It’s now been two years since I began my blog and returned to writing about soccer, mostly in a Washington-centric, historical context.
Sure, there could be a compendium of such abstract topics published in a book someday. But why not share some of it soon, not later. Here, then, are XV pieces that appeared either on my blog or other digital outlets during 2016. I enjoyed researching and writing them, and hopefully you enjoy them as well.
I. Unexpected Title Run by Sounders? It’s Happened Before
Once you’ve lived through an epic turnaround, your faith becomes stronger. And for reasons illustrated in this Seattle Times feature, I always held out hope the Sounders would overcome all the adversity and play for a championship. As it turned out, they did their predecessors one better by winning the final.
II. There’s Something About Jordy
Puget Sound has produced some top-class strikers in the past, and I asked two of them what makes Jordan Morris so special.
III. Schmetzer & Seattle Soccer Intertwined
His entire playing and coaching career intersected with professional soccer’s development in Puget Sound. It only seemed natural that Brian Schmetzer’s first opportunity to become an MLS head coach would occur in his hometown.
IV. In Search of the Borderline
It is Major League Soccer’s most storied rivalry. Seattle and Portland are separated by 173 miles, and this was a mission to find out where along I-5 and why loyalties change.
V. Washington’s All-Time Best (Multi-part series)
Marking 50 years of Washington Youth Soccer, I polled 10 notable coaches for their picks of the state’s top 18 male and female players of all-time. Some were no-brainers but others were lesser-known pioneers who made such an impact when the game was just beginning to catch on.
VI. Mr. Sounder Asks Fans to Join His Team
Community involvement can take many forms for teams and their athletes. This time, for Zach Scott and his family, the cause was very personal.
VII. Washington’s Coaching Family Tree
As Washington Youth Soccer marked its 50th anniversary, I explored the threads that often pull this state’s soccer community together, one of which is our coaches’ bloodlines, so to speak.
VIII. Birth of a Legend
Now synonymous “Touchdown, Washington!,” Bob Rondeau’s first play-by-play gig was not football or basketball. Months before his selection to the Husky Hall of Fame and Chris Schenkel Award, I visited with UW voice to hear his reflections on two years calling the Sounders.
IX. A First and Lasting Impression
On the eve of Sounders FC identifying their new broadcast team, I reached out to the original voice of the Sounders, the man who introduced me and thousands of others to the NASL club, Bob Robertson.
On any given matchday you may get a glimpse of the U.S. Open Cup, the Supporters’ Shield or MLS Cup at the Ninety. But there are some beautiful and historically significant trophies stowed around the Seattle area, some in garages and some in plain sight.
Clint Dempsey’s hat trick at Orlando prompted a short study of 3- and 4-goal games by Seattle players because no two hat tricks tend to be alike.
XII. From A Garage to Your Neck: The Ruffneck Scarves Story
Once upon a time, scarves were scarce when it came to American soccer. A couple Microsofties thought that was just wrong, and here’s the story of why you have, like, a dozen of them.
XIII. The Power of the People
For more than 40 years the Sounders and Seahawks’ history has been intertwined. In fact, without the support of Washington’s soccer community, where might the Hawks be based nowadays? Here’s how The CLink was built.
XIV. What You Don’t Know About the Open Cup
If you thought #Bornin74 sounds like ancient history, our local teams’ participation in the U.S. Open Cup predates the original Sounders by 10 years. Long ago, but through this assemblage of anecdotes, not forgotten.
Why it was just a few Olympiads ago that local soccer promoters went to great lengths to garner support for Washington players making the U.S. squad.