Sound Football Club is an American women's soccer team in the Women's Premier Soccer League . Sound FC play its home games at Starfire Sports Stadium in Tukwila, Washington , six miles south of downtown Seattle .
38-728: The team was founded in 2000 as Seattle Sounders Select Women , a sister organization of the men's team in the USL First Division . The Select Women competed in the original USL W-League until the league was disbanded in 2015. Following the men's team's departure for Major League Soccer , Mike Jennings, owner of the United Soccer League franchise Tacoma Tide , took over the Sounders Women's ownership. In 2011, Cliff McElroy and Lane Smith of Datec Inc. became majority owners, while Mike Jennings has maintained
76-617: A 7–5–0 record to qualify for the W-League Playoffs. It was their first season under head coach Dick McCormick , who was also an assistant coach for the men's team and played several matches during the year. They were the first team to play at the new Seahawks Stadium (now Lumen Field ) as part of a doubleheader with the Sounders against their respective Vancouver opponents on July 27, 2002. The Select Women won 4–3 in overtime. The team won 5–1 in their opening playoffs match against
114-567: A minority stake. In January 2020, Seattle Sounders FC terminated its branding agreement, leading to an affiliation and rebrand with Sound FC , a youth soccer club based in Woodinville, Washington . The team most notable for having signed five U.S. international players, Hope Solo , Alex Morgan , Megan Rapinoe , Sydney Leroux , and Stephanie Cox , following the collapse of the Women's Professional Soccer in 2012. The Seattle Sounders of
152-634: A new APSL team, to be named the Sounders and owned by former Microsoft executives Scott Oki and Neil Farnsworth, was announced in September 1993. The bid's approval was announced by United States Soccer Federation secretary general Hank Steinbrecher on January 30, 1994, during a men's international friendly match between the United States and Russia at the Kingdome that was attended by 43,651 spectators. The reborn Sounders competed with
190-521: A possible Major League Soccer franchise. A move to Tacoma or folding the club were also considered in the event that a rival MLS bid won rights to an expansion team in Seattle, according to Hanauer. The Sounders looked to earn an MLS expansion team in the 1990s and 2000s while also competing with other prospective ownership groups. Farnsworth and Oki initially stated that they were interested in becoming minority investors in an MLS team and permit use of
228-526: A rival group that aimed to create a Seattle franchise for Major League Soccer , the new top-level soccer league for the United States. Hinton was named club president and later appointed himself as head coach prior to the inaugural season. The Sounders played their inaugural season at the Tacoma Dome and Memorial Stadium . The Sounders finished the 1994 season with a 14–6 record, the best in
266-1350: A series of exhibition matches in Argentina against the reserve squads of local clubs as part of a farewell tour in late October 2008. They won all six matches, which also served as a tryout for the MLS team for the existing members of the USL team. This is a complete list of seasons for the A-League/USL club. For a season-by-season history including the current Seattle Sounders FC MLS franchise, see History of professional soccer in Seattle#Sounders season results . ^ 1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only. ^ 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup , U.S. Open Cup , CONCACAF Champions League , FIFA Club World Cup , and other competitive continental matches. ^ 3. Points and PPG have been adjusted from non-traditional to traditional scoring systems for seasons prior to 2003 to more effectively compare historical team performance across seasons. League Championship Commissioner's Cup (Top of
304-919: The American Professional Soccer League . They played in the A-League , later renamed the USL First Division , from 1997 to 2008. The team was named for the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which folded in 1983. The Sounders folded after the 2008 season as part of a transition to a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team named Seattle Sounders FC that debuted in 2009. The team generally used blue and white jerseys. They played at Memorial Stadium and various small venues from 1994 until their move to Qwest Field (now Lumen Field) in 2003. The Sounders played their last season at
342-770: The Arizona Heatwave in Highlands Ranch, Colorado , with four goals scored by Shelby Brownfield . The Select Women advanced to face hosts Denver Lady Cougars for a semifinal berth, but lost 2–1 in overtime. The team finished second in the Western Conference in 2003 behind the Vancouver Whitecaps , who they met in the Western Conference Finals. The match was tied 2–2 through regulation and extra time and won by
380-602: The Los Angeles Galaxy in the third round. The team had financial troubles and folded after the 2002 season after failing to pay for its $ 85,000 budget. The Sounders later formed a relationship with a new PDL franchise, the Tacoma Tides , which was established in 2006. A women's team, named Seattle Sounders Select Women , began play in 2000 and moved to the USL W-League the following year. The team
418-638: The North American Soccer League . Former coach Alan Hinton had acquired rights to the Sounders name after the club folded and began a campaign to bring an American Professional Soccer League (APSL; later the A-League) team to the city in 1992. The league previously had another Seattle team, the Seattle Storm , that had joined from the Western Soccer Alliance and played for one APSL season in 1990 before they folded. A bid for
