NBA star Steve Nash, a Vancouver Whitecaps minority owner, is a household name in Vancouver. Another co-owner, Jeff Mallett, is well known as a founder of internet giant Yahoo!. But Greg Kerfoot, the Whitecaps’ majority owner, is an unknown to all but Vancouver's hard-core soccer fans.

Kerfoot, who isn't listed on the Whitecaps' website and doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, saved the USL Whitecaps in 2002. Caps president Bob Lenarduzzi says Kerfoot, who has also been the primary backer of women's soccer in Canada, is the reason Vancouver is in MLS, set to make its debut Saturday at Empire Field against Toronto FC.

“When Greg took over," Lenarduzzi said, "I had no idea he was prepared to make this kind of investment in soccer in this city, and that’s not just on the men’s side; that’s on the women’s side as well. He has made this opportunity possible with his vision and his investment in the sport. I thought I’d seen the best of times for professional soccer in this city, but I honestly feel the best is yet to come.”