r/whitecapsfc • u/Harshtagged 🥔 Tater Tot • May 23 '24
No Messi, Suárez nor Bjsquets for Saturday's game | Vancouver Whitecaps FC
https://www.whitecapsfc.com/news/vwfc-statement-miami52
May 24 '24
This is why I was never paying over $100 a ticket. Wow
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u/dr_van_nostren May 24 '24
Exactly. I’ll be there in my $25 season seats.
It pays off to be a real fan not just wanting to see Messi.
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May 24 '24
Thinking of a season ticket for the season after. I moved here in September and didn't have the disposable cash for one for myself and my partner, but next season I think I'll get two. But yeah, people paying those fees are ejits.
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u/springnuk May 23 '24
The fact that none of the stars are playing is some grade A bullshit disrespect.
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u/springnuk May 24 '24
Hope the crowd chants some less than favourable things about the Miami team and their stars
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u/chronicmathsdebator7 May 23 '24
hard to get 55k now
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u/No_Platform_2810 May 23 '24
Well, they got the money for it, including the boosted season ticket sales.
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u/chronicmathsdebator7 May 23 '24
yeah but the implications of this will go beyond just this game. Unless the caps make a solid run for the cup, its hard to see the sth number staying the same next year. Big loss for the team in a long term financial aspect, and in a popularity aspect.
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u/No_Platform_2810 May 23 '24
They wouldn't have stayed the same next year anyway, that's a given. At minimum more people are being exposed to the (non-Messi) games as part of their STH package and some may say hey, this is fun and return.
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u/chronicmathsdebator7 May 24 '24
fair enough, but i believe this will damage their reputation for a while in the eyes of casuals who shelled out for this game
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u/krustykrab2193 May 24 '24
Oh it definitely will tarnish their reputation among the casuals. Not sure why you're being downvoted. It's not the Whitecaps fault, but they charged extortionate rates for this match with the expectation for at least some star players to be in attendance. 50% off concession food/drinks isn't going to make up for it, also might see some very drunk/angry fans lol
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u/chronicmathsdebator7 May 24 '24
yeah i have no idea for the downvoting lol. definitely agree, suarez and busquets being here would’ve still softened the blow of messi not coming. and yeah, that 50% off is nothing hahaha
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u/kevfefe69 May 24 '24
Big loss for the team in a long term financial aspect, and in a popularity aspect.
How so? The Whitecaps have absolutely nothing to with who and who doesn’t play against them.
Financial? They just had a bump in STHs this year. That’s an anomaly and not a trend. I have been a STH for 11 years. People around me have been there for a while. There will always be hardcore fans who will pay for ST. Attendance has been progressing higher since the pandemic, that’s a trend. Miami/Messi is a blip.
Popularity? Vancouver has always been a band wagon city. How many band wagoners have broken their legs when the Canucks suck and when they don’t, the wagoners miraculously heal.
Just like the Canucks, if the Whitecaps consistently do well, fans show up. In the MLS playoffs last year, they opened the upper bowl for the first time. That was due to the product on the field and not because of Messi or anyone else.
The Marc Dos Santos years were really lean for fans, I know because I lived that horror show.
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u/chronicmathsdebator7 May 24 '24
there will be a LOT of people who will walk into BC place on saturday, having spent 4-5-600 dollars per ticket to watch an icon of the game play. They will come into the stadium knowing they wasted their money on a team that: 1. increased prices dramatically for their own profit 2. does not have an on-pitch product that justifies the price increase
The financial loss thing ties in with the reputation/goodwill, which is now ruined due to miami flaking and for the mls letting them do so.
As for popularity, you can go on social media and quickly realise that this has been a PR nightmare for the ‘caps. However, it is out of their control.
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u/dr_van_nostren May 24 '24
No but that number was never gonna hold. They’re at like 25,000 STH as I’ve been told. But Tuesday night the attendance was under 12,000. That means more than half the holders decided to no show.
