History:
Soccer rose to main stream prominence in the United States after it hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup. When an American soccer league was proposed prior to the world cup, over thirty cities were seen as possible franchise venues. Seattle, though viewed as a possible franchise home, missed out because it was unable to secure the required number of season ticket assurances and hence could not be granted a franchise.
For the next decade, there were numerous attempts to land an expansion franchise in Seattle, but they were mostly unsuccessful. In 2007, the most promising bid for an expansion franchise was made when business tycoons Adrian Hanauer and Paul Allen teamed up with Hollywood producer Joe Roth to bid for a franchise. The bid was successful and Seattle was officially granted a franchise in November 2007, becoming the fifteenth team in the MLS. “Sounders” was chosen by fans as the franchise’s moniker through an online poll which was conducted in 2008.
Major League Soccer:
The team played its inaugural season in the MLS in 2009. Their biggest signing at the start of the season was former Swedish international and Arsenal star Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg. In their first season the team was able to make it to the playoffs, where they eventually lost in extra time to the Houston Dynamo in the conference semi final. However the team would go on to win the U.S. Open Cup in their inaugural season and did so by defeating D.C. United away from home. The win also meant they qualified for the preliminary rounds of the 2010-2011 CONCACAF Champions League.
The club’s second season in the top flight of American soccer was tumultuous; however, they managed to fight till the end and scraped their way into the playoffs for a second year running. The result, however, was the same as the year before and the team was eliminated in the conference semi finals by the L.A. Galaxy. But the Sounders went on to make history as they became the first team to retain their U.S. Open Cup.
The following season was a repeat of the club’s first two seasons in the league, as they made it to the playoffs for a third year running, but were knocked out in the conference semi finals. However, the Sounders were once again able to win the U.S. Open Cup, becoming the first team to win the trophy three times in a row in forty two years.
The 2013 season started on a high for the Sounders, as they were able to secure the services of US National team captain, Clint Dempsey, for a MLS record nine million dollars.
The season is still on, so buy Seattle Sounders FC tickets to watch live action from the Sounders’ and see if they can better their record from previous years and finish even more strongly.