struggle of the calendar change. But renovating the Big Owe is a possibility, and, much like a Caps-run BC Place or a Hastings Park soccer-specific stadium, there is no reason Montreal couldn’t have one of the best stadium setups in the league.

Eurosnobs mock MLS’ structure, where a single-entity club can be moved at the drop of a hat. And while I hate to concede any points to that group, they’re right to reject the notion that clubs (particularly with as much history and culture as the Whitecaps or Impact) should be treated as the playthings of billionaires, which can be dropped into the trash bin at any moment. We stand in solidarity with supporters in Montreal, and I hope that Vancouver can continue to beat Montreal on the field for many years to come. Off the pitch, however, we are all on the same team.

Shameless Self Promotion

A look at the Caps’ preparations for the playoff push.

Jesper Sorensen earned his second straight Coach of the Year nomination, while Ryan Gauld was a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year.

Mauricio Pochettino is fleeing the USMNT and heading to Manchester United, meaning the U.S. will once again embark on a search for a new manager.

Meanwhile Canada take on Guatemala in the Nations League quarters later tonight.