[163] The team played MLS Cup 2021 champions New York City FC in the semifinals, winning 31 at home in the first leg and drawing 11 in the second leg to advance 42 on aggregate. Try A Little Soccer", "Seattle at 'top of list' for MLS team in 2006", "Seattle's chances for MLS team take a hit", "Several groups contending for MLS expansion in Seattle", "It's official: Seattle to get MLS team in 2009", "New Soccer Team Stokes Seattle's Passion", "Sigi Schmid becomes Sounders FC's first coach", "Sounders FC fans' passion bowls over commissioner", "Keller ejected as Sounders FC lose for first time", "Messi Leads FC Barcelona to Friendly Win over Sounders FC", "Manchester United schools Sounders FC 70 before record crowd", "Seattle Sounders FC Become Second MLS Expansion Team to Claim U.S. Open Cup Crown", "Sounders Clinch Playoff Berth With 32 Win", "Sounders explain why season tickets capped at 32,000", "Dynamo advance to Western final vs. Galaxy", "Sounders clinch a playoff berth with second-half surge", "Fans motivate Seattle to 21 win over Chivas", "Sounders FC release Chivas USA preview & broadcast info", "Fucito's 2 goals boost Sounders past Marathon, 20", "Nyassi is nice: Seattle Sounders defeat Columbus Crew, 21, to repeat as U.S. Open Cup champions", "Nyassi scores twice, Seattle beats Columbus 21", "Seattle claims first berth in 20112012 CCL", "For the third-straight year, Sounders FC to host stand-alone opener to kick off MLS season", "Juninho scores as L.A. beats Seattle 10", "Passionate fans keep Cascadia Cup alive and well", "Fredy Montero scores twice as Seattle claims Cascadia Cup", "Sounders' Zakuani has fractured tibia, fibula", "Give Sounders FC advantage entering Game 1", "Seattle Sounders Win Third Consecutive Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in Front of Record Crowd", "Sounders win, come close, but won't move on in playoffs", "Mauro Rosales named MLS Newcomer of the Year", "Sounders on pace for eighth-largest MLS playoff crowd? MLS has 24 participating teams spread across the US and. [44], The Sounders began the 2011 season by hosting the opening match of the MLS season for the third straight year, losing 10 to the Los Angeles Galaxy. [31], On October 17, 2009, the Sounders became the third MLS expansion team in league history to qualify for the playoffs in its first season. That was important to me and it was important to the league. [10] Many of the state's voters supported the referendum to construct Seahawks Stadium because it was also expected to be a professional soccer venue. The team will hold an introductory event next week showcasing the new ownership group. Yea, but I saw somewhere that the combined net worth of this group is less than Roths was by himself. [225] A new turf surface, based on the Revolution 360 brand developed by FieldTurf, was installed in early 2016 as part of the extended lease after noticeable wear on the former surface. While there are new people signing the checks, Hanauer clarified that this ownership change does not mean there will be necessarily be an infusion of cash to the team. Beyond them, its a group of people with backgrounds in the tech industry that former tech executive Terry Myerson apparently cobbled together. Gambling problem? In the playoffs, the Sounders were eliminated in the conference semifinals by the Los Angeles Galaxy on a 31 aggregate score. [283][284] The team became known as the Tacoma Defiance ahead of the 2019 season. [203][204] Former Sounders minority owner, the late Paul Allen, was also the owner of the Seahawks, who have a 30-year lease on CenturyLink Field. The logo incorporates the Space Needle, an internationally recognized Seattle landmark. The winless streak ended in a match on July 7, which saw the return of Steve Zakuani from rehabilitation, against the Colorado Rapids. Hanauer seemed genuinely excited about doing just that, painting a picture of the new owners helping boost revenues by a rather modest sum of $4 million per year, which amortized over five years could pay for a $20 million player investment. [255] Roth departed the club's ownership group in 2019. In the Champions League, Seattle progressed through the preliminary round, beating Isidro Metapn 21 on aggregate, but was eliminated in the group stage. The club's majority owner is Adrian Hanauer, and its minority owners are the estate of Paul Allen, Drew Carey, and 14 families from the Seattle area. [257] Peter Tomozawa and Donna LeDuc joined the new minority ownership group shortly afterwards, with Tomozawa taking over as president of business operations. He was promoted to interim head coach from his role as assistant coach after Sigi Schmid parted ways with the club on mutual terms in July 2016. As a