- Jun 25, 2007
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Aquaman buying the Whitecaps? I guess.
Is there a real-estate angle? If not, I doubt the Aquilinis are interested.
Aquaman buying the Whitecaps? I guess.
The Davies news came out a month ago... is there a new angle I’m missing?
If Aquilini wanted to buy the Whitecaps I suspect he’d have done it by now. The owners have repeatedly said they don’t want to sell, but the speculation is they were waiting for all the expansion fees to come through first (possibly two more to go if the league is going up to 32 – which I think is a ridiculous amount for MLS) and then cashing out. I absolutely see this being realistic.
I definitely don’t want the Caps to leave MLS... such a slap in the face for one of the best soccer markets in North America. But I suspect about five minutes would be spent trying to find local owners before the team is sold for relocation (after another three minutes of the league pretending to protest).
Much like the NBA, they will pretend it “just couldn’t work” in Vancouver which was nonsense in both cases.
Elvis is still dead in Memphis. Fielding a competitive team that has made the playoff multiple times, Memphis Grizzlies STILL linger near the bottom of the league in attendance. Despite giving a billionaire owner the use of a taxpayer subsidized arena, the people of Memphis aren't stupid as they made owner an ironclad agreement not to move for a number of years.Much like the NBA, they will pretend it “just couldn’t work” in Vancouver which was nonsense in both cases.
I doNt understand why these leagues don’t get a private island and play the games outdoors (in the nfl/mls case and maybe nba)
control everything and don’t try to rely on a bubble. Create a physical barrier
MLS is a cheaply run league. As you’ve stated, owners were likely hoping to get some revenue from fans being able to eventually attend games.This was planned way back in May. The greedy idiots were probably banking on loosened restrictions to allow some fans to attend.
Elvis is still dead in Memphis. Fielding a competitive team that has made the playoff multiple times, Memphis Grizzlies STILL linger near the bottom of the league in attendance. Despite giving a billionaire owner the use of a taxpayer subsidized arena, the people of Memphis aren't stupid as they made owner an ironclad agreement not to move for a number of years.
Hilarious that Steve "Boo Hoo, it rains in Vancouver" Francis eventually saw him traded back TO the Grizzlies - though the Memphis Grizzlies. Was so washed up at that point, I don't think he ever ended up playing a single game for them.Bryant Reeves sleep country.
They were never in control, a genius goal by their only decent player bar Cavellini, and being gifted two goals, and they were still getting destroyed. SJ had 70+% possession at times, corners were 19-1.Wow you have to be kidding. I watched the first half. Well in control. I left for awhile thinking it’s over. I checked the headlines and I was so wrong. Yikes.
They were never in control, a genius goal by their only decent player bar Cavellini, and being gifted two goals, and they were still getting destroyed. SJ had 70+% possession at times, corners were 19-1.
The entire squad is trash bar the aforementioned two players.
Ultimately this franchise is a depreciating asset, despite the solid support from local fans. The "new MLS" is moving in a direction of increased expenditures to ensure competitiveness with some of the higher salaried teams. The MLS has previously advised the VWFC owners to spend but this franchise has done the exact opposite. In this league, you either need to spend to get those top tier ex-European stars or heavily invest in scouting across the globe to round out your roster. Also the reality may hurt but this city is not a desirable spot for many high caliber players due to the low Canadian dollar and higher taxes along with the lack of vibrancy and lifestyle.
The owners would be better off selling the team as an expansion slot because they will get absolutely lowballed by local groups due to the lack of material assets that come with the franchise here. Not building a soccer specific stadium in Vancouver has really hurt local soccer here.