How to watch Vancouver Whitecaps on TV?

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC

The Whitecaps franchise was founded in 2009 and entered Major League Soccer as its 17th team. The team is a “phoenix club” or one that replaces a club of the same name that has failed in business terms but not in sporting terms. The current Whitecaps team is the third to carry the name. In 2012, Vancouver became the first Canadian franchise to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs.

A Whitecaps team was playing in the USSF Division 2 but was failing from a business standpoint. An ownership group approached MLS about an expansion team and was awarded the franchise in 2009. The Whitecaps team then approved the new MLS franchise keeping the Whitecaps name. That ownership group – Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash (the former NBA player) – still own the club today.

Fans can watch Vancouver Whitecaps games on TV and stream games from a number of different platforms. National broadcasts are shown on ESPN and ESPN2. Subscribers to ESPN+ can also watch on that network. The Vancouver Whitecaps complete schedule can be watched via live stream on ESPN+ as well as a number of other network apps such as ABC and FOX. Full game replays are available 48 hours after a match on ESPN+.

HOME OF THE WHITECAPS

The Whitecaps play their home matches in BC Place which they share with the CFL’s British Columbia Lions. Vancouver began play at Empire Field, a temporary stadium where the Whitecaps played until the final month of the 2011 MLS season. Since then, Vancouver has played all of its home matches at BC Place. The stadium seats 54,500, but for soccer matches that is reduced to 22,120 by closing the upper bowl.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

The Whitecaps best finish in MLS play came in 2015 when Vancouver ended up second in the Western Conference and third overall. The club finished third in the West in 2017. Those have been the two best seasons in MLS play. Vancouver has won the Voyageurs Cup, given to the top team in Canada, once. The Whitecaps were the runners-up for the Voyageurs Cup in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, and 2018.

Vancouver has won the Cascadia Cup three times – 2013, 2014, and 2016. The Cascadia Cup is given annually to the best team in the Pacific Northwest. It includes the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers. The Whitecaps also won the Canadian Championship in 2015.

BEST OF THE WHITECAPS

The leading scorer in Whitecaps history is Camilo Sanvezzo. Camilo, as he is known, played just three seasons in Vancouver from 2011 to 2013 but he totaled 43 goals. He recorded a hat trick against Colorado in the final match of the 2013 MLS season. His performance in that game allowed Camilo to win the MLS scoring race that year with 22 goals.

David Ousted is the all-time franchise leader in appearances (142) by a Whitecaps goalkeeper. Ousted led the league in clean sheets in 2014 and 2015 and was a two-time MLS All-Star (2014, 2016). He led the league in saves in 2015 with 99.