- Vancouver Whitecaps sign German legend Thomas Muller
- Ownership announces change in mind during introductory press conference
- Group searching for "partner" instead of permanent sale
The Vancouver Whitecaps announced the historic signing of legendary German forward Thomas Müller this past week, and during his introductory press conference, club ownership announced a U-turn in a potential sale of the club.
The ownership group of Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash previously declared the club for sale at the end of the 2024 season, but Mallett shared on Thursday after Müller’s press conference that that is no longer the case. The addition of Müller has changed their perspective on how to succeed with the club, but they realize that they will not be able to do it without a new “partner” going forward.
“We need a partner,” Mallett said, via The Province, while speaking on what Muller means for the ownership group. We are willing to stay and bring the knowledge base we have.”
In December, the group announced they were “looking to sell,”but they have now had a change of heart. Talks of a new stadium have emerged, with reported conversations with the city about land at the PNE where the Hastings Racecourse sits for a potential new ground.
“The stadium being a possibility changed the dynamic of the offering in the market,” Mallett added. Meanwhile, lead investors Kerfoot and Luczo are looking to reduce the burden of ownership, hence why they’re searching for a new investor.
“They are looking to lessen their load,” Mallett said. Both his and Nash’s stakes have always been smaller.
In conversations with Muller during his contract, the German forward voiced no issue with the ownership setup. “He liked what he saw,” Mallett noted.
The Whitecaps have defied expectations this season, and are on pace to be one of the best teams in the Western Conference come the end of the regular-season campaign. The Canadian side, led by first-year head coach Jesper Sorensen, made the CONCACAF Champions Cup final earlier this season and sits second in the West.
With Muller added to their ranks, alongside U.S. internationals Brian White and Sebastian Berhalter, the Whitecaps’ prospects to compete in the postseason this fall are high.
The German forward will be eligible to debut for Vancouver this weekend.
Nash spoke with BALLGM US in June about his ownership stake in the Whitecaps, sharing that they still had intentions to sell. Now, though, the change of heart has arrived.
“Yeah,” Nash said on whether they still had intentions to sell on June 25. “There’s lots of lots happening behind the scenes. Essentially, this is a billionaire’s game now, so we’re trying to get the club in a position where they have more resources to succeed, I think, important. And we were thrilled and proud to bring MLS to Vancouver. We’ve built the club up to, I think, a good level, obviously, making a دوري أبطال أوروبا final, being atop the West, having a training center that’s, you know, as good as almost any in MLS… [We’re] just trying to continue to build and trying to get some more resources in to help the club grow and take that transition to the next level.”
The Whitecaps take on the Houston Dynamo Sunday evening in MLS action.