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#1732772697281456-658: The Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila . The Sounders made their second consecutive appearance in the U.S. Open Cup semifinals, where they lost to fellow USL-1 club Charleston Battery in a penalty shootout. Following a regular season that finished with a 10–10–10 record, the second-division team were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Montreal Impact and played their last competitive match on September 28, 2008. The Sounders played
494-606: The Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Washington , which would become the training facility for the MLS team. Their head coach from 2002 to 2008 was Brian Schmetzer , who had played for the NASL Sounders and later coached the MLS team. A sister organization, the Seattle Sounders Women , played in the women's USL W-League from 2001 to 2015. The club was founded in 1994 and named after the original Seattle Sounders team, which played from 1974 to 1983 in
532-543: The 2000 season with an undefeated 8–0–3 record and outscored their opponents 40–4 in provisional league matches and friendlies. The women's team drew approximately 5,000 total spectators at Memorial Stadium, including 2,222 at the home opener on June 29 against the Vancouver Lady 86ers ; an additional exhibition game at Mount St. High School in Snoqualmie drew 1,300 in attendance. The Select Women formally joined
570-583: The 2012 season. The national team players trained separately and did not travel for away matches, but helped the Sounders Women draw sold out crowds at Starfire Sports before they left for National Women's Soccer League teams, including the new Seattle Reign FC . After the W-League folded in November 2015, the Sounders Women moved to the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL). They won a WPSL championship in 2018. The team terminated their branding agreement with
608-597: The A-League, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Colorado Foxes . Hinton resigned as head coach and club president in 1996 and transferred the rights to the Sounders name to Oki. The Sounders played in the 1996 CONCACAF Champions' Cup and advanced to the final round in Guatemala City , where they finished at the bottom of a four-team group. They were the second Seattle-based team to play in
646-553: The MLS Sounders in January 2020 and were renamed Sound FC. As of May 21, 2019. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Seattle Sounders (1994%E2%80%932008) The Seattle Sounders were an American professional soccer team that was founded in 1994 and played in several second-division leagues, beginning with
684-466: The MLS Sounders in January 2020 and were renamed Sound FC. The Sounders had local two rivals—the Portland Timbers to the south and the Vancouver Whitecaps to the north. All three teams were successors to their respective NASL teams that competed in the 1970s and 1980s. They competed in the annual Cascadia Cup , which was established by fan organizations in 2004 and has been contested by
722-876: The Regular Season Table) Pacific Division Champion Western Conference Champion Cascadia Cup MVP Leading scorer Goalkeeper of the Year Defender of the Year Coach of the Year Rookie of the Year First team All Star The Sounders originally played at Memorial Stadium , with select matches at other venues such as the Tacoma Dome , and moved to Qwest Field (originally Seahawks Stadium) in 2003. The Sounders and
760-544: The Sounders Select Women played the first-ever sporting event at the stadium on July 28, 2002, before 25,515 fans—setting an A-League attendance record. After opening the 2008 season at Qwest Field, the Sounders played their remaining 14 league home fixtures at Starfire Sports Complex . Various exhibition matches against A-League and MLS opponents were played at local high schools, including Marysville Pilchuck in 1998 and Mount Vernon in 1999. In 2007,
798-685: The Sounders Women in a penalty shootout; goalkeeper Meghan Miller made three saves in the shootout to clinch the victory for Seattle. The Sounders Women made their first appearance in the W-League Semifinals and lost 4–1 to the Hampton Roads Piranhas . Seattle won the third-place match against the Ottawa Fury in Virginia Beach, Virginia , and earned their first league honors. The Sounders Women merged with
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#1732772697281836-470: The Sounders in 2002. The Sounders earned four A-League championships, winning the league cup in 1995, 1996, 2005, and 2007. Seattle finished with the best regular season record in the league in 1994, 2002, and 2007. In addition to their titles, the Sounders finished as runners-up in the league cup to Montreal in 2004. In 2005, Seattle drew the Richmond Kickers 1–1 at Qwest Field before claiming
874-471: The Sounders name, rather than being majority owners. In 2000, the club announced plans to pursue a MLS team that would play in the then-unbuilt Seahawks Stadium (now Lumen Field) and keep the A-League franchise as a developmental team named "Sounders Premier". Later owner Adrian Hanauer also made a bid for a 2005 expansion slot that was instead awarded to Real Salt Lake . On November 13, 2007, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced that it had selected Seattle as
912-482: The Sounders returned to Memorial Stadium. The Sounders formed a partnership with the German side Werder Bremen in 1998 due to Sounders USL-PDL player Andrew Dallman's involvement with the German side via US indoor soccer legends Fernando Clavijo, Raffaele Ruotolo, and Jean Willrich. The team also formed a partnership with English side Cambridge United in 2006 due to the shared involvement of Adrian Hanauer, who bought
950-593: The Sounders were affiliated with the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. The Sounders founded a developmental USL Premier Development League (PDL) team, named Seattle Sounders Select , in 1999. They replaced the Seattle BigFoot , an independent team who had been considered an unofficial development squad. In the second round of the 2001 U.S. Open Cup , they eliminated MLS side Dallas Burn and advanced further than their parent club, losing to
