SOUNDERS FC 2014 MEDIA GUIDE 2014 MEDIA GUIDE 2014 SCHEDULE Day Date Opponent Time (PT) Television Sat. March 8 Sporting Kansas City 12:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network Sat. March 15 Toronto FC 1:30 p.m. Q13 FOX/NBCSN Sat. March 22 at Montreal Impact 1:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Sat. March 29 Columbus Crew 7:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Sat. April 5 at Portland 12:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network Sat. April 12 at FC Dallas 5:30 p.m. JOEtv Sat. April 19 at Chivas USA 7:30 p.m. JOEtv Sat. April 26 Colorado Rapids 1:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Sat. May 3 Philadelphia Union 7:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Wed. May 7 FC Dallas 7:00 p.m. JOEtv Sun. May 11 at New England Revolution 3:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Sat. May 17 San Jose Earthquakes 7:00 p.m. JOEtv Sat. May 24 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4:00 p.m. JOEtv Sat. May 31 Real Salt Lake 1:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Sat. June 7 at Chicago Fire 5:30 p.m. JOEtv Sat. June 28 at DC United 4:00 p.m. JOEtv Sat. July 5 at Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7:00 p.m. JOEtv Sun. July 13 Portland Timbers 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Sat. July 26 LA Galaxy 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Sat. August 2 at San Jose Earthquakes 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Network Sun. August 10 Houston Dynamo 7:30 p.m. ESPN2 Sat. August 16 at Real Salt Lake 11:30 a.m. NBC Sports Network Wed. August 20 San Jose Earthquakes 7:00 p.m. JOEtv Sun. August 24 at Portland Timbers 2:00 p.m. ESPN2 Sat. August 30 Colorado Rapids 1:00 p.m. Q13 FOX Wed. Sept. 3 at Chivas USA 7:30 p.m. JOEtv Fri. Sept. 12 Real Salt Lake 7:30 p.m. NBC Sports Network Sat. Sept. 20 at New York Red Bulls 11:30 a.m. NBC Wed. Sept. 24 at FC Dallas 6:00 p.m. JOEtv Sat. Sept. 27 Chivas USA 1:00 p.m. JOEtv Sun. October 5 at Colorado Rapids 12:00 p.m. JOEtv Fri. October 10 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 7:00 p.m. NBC Sports Network Sun. October 19 at LA Galaxy 5:30 p.m. ESPN Sat. October 25 LA Galaxy 12:00 p.m. NBC SOUNDERS AT 40: A FAIRYTALE OF SORTS By Frank MacDonald Those just joining in are catching a To some, it’s ancient history. To wave. A huge wave. The Sounders FC others, the memories are so vivid level of support, both in terms of sheer it seems as if it were yesterday. numbers and noise created, is practical- ly unrivaled in U.S. soccer annals. The In truth, it’s been 40 years since they Sounders attendance levels of the 70s first trotted out the Memorial Stadium and 80s would’ve also led MLS on 10 tunnel with Henry Mancini’s Salute to the occasions. Olympians, now known as their musical With each year, the Rave Green’s ros- theme, blaring over the loudspeakers. ter features more and more homegrown Forty years of Seattle Sounders fútbol. players. But again, that’s nothing new; Much has changed since 1974, yet native sons have been donning many traditions have more than Sounders shirts since the beginning. endured, growing stronger with the Furthermore, the connection between years. Sounders FC may be in its infancy club and community has been strong with regard to MLS, but the Sounders’ since that mid-Spring evening 40 years history is as rich as any club in America, ago at Memorial Stadium. From the days with a penchant for pulling passionate of Chursky’s Chicks to today’s ever- crowds, producing quality players and growing legion of Emerald City Sup - lifting trophies for four decades. porters, there’s a steadfast pact: as long 2 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC MEDIA GUIDE | 2014 roots were always sinking deeper, grow- ing stronger. Seattle’s first foray into professional soccer may have begun as a misunder- standing. A local group of successful businessmen was probing about the possibility of securing an NFL expansion team. Representing the group, Walt Daggatt had a chance encounter with Lamar Hunt at the pro football owners’ meetings. Hunt was owner of both the Kansas City Chiefs and the North Amer - ican Soccer League’s Dallas Tornado. “(Hunt) said they might want to bide their time by looking into soccer,” says Cliff McCrath. “Walt understood it as a mandate rather than a suggestion.” Daggatt returned to Seattle and quickly convened a meeting of McCrath, the Seattle Pacific College coach, and seven McCrath put together a pro forma, other soccer community