programmer I charge $150/h 40 hour minimum blocks. SEATTLE DOMINANCE: The Sounders have won 15 of their 18 home matches against the Rapids in MLS play including the playoffs (15-2-1), as well as the last six in a row. [103], Prior to the 2016 season, Obafemi Martins abruptly left the club to sign with Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. The Sounders advanced to their first Champions League final and faced Mexican club UNAM, who hosted the first leg. [9], In 1996, as Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen worked with the city to build a new football stadium for his team, the potential of an MLS expansion team that could be a co-tenant helped drive public support for the effort. [106], During the first half of the 2016 season, the Sounders failed to meet expectations, placing near the bottom of the league with 6 wins, 12 losses, and 2 draws. [180], The Sounders have usually played in a rave green primary jersey with varying colors and designs for their secondary and third kits. [165] As CONCACAF champions, Seattle became the first MLS club to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup. The Sounders are a phoenix club, carrying the same name as the original Sounders franchise that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1983. [11] While the stadium problem was being resolved, a new issue emerged. Are Macklemore and Russell Wilson the new Sounders owners? [54] In the 201112 CONCACAF Champions League, Seattle became only the second MLS team in history to win a competitive match in Mexico, defeating CF Monterrey 10 on August 23, 2011. [11], In 2003, Seattle was again listed as a possibility for an MLS expansion team when the ten-team league announced plans to expand into new markets. Former USL Sounders coach and assistant coach Brian Schmetzer took over as head coach in July 2016 after the departure of Sigi Schmid. [160], The team qualified for the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League as the best-performing MLS club without their own berth, replacing the slot reserved for the cancelled U.S. Open Cup. Sounders FC Ownership Club Roster Technical Staff Schedule Standings Stats Tacoma Defiance Ownership Front Office Employment Facilities Kit Adrian Hanauer Majority Owner Jody Allen Owner Drew Carey Owner Peter Tomozawa Owner & President of Business Operations New Sounders FC Partners Owners Tod & Tara Leiweke Owners Myerson seemed to raise that specter in a blog post about the process behind assembling the group of owners. When the Sounders moved into Starfire ahead of the 2009 season, it was among the best training facilities in MLS. In 2015, Hanauer and Roth essentially swapped their stakes, making Hanauer the new majority owner among the group. Even before the first cities in the United States were chosen to host Major League Soccer teams, Seattle was considered a viable location for a professional team. [303] In 2020, the team switched its streaming rights to Amazon Prime Video. [59] Seattle reached the U.S. Open Cup Final for the fourth consecutive year, becoming the first team to do so since 1937,[60] but lost to Sporting Kansas City in a penalty shootout after a 11 draw. Several veteran players, including Eddie Johnson, Patrick Ianni, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Mauro Rosales, and Steve Zakuani, left the club as part of a major restructure; Brad Evans was named as club captain. And that number is down by 3 percentage points just since. Hanauer even made mentioned of the third rail in American soccer synthetic turf and expressed some muted optimism that some changes to the playing surface could come down the line. Seattle has been among the league's most successful teams, winning the U.S. Open Cup four times, the Supporters' Shield in 2014, and the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019. Seattle's MLS team is also the second in attendance for the year, with an average of 39,598 attendees per game, according to Bloomberg. "Ciara and I are fired . Beyond the money, though, Im genuinely excited at the prospect of having owners who are as invested in this team and the community as the fans are. [4] Cities seeking consideration for an inaugural MLS team were also expected to secure 10,000 assurances from fans for season tickets. Adrian Hanauer, then-owner of the United Soccer League's (USL) Sounders (formerly the APSL Sounders), was in discussions with MLS about an estimated payment of $1million to secure rights to a Seattle franchise for 2006. CenturyLink Field was the site of the MLS Cup in 2009. [248] The relationship between former head coaches Bruce Arena and Sigi Schmid, the two most successful in league history, also played a factor in the clubs' rivalry. See