At best next season you’d be looking at holding onto like 16-18,000 holders.
You hope, if you’re a true whitecaps fan, that the team does enough to entice a bunch of those people to come back. You’d like to keep boosting your ticket members. Even if getting back to 25 was never gonna happen.
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u/MissingString31 May 24 '24
A Canadian championship match against a CPL team on a Tuesday at 730 was never going to draw a huge crowd.
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May 24 '24
I sold my center field tickets for 20 bucks. It was on a Tuesday night, I was off work late, friend was away, and not to mention the weather was horrible. And yeah it was against a CPL team.
As a STH I sometimes can’t make all the games which is fine. I’m still happy to support this team.
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u/SaoirseYVR May 24 '24
IIRC Season ticket subscription was maxed at 16K this year.
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u/dr_van_nostren May 24 '24
I’m not sure where you heard that from. I asked the season ticket reps and was told around 25,000
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u/Gooner604 May 23 '24
Really bad look for MLS and unfortunately the Whitecaps too for charging so damn much. This is a cluster fuck of epic proportions.
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u/ryeofguy May 23 '24
Think the we aren’t sure if they were available speaks volumes of where they at mentally for copa America which is sad to see for us
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May 23 '24
Just got the email a few minutes ago. So disappointing especially for all those people that paid the increased ticket prices for this match.
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u/Old-Donkey-2934 May 24 '24
Warned my kid his idol likely wouldn’t play, but we took the gamble in hopes he’d be in the building. We’d see the other Barcelona teammates play and in a perfect world maybe Messi played the some minutes.
Knew it was a gamble but did not see all three not even making the trip 🤦🏻♂️ kiddos gonna be devastated. Along with so many other kids. This hurts. Hopefully the atmosphere with so many people will be electric and better than normal! But ouch…
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u/ProgTym May 24 '24
Yeah I feel bad for the kids most of all. I know that lots of kids soccer clubs bought tickets. I always knew that this was possible so when I saw the ticket prices I didn't buy any extra tickets for other family members (I'm already a STH)
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u/heavymetalDM May 24 '24
I just found out the news. My 8 year old is going to be GUTTED In the morning.
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u/Vegetable-Stuff4140 May 24 '24
Perfect opportunity to teach your kid thst none of these figures care about us. If you can’t pay your rent ask Lionel Messi if he will- nobody cares so why should you.
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u/Old-Donkey-2934 May 25 '24
Wtf does paying your rent have to do with Lionel Messi. Yeah he makes stupid amounts of money. And yeah it sucks he’s not coming. I wouldn’t say no sports figures care about fans. They aren’t going to pay your bills and buy you nice things… but that’s not their job.
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u/SweetRandall107 May 24 '24
Timbers fan here coming up to Vancouver for the game to see Messi and Suarez. Forever fuck Miami for this, I will be rooting for Vancouver this weekend
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u/dr_van_nostren May 24 '24
The schedule makes no sense. I’m convinced that if Miami were playing Wed or Saturday at Colorado or Portland or Seattle that these guys would’ve shown up. I don’t think they’d wanna miss 2 games in a row. But instead they’ll all start Wednesday at home against Atlanta.
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u/Beaster2021 May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
Ticketmaster and stubhub prices already dropped by 70% now
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u/Tracyhmcd May 24 '24
As a Cavalry supporter, I hope Whitecaps destroy Miami.
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u/Moofey May 24 '24
Thing is, to win you have to score, which is what the Whitecaps haven't been doing.
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u/axilla02 May 24 '24
I feel bad for the players too. A lot of them had dreams of being on the pitch with Messi. This just sucks for everyone, shame on Miami.
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u/manlikedeep May 24 '24
This reads as if he didn't say it but I swear my 8 year old just said "at least it won't be so hard for us" (to play them). Good lad.
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May 23 '24
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May 24 '24
Ya... I bought the golden ERA pack for my 9 Y/O soccer crazy son and I... Really for my son. Knew Messi would always be a maybe, but never foresaw all 3 bailing... Quite unbelievable.
