Seattle Sounders FC 2.
You are clearly familiar with the first three parts of that opening phrase given that you’re on this website, but when combined with the fourth, what comes to mind?
Is it a sequel to a Sounders movie? Has the club taken its love affair with Clint Dempsey too far? Are the Sounders 2 legit 2 quit?
While all options are viable, none are accurate. Seattle Sounders FC 2 is actually the name of the club’s official USL team. Yep, Sounders FC 2, or S2 if you’re into the whole brevity thing, is a living, breathing second team that will serve a multitude of functions as the organization looks to grow even bigger in the years to come.
How you ask? Well, let’s work through this one step at a time and truly uncover what S2 is all about.
What Is S2?
Sounders FC is on the rise. The Academy is growing. More talent is being produced than there are spots on the field. There needed to be an outlet, another place for the club’s players to get regular, competitive, meaningful minutes if they weren’t getting them with the First Team.
S2 is that place. At top level, it is the Sounders developmental team. The destination for players needing playing time in an established arena. Playing in a league like USL, which now boasts eight clubs with direct connections to MLS sides, S2 players will play a structured schedule against other professionals who are vying for spots on MLS rosters.
“We’re growing as a club,” said Sounders Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “I think that’s the biggest thing that you notice from a standpoint of not only our team, but S2 as well. It’s becoming a soccer club in the truest sense of the word from top to bottom.”
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Having its own USL team does just as Schmid said, it grows the club. Puts it on the map. Makes it as substantial and legitimate as any of the big name teams in the world, at least as far as organizational structure is concerned. This is a necessary step in the Sounders plan for
world domination
international proliferation.
Who Is S2?
There are two sides to this part.
There are the players that will make up the team. A number of whom will be dedicated USL-contracted players. They will be the heartbeat of the club. Ever-present. There will be the young players vying for first team minutes but maybe need further development before they are ready. You will also see the Sounders Academy’s finest bursting onto the scene with S2 as they’ve likely outplayed their current level.
S2 will be a melting pot of soccer talent, one that will help cast the future of the first team.
Let club Owner Adrian Hanauer explain:
“Youth development is something we continue to invest an enormous amount of time, money and energy on,” Hanauer said of the Academy. “The fruits of that labor will hopefully come in the likes of Victor Mansaray, who we just signed and who will start with the team in preseason. I am sure Victor would like to play with the MLS team where he can be in the 18 or starting XI, but if he’s not, he has S2 where he can develop.”
Mansaray, who was recently signed as a Homegrown Player, will be pushing for time with Schmid’s squad, but will have S2 to utilize when breaking through the logjam of talent in the First Team isn’t completely realistic. S2 is about fostering talent.
S2 is also about you, the Sounders supporter. You can and have invested in the club, and because of this, own a part of it. Through the Sounders Community Trust, any world-wide fan or supporter of the Rave Green can purchase a stake in S2 and contribute to the decision-making of the club. Your influence will help guide S2 and the Sounders organization forward as well as benefit the greater Seattle area soccer community through the Trust’s mission.
There won’t be any absentee owners here. S2 is about Seattle and the people who are infused with desire to grow the game of soccer in this city and throughout North America.
“S2 is hopefully the next evolution in fan engagement,” said Hanauer. “There’s probably more to come. We’re sort of at the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we can do with the Trust, with the supporters groups, to make sure that we’re connected at the hip, and that when S2 succeeds, the fans succeed and enjoy the relationship, and vice versa. It’s a reflection of our fans as well.”
How Did S2 Happen?
After five seasons, the Sounders organization was ready to take the next step in its development. A split from the Seattle Seahawks business operations in Renton to the new independent digs in Pioneer Square set a major tone. S2 was a substantial move in this maturation.
From the top of the first team to the youngest Seattle kid in a Sounders Youth Camp, S2 helps provide a clearer, more attainable path for those looking to make it in professional soccer in this city.
“I think it’s an integral part of any club,” said S2 Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson of creating a crystal-clear growth plan for a club’s talent. “I think player development is right up there with player recruitment, player acquisition, and ultimately player selection. I think in just six years, we’ve become the top team both on and off the field. Having the proper development of our young kids will go a long way in ensuring that there’s a sustainable success.”
In years past, this function was served by the MLS Reserve League, but it provided less structure and far fewer matches. S2 playing in USL provides a more consistent professional environment, and a product that the front office thinks will be a long-term benefit. Not only will it fill that need for efficiency within the club, but could also pave the way for Sounders FC to be considered among the world’s best at cultivating soccer talent.
Where Can You See S2?
S2 will play its home matches at Starfire Sports, the current training home of the Sounders and recreational soccer players city-wide. More specifically, the USL contests will be held at Starfire Stadium, the intimate venue on the east side of the complex.
While Starfire Stadium doesn’t have a vast history of involvement in pro soccer, the atmosphere on matchday is as intimate as you can find in American soccer. And despite its size, its electricity rivals any of the soccer cathedrals you’ll find across the globe.
The stadium has provided an amazing atmosphere for the Sounders First Team for Lamar Hunt Open Cup and reserve matches in the past. That will be no different for S2. Season ticket holders have the opportunity to designate their seats. There’s a nifty VIP section with food and drink and a fantastic view of the pitch. If you’re at the matches, you’re already right on top of the action given the cozy orientation of the main stand.
“Anyone who has been to a match at Starfire knows how special it feels,” said S2 General Manager Andrew Opatkiewicz of his home pitch. “The packed stands so close to the pitch create an electric atmosphere. With S2, playing at Starfire is important for a couple of reasons. It allows us to provide our fans a very intimate and unique game day experience. And, the fans create an atmosphere, which is critical to our player development goals.
“S2 is about building for the future of Sounders FC. Until players play in front of crowds of thousands of energized fans in a match that has competitive meaning, they can't learn to be pros.”
It doesn’t stop there however. You’ll see S2 in the community, at your local pub, at your kick around with footy-crazed friends. S2 is going to engrain itself in the sporting culture of Seattle because it has the ability and the aspiration to become the most accessible pro team in town.
The club’s very mission is to expand the accessibility of the sport from every level of the organization from ownership to the players. If growing the game is the goal, S2 is the fertilizer.
Why Is S2 Special?
Simply put, S2 is going to help take the Sounders to that next level.
Said Hanauer of what S2 will bring to the club, “To have a player be able to go out and get four, five, six, seven games as a young player, show that he’s got what it takes, and then give him a chance with the First Team – it’s just super exciting. It’s a much more organized and methodical process for developing players.”
The total package, kicking-off March 21 against defending USL Champion Sacramento Republic FC. We are all excited and we all should be.
It starts with player development. It ends with trophies – major ones. S2 is a big piece of that complex puzzle and with it now in place, the Sounders can continue to expand as a soccer club and reach for lofty goals that have been put forth by club and supporter alike.
