David Beckham’s absence from the July 30 match between his L.A. Galaxy and the Vancouver Whitecaps will not keep the Whitecaps from attracting the largest crowd so far this year to watch a soccer game at Empire Field.
The Whitecaps have already sold 25,000 tickets for the match, which is more than the 24,000 fans who watched Manchester City Football Club beat the home team 2-1, Whitecaps CEO Paul Barber told Business in Vancouver July 21. An average turnout is 20,000.
Beckham was yellow carded in the waning seconds of a July 20 game against the Columbus Crew. That was the superstar’s eighth such card of the season, which results in an automatic one-game suspension.
“For me personally, it’s disappointing,” said Barber who worked with Beckham for five years in activities such as lobbying for England to host the World Cup.
“They also have other great players but, particularly for the female Whitecap fans, Mr. Beckham not being there is going to be a big disappointment.”
The Whitecaps on July 20 announced that they will release all 27,500-plus tickets to the July 30 game against the L.A. Galaxy.
Barber had been expecting that every seat would be sold out. With more than a week to go, the team’s first complete sell-out remains a possibility.
Glen Korstrom
Twitter: GlenKorstrom