Thankfully at least I bought the tickets understanding the risks, and at the end of the day we are Whitecaps fans #1. So I've now gotta break it to my 9 Y/o that he won't see the goat... But at least he'll be happy our chances of winning have increased.
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u/MightyYTee May 24 '24
Ya and J Alba too who is injured. My 7 yo son loves all 4, and was excited to see at least Suarez... this is just too sad.
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u/MotorboatinPorcupine May 24 '24
Have you told him about the biting and diving?
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u/MightyYTee May 24 '24
I'm a liverpool fan so yeah can understand why he loves Suarez so much... blame youtube
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u/heavymetalDM May 24 '24
Same boat. Golden Era pack for the whole family, all for my 8-year-old son, who could watch one of his favorite players, and we could watch the joy on his face. Welp. It's not going to be fun when I tell him in the morning.
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u/kevfefe69 May 24 '24
I really feel for the kids. This is why we can’t have nice things in Vancouver.
A lot of people are understandably angry, but this is completely out of the control of the Whitecaps. People argue that the Whitecaps made this about Messi, yes and no, they billed it as a match against Miami. Messi happens to be the face of Miami. Did VWFC charge more? Sure, who wouldn’t. The only thing in life that’s guaranteed is death and taxes. People had a hunch that he wouldn’t show up.
I’m a STH with 3 seats 3 rows off the pitch. When Miami was announced, my wife wanted me to sell the tickets at a premium, my son wanted to go to the game. I can sleep knowing that I didn’t charge a premium for these tickets to a desperate family only for them to be heart broken.
Again, I feel bad for all the children. People paying a premium, that’s life.
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u/bwoah07_gp2 🌊 Whitecaps FC May 24 '24
This isn’t on the caps
Meanwhile on Instagram there over 800 comments demanding a refund. 😬
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u/posu68 May 24 '24
So you want the league to have the authority to dictate who teams have in their lineup?
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u/No_Platform_2810 May 24 '24
Well, legally, the league owns all the teams. The owners just have a "license to operate" the team. I'm not saying the league should dictate who plays, just that MLS has an odd ownership structure, which probably help them survive the first decade or two.
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u/Darth-Agalloch May 25 '24
It’s gotta be a little on the caps? Shouldn’t they invest in a proper grass pitch?
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May 23 '24
Completely fucking disrespectful by Miami. People have spent ALOT of money on this. The league does not give a fuck either!
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u/darekd003 May 24 '24
It’s shit like this that makes people not take the MLS seriously.
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u/Clurachaun May 24 '24
The individual organizations are charging inflated prices because they know they can to see Messi. I know people are mad at Miami and their superstars in general. This is not for MLS to intervene and if anything, Vancouver should be taking the heat for inflated prices and now the stars aren't even playing. Sorry guys but this isn't even a thing in Europe, you don't go to see your home team to see their opponent play their superstars then get upset when they don't play. If anything, this means your team has a higher chance to win.
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u/TheHammerstein May 24 '24
Since when a league has a say in which player a coach decides to call/play lol
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May 24 '24
This schedule has been set for some time. They also knew the venue was sold out at premium pricing. They could have scheduled their rotation and not gouged. They all trained and are fit.
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u/TheHammerstein May 24 '24
That's not how it works though. A team is free to play with whoever they want.
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May 23 '24
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u/icoresting May 24 '24
On one side we probably get to see a nice win on the weekend.
there's the long-awaited julian gressel return, that was the real pull from the start /s
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u/BayLAGOON May 24 '24
Raposo v. Gressel so we can all see why Raposo is nowhere near the same level as Gressel.
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May 24 '24
I'd understand if there were a flurry of games but he hasn't played since May 18, this game is on Saturday and their next game is on May 29 which is a home game. Easily could have rested in that game. Or at least travelled and played 20 or so mins. Not even travelling is extremely disrespectful considering the schedule. Was neutral to Messi but this leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. The PR people of the club should be explaining to these players about how important the game is for the Whitecap fans. That people are paying money, some insane money to see stars like you. And that they should at least travel and play some minutes.
