MLS commissioner warns Whitecaps relocation could drag on much longer
Don Garber said the club and local politicians need to show political will, pointing to Columbus's speedier resolution as a blueprint.
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The Vancouver Whitecaps' relocation saga shows no sign of ending soon, with MLS Commissioner Don Garber warning that time is running out for a deal to keep the team in the city.
Garber acknowledged some hope—he said the Whitecaps "want to find a solution"—but stressed that local politicians need to "step up" with firm political will. He pointed to Columbus as an example: when the Crew faced relocation threats in 2017, the club, mayor, economic development officials, and governor all worked together. Within a year, new ownership emerged, the Haslam Group purchased the team in December 2018, and it raised $900 million in capital.
Vancouver's ownership has had the Whitecaps on the market since December 2024. Though some buyers have expressed interest, the sale has stalled for a year and a half—far longer than Columbus's timeline.
"Time is an enemy to any deal," Garber said. "The longer it waits, like any deal, people just get distracted, they lose interest, or people move on."
Garber also praised the Las Vegas ownership group with an option on land for a potential MLS expansion team. "We have a great, passionate, well-heeled owner that has an option on an unbelievably attractive piece of land," he told reporters in Seattle.
FIFA Vice President Victor Montagliani, a Vancouver native, struck a sharply different tone. "[The Whitecaps] are not going anywhere," he said on local radio. "I'll do everything I can to help in that process. It would be a crime [if they left]." Montagliani said he's seen positive progress over the past couple of months and remains "very positive that we'll get this done."