It's Vancouver so it's all about money and owners wanting to maximize their profits (which is not wrong if you are the business owner). As long as fans flock to BC Place, Whitecaps will keep feeding them promises and mediocrity. Much like what the Canucks have been doing for all these years - and now they are starting to lose their season ticket holders and TV viewership. There is only so much that the average fan is willing to put up with until they figure out owners.
You see the type of players that TFC and Impact are targeting and then you have the Caps (and this is no slight against Masato). Asia has a lot of bright stars but they still have ways to go to catch up to their European colleagues.