Fans with tickets to the Vancouver Whitecaps match against Inter Miami on Saturday may be feeling a bit despondent right now.
After many paid exorbitant prices for the match, the Whitecaps announced on Thursday evening that the main attraction, Lionel Messi, wouldn’t be making the trip to British Columbia.
If that weren’t enough, Luis Suárez, and Sergio Busquets will also miss out on the MLS match. None are known to be injured, as it appears the veteran trio are simply being spared the cross-continental journey to play on turf.
In an effort at damage control, the Whitecaps took the unusual step of confirming the trio’s absence themselves, rather than wait for Inter Miami to make the announcement. The Canadian club also offered fans some discounts on food and beverages.
But now those disappointed fans will have one more option to ease their pain: more soccer!
Vancouver FC announced on Thursday that any fan with a ticket to the Whitecaps-Inter Miami match could gain free entry to their derby match against Pacific FC on Saturday.
The Canadian Premier League side made the offer, it said, “in light of the recent news that a certain Argentinan football player is unable to make the match with our sold-out neighbors downtown.”
The CPL game will take place at 3 p.m. at Willoughby Community Park, which would give fans time to make the roughly 45-minute journey to BC Place to catch the 7:30 p.m. kickoff of the MLS match.
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