Vancouver Whitecaps

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

An ownership group in Vancouver were granted the seventeenth Major League Soccer franchise on March 18, 2009, by MLS commissioner Don Garber. While no name was provided at the Vancouver announcement, over a year later the club confirmed it would keep the Whitecaps name, which had been first used in 1974. The original Whitecaps played from 1974 to 1984 in the North American Soccer League and won one league championship, Soccer Bowl '79. After the league folded, a new team named the Vancouver 86ers was founded in 1986 and played in various minor leagues. It adopted the Whitecaps name in 2001. The team sold the first 5,000 season ticket deposits 48 hours after they became available to the public. Remaining season tickets were made available to season ticket holders for the USSF 2 Whitecaps before becoming available to non-season ticket holders. In preparation for its first MLS season, the Whitecaps brought in executive talent from around the world. On November 24, 2009, Paul Barber, former Tottenham Hotspur executive, was announced to join the club as CEO. Others joining him included former D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn as Director of Operations and Dutch national Richard Grootscholten as the Technical Director and head coach of the residency program. As the head coach of the USL and later USSF Division 2 Vancouver Whitecaps, former Iceland international Teitur Thordarson was confirmed as head coach on September 2, 2010, for the inaugural MLS season. He was subsequently relieved of his duties on May 30, 2011, after the Whitecaps won just one of their first twelve matches. Tom Soehn, the Whitecaps director of soccer operations, replaced Thordarson on an interim basis.

In Their Own Story

The Whitecaps kicked off their MLS era on March 19, 2011, defeating Toronto FC 4–2 with Eric Hassli scoring the first goal in club history. Despite this strong start, they struggled significantly, failing to win any of their next 11 games. This slump led to head coach Teitur Thordarson's dismissal on May 30 after just one victory in twelve matches; Tom Soehn took over temporarily before Martin Rennie was hired permanently in August. By October 21, 2012, the team achieved a historic milestone as the first Canadian club to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs, though they were eliminated in the knockout round. In 2015, they won their first Canadian Championship by defeating Montreal 4–2 on aggregate and reached their best-ever regular season with 53 points. The club later advanced to both the CONCACAF Champions Cup and MLS Cup finals in 2025.

Reader's Guide

The Whitecaps began playing in the 2011 MLS season with their first match on March 19, 2011, against rival Canadians Toronto FC, which they won 4–2. The first goal in the Whitecaps' MLS era was scored by Eric Hassli. After their winning start the Whitecaps struggled, and failed to secure another victory in their next 11 MLS games, drawing six and losing five. In the aftermath of their 1–1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on May 30 head coach Teitur Thordarson was fired. Tom Soehn took over coaching duties for the remainder of the 2011 season, while Martin Rennie was announced as the new permanent head coach on August 9, taking over officially on November 2. The team managed to attract 15,500 season ticket holders in its first MLS season and 13,000 for the second. On March 3, 2012, the Whitecaps won their first minor, pre-season cup at the 2012 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic defeating Toronto FC 1–0 thanks to a goal by Camilo Sanvezzo. The Whitecaps finished the regular season with 11 wins, 3 losses, and 10 ties positioning the club, fifth in the Western Conference and 11th on the league overall table. On October 21, 2012, the Whitecaps became the first Canadian team to earn a spot in the MLS playoffs. Vancouver were eliminated in the knockout round. In the 2013 season, Vancouver finished in seventh in the Western Conference, 13th in the league table with 13 wins, 12 losses, and 9 ties in the regular season. They were not able to qualify for the post season, in the playoffs as they had accomplished in the season prior. Two days after the end of the 2013 MLS regular season, Rennie's contract was not renewed sparking a search for the next head coach. In their off-season, the Whitecaps were in the midst of controversy with one of their then players, Camilo, who had played for the team since their inaugural campaign, after the Brazilian went on to join Liga MX club Querétaro. The Mexican club believed that he was no longer under contract, while the Whitecaps reported that he was still on a contract with Vancouver. The scandal was resolved with the Liga MX club paying a transfer fee from Vancouver to acquire the Brazilian forward. In October 2014, the Whitecaps qualified for the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League for the first time as a result of becoming the highest ranked Canadian team in the 2014 MLS season and due to a reformatting of the Canadian Champio

Did You Know?

• The Whitecaps won the 2012 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, a pre-season cup, defeating Toronto FC 1–0.
• In 2015, the Whitecaps won their first Canadian Championship, beating Montreal 4–2 on aggregate.
• The Whitecaps became the first Canadian team to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs in 2012.