Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)

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This article is about the defunct Vancover Whitecaps team from the North American Soccer League. For the current USL team, see Vancouver Whitecaps (USL).

Vancouver Whitecaps

Full name

Vancouver Whitecaps

Nickname(s)

The 'Caps

Founded

1974

Dissolved

1984

Ground

Empire Stadium
BC Place
(Capacity 30,000 (Empire)
60,000 (BC))

League

North American Soccer League





Home colours





Away colours

Original NASL Whitecaps Logo

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Whitecaps achieved good success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home grown" stars like Bobby and Sam Lenarduzzi, Buzz Parsons, and Glen Johnson. In 1979 the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscaster Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointed New York City.

It was during this short period that soccer interest peaked in Vancouver. The Whitecaps attendance at Empire Stadium grew to regular sellouts, at 32,000. The team also recorded two tracks, with "White is the Colour" becoming a hit on local radio during the run-up to their championship win.

After playing at Vancouver's 32,000 seat Empire Stadium for most of their existence, the team moved into the cavernous 60,000 seat BC Place Stadium in 1983. Although the novelty of the stadium drew capacity crowds for the first few games, attendance waned quickly, due to the declining league and, in the opinion of many fans, the harsh environment of the domed stadium.

With the subsequent demise of the NASL, in 1984 the Whitecaps, along with many other teams in the NASL, were forced to fold.

1 Honours
2 Statistics
- 2.1 Attendance
  - 2.1.1 NASL average attendance
3 Notable Former Players
- 3.1 NASL era
4 See also

[edit] Honours

Soccer Bowl winners - 1979

[edit] Statistics

Year	League	W	L	T	Pts	Reg. Season	Playoffs
1974	NASL	5	11	4	70	4th, Western Division	Did not qualify
1975	NASL	11	11	—	99	4th, Pacific Division	Did not qualify
1976	NASL	14	10	—	120	3rd, Pacific Conference, Western Division	Lost 1st Round (Seattle)
1977	NASL	14	12	—	1s4	2nd, Pacific Conference, Western Division	Lost Division Championship (Seattle)
1978	NASL	24	6	—	199	1st, National Conference, Western Division	Won 1st Round (Toronto) Lost Conference Semifinal (Portland)
1979	NASL	20	10	—	172	1st, National Conference, Western Division	Won Conference Quarterfinal (Dallas) Won Conference Semifinal (Los Angeles) Won Conference Championship (New York) Won Soccer Bowl '79 (Tampa Bay)
1979/80	NASL Indoor	Did not enter
1980	NASL	16	16	—	139	3rd, National Conference, Western Division	Lost 1st Round (Seattle)
1980/81	NASL Indoor	11	7	—	—	1st, Northern Division	Won 1st Round (California) Lost Semifinal (Edmonton)
1981	NASL	21	11	—	186	1st, Northwest Division	Lost 1st Round (Tampa Bay)
1981/82	NASL Indoor	10	8	—	—	2nd, National Conference, Northwest Division	Lost 1st Round (San Diego)
1982	NASL	20	12	—	160	3rd, Western Division	Lost 1st Round (San Diego)
1979/80	NASL Indoor	Season cancelled
1983	NASL	24	6	—	187	1st, Western Division	Lost 1st Round (Toronto)
1983/84	NASL Indoor	12	20	—	—	5th	Did not qualify
1984	NASL	13	11	—	117	2nd, Western Division	Lost Semifinal (Chicago)

[edit] Attendance

The record home attendance for a Whitecaps game was on June 20, 1983. 60,342 came to watch the caps take on the Seattle Sounders in the first game at BC Place Stadium. It is also the largest crowd to ever see a club soccer match in Canada.