And then there were three.
Following in the footsteps of fellow Canadian MLS teams CF Montreal and Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps announced Wednesday that the club will be returning to Canada ahead of its final nine MLS home games.
The Whitecaps will resume training in Vancouver after their away match at Los Angeles FC on July 24.
“We are absolutely thrilled with the prospect of returning to Vancouver,” Whitecaps FC CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster said in a club statement. “We always understood that first the situation in our community has to change into a positive for everyone and for that we will be forever grateful to all our frontline heroes, who work tirelessly to keep British Columbians safe.”
Along with fellow Canadian clubs TFC and CFMTL, the 'Caps have been forced to hold home games in the United States for much of the 2020 season and the first several months of 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions in Canada. The other two clubs returned to their home venues for matches last week, but the Whitecaps remained in their temporary home base in Sandy, Utah, as BC Place is unavailable through the remainder of July.
"Based on direction received from the club, the stadium’s July date holds were released near the end of May," the club statement read. "BC Place is committed to other events through July and Whitecaps FC will play the next 'home' match against Minnesota United FC at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah on Saturday, July 31."
While the team has not yet confirmed when it will return to BC Place, it's expected that the Aug. 21 contest against LAFC will take place at the downtown Vancouver venue.