988-644: The United States and Canada. The team played in the Western Conference against the Colorado Force , LA Strikers , Pali Blues , Santa Clarita Blue Heat , Seattle Sounders Women , Vancouver Whitecaps , and Victoria Highlanders Women . From 2001–2005, the team was known as the Denver Lady Cougars , and in 2000 the team was known as the Colorado Gold . The Cougars were a sibling side of the men's Real Colorado Foxes team, which joined
1026-529: The W-League's 1st Division in 2001 and was placed in the Western Conference alongside the Portland Rain and Vancouver Breakers (successor to the Lady 86ers). Seattle played their home matches at Issaquah High School and finished second in the conference with a 12–4–4 record, but failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Select Women started their 2002 season with a four-match losing streak but recovered to
1064-530: The championship 4–3 in penalty kicks. In 2007, the Sounders defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks 4–0 to claim their fourth championship title. The team primarily played at Memorial Stadium, which was aging and in need of repairs, and later Seahawks Stadium (Qwest Field) beginning in 2003 despite their low average attendance. Seahawks Stadium had been designed to be used by a future MLS team, but an expansion team had not been granted after it opened. In
1102-607: The club when the Sounders moved to MLS in 2009. The Sounders organization created an official fan club , named the Sounders Legion, in 2007. Real Colorado Cougars Real Colorado Cougars were an American women's soccer team, founded in 2000 and disestablished in February 2010. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League , the second tier of women's soccer in
1140-753: The continental championship, after the Seattle Mitre Eagles in the 1988 edition , who also lost to Cruz Azul . For the 1999 season, the team played at Renton Memorial Stadium , a 6,500-seat suburban venue in Renton , while Memorial Stadium in Seattle underwent renovations. The Sounders had an average attendance of 6,132 in 1994, but declined to 2,100 by 1999; the club had also lost its profitability during this time. They attracted more spectators in Renton, but found group sales had declined and needed more locker room space for their various teams; in 2000,
1178-598: The early 2000s, the team considered plans to build a soccer-specific stadium with approximately 15,000 to 20,000 seats and a complex of fields in various suburbs, including Fife and Kent . In 2006, the Sounders proposed a stadium at the Kitsap County Faigrounds in Bremerton , one of Seattle's western suburbs in Kitsap County . A 6,500-seat stadium was proposed again in 2007 as the home of
Sound FC (women) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1216-528: The end of the month that included 55 players, mostly from Washington state. They played exhibition matches in the provisional Pacific Northwest Division of the USL W-League , with home games primarily at Memorial Stadium in Seattle that would precede men's Sounders games. The Select Women played their inaugural match on June 10, 2000, against the Spokane Chill at Joe Albi Stadium and won 5–0 with two goals by forward Janelle Munnis . The team finished
1254-402: The recipient of an expansion team that would begin play at Qwest Field in 2009. USL Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer would become one of the team's owners, along with Drew Carey , Paul Allen and majority owner Joe Roth . The team's name, Seattle Sounders FC , was unveiled on April 7, 2008, continuing the Sounders name into MLS. The USL team would play their last season in 2008, mostly at
1292-535: The second-division A-League announced plans for a women's team in April 2000 and hired Chance Fry as head coach. The organization had planned for a women's team for several years and named them Seattle Sounders Select Women as part of their development system, which already included the men's Seattle Sounders Select in the USL Premier Development League . The team held an open tryout at
1330-511: The team had eight owners: general manager Adrian Hanauer ; former Microsoft executives Scott Oki, Neil Farnsworth, and Josef Bascovitz; tour operator Paul Barry; real estate developer Robin Waite; tech executive Rick Cantu; and investor Tor Taylor. The Sounders had been unprofitable for most of their existence in the second division of American soccer. During their first years in the USISL/USL,
1368-563: The teams' MLS successors since 2011. The Sounders won the trophy in 2006 and 2007. The original Seattle Sounders were supported by the Seattle Sounders Booster Club in the 1970s and early 1980s. A small group named "The Pod", named for the Sounders' orca mascot, formed to support the second incarnation of the club in the 1990s. The Emerald City Supporters were formed in 2005 to organize fans and perform songs, chants, and displays during matches. They remained with
1406-686: The women's team of amateur club Hibernian Saints in 2006 to form the Seattle Sounders Saints Women. The club was sold to the Tacoma Tides in December 2008 and continued to use the Sounders name following the men's team move to Major League Soccer . The Sounders organization expressed interest in fielding a team in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) prior to its folding in 2012. The team signed several professional WPS players, including U.S. national team members Hope Solo , Alex Morgan , Megan Rapinoe , and Sydney Leroux , for
1444-568: Was rebranded as Seattle Sounders Women in 2003 and was sold in 2008 to Tacoma Tides owner Mike Jennings as part of preparations for the USL–MLS transition. The Sounders Women was temporarily home to several national team players in 2012 following the collapse of Women's Professional Soccer . The Sounders Women left the W-League when it folded in 2015 and moved to the Women's Premier Soccer League , where they won their first national championship in 2018. The team terminated their branding agreement with
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