Seattle, WA

FC Seattle: The Bridge Between the Eras

Published

2 years ago

July 14, 2024

Overseas tours, matches versus national teams and first division clubs from abroad makes Football Club Seattle seem almost exotic nowadays. Yet in truth, it was simply an effort to keep local pro soccer’s flame flickering when the light had all but been extinguished.

For seven seasons, FC Seattle more than just kept the lights on.

• It provided a platform for the best male and female players in Puget Sound to pursue their craft and vie for a place on the national team.

• It gave fans a traditional alternative to the thumping beat, laser lights and frenetic pace of the indoor game, then at its peak.

• It became the first Seattle pro or semipro club to play outside North America.

• And it reinforced the region’s image as a bastion for the game by contending for multiple league championships and winning one.

Dark Times

To understand just how important FC Seattle was to the creation of what we now take for granted as an American soccer capital, top MLS market and 2026 World Cup city, one needs to take the time machine back to the dystopian landscape of American footy in 1984.

Imagine a day when professional, traditional soccer has gone dark. No MLS, no USL. And there’s no telling when it will return. Where crowds had regularly numbered about twentysomething-thousand, there are vast swaths of empty seats. Once an adored club, the Sounders’ name and reputation was in tatters.

Suddenly, the game had retrenched. Franchises had folded, leaving a frayed fabric across the continent where, just a few years before, crowds had been huge, and young U.S. talent was just beginning to bloom.

FC Seattle owner Bud Greer had flirted with rescuing the Sounders prior to their demise in 1983. Instead, Greer was gung-ho on providing his existing network of youth clubs and premier men’s and women’s teams what was lacking: professionally run programs that would test themselves against the very best.

The Challenge

A cadre of ex-Sounders would guide the men, beginning with an ambitious challenge series. Coaching director Jimmy Gabriel and head coach Tommy Jenkins, both Sounders alums, picked a team of college stars and ex-pros to face Vancouver, Minnesota and New York of the North American Soccer League at Memorial Stadium.

The four-game series would culminate with a sendoff match against the U.S. Olympic Team. Those matches, starting with a 2-2 draw versus Vancouver, were all competitive, and attendance averaged nearly 7,000.

“The opportunity is the biggest thing it presented the college guys in the area,” observed Tad Willoughby, who played five seasons with FC Seattle, “because the NASL folding hurt our cause, our hope of playing professionally anywhere. It gave us that footing, that opportunity to play those professional teams.”

Notable Names and Feats

International teams and nominal pay were brought into the mix in 1985. Among those who found playing for their hometown teams against all-comers were some recognizable figures. Tacoma native Jeff Durgan, captain of the U.S. national team and 1980 NASL Rookie of the Year, declined offers to stay with the Cosmos to come home. After winning an indoor championship with San Diego, Brian Schmetzer joined his twin younger brothers.

But a FIFA ban on English clubs following the Heysel Stadium disaster prompted FC Seattle and three like-minded clubs to form a league, the Western Soccer Alliance. The WSA would expand each summer, eventually becoming the Western Soccer League, with 11 teams in seven states. Seven WSL players would represent the United States at the 1990 World Cup.

Greer, who back in 1984 had considered the Sounders brand damaged, added a nickname in 1986. The Storm were runners-up in the WSA their first three seasons before a dominant 1988 season was capped by a 5-0 demolition of the San Jose Earthquakes. All 11 starters in the final had attended either high school or college in Puget Sound.

Life Experience

In lieu of pay, Greer gave players a life experience. The Storm embarked on postseason tours of Britain in 1987 and 1988, playing five preseason friendlies against clubs from various divisions, including Middlesbrough, QPR, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.

“When we went to England, that was huge,” said Jeff Koch, Storm goalkeeper from 1986-89. “You’re playing against all those teams you might’ve only heard and read about. To go over there and experience English professional soccer at a young age and realize we’re not that far off, that we can play. I would take that trip in a heartbeat over pay.”

More Than A Team

FC Seattle was funded to the tune of about $1 million per year ($2.7M in 2024 dollars) and that money was spread beyond the Storm.

“Bud Greer deserves a ton of thanks and love for what he gave all of us,” said Peter Fewing, who played six years with the club. “Bud made it first class and lost a lot of money on that deal.”

The organization brought a women’s premier team into the fold in 1987. The Cozars, founded by Booth Gardner before he was elected governor and featuring future World Cup stars Michelle Akers and Shannon Higgins, then won the WSA women’s tournament and were national runners-up.

The FC Seattle City League featured men’s and women’s teams in six Puget Sound cities and fed talent to the senior teams. There were school assembly demonstrations, day camps and clinics throughout each year and fundraising and promotion for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Washington Special Olympics. A 1988 Sounders reunion game resulted in FC Seattle’s largest attendance in four years.

Locals Hold Their Own

“In the beginning it was all guys you grew up playing with on clubs, a chance to play meaningful games against quality opposition. Unfortunately, we didn’t get paid for it,” said Peter Hattrup. “In ’88 I wish there had been a final against the ASL winner, because I think we were better than anybody we would’ve played.”

