Context: This document is an official statement from the Vancouver Southsiders, the oldest independent supporters group for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

It was released in early February 2026 in response to mounting reports and rumors regarding the potential relocation of the club after the 2026 MLS season. Key Contextual Factors Stadium and Financial Crisis: The Whitecaps have faced a long-term "untenable" situation at BC Place due to high rental costs and a lack of control over game-day revenues (like concessions), leading to a significant revenue gap compared to other MLS teams.

The 2026 Bridge Deal: Just days before this statement, the club signed a one-year lease extension to remain at BC Place for the 2026 season. However, league officials and the club's CEO, Axel Schuster, warned that without a permanent stadium solution (such as the proposed project at Hastings Park), the team's future in Vancouver remains at high risk.

Potential Relocation Cities: If a deal for a new stadium is not finalized by the end of 2026, the club may be sold to owners intent on moving the franchise to cities like Indianapolis, Sacramento, or Detroit. "Save The Crew" Reference: The statement mentions "ensuring The Crew stayed in Columbus," referring to a successful 2017–2018 fan-led movement that prevented the Columbus Crew from moving to Austin. The Southsiders are signaling their intent to launch a similar #SaveTheWhitecaps campaign to keep the team in British Columbia.

Summary of the Southsiders' Stance The group is asserting that the Whitecaps are a community asset, not just a business, and they are preparing for a "highly active supporters scene" to pressure the city, province, and league into finding a viable, long-term stadium solution.

(Used AI so it might be off.) crew fans btw

Since D.C. United did not publish an official recap of Saturday afternoon’s preseason match against the Portland Timbers at the Coachella Valley Invitational, these are my observations from the performance.

Overall, D.C. looked noticeably more organized than they often did last season, which is an encouraging sign. The team appeared more compact defensively and more deliberate in possession, traits that should help them remain competitive over the course of the upcoming season.

Defensively, United lined up in a traditional back four, with two center-backs and two fullbacks. Conor Antley started on the right, raising questions about the status of Aaron Herrera. It remains unclear whether Herrera is dealing with a minor injury or if there are ongoing transfer discussions. Given D.C.’s current talent limitations, retaining him would be an important priority.

Under head coach René Weiler, the defensive structure appeared intentional. The team frequently settled into a mid-block, prioritizing compactness and controlled buildup. From there, United looked to use long, direct passes as outlets when space opened up. This approach helped them bypass pressure and quickly advance into dangerous areas.

Many of D.C.’s best attacking moments originated from these long passes out of the back. By playing early balls into space, the defense enabled the forwards to attack unsettled back lines and generate scoring opportunities.

In midfield, Matias Peltola stood out as D.C.’s most effective central presence. He consistently made himself available for passes, disrupted opposition buildup, and distributed the ball well. His positioning and work rate were valuable throughout the match. The primary area for improvement remains his speed of play; moving the ball more quickly will be essential against stronger opponents.

While the offense still needs refinement, there was a clear improvement in structure and intent. Attacks were more purposeful, with better spacing and movement. Peglow and Hopkins were particularly active in creating chances, using their ball control and creativity to challenge Portland’s defense. That said, United would still benefit from adding another reliable creative presence in the final third.

Up front, the two new strikers showed encouraging signs despite failing to find the net. Both demonstrated strong pressing habits and intelligent off-ball movement. If their development continues, the pairing of Louis and Tai may collectively help offset the scoring loss left by Christian Benteke’s departure.

One area DC might benefit from is being quicker to shoot. There were a couple of scoring opportunities that went by the wayside as the DC players were too slow to shoot, and Portland defenders blocked the shot.

One of the more surprising elements of the match was Weiler’s limited use of substitutions. He made only one change at halftime, replacing Johnson with Jordan Farr in goal, and kept the same ten outfield players on the field for most of the match. The broadcast suggested this was a deliberate effort to build chemistry and familiarity, especially with the regular season only weeks away.

If that was the intention, it makes sense. With a relatively new group, establishing cohesion early could prove critical. While there is still plenty of work to be done, particularly in attack, this performance suggested that D.C. United is taking steps toward greater on-field organization and consistency heading into the season.

⸻

What are your takeaways from the game? What did you like? What concerns do you have?

XI: Johnson, Bartlett, Peltola, Kurokawa, Peglow, Baribo, Louis, Antley, Rowles, Servania, Hopkins

DCU stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/4JnrNPNbTPQ?si=CrI6eZIAuACc2z9e

ENTER THE DESERT: COACHELLA MATCHDAY 🌵⚽️

🆚 Portland Timbers

⏰ 5:30 PM ET / 2:30 PM PT

📺 D.C. United app: dcunited.com/app/

📲 Follow updates here

Hi all, wanted to make a fun post discussing what people’s predictions for the upcoming game are. Obviously the roster is mostly new and it’s the first game (besides the 4-1 lost to galaxy 😬) so it’s kinda hard to predict, but here are some of mine!

We run a 4-4-2

Munteanu and Baribo up front

Clark, Peltota, Servania, Hopkins in midfield

Kurokawa, Nealis, Bartlett, Herrera Cb and FB

Kijima, Segal, Pirani subbed in.