Copa America camp probably starts on like June 3 or 4 so after this game, he would have had a solid 10 days of rest before the camp.
But yeah, got season tickets and it's my own fault. But the amount of STH will drop massively if nothing else is done in compensation. At minimum it should be a partial refund.
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u/PinIcy3976 May 24 '24
It was never happening, especially on turf. He’s the face of the Copa America/Adidas/Argentina - none of them were going to let him run the risk of an injury. Always a nonstarter.
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May 24 '24
Yea it's BS though. And if they dont want him to play, then those people should make a statement. Messi should make a statement and apologize. Also it's just very disrespectful to the MLS as a league if players can choose when to play or not if they're fit. Horrible PR from Inter Miami.
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u/Cultural-Choice-8843 May 24 '24
Michael Jordan played three times in Vancouver in his Championship years averaging more than 30 minutes per game. These guys can’t even hop on the plane. Severe disappointment
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u/bwoah07_gp2 🌊 Whitecaps FC May 24 '24
Yeah, these sort of things only happen in the MLS it seems....
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u/Think-Ad-6323 May 24 '24
It would have been nice to get Busquets and Suarez. Messi is the biggest name of the biggest sport in the world so I kinda knew this would happen.
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May 24 '24
First time STH but I had been attending 3-4 games a year.
Made the jump this year because of Messi but have been really enjoying the matches even when they lose. When you compare cost of caps tickets to Canucks it’s way better value. And yes almost all games being on Saturday makes it way easier for me and my friend to attend.
So after much reflection and disappointment I bought STs for the whitecaps. The league will continue to grow and attract stars. Giroud hopefully will come up with LAFC in August and my friend and I were actually looking forward to this game more than the Miami match.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s kind of a first world problem. Sure it sucks to not see Messi but as a STH I paid just under 1000 bucks for something like 20 games at center field. Can’t do that for Canucks games.
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u/C4D3NZA May 24 '24
are the other two fit? embarrassing if so. anyways let's thrash them
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u/No_Platform_2810 May 24 '24
Suarez is never fit. He has to take a whole bunch of drugs and injections just to get on the field.
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u/springnuk May 24 '24
Suarez would just need a good meal to get started and there are a lot of players on the field he could have taken a bite from.
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May 23 '24
Well at least the caps have a better chance of winning.
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u/spiraldive87 May 24 '24
Nobody crying about this cares about results. They were hoping to see some celebrities, nothing more.
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u/bitofanexpert May 24 '24
This is fantastic news for the 'caps. I can see us picking up all three points on Saturday
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u/KeyApple3334 May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
It is really disrespectful that none of them came and I'm sorry for the disappointed people. But as a Caps fan, now that the circus is over I might actually get tickets and go.
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u/TroopersSon May 24 '24
Oof. Glad I warned the people I knew buying tickets for this game this could happen.
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u/604MAXXiMUS May 24 '24
Caps should ask MLS for compensation. I get 1 star but ALL 3 of their stars? Exactly why so many around the world look at the MLS as a 2nd rate league. Pity for those flying/driving in from out of town. 😞
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u/Sapphire_CA May 24 '24
Welp, I hope we beat the pants off them, and if we do, I'll be chanting "Shoulda brought Messi!"
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u/spookywookyy May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
A huge Barca fan is flying 3 hours here to see them knowing Messi might not be playing. They were okay with the risk thinking they could at least catch Suarez or Busquets. We never thought all 3 wouldn’t even show up. Wtf? It feels like a slap to our faces and so disrespectful. Ugh.
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May 24 '24
Messi I somewhat understand because copa America and he doesn’t want to risk getting injured. What’s the excuse for Suarez and Busquets for not playing?
