November 13, 2007.
MLS MVP Luciano Emilio just led D.C. United to the Supporters’ Shield a few weeks earlier. The top box office hit was Bee Movie. Chris Brown’s “Kiss Kiss” had just supplanted Soulja Boy’s “Crank That” atop the music charts. I was already a few lessons behind in my ninth-grade Algebra II class.
Most importantly, though, MLS was officially coming to Seattle.
At a media event atop the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, MLS commissioner Don Garber, along with the club’s ownership group – including owners Adrian Hanauer and Joe Roth, plus then-CEO of Vulcan Sports & Entertanment Tod Leiweke – granted Seattle the 15th MLS franchise.
Ever since, the Sounders have continued to be a transcendent sports organization. In its first decade as a professional franchise, Sounders FC has won six major trophies, qualified for the postseason each year and set a new benchmark for soccer attendance in the United States.
Here’s a timeline for other notable events in club history:
April 6, 2008
The name “Seattle Sounders FC” is officially chosen. Over a four-day election period, approximately 50 percent wrote-in a derivative of the name Sounders, which has been identified with the pro soccer scene in Seattle since 1974.
March 19, 2009
The Sounders defeat the New York Red Bulls 3-0 in the club’s first-ever MLS match at Qwest Field in Seattle.
September 2, 2009
Fredy Montero and Roger Levesque score in a 2-1 victory over D.C. United to win the 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. It marks the first trophy in club history, with many more on the way.
October 29, 2009
After a successful inaugural season that included a postseason berth and league-leading attendance numbers, the Sounders play the Houston Dynamo to a scoreless draw in the club’s first MLS Cup Playoffs match.
October 5, 2011
The Sounders become the first team in over 40 years to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup three consecutive years with a 2-0 home win over the Chicago Fire.
November 8, 2012
Mario Martinez scores in the 81st minute to give the Sounders a 1-0 aggregate win over Real Salt Lake. The result marks the first time in club history the Rave Green advance in the postseason.
August 3, 2013
U.S. National Team star Clint Dempsey signs with the Sounders, as he his unveiled wearing a Rave Green kit prior to a match at CenturyLink Field.
September 16, 2014
Make that four! With a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Union, the Sounders match the all-time record with four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles.
October 25, 2014
For the first time in club history, the Sounders finish the regular season with the most points in the league after beating the LA Galaxy 2-0 on Decision Day.
July 26, 2016
After a mutually agreeing to part ways with Head Coach Sigi Schmid amid a disappointing season, the Sounders promote Top Assistant Coach Brian Schmetzer to an interim managerial role. It’s the first coaching change in club history.
November 27, 2016
The Sounders beat the Colorado Rapids by an aggregate score of 3-1 in the Western Conference Championship to send the Sounders to their first MLS Cup.
December 10, 2016
On a frigid night in Toronto, the Sounders defeat Toronto FC in a penalty-kick shootout to give the club its first MLS Cup.
March 19, 2017
Eight years to the date of playing its first MLS match against the same opponent, the Sounders beat the New York Red Bulls 3-1. Prior to the match, the club’s MLS Cup banner is unveiled from the rafters of CenturyLink Field.
