U.S. men's team against the national team of Venezuela.
Northwest Corner: Seahawks Stadium now a premium soccer venue
DON RUIZ; The News Tribune
Soccer fans are a patient lot.
The very nature of the sport demands that those who love it be able to understand how much is going on even when the casual observer might think nothing is happening.
Unfortunately, that very capacity has been severely tested on the larger stage of Puget Sound.
Seahawks Stadium opened eight months ago, and so far, exactly zero soccer games have been played here because of it.
It would be very easy to think nothing is happening.
Actually, quite a bit is playing out. And most of it looks good.
"For a new stadium on the West Coast in the Pacific Northwest where we've never handled these big games before, we're doing just great," said Fred Mendoza of the Public Stadium Authority. "I think First & Goal is doing a great job of trying to promote the venue as a state-of-the-art venue for soccer."
To date, the stadium has provided only a tantalizing taste.
In July, the Seattle Sounders opened the stadium and showed 25,515 spectators what a terrific soccer venue the place is.
Now, the stadium is about to show the world.
On Saturday, the U.S. men's team will make its Seahawks Stadium debut. Their opponent will be the national team of Venezuela, a short-notice substitute for the Japanese team, which backed out last week because of security concerns sparked by the war in Iraq.
Following this international friendly, the stage will be set for a July 29 visit from the highest level of club teams: Manchester United vs. Glasgow Celtic FC.
Tickets for that match sold out in about two hours.
That - along with First & Goal living up to its commitment to import a natural grass field for each match - is likely to move Seattle among the top North American soccer cities in the eyes of U.S. soccer and international promoters.
"I think we can count on it," Mendoza said. "There are other promoters who are asking about this venue and Seattle. Everyone is just waiting to see if this will work or will it not work. We know. We know it's going to work. I haven't heard this much buzz about a soccer game in 20 years in this town. We know it's going to work. And I think you're going to see in summers to come that there are going to be one or two or three games a summer. Wouldn't that be fun?"
It would be. Especially if those two or three club or national team games supplement the full regular season schedule of the A-League Sounders or eventually the MLS Whatevers.
Starting in May, the Sounders will become full-time tenants at Seahawks Stadium.
The 67,000-seat venue will be Sounders-sized by closing the end zones, upper decks and entire west side. Despite all that echoing empty acreage, the place should bring a huge upgrade from recent seasons at Memorial Stadium.
The seats are far more comfortable. The bathrooms are far less repellent. The playing surface will be the far more soccer-friendly FieldTurf, and will lack the graffiti circus of football striping.
And if you can't get to a game in person, you can listen in on radio station KKNW (1150-AM), with Tacoma's own Thom Beuning handling the play-by-play.
In other words, the Sounders are taking a huge step toward the major leagues.
So much so that you have to wonder if Major League Soccer can be far behind.
No one yet knows.
Sometime this year, MLS expects to announce two expansion cities, which would probably begin play in 2005, although 2004 isn't yet out of the question.
MLS acknowledges it will watch the Sounders' maiden voyage in Seahawks Stadium with added interest. A big spike in attendance couldn't hurt the city's chances. Just as the instant sellout of Manchester United tickets couldn't have hurt.
(In fact, the Sounders are in a unique position to benefit from that sellout. The Sounders are still making Manchester United-Celtic tickets available to those purchasing Sounders ticket packages.)
What does hurt - a bit - is that Seahawks Stadium is at least twice as large as the ideal MLS stadium.
And what also hurts - a lot - is the apparent lack of anyone willing to purchase the rights to operate a Seattle team in a league that bleeds dollar bills.
That, however, is an issue for another week.
This is a week to celebrate.
Starting on Saturday, big-time soccer comes to Seahawks Stadium.
It took its time getting here. But now there is every indication that it will become a regular visitor.
Notes - Ben Sauvage of Seattle won the Fort Steilacoom Running Club's Resolution Run Series 20-miler on March 15 in Steilacoom with a time of 1 hour, 52 minutes, 9 seconds. The top-finishing woman was Alysun Deckert, with a time of 2:03:48. Winning the 20k race was Mark Van Eycke of Tacoma, finishing in 1:08:05. The top-finishing woman was Shelley Smathers, who covered the distance in 1:18:57. Sauvage, Van Eycke and Smathers also won the 15-mile and 15k races the previous month. The top-finishing woman in the 15-mile race was Linda Huyck ... Kyle Nix of the Metro Tacoma Fencing Club competed last month in the Junior Olympics competition in Colorado Springs, Colo. Nix placed 159th out of 220 in the junior men's foil competition. Information: www.usfencing.org (Published 12:30AM, March 24th, 2003)