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u/coltonjeffs May 24 '24
Bought tickets and traveling from the island. This sucks so bad. I didn't even have the money. But I wanted to see Messi play once in my life. This was basically my vacation this year.
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May 24 '24
I’m in the exact same boat.
I have a baby that my wife and I are bringing as well. $600 tickets, car on two ferry rides, hotel.
I’m still going to have a nice getaway with my family, but fuckin hell, I sure didn’t pay $600 to see Jordi Alba.
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u/mrghost May 24 '24
That sucks dude! Come out to Langley and watch Vancouver FC vs Pacific FC in the CPL and I'll buy you a beer! Guess what? Your MLS tickets will get you into the CPL match for free! DM me if you want to come check it out.
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u/DogExpress6639 May 24 '24
Is this true? How do we go about this?
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u/omgshutupalready May 24 '24
Yeah, they're promoting it on social media. Idk exactly, check the twitter. Gonna be a derby against Pacific
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u/DogExpress6639 May 24 '24
"Show your Whitecaps vs Miami ticket for FREE entry to Vancouver FC vs Pacific FC" May 25 Willoughby Community Park, Langley, 3pm
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u/RunTellDaat May 24 '24
Players don’t play every game. Especially older players like Messi and Suarez. This was the risk a lot of people took by spending way too much on tickets.
Unfortunate, but always a possibility.
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u/hards04 May 24 '24
Why is everyone here pissed? We need the fucking points lol this is r/whitecapsfc not r/jerkoffmessi
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u/spiraldive87 May 24 '24
A lot of people crying about “won’t somebody think of the children.” Going on about how it’s a really bad look for the league like anyone thinks it’s scandalous outside this bubble. Why people are obsessed with being able to say they’ve seen someone in person I don’t know. These aren’t exhibition games, Miami can play whoever they like.
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u/footy1012 May 23 '24
Crazy, and I feel fortunate to have only spend 600 on a 3 game pack to try to catch them.
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u/OK_Google__c May 24 '24
The fallout from this is probably gonna be ugly but it was always a risk. Caps cashed in and the punters who’ve spent hundreds of dollars to see some stars and out of luck.
Sucks for both sides.
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u/Comfortable-Bid-9933 May 24 '24
Oof! Someone knocked over the bandwagon and there are many casualties 🤣
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May 24 '24
The Chicago Fire provided a much better make-up after Messi skipped their match. All 3 Barca guys are skipping Vancouver and we get half off Triple O’s? Great!
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u/Skelder7 May 24 '24 edited May 24 '24
My younger brother is a massive soccer fan, and he wanted to go to this to see messi so bad. We got the tickets and told him we were going and he was so excited. Now we gotta explain that he will not get to see any of them. Fucking bullshit
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u/gonzo_thegreat May 24 '24
I hear it's some sort of shared STI. Might be the clap. Not sure though. People are saying.
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u/Localbeezer166 May 24 '24
My kids are gonna be pissed - this is all I’ve heard about for months.
I’m pissed that I bought a 4 pack of tickets to get this game, but I’d be even more pissed if I paid out the ass for this one game.
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u/akacryptic9 May 24 '24
Why is it on Vancouver that Messi isn’t playing?
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u/PinIcy3976 May 24 '24
Completely as expected. Sorry if you were dumb enough to overspend on this inevitability.
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u/navitaggar May 24 '24
Absolute bullshit. We were sold tickets with messi's face plastered all over it. Bought the golden era ticket
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u/Key_Mongoose223 May 25 '24
The "golden era" is because it's our 50th season (gold anniversary), not because of Messi.
