Friday 13 December 2024

Never heard of Athlon Sports before, but man they're really reaching for content with that Miami jersey article aren't they...seems their main source of info is the Instagram comments of a post.

 

Just curious.... it says you're in Birmingham, and have never heard of Athlon Sports???

 

Nope, they're a magazine? If it's a college football thing then I'm not really a big fan compared to MLS/soccer...still doesn't excuse the fact it's a made up controversy + Messi for clicks.

 

Vancouver Whitecaps announce they are selling the team.
https://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/ownership-statement

 

And Whitecaps fans rejoice....

 

All depends on if it is a local owner. That being said, I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

Saying they can't compete basically in today's MLS. I also wonder after the sale if one of these owners will they turn around and invest in a Canadian Premier League expansion team?

 

Or they buy one of the local CPL teams.....

 

We are going to find out if the estimated values for MLS teams which Forbes (Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Teams 2024) and others produced are close to accurate, wildly overstated, or, less likely, wildly understated.

 

About time! Now bring that team over to the US! Oh yeah, and get an owner that is ambitious and passionate about his team.

 

Did you even read the article?

 

From ESPN's (AP) article:

Greg Kerfoot has been owner of the club since 2002, when it was part of the North American Soccer League.

Jesus, AP.

 

Fwiw, it’s a press release, not an article. Who knows what happens next. Does the team stay in Vancouver? Move elsewhere? I doubt the league sees Vancouver as a market it simply has to remain in.

 

I agree...I'm sure the current ownership would like for the team to stay in Vancouver, but I also don't think they're going to pass up an extra $200 million if that's what a billionaire offers that wants to move the team to a US city.

 

What current US Markets without a MLS team are larger than Vancouver?

Vancouver's MSA has a pop of 2.8M.

Which leaves us with the following:

Phoenix ~5M
Riverside ~4.7M
San Fran ~ 4.5M
Detroit ~4.3M
Tampa ~3.3M

So who among those has an ownership group, stadium site, etc.?

Moving Vancouver would take away a regional rival for Seattle and Portland, as well as a national rival for Toronto and Montreal. Vancouver is one of the reasons the league is where it is at today. The Cascadia rivalry helped drive interest in the league. Moving them would be very shortsighted. It's a similar situation to moving the Crew.

 

That team valuation list doesn't really make sense.

They are saying that the Vancouver Whitecaps are worth $420 million yet MLS expansion fees are $550 mil.

Agreed.

Hypothetically, why would a new, potential and aspiring owner blow another $130 million on a new team when he can buy an existing club for a cheaper price and then move the franchise wherever he wants?

 

Sacramento Whitecaps

 

I am not sure how true it is but I read in the threads that Joey Saputo wanted to pull his Montreal team out of MLS and was thinking of entering a Canadian league.

I always thought the Whitecaps were profitable or at least doing well financially but are they really losing that much money in Vancouver?

If the Caps do move and Montreal pulls out, then that leaves only TFC in Canada.

With the World Cup around the corner, maybe Canada has bigger plans for their own, domestic league?

 

Because he (or she) can't? Any movement has to be authorized by the BOD and after the Crew mess I'm guessing they're in no hurry to go back down that rabbit hole.

Also starting with a clean slate means you're not inheriting the existing problems of the team. Largely you're not buying what is likely a team suffering in its market with fans who have checked out and likely infrastructure and a roster that needs investment. It might be worth paying more not to be stuck with all of that.

 

As I recall reading, the Crew was blocked from moving because of an old, Ohio state law which came out after Art Modell moved the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore.

I don’t know if British Columbia or Canada for that matter, has such a law in place but if they don’t and a different owner comes in , buys the franchise and moves it somewhere else, they won't have those same existing problems they had in Vancouver.

If I were an aspiring owner and had the chance to buy a team and save $130 mil, I would.

They can use that money for the club or a stadium.

 

According to Forbes’ estimates Vancouver has the lowest revenue in MLS ($25M) & largest operating losses ($14M). Those are just estimates, but according to them, the Whitecaps are financially the worst performing team in MLS & it isn’t particularly close.

Their lack of a stadium is pretty clearly hurting them & it seems equally clear that Kerfoot lacks the financial wherewithal to get a stadium built. Given that & the fact that the lease w/ BC place only runs through 2025, it makes a lot of sense to sell now. I really hope that is to someone who can get a stadium built & keep it in Vancouver.

 

None of which addresses my point that the MLS BoG has to authorize a move and they are unlikely to do that.