Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Vancouver Whitecaps FC is a privately owned company headquartered in Canada, originally founded in 1974, and currently operating with approximately 380 employees. The professional soccer club, based in Vancouver, is a phoenix club and the third to use the "Whitecaps" name, which originated in 1974 as a member of the North American Soccer League and was revived in 2001 for a second-division team that last played in the 2010 USSF Division 2. The current Major League Soccer (MLS) iteration of the club was founded on March 18, 2009, and began play in 2011 as the 17th team to enter MLS, where it now competes as a member of the Western Conference. The club has been owned and managed by the same group since its second-division franchise days, specializing in sports tickets, merchandise, and sponsorship.