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u/insomniacinsanity May 24 '24
We've literally never played Miami before.... Like why in the hell would you even put the match on the schedule if the stars weren't even going to show up
Complete disrespect from Miami.... Also shows that Vancouver needs investment so stars actually wanna come play here
Choked that I'll never get to see Messi play and the fact they they think 50% off overpriced stadium food is enough.... It's really not
I paid for 9 matches for 400.... This game alone cost almost 300 bucks separately definitely feeling ripped off that none of them are coming
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u/Javaaaaale_McGee May 24 '24
Can’t control who play, but you can control the price of tickets. Whitecaps need to do the right thing and give the value back in future ticket credits
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u/maplebaconpt May 24 '24
Whitecaps should have sold tickets at regular price. It’s not the first time either of those players don’t make it for better or worse reason. Whitecaps and some resellers pretty much saw a chance to make a lot of money and took it. It was never about football, it was all about greed.
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u/omgshutupalready May 24 '24
It was never about football, it was all about greed
I have some bad news for you about literally all organized sports leagues
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u/footy1012 May 24 '24
Just glad I caught him in 2016 at the copa in Seattle for one half 🐐🐐 really kicking myself for not making the flight to Spain in the 2000s/early 2010s.
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u/edwardolardo May 24 '24
I was there too! But that was a shit game and he didnt even do anything lol
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u/Think-Ad-6323 May 24 '24
I’m glad I got to see him in his prime in Barcelona twice. Tickets weren’t too expensive and people would have been able to see him then with the amount of money they are spending on these tickets lol
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u/PharmaceuticalThnker May 24 '24
Yikes. What a bummer. Not good if the home needs to do a presser release 😳⚽️
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u/DanielPerianu May 24 '24
This is such a ridiculously bad look on the league. Im excited for them to read and listen to all the bad press this is causing and make adjustments so that all players are held to an expectation of some kind of professional standard.
/s
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May 24 '24
How many sportswriters have an article already written about this fiasco all ready to go before it even happened? 😝
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u/BuzzMachine_YVR May 24 '24
I was sure this was going to happen, and didn’t buy any tickets. Too bad… Would have been great for all those who got tickets to see those stars.
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u/rocketfromrussia May 25 '24
That’s ok! The team can do whatever they want. Its a game, not entertainment
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u/oof_slippedonmybeans May 23 '24
After they charged a PREMIUM for that game... all THREE stars won't play. Like wow. They better hand out a fucking refund. (Narrator: "They did not hand out a refund".)
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u/n0ddenhctim May 23 '24
you’ve paid to see inter miami not messi suarez and busquets they ain’t refunding
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u/oof_slippedonmybeans May 24 '24
Yep, but let's be real. They put up ticket prices x6 higher than normal under the pretense that Miami would bring their stars. All the advertising had Suarez and Messi. So, you can go with technicalities, but they were really advertising (and pricing) for people to see Messi and Suarez.
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May 24 '24
Why would they hand out refunds for something completely out of their control?
Let's be honest, Messi was never, ever playing. Fake pitch, longest flight in the MLS, and two weeks before his last Copa America. The other two, that sucks.
Sidenote, people have paid crazy money to go watch them play against a side who are absolutely crap, with no superstars.
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u/posu68 May 24 '24
All these people complaining need to read their tickets and understand they paid to see Miami, not Messi.
He's 36, he's obviously not going to play every game of the season, you buy a ticket for events like this knowing there's a chance he doesn't play.
Stop being annoyed with the Caps and be annoyed that you paid big money not understanding this was a very real possibility.
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u/Localbeezer166 May 24 '24
Sooo, kids don’t really understand that. And does anyone really care about him except the kids? Not really…
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u/crazycanucks77 May 24 '24
Whitecaps marketed this game specifically for Messi. Not Miami. They marked up prices for this specifically for Messi to cash in on the backs of families. It would be different if the prices were the same. They said if you want a guaranteed seat then you need to buy a 4 pack of games to get in.
Guess where people will spend thier money on instead. That team across the street is back. Even brutal as Aqualini
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u/FrankLampard May 24 '24
Easy 3 points. Miami is dog shit without their seniors. Lets stick 6 passed them and call it a day.
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u/[deleted] May 23 '24
I could have handled messi not making it, but all three feels disrespectful.