FC Seattle

All-Time FC Seattle Selection: A Closer Look

It was termed The Grand Experiment. Initially it involved putting out a team of almost exclusively young, local players against the best in the business. More than anything, however, FC Seattle simply kept hope alive.

By and large this generation of local players had dreams of playing for the NASL Sounders, only to have the club go out of business in 1983 and the league the following year. Plan B was to go indoors with Tacoma and MISL, then spend summers with FC Seattle. At first the schedule consisted of challenge matches, with league play evolving out of necessity midway through the second season.

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Chance Fry scored over 70 goals for FC Seattle and both NASL and USL Sounders (photo by Joanie Komura/Frank MacDonald Collection)

Goulet first joined the Storm as a guest player for the ’87 postseason tour of Britain, and used it to earn a contract with Bournemouth, then managed by former Sounder Harry Redknapp. Goulet was also named US Soccer Player of the Year. Both Goulet and Fry proved prolific scorers, each with a 57 percent strike rate.

Of the 22 players, 19 were raised in the Puget Sound area. Three–Crook, Fry and James–played for both the NASL and A-League Sounders as well. Willoughby, from Beaverton, Ore., attended UW and Soriano, raised in Miami, attended SPU. O’Brien, a former Ireland international, is the only selection not to have been a local youth or college product.

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Chris Henderson’s storied club and international career includes only one local stop: FC Seattle in 1989 (photo by Joanie Komura/Frank MacDonald Collection)

Eight played either for the A-League or NASL Sounders or both. Stock is the only player to also make the NASL Sounders selection.

You can see The Seattle Times presentation of the FC Seattle all-time selection here.

Note: Selected by Tommy Jenkins, assistant coach and head coach (1984-89) 

FC Seattle All-Time XI

G – Jeff Koch (1986-89; 59app/20so)

D – Bill Crook (1988; 7app/0g/0a)

D – Bernie James (1988-89; 31app/1g/2a)

D – Grant Gibbs (1988-90; 41app/5g/2a)            Best XI 88, 2nd ‘89

D – Jeff Stock (1987-89; 18app/3g/4a)            Best XI ‘88

M – Fran O’Brien (1988-90; 39app; 1g/4a)            Best XI ‘90

M – Rick Blubaugh (1984, 86-89; 47app/0g/3a)

M – Peter Fewing (1986-90; 75app/8g/20a)

M – Chris Henderson (1989; 10app/1g/3a)            Best XI ‘89

F – Eddie Henderson (1988-90; 58app/15g/13a)            Best XI ’88, 2nd ‘89

F – Chance Fry (1987-90; 64app/37g/15a)            MVP, Best XI ’90, 2nd ‘89

 

Second XI

G – Sergio Soriano (1984; 4app/0so)

D – Dennis Gunnell (1985-88; 48app/10g/4a)            Best XI ‘86

D – Doug Backous (1984; 3app/1g/0a)

D – Wade Webber (1990; 23app/1g/1a)            2nd XI ‘90

D – Robbie Zipp (1984-85; 17app/1g/1a)

M – Bob Bruch (1986-88; 34app/4g/2a)

M – Peter Hattrup (1984, 86, 88-89; 43app/15g/9a)            Best XI ‘88

M – Eddie Krueger (1984, 87; 18app/1g/0a)

M – Tad Willoughby (1984, 86-89; 60app/5g/15a)

F – Brent Goulet (1987, 89-90; 23app/13g/2a)            2nd XI ‘89

F – Scott Benedetti (1990; 25app/11g/3a)            2nd XI ‘90

Boldface are FC Seattle career records