The 2024 MLS offseason might be the most momentous one in club history.
On the field, the Sounders acquired Argentine international Pedro de la Vega as a Designated Player, and have reinforced the roster with proven MLS contributors like Nathan, Danny Musovski and Jonathan Bell.
But the biggest move of the offseason came on Tuesday, when the club officially unveiled its new state-of-the-art training facility in Renton. As the club celebrates its 50th anniversary season, the new training center is a physical manifestation of the organization’s deep community roots and global ambition.
“Today is one of the most important moments in our club’s history,” said Sounders FC Majority Owner Adrian Hanauer. “As someone that grew up watching the Sounders in the original North American Soccer League, I’m so proud to be here with you all today. This moment feels transformational. Alongside our partners at the City of Renton and Unico, our organization invested a great deal of time and thoughtfulness into the process of both selecting the ideal site for a new home and reimagining what that home represents.
“We’ve planted our roots in a location brimming with Pacific Northwest history where the Sounders – a team that brings its own deep roots, growing since 1974 – can plant our flag and create a home for our next 50 years."
Built in coordination with Venture General Contracting, the training center immediately becomes one of the best across Major League Soccer. The players’ facilities include locker rooms for the First Team, Tacoma Defiance and Academy, a world-class gym, a treatment room, and a recovery room with a sauna, a cold tub, a hot tub and a cryotherapy chamber. It also features four full-size training pitches – two grass and two turf – and a business office brimming with amenities and iconic moments throughout the club’s history.
“I’m a Seattle guy through and through, and a Sounder to my core,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “The path that this club is on excites me and gives me a ton of pride as its Head Coach. I know that our players are going to come to work every day inspired. This place sets a new bar, and for an organization like ours to continue doing that says everything.”
Tuesday also marks the first time in club history that both the business and soccer operations staffs will be under the same roof, providing an environment for the club to accelerate its growth. Working alongside Unico Properties, the two organizations are creating plans for further development of the overall 150+ acre campus, treating it as blank canvas for the Puget Sound community to come work, live and play.
“The opportunities that lay before us are immense and inspiring. In the next five or 10 years, we want to set our organization apart,” noted Hanauer. “Not just as an incredible MLS team, but by being an incredible business in the Seattle Community, being an incredible sports organization within the sports and entertainment industry, while also being an incredible soccer club on the global stage. Our new home gives us a real base of operations to pursue these goals.”
The opening of the club’s training center isn’t occurring in a vacuum. In the past few months, the Sounders unveiled their brand evolution, and the city of Seattle was awarded six matches for FIFA World Cup 2026. With so many exciting opportunities on the horizon, soccer in Seattle is poised for a period of exponential growth.
“When I signed on to become General Manager & Chief Soccer Officer, I was aware of the big vision of this organization,” said Craig Waibel. “Now we’re seeing that vision truly come to life in major ways, and I think that if you’re a fan of the Sounders, you’re in the midst of a golden age of Seattle soccer.
“Our community is about to take centerstage on a global scale. We’ve seen our club take the Concacaf crown, and because of that, we earned the right to compete in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. Leagues Cup is up and running and that competition is only going to get bigger over time, and of course we have the FIFA World Cup coming to Lumen Field in just two years’ time. Our new facility is a part of that story, as is our club overall. This is an incredible time to be a Sounder.”
Many of the spaces throughout the facility reflect the club’s history and heritage over the last 50 years. It also serves as the first footprint to truly house the Sounders’ brand evolution, which is a reflection of the feedback sourced from fans and members of the community. This training center will serve as home for the club, and it holds the potential to usher the Sounders organization into a new era of success, on and off the field.
“Today is about the people that make-up the Sounders and the incredible opportunity before us,” said President of Business Operations Hugh Weber. “As we open this beautiful new facility, the next 50 years of Sounders history start right now. We have a generational occasion to maximize this moment and the many other major moments that are to follow. The building you’re standing in now is just the first step. We are thinking big as an enterprise alongside our partners at Unico. Over time, you’ll see an exciting campus-wide vision come to life. For now, enjoy this day and all that is to come.”
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