Seattle has had professional soccer clubs for over four decades who have played in various leagues since the 1970s. These include three incarnations of the Seattle Sounders FC, playing in the North American Soccer League, United Soccer League, and Major League Soccer.
The city is also home to Seattle Reign FC, which began in 2013 as a founding member of the National Women's Soccer League. Seattle has also hosted teams from the Continental Indoor Soccer League and the Major Arena Soccer League.
Timeline
Seattle Sounders (NASL), 1974–1983
On December 11, 1973, a group of Seattle investors led by Walt Daggatt were granted rights to a franchise in the top-level North American Soccer League (NASL), one of three (including Vancouver Whitecaps FC and San Jose Earthquakes) heralding the expansion of America's struggling top-tier soccer league to the west coast. With a budget under $500,000, the investors searched existing American and British teams to assemble a coaching squad and assemble a lineup. Longtime NASL All-Star player John Best was hired as coach and recruited former Everton star Jimmy Gabriel, 1969 NASL MVP Pepe Fernandez, Crewe defender Dave Gillett and Hartlepool goalkeeper Barry Watling, among others.
On January 22, 1974, the team was christened Seattle Sounders, the moniker having won a highly publicized "name the team" contest (Seattle Mariners, the eventual name of the city's second baseball team, was a runner-up). The "lads" (so-called because the team were largely English players) were introduced to the media and the public in early Spring, announcing they would play their first home game on May 5. At the time, soccer was largely ignored by the national media, and the game was understood and played by a very small percentage of the population; but Seattle's post-war immigrants from Scandinavia and Britain had brought awareness of soccer, and a youth soccer league had started in 1966. Whether professional soccer could work in Seattle was anyone's guess.
The answer came at the club's inaugural game, when the Sounders took on the Denver Dynamos in Memorial Stadium, whose capacity of 13000 was considered ample for a sport which had never averaged more than 3000–5000 in other American cities. Over 12000 came to the opening match, the start of which was delayed to allow the unexpectedly large walk-up crowd to enter the stands. Longtime Seattle sportswriter Royal Brougham introduced the team to great fanfare, though he was booed when he chose to sing, "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", as Seattle sports fans were still embittered over the loss a few years earlier of the Seattle Pilots Major League Baseball team. It appeared Seattle was ready to embrace a different summer sport.
The Sounders won their home opener 4–1, and fans were hooked. By early summer, the Sounders stunned the American sports community by posting the first-ever sellout of a stadium for a soccer game, drawing 13,498 to their game against the defending champion Philadelphia Atoms. The Sounders proved successful on the field as well, with a 10–7–3 record, and Barry Watling won Goalkeeper of the Year honors with an astounding 0.80 goals against average. 36000 tickets were printed in anticipation of a home playoff game to be held in Husky Stadium. Despite their winning record, the NASL points system meant Seattle was edged out of the final playoff spot on the last day of the season, and they finished in third place in the highly competitive Western Conference that year.
The Sounders returned in 1975 with the addition of Tottenham Hotspur defender and UEFA Cup winner Mike England to anchor the defensive midfield. The success of the Sounders and other western teams led other teams to boost their lineups as well, including the signing of Pelé by the New York Cosmos. Memorial Stadium was expanded several times, eventually growing to hold 17,925, and sold out every game; amazingly, it never rained on a Sounders game in this outdoor facility. On the field, the Sounders were one of the league's better teams, posting a 15–7 record and making their first playoff appearance at Portland; their 2–1 loss in the quarterfinals cemented the Portland Timbers-Seattle Sounders rivalry which grew to become American soccer's most storied derby. Two indoor soccer exhibition games were played as a training exercise that winter as well, marking the origins of that version of the sport.
The Sounders' success helped Daggatt and his partners get the NFL Seattle Seahawks franchise, and both teams started play in the Kingdome in 1976. The first sporting event held at the Kingdome was a Sounders match against the Cosmos on April 9; 58,128 fans packed the Kingdome that day to investigate the new building and get a look at Pelé, who scored two goals to lead the Cosmos to a 3–1 victory. Important player signings included former English World Cup 1966 star Geoff Hurst and goalkeeper Tony Chursky who would lead the league with a 0.91 goals against average. The Sounders also led the NASL in attendance in 1976 with 23,826 fans per match, and the team held its first home playoff game, a 2–1 victory over the rival Vancouver Whitecaps FC, reaching the Divisional Championships of the 1976 NASL playoffs before falling short on the road to the Minnesota Kicks 3–0. The Kicks then returned to the Kingdome for Soccer Bowl '76, where they lost before an unsupportive Seattle crowd of 25000 to the Toronto Metros-Croatia.
Jimmy Gabriel assumed the coaching duties from John Best in the 1977 season. The club started slowly, losing 7 of their first 11 games; but a 10-5 tear placed them at 14-12 for the season, and fans continued to come out in large numbers, in part to see the team's first homegrown star, Seattle native and 1977 NASL Rookie of the Year Jimmy McAlister. Upsetting the favored L.A. Aztecs on the road in the conference final, they then edged them at home 1–0 before 56,000 fans, winning the Pacific Conference Championship and making it to their first ever championship game. Thousands of Seattle fans drove to Portland, the site of Soccer Bowl '77, to see them play the New York Cosmos before an international audience in what was to be Pelé's last game.
