Whitecaps prepare for MLS Cup final with future in Vancouver in question

The Vancouver Whitecaps are taking on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the MLS Cup final this weekend, amid questions about the franchise’s future in the city.

From early on in the season, questions have swirled about the Vancouver Whitecaps’ future in the city.

Now, after the club’s best-ever Major League Soccer campaign – which will see the team square up against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the MLS Cup final on Saturday – those questions are back in focus.

In the buildup to the final, league commissioner Don Garber has described the Whitecaps’ lease deal at the provincial-government-owned B.C. Place as “untenable.”

Premier David Eby faced questions over the issue during an unrelated news conference on Friday.

“We have been engaging with the Whitecaps,” Eby said. “They have faced, despite their success on the field, some significant financial challenges. And we’re working with them, to do our best to keep our – hopefully – championship Whitecaps, here at home in British Columbia.”

It comes as Hastings Racecourse announces an end to live horse racing, with the Whitecaps holding talks with the city in recent months about building a soccer-specific stadium on the PNE grounds.

As for the big match, the Whitecaps are preparing in Florida.

“At the moment, it’s the most important thing in my life,” star German midfielder Thomas Muller told TSN. “I’m here for a mission, and this is part of my mission.”

That was echoed by captain Ryan Gauld, who missed a large part of the season through a knee injury but has been able to contribute during this run to the final.

“It’s a special time for the city,” Gauld said. “You can see it’s been building, building throughout the year. And, ultimately, we’ve reached the point where we want to be, but now it’s up to us to take care of business.”

Local sports bars are largely booked out for the final, including Shark Club in Vancouver, which is holding some space for walk-ins.

“It’s electric,” Shark Club general manager Murray Saunders told CTV News on Friday.

“It’s exciting, it’s almost like the World Cup’s here already. I feel tomorrow is going to be one of my days (that will be) as busy as the Super Bowl.”

Roughly 1,000 Whitecaps fans are expected to be at the final in Florida.

“You look at this team, and it’s a team who you can really, truly get behind,” said Peter Czimmermann, president of the Southsiders, a Whitecaps supporters group.

“Because they are fighting. You feel they are fighting for you and for the city.”

Saturday’s match kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Pacific Time.