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Vancouver Whitecaps would become a winter team if MLS goes through with this idea

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Apr 11 2025, 2:00 pm
Vancouver Whitecaps would become a winter team if MLS goes through with this idea
The Whitecaps played an away game in the snow against Real Salt Lake back in 2017 (Jeff Swinger/USA TODAY Sports)

The Vancouver Whitecaps might not be a summer team for long, if Major League Soccer goes through with this.

MLS announced on Thursday that its board of governors have “authorized a second phase of exploration” to potentially move to the international soccer calendar. The league also said it’s also evaluating its regular season and playoff formats.

The change, if implemented, wouldn’t take effect until 2027 at the earliest. But it would completely overhaul when matches are played for the Whitecaps and the other 29 MLS member clubs.

The Whitecaps typically begin their MLS regular-season schedule in late February and wrap up by October. That allows the team to take advantage of Vancouver’s sunny summer weather, as well as a quieter North American sports schedule.

But it can also make things awkward league-wide.

MLS teams often make big changes to their rosters mid-season, when player movement is commonplace during the offseason in other leagues. And when international tournaments are taking place, MLS has to schedule mid-season breaks or play matches without key players.

But would MLS really want to go head-to-head with the NFL, NBA, and NHL?

If MLS were to copy the English Premier League schedule, it would begin mid-August and run until May. That overlaps the NFL entirely, as well as most of the NHL and NBA seasons.

Locally, that means fighting for attention with the Vancouver Canucks, even more than they currently do.

It also means more matches scheduled in cold and rainy conditions.

It might be worth putting a roof on that PNE stadium.

But Vancouver has it easy compared to some other clubs in the league. Don’t think fans in Toronto and Montreal will be enthused about freezing their butts off outdoors in January and February. The same goes for American teams in places that experience frigid winters, like Minnesota, Colorado, Chicago, New England, and New York.

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