With the top spots in the Western Conference still up for grabs, Seattle Sounders FC fans are lining up for a chance to watch the expansion team attempt to make history.
This Saturday's match against FC Dallas will give the fans one last opportunity to show their appreciation of Seattle's inaugural season, which to date has netted them one major trophy (the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup) and a berth in the playoffs. And depending how things shake out, Sounders FC could grab one of the top two spots in the Western Conference, which would mean a potential home game in the conference championship.
In front of a consistently packed Qwest Field, that could be a huge advantage.
"It's truly the one place -- not to make it a cliché -- you truly feel like you're watching a game in Europe," said midfielder Pete Vagenas.
As a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy upon David Beckham's arrival, Vagenas has played in front of large crowds throughout the country. Without a doubt, he said the two best fan bases in the league are in Seattle and Los Angeles. The one thing he pointed out that makes Seattle's crowd unique, though, is the rabid support of the team's core group of fans.
"He have here grown men who stand the entire game with scarves in the air," Vagenas said. "The only thing I can say is that it's unlike anything I've ever seen."
Currently, single tickets for the final match are reselling for $77 on StubHub, according to spokesperson Joellen Ferrer. In fact, over the course of the season, Seattle Sounders FC has been the highest grossing team in Major League Soccer on StubHub this season, a ranking that is driven both by the average value and the volume of tickets exchanged on the site. Vagenas' old team, the Galaxy, ranks second followed by the San Jose Earthquakes.
Seattle's designated player, Freddie Ljungberg, has been pleased with the support the team has received.
"As a team and as an individual, the fans have been amazing and have been very welcoming to me to come here. It's over anything I have imagined," Ljungberg said. "In Europe, they maybe sing a bit more songs, I think that is the difference between here and Europe, but here they are very loud."
Sounders FC, who are on pace to break the MLS single-season attendance record for one team with an average attendance of 30,739 this season, are asking the fans to arrive early for the club's 15th consecutive sellout this weekend. Sounders FC will be handing out T-shirts to those who participate in the pregame March to the Match and the owners sprung for a permanent installation to the northwest wall of Qwest Field honoring the first group of season-ticket holders.
When all the elements are added together, the fans are expecting quite an event on Saturday night.
"I'm looking forward to a love fest between the club and the fans this Saturday," said Ron Stickney of the website Seattle Pitch. "It has been a month since the last home match, so I think that fans are in need of a football fix.
"I think we'll see a full house increase the season attendance average while setting the new high water mark for the league. How often does the average Joe get to be part of shattering a sports record?"
Andrew Winner is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
