Soccer Fan Blog

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC, in conjunction with Major League Soccer, announced today details for the 2011 regular season. Whitecaps FC’s inaugural season in MLS will see the 37-year-old club play a 34-match regular season schedule.

Whitecaps FC kickoff their first season in MLS at Empire Field when they host Canadian rivals Toronto FC on Saturday, March 19, at 3:30 p.m. PT. Whitecaps FC’s final match at Empire Field will be a Cascadia Cup tilt versus Seattle Sounders FC at 4:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, September 24. The Blue and White will then open the new BC Place Stadium against their Interstate 5 rivals in Portland Timbers on Sunday, October 2 at 1:30 p.m. PT. The ‘Caps conclude their inaugural regular season campaign at BC Place versus 2010 MLS Cup champions Colorado Rapids on Saturday, October 22, at 4 p.m. PT.

“We’re delighted to unveil our inaugural MLS regular season schedule to our fans today,” said Whitecaps FC chief executive officer Paul Barber. “We have an exciting start against Toronto FC, while our supporters will also be looking forward to our local derby clashes versus Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers. There will also be some exciting games against the star-studded sides of Los Angeles Galaxy and New York Red Bulls to look forward to. With the majority of our regular season games on a Saturday, supporters will be able to plan their weekends around watching their beloved Blue and White in the major leagues.”

Whitecaps FC head coach Teitur Thordarson’s side will play 34 regular season matches over the course of 32 weeks and face all 17 MLS opponents home and away. The majority of matches will be played on a Saturday, including 12 at home. There will also be three home games on a Wednesday and two home games on a Sunday. Whitecaps FC will begin the season at Empire Field and move to their new home at BC Place at the start of October. A complete schedule is available online at whitecapsfc.com/2011-schedule and all matches will be available live on TEAM 1410 sports radio and teamradio.ca.

The MLS Cup playoff format and dates will be announced in the near future. MLS remains in discussions with other potential national broadcast partners in Canada and will release details soon.

The Complete 2011 MLS Schedule can be found here.

Cascadia Cup
Saturday, May 14 – Seattle Sounders FC vs. Portland Timbers, 8 p.m. PT
Saturday, June 11 – Seattle Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7 p.m. PT
Sunday, July 10 – Portland Timbers vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 2 p.m. PT
Saturday, Aug. 20 – Portland Timbers vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7 p.m. PT
Saturday, Sept. 24 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 4:30 p.m. PT
Sunday, Oct. 2 – Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Portland Timbers, 1:30 p.m. PT