They won’t miss changing and showering in a trailer, and some of the other less romantic elements of playing at Empire Field, but Vancouver players won’t forget their temporary home when they moveinto B.C. Place next week.
“I feel really comfortable here in Empire,” said playmaker Davide Chiumiento prior to a Saturday match against CascadiaCup rival Seattle that will bring down the curtain. “We had always great supporters and it was a great moment. This season here was always fun and we had a lot of crazy games. We will miss it, but weneed to look forward.”
The ‘Caps have averaged 20,542 fans per game at Empire, third best in the league, and though they are 4-3-5 for the season, they’ve won the last two at home. Theybegan their MLS adventure with a 4-2 pounding of Canadian rival Toronto at Empire, scored eight goals in their first three home games, and while the quality of play and results weren’t always stellar,the crowds were usually large and noisy.
“We had some roller-coaster games here,” said captain Jay DeMerit. “You look to stadiums to do onething and that’s create an atmosphere and an energy, and Empire Field certainly did that for us. To move away and go to B.C. Place is exciting, but this was definitely a fantastic stadium to be a partof.”