With just 3 days until kickoff the wait is finally over. The question is how many people have actually been waiting?

The last 30 days the brand new Vancouver Whitecaps team has gone what I like to call “beast mode” on their marketing campaign to countdown to this Saturday’s opening game. Landmarks around the city have been decorated in Whitecaps FC swag, promotional videos have gone viral featuring local celebrities such as former Canucks captain Trevor Linden and rock star legend Bryan Adams, billboards have gone up in the downtown core featuring the teams new look, and a 3D projection has even been displayed on the side of the downtown Sears. Now, with just three days to go all there is left to do is wait.

During the World Cup last summer I was on commercial drive as much as I could be at times getting up as early as 6am to catch the second match of the day. I witnessed the unique fan base that professional soccer has in Vancouver. The dedicated supporters dressed in their nation’s colors as they seemed to live vicariously through players like Lionel Messi, David Villa, and Cristiano Ronaldo. I’ve also been fortunate enough to work for a sports merchandising company which has allowed me to work with the Whitecaps in the past and consequently allowed me to be in the presence of the thousands of fans that supported them at old Swangard Stadium. The question this is leading up to, however, is will this team be anywhere near as successful as other football clubs around the world? Even simpler, will this team be successful?

I understand that it is difficult to compare Canada to nations in Europe and Latin America, where a huge portion of the population live and breathe soccer, but I can’t help but wonder. When David Beckham came over from Spain’s Real Madrid to join the LA Galaxy (MLS team) the amount of hype that was built in the US was tremendous. Many believed that he would single handily revolutionize soccer in the US, but did he? Not really. Don’t get me wrong interest in soccer in the United States did increase when he arrived, but it still isn’t (and in my opinion never will be) as popular as the professional sports that dominate the country, such as American football, baseball, and basketball.

Another question that arises about the MLS is that of quality. Having spent lots of time discussing the entrance into the MLS with soccer fans and other sports enthusiasts many seemed to come to the same conclusion I did about the MLS, it’s subpar in comparison to the excitement that define professional soccer in Europe such as the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. At times it seems like people (myself included) forget that hype can only take anything so far and for it to be successful it needs to deliver something of value.

All that being said, soccer is by far the most played sport in Canada and like I mentioned above the Whitecaps already have a loyal fan base. It’ll be interesting to see how things unravel for the team, and professional soccer for that matter. Regardless of the numerous questions surrounding their success, however, I’m very much excited for this Saturday’s game. It will be the beginning to what I hope will be an exciting and successful new era of soccer. I’ll be there, will you?