Last Saturday’s Major League Soccer (MLS) debut for Vancouver Whitecaps FC marked a triumphant return at the expense of the team’s Canadian rival Toronto FC for the historic franchise to the highest level of professional soccer in North America.
Their highly entertaining 4–2 win over rivals Toronto FC was a terrific showcase for soccer in Canada, although the visitors from Toronto were “extremely disappointed,” as their superstar Dwayne De Rosario put it afterward.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC played their first game in 1974 and won their first North American title in 1979. Fast forward 30 years and Vancouver would become the home of the 17th MLS team with a temporary stadium at Empire Field.
Meanwhile, Toronto FC has started back at Square 1 under the tutelage of former Dutch great Aron Winter. Last season’s woeful road form continued as Toronto FC will need time to learn Winter’s new system
It was a sunny day, 8 degrees Celsius, and 22,592 fans were ready to cheer on Whitecaps FC. With this kind of support, including Steve Nash, two-time NBA MVP and co-owner, urging on the crowd, it would be hard to see Vancouver not coming away with the three points.
“To come today and see it sold out with all the fans in their colours jumping up and down and enjoying a beautiful sunny day here, it’s a dream,” Nash said at halftime.
A sea of white greeted the two teams for their inaugural game—the first all-Canadian matchup in MLS history. Next year, Montreal Impact will make it three teams in MLS. This will provide more chances for young Canadians to play professional soccer on home soil and can only help Canada’s national team.
TSN also reported that the game attracted almost 1.4 million unique viewers to its coverage.
