As a sports fan in Seattle 2008 was pretty bad. Sonics left to become the Thunder (and they still suck), the Mariners were unbelievably bad, the Seahawks were rough and the Huskies did not win a game.
As someone who used to go to most of Coventry Cities home games before moving to Seattle, I understand disappointment and suffering is a fundamental part of the fan experience. I used to think not flirting with relegation in the last couple of weeks of the season was a good year.
That expectation was reset on opening night. When I brought season tickets I never imagined anything like that happening, the atmosphere was incredible and 32,000 people made it a night to remember. So much fun, it started with the march to the match and just kept going for the next three and a bit hours. The first goal followed by the second and third, Sigi paying tribute to the USL Sounders by sending Roger Levesque on as a late sub so the faithful could show their appreciation. I’ve been to a lot of games and that night is pretty close to the top of the list.
Barcelona and Chelsea visited mid season and showed two packed houses how the game can be played. Barcelona especially were sublime, the way they controlled the pace of the game was beautiful to watch.
The MLS is a physical league and some Seattle players have been on the receiving end. The refereeing has not helped, lets just say the quality has been mixed. There are a couple of refs that have let games go and been consistent in their calling, but they are in the minority.
I love the game and at the beginning of the year I saw a team that would be fun to watch, had a lot of firepower in Montero and Ljungberg, but big holes in defence. I did not see many 0-0 games on the cards. I was partially right, the team played some very entertaining games, but the defence led by Keller and JKH was tighter then I’d ever imagined. However up front it became a season of missed chances and a big swoon during the middle of the season where scoring seemed little more than a dream.
Next year we get to see CONCACAF Champions League, hopefully we get an away game somewhere south of the border with a beach, that would be a fun trip.