In its final two seasons, FC Seattle brought in more proven pros. Among them were USMNT captain and former Cosmos regular Ricky Davis and Tacoma native Brent Goulet, the 1987 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year. Both were bidding, unsuccessfully in the end, to become part of the World Cup squad.

“People talk about (the WSL) not being first division and that, but before MLS, all the players were playing in the MISL (indoor), WSL, APSL or whatever leagues were happening at the time,” said Chance Fry, a U.S. international who played for the Storm as well as both the NASL and A-League Sounders.

Rising Costs

Just as the sun seemed to be rising on American soccer’s horizon, with the prospect of hosting the 1994 World Cup, FC Seattle would pass into history.

The WSL and East Coast-based ASL agreed to merge and form a national circuit, the APSL, a.k.a. the A-League. That would require owners to ante up still more money for salaries and travel, and Greer was unconvinced it made financial sense. After a year of dormancy, the Storm was shuttered in 1991.

“The Storm’s never been really recognized because we weren’t called the Sounders,” claimed Eddie Henderson. “That’s all. It wasn’t because of the quality of players. I would even argue that the FC Seattle team was as good as any of the A-League Sounders teams that won championships.”

What’s In A Name?

However, FC Seattle left a weighty legacy. The WSL, which was run by Storm management, is at the root of the A-League and the USL, which is still thriving. A handful of those players proceeded to become successful college head coaches, while countless others are involved in youth clubs and academies. Chris Henderson, Wade Webber and Schmetzer have been immensely influential and involved in the success of the MLS Sounders.

The most direct effect of FC Seattle on the Sounders’ trajectory came only a few years after the final match. Nine alumni eventually played for Seattle’s next A-League team, and when the Sounders claimed their first of two consecutive championships in 1995, Webber, Fry and Hattrup (the league MVP) were vital cogs.

“FC Seattle was a great vehicle to bridge the gap until the A-League Sounders emerged on the other side,” noted Bruce Raney, an NASL draftee out of Seattle Pacific and scorer of FC Seattle’s first goal. “It was a fantastic bridge between the original and the next stage which finally led to Major League Soccer.”

A three-part FC Seattle series is available at Frank MacDonald’s blog, frankmacdonald.net.

Source link

Seattle, WA

Walker ‘set a tone’ for Seattle Seahawks’ NFC title win

Published

11 hours ago

January 27, 2026

Press Room

Walker ‘set a tone’ for Seattle Seahawks’ NFC title win

Over the past month, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has seemingly struck the right balance between attacking downhill and taking the yardage in front of him, while still mixing in the tantalizing elusiveness and explosion that makes him such a dangerous home-run threat.

It’s resulted in the best stretch of his career.

Report details Seahawks WR Kupp’s turmoil with Rams

And it was on display again in Sunday night’s NFC Championship, as Walker totaled 111 yards from scrimmage to help Seattle advance to the Super Bowl with a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Walker rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, while adding four catches for 49 yards. And he did so while taking on the bulk of the workload in the Seahawks’ first game since second-leading rusher Zach Charbonnet went down with a season-ending torn ACL.

“I thought Ken Walker was outstanding last night, considering he was being hit in the backfield (on some plays) almost as soon as he was handed the ball,” Bob Stelton said Monday on Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob. “He was driving the pile. The legs were churning.

“It just really felt like he set a tone,” Stelton added. “He ran with an attitude. And it was really cool to see that, because they needed it.”

Kenneth Walker III TOUCHDOWN. Seattle starts fast.
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/iH8SOGpK5o
— NFL (@NFL) January 25, 2026
Advertisement

Walker set that tone on the Seahawks’ opening drive, turning a potential loss of yardage into a hard-fought 4-yard gain while bulldozing his way to the Rams’ 2-yard line. Then, on the ensuing third-and-goal play, Walker showcased his spectacular explosion by bouncing outside and racing around the edge for a 2-yard TD to put Seattle on the board.

Walker really dazzled on the next possession, when he led the Seahawks on a field-goal drive with an impressive three-play sequence. It began with Walker bursting through a hole for an 8-yard gain. On the next play, he unleashed a jaw-dropping juke on linebacker Omar Speights for another 8-yard gain. And he followed that by taking a screen pass for 14 more yards.

“That juke he put on Omar Speights, that was amazing,” Stelton said. “… He had the defender grabbing at air.”

This was nasty by Kenneth Walker III
LARvsSEA on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/9V7pJ3DQCd
— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2026
Advertisement

During a third-quarter touchdown drive, Walker had another tough, physical run where he pushed the pile an extra 5 yards for an 11-yard gain.

And in the game’s closing minutes, Walker kickstarted a pivotal clock-chewing drive by catching a short pass in the flat and eluding three defenders on his way to a 15-yard gain.

“He had a lot of great runs,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said during his Monday afternoon press conference. “He really did. And talk about hidden yardage within that game, he’s responsible for a lot of those hidden yards.

