Vancouver: What a REAL "soccer city" is all about.

As some of you may be aware, there may be a second Vancouver MLS bid in the works from Vancouver Canucks owner Francesco Aquilini.

Whitecaps fans are NOT happy about this. To say Aquilini is known for questionable business ethics would be the understatement of the year.

At any rate, below is a letter I sent to Garber to make it clear that Vancouver soccer fans will not support a franchise run by Aquilini.

It also contains a few good historical details about Vancouver's pro soccer roots which I thought might be of interest.

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Mr. Garber,

I am writing to voice my full support for Greg Kerfoot, Bob Lenarduzzi, Steve Nash, Jeff Mallett and the Vancouver Whitecaps organization in their bid for an MLS expansion franchise.

Although I was a little too young to fully appreciate the Whitecaps during their NASL years, I became a lifelong fan during the Vancouver 86ers era, and I have rarely missed a home game since the resurrection of the Whitecaps brand name in 2001.

As I am sure you are already aware, the Vancouver Whitecaps / 86ers are the longest-running professional soccer club in all of North America.

We have a rich soccer history in Vancouver that is unparalleled anywhere on this continent.

Our city's love for the Whitecaps began with the inception of the NASL, and with the signings of young internationals like England's Peter Beardsley and Alan Ball, and the infamously cheeky Scotsman, "Wee" Willie Johnston.

The 1979 Soccer Bowl gave Vancouver much to celebrate, with nearly 100,000 people attending the victory parade upon their return home from the match in New York.

Vancouver's support carried the club right on through some very turbulent times, eventually demonstrating an unprecedented dominance of the Canadian Soccer League for a six year period. In 1988-89, Vancouver even broke the world record for the most consecutive matches without a loss (46) by any professional sports organization.

Our more recent successes as part of the APSL and USL would not have been possible were it not for the one man who has seen this club through the best of times and the toughest times, as player, coach and general manager. That person, of course, is Bob Lenarduzzi.

Bob's name has been synonymous with soccer in Canada, and soccer in Vancouver in particular…. he is an irreplaceable asset to the soccer community, and a Whitecaps MLS franchise will be in excellent hands with him at the helm.

As far as the club's ownership goes, Greg Kerfoot needs no introduction. His endless generosity and his dedication to developing the sport at the amateur and professional levels is nothing short of miraculous. Greg has spent tens of millions of dollars to improve the quality of the game in British Columbia without asking for a single thing in return. Among his dozens of charitable projects and initiatives, he is singlehandedly financing Canada's women's Olympic soccer team at a time when the Canadian Soccer Association seems unable or unwilling to provide the resources needed to succeed at the international level.

With the addition of Steve Nash to the Whitecaps MLS bid, you not only have added financial stability, but you also have an immensely popular sports superstar who has the potential to give MLS the boost it needs to gain mainstream acceptance and popularity in North American culture and the sports media.

Last but not least is Jeff Mallett, who I understand is an old acquaintance of yours. Jeff's experience as president of Yahoo! and as co-owner of the San Francisco Giants leads me to believe that the Whitecaps MLS bid has one of the sharpest business minds in the world at its disposal. With Jeff on board, the Whitecaps are sure to continue their long legacy of success on and off the pitch.

While I have heard that there are other ownership groups in Vancouver competing against the Whitecaps for an MLS franchise, please give careful consideration to following:

On behalf of all Vancouver soccer fans, I can assure you with 100% certainty that there is only one club, one ownership, and one name that matters in this city. That name is Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Greg, Bob, Steve and Jeff have huge hearts that bleed blue and white, just like the fans do.

As fans, we know the club we've loved for 34 years is in excellent hands, and it has never been in a better position to grow and succeed than it is now.

When it comes to our beloved Caps, Vancouver's fans shall accept no substitute, and no pretenders.

Please say "yes" to the only expansion bid that matters in our region. Say "yes" to Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

 

One thing I completely forgot to include in the letter was a mention of Domenic Mobilio, one of the most prolific goal scorers in North American history.

From Wikipedia:

His 170 goals in 285 games is second for a player in professional soccer in Canada and the United States after the NASL's great Giorgio Chinaglia and his total of 243. He was a six time league all-star (CSL 1988, 1990, and 1991; APSL 1993 and 1996; A-League, 1997); the CSL's all-time leading scorer and 1990 top scorer and MVP.

His entire pro career was played in Vancouver with the 86ers and Whitecaps (although he also put up some impressive indoor numbers with the Baltimore Blast of MISL).

Sadly, Domenic passed away in 2004 at the tragic age of 35 after suffering a massive heart attack while driving home from an amateur game with friends.

He is right up there with Bob Lenarduzzi in terms of his importance to Vancouver's soccer history. He will be missed.