A House Divided Cannot Stand: Portland Stands with Vancouver

For over fifty years, the Vancouver Whitecaps have been an essential pillar of North American soccer culture. Since 1975, the fierce but respectful rivalry between our cities has defined what it means to be a supporter in the Pacific Northwest. Today, that history is under threat.

The Timbers Army and the 107IST stand in total solidarity with the Vancouver Southsiders, Rain City Brigade, and all Whitecaps supporters. We believe that the football culture in Cascadia and across North America is significantly poorer without the inclusion of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

A club is not merely a franchise to be moved for "more profitable" markets; it is a community asset with deep roots in its city. We call upon the following:

To Major League Soccer: Recognize the value of tradition and the robust existing multigenerational fanbase in Vancouver. Relocation is not an option.
To Local and Provincial Government: We urge the City of Vancouver and the Province of British Columbia to finalize a viable stadium solution.
To the Global Soccer Community: Join us in amplifying this cause. Cascadia is a region defined by its rivalries, but it is strengthened by its unity. We will fight for this cause alongside our rivals for as long as it takes.

The Whitecaps belong in Vancouver. #SaveTheCaps

u/StuMun — 19 hours ago

🔥 Hot ▲ 78 r/timbers

Emma Hayes reminds us USWNT won’t play at PP until we have grass

https://katu.com/sports/content/uswnt-head-coach-praises-portland-but-says-team-cant-play-on-turf

The question of whether the USWNT or USMNT will play at Providence Park comes up a lot. Emma Hayes reminds us it won’t happen until we have grass:

Speaking with KATU’s Guillermo Motta, Hayes was asked about the possibility of bringing the USWNT back to Portland in the future. While enthusiastic, she pointed to logistical constraints tied to the team’s collective bargaining agreement.

“This is an elite place with elite songs,” Hayes said. “I know the noise and the experience here is second to none. As you know, per the CBA, the national team are only going to play on grass facilities. So if someone wants to put grass down, I’d love to bring that team up.”

u/StuMun — 2 days ago

🔥 Hot ▲ 57 r/timbers

Some updates on the Caps situation

You've seen the reporting, I'm sure. "MLS owners talk potential Vancouver relocation, with Las Vegas a top option: Sources" from Tom & Paul at the Athletic. "Whitecaps to Las Vegas? Maybe, but probably not" from Patrick Johnston, the main sports columnist at the Province. "Source: MLS exploring Vancouver Whitecaps relocation" from the great Jeff Carlisle at ESPN.

The above comes from Matt Doyle's column this morning called "Save the Caps." The links above are good for catching up. Doyle's column is also a great summary of the situation and his larger thoughts on why MLS needs to not follow the US franchise model is so important.

A club is rooted in a community and real MLS growth can only come from understanding this. Rivalries like Cascadia Cup can only develop in places where clubs are authentically anchored in their places, creating an identity, which is why as Timbers fans we should support the Save the Cups effort. No club is an island. And the Caps deserve our support.

One more update from this morning:
https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/provincial-government-ready-to-hear-whitecaps-proposal-to-run-b-c-place

If the Vancouver Whitecaps really do want to take on the challenge of running B.C. Place, the province is all ears.

So says Ravi Kahlon, minister of jobs and economic growth. Kahlon has been handling the B.C. Place file.

“At this point, we’ve heard from the Whitecaps that they want their own stadium and they wanted to consider going to the PNE,” he said. “We’ve told them we would support them. Obviously we would like them to stay in B.C. Place, but we’d support them (going to the PNE). There has been no proposal from the Whitecaps on them taking over B.C. Place. We have opened our books to them so they understand the costs to operate the building. They understand the debt servicing. We have millions of dollars we’ve spent to fix the stadium up.

“But they have not proposed that.”

reddit.com

u/StuMun — 3 days ago

🔥 Hot ▲ 102 r/timbers

Sign The Southsiders "Save The Caps" Support Wall

Click here to sign, let's show some Portland support: https://savethecaps.com/

From the website:
"A few months ago we released a statement about the situation with the club. Now, the league is talking about potential candidates for relocation.

The football scene in Vancouver, Canada, and North America is poorer without the inclusion of the Vancouver Whitecaps. Our city is a football city with a strong culture. We cannot, and will not allow our club to leave.

It's now time to #SaveTheCaps.

You can count on us to fight this cause wherever it takes us. We ask our friends in the city, league and continent to repost this campaign, use our resources to paint/print visible banners, and tell everyone you know that our club belongs in Vancouver BC."

u/StuMun — 4 days ago