LAS VEGAS — Major League Soccer may be the next professional sports league to relocate a team to Las Vegas, with an investment group led by Grant Gustavson seeking to buy the financially troubled Vancouver Whitecaps and move them to a new stadium near the Las Vegas Strip.
Gustavson, 30, a Las Vegas resident and USC graduate with deep ties to the school’s athletic program, last week submitted a formal offer to the league to purchase the team, which has been up for sale for 16 months. But his plans have met with significant opposition in Vancouver, the team’s home since 1974 when it played in the North American Soccer League.
“We are a world-class football town,” David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, said in a video posted on social media. “Losing the Whitecaps is not an option.”
However, it’s hard to see how the team, an MLS Cup finalist a year ago and the second-best club in MLS again this season, can afford to stay in Canada under the current circumstances. The Whitecaps have reportedly lost more than $300 million since joining MLS 15 years ago and they are forecast to lose as much as $45 million this season.
Players stand at midfield for the national anthems prior to an MLS match between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Colorado Rapids at BC Place on April 25 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
(Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz / Getty Images)
Additionally, they may have no place to play next season since their lease at BC Place, a 54,000-seat football stadium, expires at the end of the year.
The team’s current ownership group is led by Greg Kerfoot, a Vancouver-based software billionaire who bought the team in 2002, nine years before the Whitecaps joined MLS. Kerfoot has expressed a desire to keep the team in Vancouver, but of the 40 or so potential suitors who have expressed interest in buying the club, most have turned away after taking a look at the team’s finances.
“Everybody’s like ‘this is a bad business model. We’re not interested’,” said a person with knowledge of the talks who is not authorized to discuss them publicly. “If somebody can find that white knight to keep the team in Vancouver, it’ll be great. But the sharks are circling when it comes to the other markets, and right now, Vegas is the one that submitted a formal proposal.”
The stadium deal in Vancouver is one of the biggest obstacles in trying to keep the team there. Under the Whitecaps’ current agreement with BC Place, which is owned by the BC Pavilion Corp., a Crown corporation of the province, the team has limited access to revenue streams such as naming rights, receives just 12.5% of food and beverage revenue, and gets nothing from parking.
It does not have priority on scheduling either, which proved embarrassing in 2024 when the team had to move a home playoff game to Portland, Ore., because a motocross event was taking place at the stadium.
Efforts by the Whitecaps to build a soccer-specific stadium of their own have been stymied by high land costs and a lack of public funding. MLS is seeking a formal stadium solution by end of the year as it considers Gustavson’s offer.
“Major League Soccer remains focused on working with the Whitecaps and local stakeholders to determine whether a sustainable long-term path for the club can be achieved,” league spokesperson Dan Courtemanche said. “The Whitecaps’ ownership group has played a significant role in growing the game in Vancouver and across Canada. However, stadium economics, scheduling restrictions, and a lack of government and corporate support have created ongoing structural challenges that make it difficult to establish a viable path forward for the club.”
MLS would prefer the team remain in Vancouver and commissioner Don Garber has spoken with Eby, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim and other government officials in the search for a solution. One reason for that is the league is reportedly considering expanding to 32 teams following the World Cup, so keeping the Whitecaps in Vancouver would make Gustavson and Las Vegas prime candidates for an expansion franchise.
A statement from Gustavson’s publicist touted Las Vegas, its growing base of soccer fans and the privately financed nature of the investment model, but it notably did not name the Whitecaps, suggesting the group would be open to an expansion team.
”We have a responsibility to ensure the long-term health of the league and its clubs and we will evaluate all options, including interest that has been expressed in the club from other markets and investor groups,” Courtemanche said.
Fans cheer during the Whitecaps match against the Rapids at BC Place on April 25 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
(Elizabeth Ruiz Ruiz / Getty Images)
The Whitecaps aren’t the only top MLS team up for sale — nor the only one whose future revolves around Las Vegas. The San José Earthquakes, who have the league’s best record, have been seeking a buyer since last spring. San Francisco businessman John Fisher, who has owned the soccer team since 2007, also owns baseball’s Athletics, which are scheduled to begin play in Las Vegas in 2028. Selling the Quakes, which are valued at about $600 million, will help Fisher finance the $1.7-billion ballpark he is building on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Quakes are unlikely to be sold before the Whitecaps’ future is determined. But a source with knowledge of the negotiations involving both teams, who is not permitted to discuss the details publicly, said the team is expected to remain in San José.
“Somebody is going to buy the team, and they’re gonna keep the team there,” the person said. “Versus Vancouver [where] somebody’s gonna buy the team, and it’s a little up in the air.”
Since 2008 the WNBA and NFL have both seen teams relocate to Las Vegas while the Athletics left Oakland before last season and are playing in Sacramento while their new stadium in Las Vegas is being built.
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