Major League Soccer finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest last month: and in the early stages, things have begun with a bang.

In part of a multiyear expansion program, MLS granted the city of Seattle a franchise, which started play when the league’s season opened just a few weeks ago. Its name: Seattle Sounders FC, as chosen through a fan voting process. The new team drew many staff and other resources, as well as the name, from Seattle Sounders, a now-defunct member of the United Soccer League.

In just a few weeks, the new Sounders have created quite a buzz. Beside the generous fan support and raucous game crowds, the team has defied expectations on the field, winning each of its first three games without surrendering a single goal.

Excitement about the team has also moved across the state via Seattle natives and soccer fans here on the Whitman College campus.

“I’m thrilled to have an MLS team in Seattle,” said first-year Jeff Gayle in an e-mail, who attended Sounders FC’s first two home games in person. “It’s been fun to watch them so far. The games I went to were an absolute blast.”

Fans at the team’s home stadium, Qwest field, who have gained a reputation as among the loudest in the nation, have continued this trend for their newest squad.

“From the moment the game started to the final whistle everyone was on their feet, yelling and chanting in support of the Sounders,” said Gayle. “The stadium was so loud throughout the game that it was obvious players couldn’t communicate by voice, and they were forced to resort to hand signals and waving.”

Yet despite the highly audible support, the team’s arrival comes at a trying time for the Seattle sports community.

Within the past year, the Seattle Mariners finished near the bottom of the league, the Seahawks bottomed out, and the University of Washington football team failed to win a single game. Most notable, however, was the departure of the Seattle SuperSonics basketball franchise to Oklahoma City, Okla. As such, the culmination of these events leave a big hole for Sounders FC to fill.

“As much as I love soccer and hope for the Sounders’ success, I doubt they will be able to make people forget about the awful teams we had last year,” Gayle said.

But this is not to downplay the team’s promising start, which has generated high hopes for success this year, says Gayle.

“I hesitate to predict the future,” Gayle said. “But I am excited about our chances of not only doing better than almost every other expansion team before, but even of contending for the title.”
And if the team continues to succeed through its first   season, it seems that Seattle soccer fans will be able to expect: and in fact, already do expect: a winner well into the future as well.
“I am sure that this year is only the beginning of a long trend of Sounders dominance in the MLS for years to come,” Gayle said.