#OTD 2020 – Reign FC rebrands as OL Reign FC, signifying club's new majority owner, France's OL Groupe. It's 3rd iteration of Reign, known as Seattle Reign from 2013-2018. Rebrand features new color scheme – red, white and blue – and badge featuring a lion.
#OTD 1995 – USISL expansion clubs in Everett, Spokane & Yakima to use experimental rules. Games are 60 minutes, with official clock used for all stoppages. Shootouts awarded every 7th foul or breakaway foul. Free kicks inside 35 yds, walls must be 15 yds away. Kick-ins optoional.
#OTD 1983 – Tacoma Rovers repeat as boys' U19 state cup champions in Renton, with Brent Goulet scoring twice in 2-1 defeat of Seattle's Wallbrook Wanderers. Same teams met with identical result in 1982.
One of the first Sporthaus Schmetzer advertisements was in the 1975 UW program. Incidentally, Yankee Peddler, owner Jim Eckmann's son Lee played for Sporthaus owner Walter Schmetzer's Lake City Hawks. #TBT
#OTD 1975 – So long, Wrexham; hello, Seattle. Born in Wrexham and star of club for 15 years, Arfon Griffiths signs on loan with Sounders. He becomes Seattle's 1st current European international signing.
#OTD 1893 – Before I-5, before Hwy 99, some intercity derbies required travel by sea. Everett team charters boat to meet Seattle at Madison Park. Jimmy Beggs scores 3 in Seattle’s 6-0 rout. Sea legs, indeed.
#OTD 2021 – At 33, Fredy Montero returns to Sounders after 9 years away. Montero scored 1st goal for club in 2009, when he was MLS Newcomer of the Year. He returns after stops in Colombia, Portugal, China and Vancouver.
#OTD 1989 – Olympia's Kasey Keller is voted Silver Ball or second-best player award at FIFA Youth World Cup. Keller led U.S. to 4th-place finish in Saudi Arabia.
#OTD 1984 – WA's 2 most legendary girls' teams, north Seattle's Union Bay Flyers, featuring Michelle Akers, and Highline's Pepsi Stompers (Shannon Higgins) meet for U19 state cup. Flyers keep title for 3rd straight year, 3-3 (6-5). By next year, hope to share video from this.
Good to see and visit with you. Glad you came.
If they had just held on for a couple more years, maybe ...
#OTD 1998 – Nick Downing of Redmond's Eastlake is named Parade Magazine's national high school player of the year. A month earlier, Downing was named Gatorade's top prep player. Downing has led Eastlake to consecutive state 4A titles, scoring 20 goals and 14 assists.
#OTD 1996 – Sounders captain Neil Megson is named new head coach, succeeding retired Alan Hinton. Megson, one of Hinton's assistants, will continue to play. At 33 years and 219 he becomes youngest Sounders coach, surpassing John Best (34 years, 164 days).
#OTD 1976 – Tacoma's first professional footy outfit is named the Tides.
#OTD 1918 – Annual English vs Scots friendly at First Hill's Liberty Park is abandoned with 10 minutes remaining and Scots up 4-2. Snowfall makes pitch so muddy the referee rules it unplayable.
Totally their call, as it should be. But it's going to be a bit weird crossing the border in wintertime: You're on BC time, eh. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
Want to thank Folio Seattle, my colleague Matt Pentz and our audience for such a great evening discussing our WA soccer history as it relates to the World Cup. There will be a reprise on the Eastside next month, and we look forward to it.
#OTD 2018 – Last kick of regular season sends Tacoma Stars to MASL playoffs. Raphael Cox scores in overtime to defeat Kansas City 7-6 in front of 3,320 at ShoWare Center. With 3 straight wins to end season, Stars finish 11-11.
#OTD 2002 – Playing for USMNT in his home state for 1st time, Kasey Keller backstops 4-0 frinedly win over Honduras before 38,534 at Safeco Field. Keller's unbeaten in his last 16 U.S. appearances dating back to 1998.
#OTD 1994 – Seattle officially joins American Professional Soccer League, a.k.a A-League, and takes name of the former NASL club, Sounders. Fellow expansion clubs Houston & Toronto bring league to 8 franchises, tho Houston folds before season begins.
#OTD 1977 – Whitman College creates varsity women’s soccer program which will begin in fall. Missionaries become 1st varsity women's program in WA. Squad includes Polly Sidwell & Patrice Lundquist, who had played with Whitman men’s team.
#OTD 1973 – Shorecrest keeps mythical boys' state title in Metro League for 4th year in a row, 1-1 (3-2) over Wesco champ Blanchet, in shootout at Memorial Stadium. Kingco's Newport (7-0-0) and independent O'Dea (12-0-1) also make cases for #1 in last pre-WIAA final.
Yes, it can happen. But not again until at least 2027.
Feb 29 2024 – Osvaldo Alonso returns to Seattle to sign 1-day contract and officially retire a Sounder. Alonso, 38, spent first 10 of his 15 MLS seasons wearing Rave Green.
Feb 29 1976 – Newport Huskies win 8th consecutive boys’ state championship, 4-3 over Lake Hills in U18 final at Highline Stadium. Bryan Smallman’s penalty is decisive goal. Newport’s 8-year record goes to 145-5-6.
#OTD 2023 – OL Reign's Rose Lavelle wins women's Seattle Sports Star of the Year award. Lavelle scored 5 goals for Reign and 4 for USWNT, which won 2022 Concacaf W Championship.
We ran into these early birds on this morning's neighborhood walk.
#OTD 2001 – After swaying in doorway of my SPU office, pitched story to local media re our gymnastics team's opponent that night, riding out Nisqually Quake on Space Needle observation deck. Made network TV. At home, non-working grandparents' antique clock suddenly began ticking.
Nice, and FIFA won't get one drop of sales. www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...
I enjoyed it, Susie. I like her story and the way you told it so well.
