Sports
Report: Phoenix, Vegas potential options if Whitecaps relocate
Mar 23, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; The Vancouver Whitecaps FC logo displayed before their match against Real Salt Lake at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images Las Vegas and Phoenix are the top contenders to become an MLS city if the Vancouver Whitecaps were to relocate, The Athletic reported on Monday.
MLS declined to comment on the report.
Per the report, a special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to conduct talks on the future of the Whitecaps, which could include relocation. Indianapolis and Sacramento are also among the markets who have expressed interest in joining the league.
MLS has met with a group interested in bringing a club to Las Vegas, per the report, and a separate group of Las Vegas investors called Starr Vegas unveiled a $10 billion development plan on the Vegas Strip. That plan would include a 50,000-seat soccer stadium, though the group has reportedly not engaged with MLS as of yet.
With their lease at BC Place set to expire at the end of 2026, the Whitecaps are working to find a new stadium in Vancouver.
“Since December 2024, ownership has prioritized finding a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver, and to date, no solution has been found,” the Whitecaps said in a club statement provided to The Athletic.
MLS owners would have to approve any relocation, which would include a purchase price and relocation fee. San Diego FC, which joined MLS last season, paid a $500 million expansion fee, and per the report, the overall package for a group entering the league would exceed that $500 million price tag.
With the city of Vancouver, the Whitecaps entered an exclusive negotiation period last December that extends through 2026 to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. However, there have been no updates since the club signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city.
The Whitecaps date back to 1974, when they played their inaugural season in the NASL, and remained in the league until it folded in 1984. The Whitecaps began playing in the Canadian Soccer League in 1986 and were also in the American Professional Soccer League, the United Soccer League and the USSF Division 2 Pro League until joining MLS in 2011.
Winners of the last four Canadian Championships and coming off their first-ever MLS Cup final appearance (a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF), Vancouver is off to a strong start in 2026, sitting three points back of the Supporters’ Shield through nine matches, and is 7-1-0 at BC Place.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Cardinals stave off Dodgers’ rally for 6th straight win
May 2, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Jordan Walker (18) hits a two-run home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images Jordan Walker slugged a two-run homer among his two hits and Michael McGreevy tossed six scoreless innings as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 on Saturday for their sixth straight victory.
McGreevy (2-2) allowed three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Right-hander Ryne Stanek and lefty JoJo Romero each pitched a scoreless inning before the Dodgers scored two runs on four straight hits against righty Riley O’Brien in the ninth.
O’Brien recorded two quick outs before giving up back-to-back infield singles to Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez. Max Muncy and Andy Pages followed with RBI singles before O’Brien struck out pinch hitter Dalton Rushing for his ninth save.
Los Angeles lost its fourth straight game and has scored three or fewer runs in seven of its last 11 games.
St. Louis took a 3-0 lead on four hits in the third inning. Ivan Herrera hit a leadoff double against Roki Sasaki (1-3) and scored on Alec Burleson’s double to right field.
Walker followed with a two-run blast to left field. The 372-foot shot was Walker’s 10th homer of the season and second in his last three games.
The Dodgers had plenty of early traffic on the basepaths against McGreevy, but they were held scoreless while hitting into four double plays in the first five innings.
Los Angeles put two runners on with one out in the second inning before Pages struck out and Hyeseong Kim grounded out.
The pattern continued in the third inning, when Alex Freeland hit a leadoff single and second baseman JJ Wetherholt started a double play with a diving catch on Shohei Ohtani’s liner.
Sasaki gave up three runs on five hits with two walks over six innings. He retired the final 10 batters he faced and threw a career-high 104 pitches.
Stanek replaced right-hander McGreevy to begin the seventh inning and retired two batters before Hernandez singled and Muncy walked. Both were stranded when Pages struck out.
