Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer(MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began play in 2009 as an MLS expansion team. The Sounders are a phoenix club, and the third Seattle soccer club to carry the Sounders name being part of a legacy which traces back to the original team of the NASL in 1974.
The club’s majority owner is Adrian Hanauer, and its minority owners are Joe Roth, the estate of Paul Allen and Drew Carey. Former USL Sounders coach and assistant coach Brian Schmetzer took over as head coach in July 2016 after the departure of Sigi Schmid. The Sounders play their home league matches at CenturyLink Field, with a reduced capacity of 41,000 seats for most matches. Along with several organized groups, a 53-member marching band called ‘Sound Wave’ supports the club at each home match. Seattle competes with rival MLS clubs Portland and Vancouver for the Cascadia Cup.
The Sounders played its inaugural match on March 19, 2009, winning 3–0 over the New York Red Bulls. 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. The team has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of its ten seasons and competed in the CONCACAF Champions League five times, advancing to the semifinal round once. The team set MLS records for average attendance during its first eight seasons. The Sounders are ranked as one of the most valuable franchises in North America.
The team’s players have included U.S. men’s national soccer team captain Clint Dempsey, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua F.C. forward Obafemi Martins, striker Fredy Montero, and captain Osvaldo Alonso. The Sounders also operate a players’ academy and lower division teams that have produced homegrown players, including forward Jordan Morris and current Newcastle United F.C. defender DeAndre Yedlin.
