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CommentsThe Seattle Sounders made their inaugural appearance in the Major League Soccer playoffs Thursday night, and the turnout at Qwest Field in Seattle reflected the high expectations for the first-year club: The crowd of 35,807 was the largest ever for a conference semifinal game.
Even though the game ended in a 0-0 tie, a swell of rave-green support has been building since MLS announced in 2007 that Seattle would be awarded an expansion franchise.
Doyle’s Pub in Tacoma was packed Thursday afternoon, as patrons waited for a chartered bus north to the game against the Houston Dynamo.
Tony Huff of Puyallup said that attending Sounders games was part of his retirement plan.
“I like the universality of it,” said Huff, who served in the Air Force from 1960 to 1980. “When I was in the military, I watched people play soccer in every place, from Libya to Germany to Thailand.”
As per tradition, Sounders enthusiasts waved scarves and signs during the pregame March to the Match from Pioneer Square. A delegation of Emerald City Supporters, a fan group with more than 1,000 members, bellowed songs and followed a marching band.
“A first-year expansion franchise going into the playoffs? The atmosphere is going to be epic,” said Eagle Bear Morgan of Seattle, steam pouring off his shaved head.
ECS members spent eight hours preparing Section 122, behind the goal, with 600 flags. “This is the rowdy section, where the beer-drinking, pogo-jumping, swearing and singing fans are,” Morgan beamed.
Many of the fans said they grew up playing soccer. Washington state’s youth soccer association ranks No. 7 in the nation with 118,554 players, according to U.S. Youth Soccer statistics from the 2006-07 season.
Sue Kraemer of Marysville, in attendance with her grown son Justin, has a life-long love affair with the sport.
Even though the game ended in a scoreless draw, she wasn’t disappointed.
“Zero-to-zero ties are fine with me if it’s a well-played game,” she said. “For me, (the appeal) is the constant motion.”
Joyce Chen: 253-597-8426
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