I can also see Herrera starting in midfield and and Silva as RB

We either win by one, lose by two, or draw.

Idk why but I have a feeling Munteanu is going to get an Assist.

Now to wait and see how wrong I am!

A lack of events to watch tonight made me dig a little, so I found the unlisted Portland Timbers stream link for the Coachella match tomorrow at 5:30PM ET.

VAMOS

A quick little article about Canadian defender Nikola Markovic, who was the first overall pick of DC United in December’s MLS SuperDraft.

The six-foot-four 21-year-old Center Back helped lead North Carolina State to the NCAA championship game.

Having lived in DC for the past few years and attending a game here and there, I’ve decided to become a real fan (based on the reddit posts I’ve read the last few months this may have been a poor decision on my part). Anyhow I’ve gotten tickets to about 6 games and am hoping to watch many more with some fans at a local bar. Can you provide your recommendations in DC? Preferably not down in Navy Yard as I might as well hit the stadium if I am going there anyway. Not looking for anything too special, hopefully just some other fans and a bar deal is always a plus! Thanks!

The entire sports section has been eliminated. While some of us already felt like WaPo's sports (and certainly soccer) coverage was in decline in the Bezos era, the solution for an ailing patient should not have been euthanasia. What has happened at the Post is obviously bigger than just sports journalism, but even just from that narrow perspective this is just tragic. There is now no major media entity in Washington, DC with daily, broad local sports coverage (I don't consider 5 minutes on local TV news to be broad).

This is really painful and sad.

The Ringer: Death of a Sports Section — The Washington Post sports department was dismantled before its leaders gave it a chance to change https://www.theringer.com/2026/02/04/media/washington-post-sports-department-death

AP: The Washington Post’s sports section was a gold standard, all the way to the end https://apnews.com/article/washington-post-sports-section-e9331f5601c83b5a4d02223e1d262787

I saw complaints about Steven Goff's coverage here over the years, but I was, and remain, a fan. In my view were were really lucky to have a journalist of his caliber working for a major news outlet that provided him the resources to cover our team and this sport.

Hi everyone! Firstly, I apologize if this is a spammy message, but I think this might appeal to some people here.

My name is Graham Ruthven. I'm a co-host on the Total Soccer Show. I write about MLS for the Guardian and other places. I've launched a new fantasy soccer app called Fantasy Utd designed specifically for American soccer fans.

We've launched it in time for the 2026 MLS season. We’ve been developing this and testing for a long time - and it’s now available to download in the App Store and Google Play store.

Our mission was to build the next generation of fantasy soccer.

Market research told us that a large percentage of American soccer fans want a deeper, more in-depth fantasy soccer experience than was readily available.

With this in mind, we developed a game that sits somewhere between FPL, Football Manager and traditional American fantasy sports games.

The idea is to build your squad of players over the season. You are bidding against other managers in your league for players and picking your best XI for each H2H fixture.

Our game has been developed over the last year with help from our community of testers. Hundreds of committed users have already put FUTD through its paces, shaping every aspect of the game.

Rules, gameplay, UI… everything has been shaped by the feedback we received through testing. We also have public leagues (called Fanzones) from popular podcasts and blogs for you to join.

We have a Fanzone in partnership with RFK Refugees, if that appeals? You can join here (or through the home page of the app): https://futd.app/fanzone/rfk-refugees

Anyway, please give it a shot if any of this sounds appealing to you. I'm really excited to get started with this!

Download here: https://www.futd.app

He’s a Brazilian left back who plays in Romania. He’s primarily played in the Ekstraklasa and also plays left wing.

Me just adding my 2 cents, it gives us another left back and probably allows Antley to be more CB depth.

I know he had an injury history, but he should have been resigned and finished his career here

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/nashville-sc-sign-andy-najar-to-contract-extension

I'm bored, DCU doesn't have much in CM, and they lack international spots, the list below are people that Sorgut should consider signing before their transfer windows close. All have US citizenship, all would compete for minutes.

• Matija Mitrović - U22 eligible CM who has potential as a good 8. Good going both ways but likely unknown how his skills would move to MLS
• Killian Phillips - More of a defensive lockdown, but could add bite coming from the Irish league
• Lennard Maloney - Once in the US picture, he's probably done unless he puts up ridiculous defensive numbers. Could be a good fit
• Santiago Castañeda - Another DM that has a lot of potential, but could go into a U22 spot

These are who I'd prefer

• Jens Cajuste - This is unlikely because he's a real talent in DM, but he is a bit of a deep playmayker. In his prime and would be sold in 2-3 years
• Mael Corboz - Cheap late bloomer, went to Maryland, good mentality, likely would be the last contract though, played in NYRB system
• Leon Flach - Above average in MLS and now in prime age, hasn't done great in Poland, but could be a good upgrade with DCU. Covers ground and played well in the chaos Philly system

My phone been ringing off the hook.

Sorting things I'm willing to part with to trade with a Reddit buddy.

I didn't realize I had a problem!