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The Vancouver Whitecaps figure they can set a record March 4 when they open their Major League Soccer season at home against the Montreal Impact.

The team, always hesitant to “lift the tarps,” is doing just that for the 3 p.m. opener at B.C. Place Stadium next month.

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If the Caps manage to fill the place — and the general pattern in the past has been they only offer all the seats if they believe there’s demand to match — they’ll set a Vancouver pro soccer record for opening day attendance.

The Whitecaps MLS record high for opening day was on the club’s first day — in 2011, when they pulled in 22,592 to Empire Field.

The highest opening day for the 86ers/Whitecaps during their 24-year journey through the Canadian Soccer League/A-League/USL was another Day 1 — their first in the CSL, when they pulled in 7,646 fans to Swangard Stadium.

To find the all-time record, we go back to the North American Soccer League. In 1980, 25,711 fans were at Empire Stadium to watch the Whitecaps take on the California Surf.