According to The Globe and Mail, “barring a last-minute snag, the owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club will be awarded a Major League Soccer expansion franchise by the end of this month,” reports Matthew Sekeres, citing two unnamed sources that have current team owner Greg Kerfoot in final negotiations with MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
While MLS is not expected to make announcements on the two teams that will join the league in 2011 until the end of March, Vancouver looks to be leading the way among the four existing expansion bids, being “the only remaining bidder with confirmed financial backing and a resolved stadium plan.”
The Whitecaps, who will assume the name of the current USL First Division team, are set to play at B.C. Place Stadium, which will be renovated to include a retractable roof. On the business side, investors include NBA superstar Steve Nash and former Yahoo! President Jeff Mallett.