“I mean, we’d like to block him a little bit better at points. But when you have a guy like K9, he can make it right for you, so that was awesome.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks Injury Updates: The latest on Thomas, Ouzts and more
• Seattle Seahawks had a brilliant way to get JSN open in NFC title win
• Seattle Seahawks’ Emmanwori ‘stood out all game’ in NFC Championship
• Brock and Salk: Seattle Seahawks have embraced Macdonald’s message
• Facing former team, Kupp helps propel Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl

Follow @CameronVanTil

Source link

Seattle, WA

Riq Woolen’s taunting foul highlights inconsistency

Published

24 hours ago

January 26, 2026

Press Room

Riq Woolen’s taunting foul highlights inconsistency

Every few years, the NFL makes taunting a “point of emphasis” for the coming season. That’s a kind way of saying to the officials, “You haven’t been doing your jobs properly. Please start doing so.”

And even with taunting and sportsmanship a point of emphasis again in 2025, the game officials still call taunting far too inconsistently. That fact is proven almost every week, when the league imposes fines for taunting fouls that weren’t flagged in real time.

On Sunday, in a key moment of the NFC Championship, the officials flagged Seattle cornerback Riq Woolen for taunting. His conduct was aimed not at any one opponent, but at the Rams’ sideline. Which conjured a memory of the ridiculous taunting call on former Bears defensive end Cassius Marsh for mean-mugging the Steelers’ sideline during a 2021 Monday night game, the last time taunting was a “point of emphasis.”

The 15-yard foul and automatic first down saved the Rams from having to punt while down 11 points with 17:20 to play.

While Woolen crossed the line, the problem is no one truly knows where the line is — and when or if the officials will be policing it in real time. Taunting doesn’t get called on a regular basis. Which sends mixed signals to players and teams about what is and isn’t acceptable. Which sets the stage for a player to surrender to a human moment without realizing that they’re setting themselves up for a foul.

Complicating matters for Woolen was the fact that (if you watch the broadcast closely) his generalized taunt eventually put him in the vicinity of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. And Stafford was not pleased. Which worked against Woolen on the very next play, when he was covering Rams receiver Puka Nacua. Stafford targeted Woolen and the eleven-point lead shrunk to four in a flash.

It’s impressive that the Seahawks were able to keep things from snowballing, especially after Woolen and defensive back Nick Emmanwori were jawing on the sideline in the aftermath of the drive. The point for now is that inconsistency in officiating creates plenty of issues, including confusing players, coaches, viewers who don’t know what will, and won’t, spark a flag.

The situation justifies a conversation on whether the whole get-off-my-lawn approach to taunting should be revisited. The league’s thinking is that taunting creates hard feelings that will prompt the tauntee to look for a way to get back at the taunter later in the game, possibly by inflicting a big hit (legal or otherwise).

They say it’s rooted in sportsmanship. The truth is that it comes from the broader concern about player safety. And if one player isn’t looking for a way to take a free shot at another player, the chances of an extra concussion or two landing on the total annual number of head injuries are minimized — which contributes to a valuable P.R. mechanism for arguing that the game is “safer than ever.”

And which in turn justifies the ongoing obsession for an 18th regular-season game.

At some point, however, the league may need to admit that the officials simply can’t (or won’t) pull the trigger on every taunt that happens. And if the league isn’t willing to abandon the no-taunting position, maybe the better approach is to treat taunting like the hip-drop tackle, which is rarely if ever flagged and which is addressed after the fact with fines.

Source link

Seattle, WA

Super Bowl odds 2026: Seahawks favored over Patriots, as expected

Published

1 day ago

January 25, 2026

Press Room

Super Bowl odds 2026: Seahawks favored over Patriots, as expected

Super Bowl 60 is set, and the odds are already out for the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots!

The odds at FanDuel Sportsbook list the Seahawks as favorites against the AFC champions, with Seattle sitting at -240 on the money line, while the Patriots come in at +198. Those odds reflect the common thought around the league: that the winner of the NFC Championship game would be the favorite entering Super Bowl 60, regardless of whether it would have been the Los Angeles Rams or Seahawks.

On the spread, Seattle is favored by -4.5, just a tad larger than a field goal, which notes that the oddsmakers expect this to still be a largely competitive Super Bowl. The total is set at 46.5, with the over priced at -105 and the under priced at -115. This indicates that oddsmakers expect this to be a back-and-forth game, while still showing some respect to both the Patriots and Seahawks’ defenses.

The biggest matchup looks to be the Seahawks defense versus the MVP hopeful quarterback, Drake Maye. The Seahawks showed dominance all season, however they just gave up 27 points to the Rams and another MVP hopeful quarterback, Matthew Stafford. In turn, Sam Darnold and the offense had one of their most impressive games against the Rams. They will look to keep that momentum up against the surging Patriots’ defense.

At the end of the day, despite the general consensus leaning towards the Seahawks being the favorites. These odds still reflect a closely contested game. For NFL fans, that is very welcome, especially after a non-competitive Super Bowl 59 last season. However, for Seahawks fans, many of them would be happy with a larger win similar to Super Bowl 48 rather than a close one that ended up in a Seahawks loss in Super Bowl 49.

Source link