which MLS players are injured today and get the latest MLS Soccer injury news with our injury report for every team in the league. [111] Despite the sluggish start as well as the loss of midfielder Clint Dempsey, who was forced in August to stop playing after evaluations for an irregular heartbeat,[112] the Sounders rose from ninth place to fourth place in the Western Conference and qualified for the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, with eight wins, two losses, and four draws. [89], The Sounders advanced to the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final and defeated the Philadelphia Union in extra time, to win their fourth trophy of the tournament. That all changed on Tuesday when the the Sounders announced that 11 new families had joined the ownership group as minority stakeholders, buying out the remainder of Roths share (Update: three more families have joined the ownership group since the initial announcement). They qualified for a berth in the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League and earned a record 11th appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs, which would use single-elimination matches for the first time in league history. [92] He left the club in November 2022 and was replaced by Craig Waibel, another former member of Real Salt Lake's staff. The biggest takeaway: Adrian Hanauer is even more in charge than he was before. [1][215], The Sounders have opened additional sections at Lumen Field for international friendlies, MLS Cup finals, and select regular season matches. Emerald City Supporters (ECS), which formed in 2005 to support the USL Sounders, is the largest supporter group and sits in the south end of the stadium in sections 121123. [193][194], The Sounders contracted talent firm WME-IMG to explore new jersey sponsorship and other advertising opportunities in 2017, shortly before the expiration of the Microsoft contract. After 13,775 votes registered, Hanauer was retained by the Alliance. [251] Hanauer and his mother Lenore Hanauer also became minority owners of Tacoma-based Reign FC in the National Women's Soccer League in January 2019, though there was no affiliation between the two clubs;[252] their involvement with that club ended when OL Groupe purchased majority ownership of it the following year. Well, kinda. [238] Eastside Supporters is a group which can be found in section 150 which they call "The Pod". Griffey joins an ownership group that last year added Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and his wife, Ciara, and hip-hop star Macklemore among a group of local investors. The team announced Griffey has purchased a stake in the club that drafted him in 1987 and watched him grow into a . That group has expanded its percentage of the interest in the team from 35% to a number which has yet to be disclosed. Please enter a valid email and try again. [288][289] Several academy products have been signed by the Sounders under the MLS Homegrown Player Rule, including DeAndre Yedlin, Sean Okoli, Jordan Morris, and Henry Wingo. [209], Lumen Field is a 69,000-seat stadium designed for both teams. They found an SEC filing for Seattle Futbol LLC that showed an offering for that amount. Beyond specifically talking about that possibility during the press conference, the Sounders have also been promising an announcement along those lines sometime in the relatively near future. We are confident that any scheduling issues can be mitigated over the course of time.. All right, level with me Is this change good? ", "Sounders hire talent firm to help in search for naming-rights partner", "Sounders, Reign ink new jersey sponsorship deals with Seattle-based online retailer Zulily", "Seattle Sounders jerseys to be sponsored by online retailer Zulily", "Sounders FC announces WaFd Bank as jersey sleeve patch partner for 2020 season", "Sounders FC and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians' Emerald Queen Casino announce new multi-year partnership between the Rave Green and iconic Coast Salish people", "Sounders announce partnership with Providence Swedish. For other uses, see, This table of the last few Sounders seasons is an excerpt from, Schmetzer era and first MLS Cup (20162018), Second MLS Cup title and pandemic (20192021), Champions League title and Club World Cup (20222023), Last edited on 28 February 2023, at 00:20, History of professional soccer in Seattle, American Professional Soccer League (APSL) Sounders, List of Seattle Sounders FC records and statistics, List of Seattle Sounders FC seasons Seasons, "Seattle Misses First MLS Cut But Bid Isn't Dead", "Big Soccer Surprise: 38,000 To See Match", "Soccer League Rejects Sounders' Plan; Two Will Compete To Sell