There is a formal offer on the table to purchase the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the MLS club to Las Vegas, The Athletic reported.
An investor group led by Grant Gustavson, the son of Kentucky billionaire Tamara Gustavson and grandson of Public Storage founder B. Wayne Hughes, submitted a bid to the league office.
“Las Vegas is known the world over as a welcoming destination for millions of people each year and has a growing, passionate community of soccer fans,” Gustavson’s group said in a statement.
“… The investment group will privately finance this endeavor and is not connected to any of the recently announced arena ideas in Las Vegas. In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more, however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal. We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”
Terms of the offer were not immediately available. According to Thursday’s report in The Athletic, Gustavson’s offer includes a commitment to building a soccer-specific venue in Las Vegas.
Gustavson, 30, resides in Las Vegas and has helped to develop the NIL program at his alma mater, the University of Southern California, per the report.
The Whitecaps originally were founded in 1974 as a member of the North American Soccer League and were later revived as an MLS franchise in 2009.
The team has been up for sale since December 2024 but “no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here” despite serious conversations with more than 100 interested parties, according to the team.
Fans in Vancouver have engaged in a “Save The Caps” movement in an attempt to keep the club in British Columbia. The Whitecaps are one of three MLS clubs in Canada along with Toronto FC and CF Montreal.
Vancouver mayor Ken Sim released a statement earlier this encouraging the team and province to find a way to keep the team in the market.
“We are calling on the team’s ownership to publicly and clearly articulate what they need to stay here in Vancouver, and we are calling on the Provincial Government to come to the table and make that a reality,” Kim said. “To all Vancouver Whitecaps fans, to the Southsiders, and to all of the supporter groups, we need you to keep the fight going. We need you to stay strong, and we need you to stay loud. Losing the Whitecaps is not an option. #SAVETHECAPS.”
–Field Level Media
