Seattle Sounders
2009 - present
Nicknames: Rave Green
Trophies
US Open Cup 2009, 2010, 2011
Stadium: CenturyLink Field
Owners: Joe Roth, Paul Allen, Drew Carey, Adrian Hanauer
Despite their status as an expansion team, Seattle Sounders FC aren't exactly new in the Emerald City. In fact, the team's origins predate Major League Soccer.
The Seattle Sounders came into existence in 1974 as a member of the now-defunct NASL, and within three years the team were playing the legendary New York Cosmos for the Soccer Bowl. Despite impressive crowds and solid results, however, the Sounders couldn't survive the decline of the league and folded in 1983. In 1994, however, the Sounders were reborn in the American Professional Soccer League, before moving up to the USL in 1997. The second incarnation of the Sounders won four titles between 1995 and 2007.
The 2007 season also brought welcome news - Seattle had been awarded the 15th MLS franchise, signalling a return to the top-flight for the Emerald City. Though the expansion franchise had different ownership, fans voted to retain the name "Sounders" in keeping with the city's soccer tradition. In 2009, those same fans turned out in droves to see the debut of the Rave Green - 35,523 were on hand to see Sounders FC defeat the 2008 MLS Cup finalist New York Red Bulls 3-0, to kick off another impressive chapter in Seattle's soccer history.
Notable Players
- Fredy Montero
- Osvaldo Alonso
- Kasey Keller
- Mauro Rosales
- Steve Zakuani
- Freddie Ljungberg
- Eddie Johnson
Coaches
- Sigi Schmid, 2009-present