Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–84)

Vancouver Whitecaps
Full name	Vancouver Whitecaps
Nickname(s)	The 'Caps
Founded	December 11, 1973
Dissolved	1984; 29 years ago
Ground	Empire Stadium (1974–1983); BC Place (1983–1984); Pacific Coliseum (NASL Indoor); (capacity: 30,000 (Empire); 60,000 (BC Place); 16,000 (Coliseum))
League	NASL
Home colours	Away colours

This article is about the defunct Vancouver Whitecaps team from the North American Soccer League. For the MLS team, see Vancouver Whitecaps FC. For the former USL team, see Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010).

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were a professional soccer team founded on December 11, 1973. During the 1970s and 1980s they played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Whitecaps achieved 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 brand new 60,000-seat BC Place Stadium in 1983.

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

Honours [edit]

Soccer Bowl winners – 1979

Statistics [edit]

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, Western 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)
1982/83	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)

Attendance [edit]

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 was also the largest crowd to ever see a club soccer match in Canada until the Montreal Impact surpassed the mark with 60,860 on May 12, 2012.