leaders. Many projecting an average of 6,000 fans members of the group had helped host per game paying $1.41 per ticket, touring European teams in the past, including taxes. friendlies that attracted up to 9,000 fans with modest promotion. as you play for us, we will shout and sing McCrath was chosen by Daggatt to for you. dig into the details. What would it take to To truly appreciate what hath been become successful? After spending two wrought, one must take a brief trip back days looking over Hunt’s ledgers in in time to see from what seeds this Dallas, McCrath put together a pro sequoia grows skyward. At times nour- forma, projecting an average of 6,000 ishment was plentiful. At times there fans per game paying $1.41 per ticket, was drought. But within the soil the including taxes. The ownership green-lit soundersfc.com 3 Pelé and the New York Cosmos visited Memorial Stadium in 1975. the venture and on December 11, 1973, shirt. He and the other players, most on Seattle, was granted one of eight NASL loan from lower-division English clubs, expansion teams. had only hit town a couple weeks earlier. Even the most avid proponents of “I really didn’t know what to expect,” local soccer were shocked by the said Gillett, then a 23-year-old central turnout five months later. “Our first home defender from Edinburgh. “We would’ve game, instead of 6,000 we had 12,000,” thought 4-5,000 would’ve been good. says McCrath. “By the time we left But when a decent crowd turned up it Memorial Stadium we added 6,000 more was obvious someone had done quite a seats. It was a fairytale of sorts.” bit of groundwork. Then we won big (4-0 Sounders publicist Hal Childs coined over Denver). So that sparked more the phrase Camelot to describe that interest and we were off and running.” magical first season under the Space The original Sounders were solidly Needle. The connection between fans grounded. Six of the eight general part- and players was instantaneous. It never ners would form the Seahawks’ first rained on a home game while the lads, ownership group. They were civic-mind- as they were then known, took the city ed and made it a priority to engage and by storm. serve the community whenever possible. David Gillett was in the thick of it that Pam Copple remembers taking the inaugural season, wearing the no. 17 reins of her daughter’s soccer team and 4 SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC MEDIA GUIDE | 2014 not knowing anything about the game. would mingle together at the nearby Feeling helpless, she phoned the Center House eateries. “I must have had experts. “I would call up the Sounders dinner with everyone in Seattle,” said and ask them about doing a goalkeeping Gillett. “Everyone was asking us out.” clinic, and (starting keeper) Tony Handsome, personable and eloquent, Chursky would show up.” Chursky and Best was the face of the franchise for the about 250-300 kids and coaches would first three years. A galvanizing figure on attend. the field was the original skipper, Jimmy Gillett credits John Best, the first Gabriel. “The guys really related to head coach, with setting the initial Jimmy,” said Gillett. “He was a famous course. “John picked not only good play- player and everyone was over the moon ers, but he put together a team of char- he was in the team. He had a lot of good acter, of guys who would go the extra qualities, could really set the tone and mile and do the extra things,” Gillett change games.” remembered. Many afternoons and Midway through the first season, evenings included player demonstra- Seattle achieved the first sellout in NASL tions and clinics. history. After outgrowing Memorial the Fans responded in kind. After each club moved to the newly completed home game, players and supporters Kingdome in 1976, averaging nearly The NASL Sounders moved to the Kingdome in 1976, averaging nearly 23,000 over the next five seasons. soundersfc.com 5 23,000 the ensuing five sea- sons. Newly signed to the re - serve team that season was West Seattle’s Jimmy Mc - Alister, just 19 years old. In another year McAlister would earn a starting spot at left back, take NASL Rookie of the Year honors and swap shirts with Pelé following the Black Pearl’s final competitive game. “There was soccer going on here long before the Sounders came in ’74, and I know some people think these big crowds just started (with Sounders FC),” said McAlister. “They don’t know about the big crowds in the Kingdome. There’s a lot of his- tory here.” McAlister was the Sound - ers’ first breakthrough player on a national scale.