F.C. Seattle Storm (WSA), 1984–1995
Football Club Seattle Storm, also known as the F.C. Seattle Storm, was an American soccer team based in Seattle. F.C. Seattle was a "super club" created to provide Seattle players an opportunity to play at a higher level than the local recreational and semi-pro leagues. In addition to playing exhibition matches against top international teams, F.C. Seattle was a member of the short lived Western Soccer Alliance, was a founding member of the American Professional Soccer League and later spent three seasons in the Pacific Coast Soccer League.
Seattle SeaDogs (CISL), 1995–1997
The Seattle SeaDogs were an indoor soccer team that played in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL) from 1995 to 1997. They won the last CISL championship in 1997.
Seattle Sounders (APSL / A-League / USL-1), 1994–2008
Brian Schmetzer Era Prior to the beginning of the 2002 campaign, the Sounders were coming off a dismal performance the previous season. With the firing of Englishmen Bernie James the Sounders were in need of hiring a new head coach. Hanauer called on Brian Schmetzer, who last coached the indoor club, the Seattle SeaDogs, and asked him if he was interested in the job. Schmetzer agreed and took the job that season. Schmetzer's highlights of his six-year tenure include Pacific Division titles in his inaugural season and the following season. In 2004, during his third year of coaching, he led the Sounders to the A-League championship game where the team ultimately lost to the Montreal Impact. The next year, in the Sounders debut in the USL First Division, Schmetzer led the club again to the finals, where they successfully defeated the Richmond Kickers in penalties.
Schmetzer was a finalist for the 2007 coach of the year award. Although the team had started the season 1–3–4, they went on to claim the Commissioner's Cup for the league's best regular season record. The team also had a 15-game unbeaten run that included MLS opponents in the U.S. Open Cup. The Sounders went on to beat the Atlanta Silverbacks 4–0 to win the postseason championship.
2002–04: Pacific Champions, and run to USL Final The Sounders' 2002 season was easily the strongest season for the USL team and arguably the strongest year of all Sounders franchises. In Brian Schmetzer's inaugural campaign as Sounders manager, Schmetzer led the club to 23 victories in 28 matches. In 2002, the Sounders only lost one regular season match and had four draws. The record results in 107 points for the season, and easily obtaining the Commissioner's Cup by 22 points.
By earning the Commissioner's Cup, and winning the Pacific Division regular season title, the Sounders earned a direct bye to the Western Conference semifinals (or the quarterfinals) against their Cascadian rivals, the Vancouver Whitecaps. The first leg in Seattle was a solid start for the Sounders, as they cruised to a 2–0 win. The second leg, however, was a disaster. The match ended in a blowout 6–2 defeat. The defeat resulted in a 6–4 aggregate loss putting a shocking, abrupt end to the Sounders phenomenal season.
2005–08: Three years, two titles
Starting with the 2005 USL Division One season, the Sounders made it a top priority to win the USL postseason championship, especially following their shortcomings in 2004, with a defeat against Montreal Impact. During their 2005 campaign, Sounders goalie Preston Burpo, was second in the league in goals against average, averaging .85 goals a match. That season, defender Taylor Graham won the league's "Defender of the Year" award as well and was named to the "USL First Division Best XI" that year, too. In 2005, the Sounders finished in fourth place, and went on to win the championship against the Richmond Kickers in penalty kicks.
The following year, 2006, proved to be a rough year for the defending champions, as they failed to qualify for the playoffs, and finished in seventh place in the league table. In the midst of their dismal season, striker Cam Weaver netted 18 goals for the club, as well as an additional three assists scoring 39 individual points in the USL First Division. He finished the season with the second highest number of points behind Miami FC's Romario. Weaver was also named the USL First Division's "Rookie of the Year". Weaver received some minor international recognition, and subsequently signed with second division-Norwegian club FK Haugesund. In 2014 he returned to Seattle and played one year for the MLS-side Seattle Sounders FC.
Although 2007 was highlighted by the announcement of Seattle being award an MLS expansion franchise, the Sounders had a successful USL season, which proved to be their best in club history. First, the Sounders won the Commissioner's Cup, which is an award given the league champion with the best season record, of 16–6–6. They went on to win the postseason USL Cup, by thrashing Atlanta 4–0. In the 2007 U.S. Open Cup, the Sounders made a semifinal run, before losing to FC Dallas 2–1 in extra time. In the Open Cup quarterfinals, the Sounders thrashed MLS-side Colorado Rapids, 5–0, thus making it the largest margin of victory a USL club has ever had over an MLS club in any competition. Beforehand in the early rounds, the Sounders played Chivas USA, Portland Timbers and Banat Arsenal.
With the announcement of the MLS franchise, the USL team would play their last season in 2008. Midfielders Roger Levesque and Zach Scott would transition from the USL to the MLS Sounders after a two-month trial period. Schmetzer was a candidate for the head coach position for the MLS Sounders, but the job eventually went to Sigi Schmid, who had previously coached the Los Angeles Galaxy and Columbus Crew. Schmetzer took the role as the top assistant.