Season Tickets", "Seattle Gets Boost in Bid For Team Husky Stadium Might Be MLS Site", "Major League Soccer Postponed Until 1996", "U.S. Vulcan Sports Group, operated by Jody Allen, the sister of the late Paul Allen, will continue to control a 25% share. No. Hanauer said. Feb. 21Puget Sound Energy is pushing for legislation that would help it secure a large ownership stake in new renewable projects in the state. Foundation has also partnered with the NFL Players Association and Goalsetter to donate $35,000 to the students of West Seattle's Denny International Middle . The hard benefits are things like increased revenue opportunities like selling the naming rights or renting the space for tournaments. [13] However, when Seattle was passed over again in 2006, Hanauer announced that he would not be able to secure an expansion team without the help of more investors willing to cover the increasing MLS franchise fees which had grown beyond $10million. What percentage of the Sounders does Drew Carey own? Joe sold his equity to a group of new people.. [75] The Sounders failed to advance in the U.S. Open Cup after losing to second-division Tampa Bay Rowdies in the third round, marking the end of the team's seven-year streak of appearances in the later rounds. But even when Roth was the majority owner, he never wrote checks for more than his 35 percent ownership share and Hanauer has always been the guy making the big day-to-day business decisions. [175][176], In response to the backlash, the team added a fourth write-in option for the team name, allowing for any name to be suggested on the ballot. The Kraken announced Monday that Grammy winner Macklemore and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch are joining the minority investor group. The billionaire's entry as a minority partner, put employees from marketing, management and ticket sales departments accustomed to the NFL, for a soccer team that had just joined MLS. Over his career, Griffey racked up 13 all-star selections and 10 Gold Glove Awards, and he was elected into the. [296][297], Beginning with the 2023 season, all MLS matches will be streamed worldwide by Apple on MLS Season Pass with most matches behind a paywall and some available for free. 24 The ownership group was led by entertainer Danny Kaye, who provided most of the initial financing, and Lester Smith. [5] Since 2017, the business operations of the Defiance is under the management of the Tacoma Rainiers, a Triple-A baseball affiliate of the Seattle Mariners, while soccer operations are managed by the Sounders. [256][257] Myerson arranged for the investment through his connections and negotiations that took 15 months to complete. Forbes estimated that the Sounders were worth $310 million in 2018. LA would go on to win the MLS Cup. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 with the third-highest vote total in history at 99.3 percent. [151] The team clinched their 12th consecutive playoff berth and finished second in the Western Conference. The Sounders recently won their fourth USL championship. In front of a raucous crowd of almost 69,000 fans at Seattle's Lumen Field, Sounders forward Ral Ruidaz gave the hosts a lead they wouldn't relinquish in the final minute of the first half.. [162] Seattle then faced Club Len in a rematch of the Leagues Cup Final, winning 30 at home in the first leg and drawing 11 in the second leg to advance to the semifinals. Griffey's generational talent helped to make him one of baseball's most famous athletes, and one of the biggest names in Seattle. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. [5] These low numbers were a result of competition between the ticket campaign for the MLS expansion team and for the American Professional Soccer League (APSL) Sounders expansion team. In the ensuing penalty shootout, Portland won 42; the home leg is considered to be one of the best playoff matches in league history due to its dramatic finish. The Sounders entered in the second round against Egypt's Al Ahly, the runners-up in the 202122 CAF Champions League, and lost 10 to a late goal. Odds & lines subject to change. Wilson will make an. First off, it should probably be noted that every new member was brought in with a partner. Wilson and Ciara are among 11 local families who joined the . Hanauer has made it known that to the degree all teams would ideally have their own stadium, he would love to have the Sounders playing in a soccer palace on par with the great teams of the world. [157][158] The team also won twice against Mexican clubs UANL and Santos Laguna in the 2021 Leagues Cup and advanced to the final, where they lost 32 to Club Len in Las Vegas. 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