Investment group comes forward to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and move team to Las Vegas
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — An investment group has come forward to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the Major League Soccer club to Las Vegas. The group is led by Grant Gustavson, grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, the founder of Public Storage.
The Whitecaps were put up for sale 16 months ago, but no potential buyers had emerged publicly until Thursday. “In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more, however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal,” Gustavson said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.
” Gustavson said the investment group will privately finance the deal to buy the team and relocate it and it is “not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas. ” Major League Soccer has said it would "evaluate all options” for the future of the Whitecaps, including a possible move. The team currently plays at BC Place, which will host seven games of this summer's World Cup.
But the league has said the lease situation with the stadium is untenable and would prefer a soccer-specific stadium for the team. “It’s reaching a critical point,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors in New York. Garber cited strict schedule restrictions from the government entity that owns and operates the building and an inability to add premium seating.
British Columbia’s government said Tuesday it is working with the Whitecaps to help the team lower costs and generate more revenue at BC Place — but it won’t be buying the team to prevent it from moving cities. The team's supporters were at Thursday's meeting of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, many waving signs that read “Save the 'Caps. ” Posters with the words were plastered across downtown.