New York, NY (My Sportsbook) - Major League Soccer announced on Wednesday that Vancouver, British Columbia, will be the home of the league's 17th team. The team will begin play in 2011 at the newly-renovated BC Place Stadium in the city's downtown entertainment district.

"We are thrilled to welcome Vancouver into Major League Soccer for the 2011 season," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "The ownership team of Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash love the game and represent a new breed of ownership group. Our new Vancouver team also provides an attractive stadium plan and a market with a rich soccer tradition."

Kerfoot is the owner of Vancouver Whitecaps FC of the United Soccer Leagues. Luczo is president, CEO, and chairman of the board for Seagate Technology and part owner of the NBA's Boston Celtics. Mallett is part owner of MLB's San Francisco Giants. Nash is a guard for the NBA's Phoenix Suns, and, along with Mallett, is an investor in Women's Professional Soccer.

"British Columbians are excited about hosting a Major League Soccer team in a newly-renovated BC Place Stadium beginning in 2011," Premier Gordon Campbell said. "The Vancouver Whitecaps have been a part of our province's history for more than three decades. As an MLS team, the Whitecaps organization will carry on that incredible tradition, as well as generate economic benefits of up to $25 million each season."

"This is a great win for the province of British Columbia and the city of Vancouver," Mallett said. "Major League Soccer is North America's premier soccer league and offers exceptional skill and entertainment. We have a world- class stadium that will be packed with cheering, singing, and chanting Vancouver supporters."

"The city of Vancouver and the Whitecaps have a rich and storied soccer history, which includes long-standing rivalries with Toronto and Seattle," Vancouver Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi said. "The successful bid for a Major League Soccer franchise offers a whole new level of opportunity for our organization, and by extension, for our city and our province."

Vancouver will have the second MLS team in Canada following the successful launch of Toronto FC in 2007. Vancouver Whitecaps FC will continue to field a USL-1 team during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. MLS plans to announce another expansion team, its 18th, in the near future.