Vancouver Whitecaps FansThe Vancouver Whitecaps are a Canadian professional Soccer team. The team was founded in 1986, and is part of the USL First Division, the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

They make their home at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Their colours are blue and white.  They join the Montreal impact as the only 2 Canadian teams competing in the USL First Division.

Their biggest rivals are the Seattle Sounders and the Portland Timbers.

The USL First Division season typically runs from March through October with playoffs usually beginning in late September.  The regular season consists of 30 games.

The team was originally known as the Vancouver 86ers and played in both the A-League, and the CSL. There is also a women’s squad, called the Vancouver Whitecaps Women, who play in the USL W-League.

As the 86ers the 1988-89 team, then coached by Bob Lendarduzzi, set a North American professional sports record by going undefeated in 46 straight matches.

In 2001, they joined the USL and became the Whitecaps. The name draws its reference from the nearby mountains and the waves of the Pacific Ocean.

They hold their practices on the new turf field at Simon Fraser University.

In 2003, the team name was amended slightly to Whitecaps F.C. to encompass the men, women and youth development teams within the organization.

In 2006, the Whitecaps organization won an unprecedented double championship, capturing both the USL Division 1 men’s title and the W-League Women’s crown.

2006 also marked the first year of the Nation’s Cup, a new tournament that was established by the Whitecaps featuring their club playing against international competition. The 2006 Nation’s Cup featured the Chinese and Indian U-20 National teams and Championship Welsh club Cardiff FC. The Whitecaps won the inaugural tournament.

In July of this year, the MLS (top tier of the American Soccer Pyramid) announced they were seeking to add two expansion franchises for the 2011 season. The Whitecaps have since officially announced that they will be pursuing one of the two expansion slots and that 2 time NBA MVP Steve Nash will join the Whitecaps ownership team.  Currently the only Canadian team playing in the MLS is the Toronto FC.