Before we start, I'd like to give a shout to the boys from @MLSnowPodcast team! A quick bio of myself as well,My names Luis and I'm from Federal Way, WA and currently living in Sacramento, CA. I'm lead correspondent on the podcast group specifically for the Seattle Sounders, this will be a first of many blogs to come and I'd like to share them with you guys! Follow me on Twitter @cast_luis21 and follow my group as well for more content @MLSnowPodcast! Now let's get to it.
Once in a while I like to sit with my friends and talk about which team is hot, which team can make switch from bad to good, which team deserves to win the MLS cup. There's just one problem. All the teams the have been chosen to win, to over achieve an objective, to be claimed as champs always been wrong. How is it that the Sounders can keep clinching the playoffs, winning trophies and (used to) have attendance records broken in a span of 10 years? Here's let's take a look into why they should be known as the only Powerhouse of the league.
Adrian Haneur
The man that made it all happen, without the help of others of course, is the man every Sounders fan should be thankful to have. You know they say the league is to be won by any team, but if that's true then why has Seattle and Toronto make it to the MLS cup finals 3 times on a matter of 4 years? It always has to start from the top. Mr. Haneur himself has made that a top priority for the city, hiring Sigi Schmidt to be the head coach of the team. He's made alot of moves for the Sounders, to include bringing in players such as Fredy Montero, Fredy Ljumberg, Marco Papa, Freddie Johnson, as well as staff like the General Jefe Garth Lagerwey! Someone you cant really miss at the teams practice, a great investor and owner!
The Fan base
Seattle are no stranger now a days for having such an incredible fan base. From the little kid that scream "SEATTLE" to the Emerald City Supporters that scream back "SOUNDERS", you guys, yes you guys, deserve the praise as much as anyone else. You bring the chills to the players skin when they walk on the pitch. You bring the heat when the heat is on ourselves. You brought the passion, the will and the strength to help push this team to carry on! From breaking attendance records to amazing TIFO's you have shared with everyone! Everyone should definitely pat themselves on the back, because being a Sounder's fan comes with standards! Those standards are what we expect from the team, from the ownership group all the way to the league too! You guys have changed a policy in the MLS by uniting with our fiercest rivals supporters group and that's something that cant be taken away. We expect our team to win, just as our team expects us to show our colors! And that's Eternal Green and Forever Blue.
Coach Brian Schmetzer
Okay maybe to some people I should've added Sigi Schmidt to the ones who pioneered the team to make it to the playoffs from 2009 to 2015. Then what happened? We started looking like crap. That's when the rightful and passionate coach to have ever come from Seattle takes the reigns, and with that not only did he take the team to the playoffs(making it barely) but also winning the first ever Western Conference Champions but their first ever MLS Cup, and won it. This wouldn't be his first Rodeo either, the following year he took them to the Cup again! Of course they lost the Cup in 2017 but 2019 we went again to the finals! Twice he has led the team to win the MLS Cup, three times to the finals and still giving the team a winning champion mentality that has been engraved to our players! Hes not only been their head coach but also a former player from 1980 to 1983 as well as coming back in 1994. Since taking the hot seat in 2016(well sorta, hes taken charge of a handful of games under Sigis post) hes won a total of 72 games, while tying 33 times and losing 40. That is still a 50% chance of winning under him, but it's a healthy 50%. Just as a head coach for the Sounders period he has won 193 games, drawn 81 and lost 110. That's still 50% of winning! Under his rule, I would expect the future to look like nothing but more Cups and proving every sounder hater wrong for always doubting us, and that's something we should be thankful of.
Past Players
I wish I had just one player to put over everyone but honestly this decade of dominance showed us that this group of players are really diverse! We had players who had played in the English Premier League(Fredy Ljumberg, Andy Rose, Brad Smith, ect.) to home grown players(Lamar Neagle, DeAndre Yedlin, Jordan Morris, ect.) Here's some I'll show you and tell you why they are on the Seattle Sounders Mt. Rushmore. If you're a sounders fan you should know who Roger Levesque is. The man, the myth, the legend, the guy who scored the fastest goal against Portland Timbers, the dude who went from playing for the Sounders USL days to the MLS inaugural season, oh and hes from Portland too. Portland, Maine. Hes helped the team out in lowkey ways we didnt really see! Hes helped with the community, has been very active with the team, hes a diehard Sounders fan AND Portland hates him. We couldn't forget about the famous celebration when he scored that goal, his old falling timber celebration. Marvelous. Clint Dempsey has carved his face on Seattles Mt. Rushmore as well, proving us that Seattle did indeed deserved a superstar athlete, a real professional when it comes to the game, a standout person who has that assertive yet passionate attitude on and off the field. It's really sad to see him had to leave for a medical condition, but I never once thought Clint didnt put his 110%. His presence brings that Texas Swagger on the table, and I just want to say thank you so much for what you've done for the team. If there was one player who I'd choose to be up there too its really has to be, and this is a no brainer haha, Nicolas Lodeiro. Man this magician has pushed and carried the team for the past 4 years and I couldn't be so happy to still see him in rave green! It's definitely a blessing when you're gifted a talented player who has the DNA of a champion. When the Sounders were getting roughed with, he's there to guide them to the light. The man has really proved his worth AND more, hes been connected to other teams in the past and yet hes willing to stay here and play. The guy directs traffic to the team more precise and is intelligent in the game than him, well maybe besides Joao Paolo, but other than that he has helped us win Cups and established a standard of winning. All of them deserved to be legends, but we are still in our prime as a powerhouse club in the League. It's just a matter of time until we get recognized as the best.
The end of a dynasty may be upon us, or maybe it won't ever think of crossing our path. The best sounders team of the year is arguably the most over thought opinions to come across the fanbase but we can all agree that no matter what, we're always going to try our best to be champions. That starts from within the core of Seattle Sounders, and it'll never end because this world will be Eternal Green, Forever Blue.