The Dodgers were held without a home run for the fifth straight game and have hit a total of three homers in their past 11 games.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Saba Lobjanidze's brace sparks Atlanta over Montreal
May 2, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze (11) reacts to his goal against the CF Montréal in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images Saba Lobjanidze scored a brace and Emmanuel Latte Lath netted the match-winner late in the first half as Atlanta United defeated visiting CF Montreal 3-1 on Saturday evening.
Alexey Miranchuk had two assists while Pedro Amador and Cooper Sanchez added an assist apiece for Atlanta (3-7-1, 10 points), which won its third straight match across all competitions and second straight in MLS play. It also snapped a four-match home winless streak (0-3-1).
Montreal (3-7-0, 9 points) saw a two-match win streak come to an end while its road losing streak reached four. It also finished the match with 10 men after Brayan Vera received a red card in the first minute of second-half stoppage time.
Latte Lath put Atlanta ahead in the sixth minute of first-half stoppage time thanks to an interception by Sanchez. The Ivorian striker played a ball forward to Miranchuk, then scored on Miranchuk’s return pass to make it 2-1.
Lobjanidze upped Atlanta United’s lead to 3-1 in the 50th minute, scoring off Sanchez’s assist.
Atlanta equalized in the 41st minute with Lobjanidze’s first goal of the year. After receiving a pass from Miranchuk, Lobjanidze’s shot deflected off Montreal goalkeeper Thomas Gillier’s hand and trickled past the goal line, tying the match at 1-1.
Matty Longstaff scored Montreal’s lone goal of the evening in the sixth minute.
Lucas Hoyos finished the evening with four saves. Gillier stopped two Atlanta shots.
Atlanta United won back-to-back MLS regular-season matches for the first time since May 24 and 28, 2025. They have outscored opponents 7-2 during their win streak.
Montreal lost for the first time under interim head coach Phillipe Eullafroy.
Miranchuk has two goals and two assists in his last three matches across all competitions.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Late penalty extends New England's unbeaten streak vs. Charlotte
May 2, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Revolution forward Luca Langoni (41) dribbles the ball against Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani (28) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images Carles Gil’s 97th-minute penalty kick lifted the New England Revolution to a tense 1-0 victory over Charlotte FC Saturday night in Foxborough, Mass.
The Revolution (6-3-1, 19 points) broke through during stoppage time after several minutes marked by defensive gridlock. The win extends the Revs’ unbeaten streak to six league games.
Matt Turner made three saves and kept a clean sheet for the Revolution, who outshot Charlotte (4-5-2, 14 points) 14-7. Charlotte keeper Kristijan Kahlina made three saves.
The Revs faced late drama when Charlotte’s Brandt Bronico was called for a handball in the box in the dying minutes of stoppage time, and the referee failed to call an advantage on the play, which would’ve counted Diego Fagundez’s goal.
However, Gil calmly sent Kahlina the wrong way and scored the ensuing penalty to give the Revs the late winner. The goal is Gil’s third of the season.
Charlotte manager Dean Smith has faced many questions about his team’s misfiring offense, and they remain unanswered. The team’s usually prolific offense struggled to create chances in the final third, and when they did, they failed to convert.
Charlotte’s biggest chance of the first half came when Idan Toklomati received the ball just 16 yards away from the goal with a clear shot. However, Toklomati slammed his shot against the crossbar, leaving the game scoreless in the 37th minute.
The two sides struggled to challenge each other throughout the match, settling for long-range, low-quality shots.
Charlotte’s Wilfried Zaha and Revs defender Mamadou Fofana had to be separated by teammates after a brief shouting match and a couple of shoves in the second half. Zaha, who then argued with New England manager Marko Mitrovic, was booked. The yellow card is his sixth in just nine league appearances.
Charlotte nearly found an equalizer in the game’s dying minutes when Morrison Agyemang headed a shot from short range. The shot seemed destined for the upper corner of the net, but Turner deflected the ball to preserve the Revs’ victory.
–Field Level Media
