Washington State
Legends of Soccer

Curated by the Washington State Legends of Soccer, providing information and history of the Beautiful Game in Washington State. Just as the game evolves, so will this site. We continuously add new content, so be sure to return often.

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Explore our history. Click on any of the panels below to learn what happened that year.
Seattle Pacific Chooses McCrath for Coach
April 15, 1970

Seattle Pacific names Cliff McCrath, 32, as head coach and dean of students, effective July 1. McCrath comes from Spring Arbor in Michigan, where he guided the Cougars to the NAIA semifinals in his third season. He previously coached at Gordon (Mass.) and Wheaton (Ill.), was an All-America player at the latter.

WA Women Among Ambassador Finalists
May 15, 1994

Seattle's Bernadette Noonan, an Irish-born Capitol Hill resident, and Issaquah's Maj Surowiecki, a Swedish native living in Issaquah, are among 90 national finalists as "ambassadors of soccer" - foreign-born contributors to the game's development in the United States. Noonan has played and worked for the of the Washington State Women's Soccer Association at every administrative level, including president, during the association's expansion to the present 155 teams, making the nation's largest. In addition to playing for four teams, Surowiecki is also commissioner and treasurer of the WSWSA.

Hahnemann Dodges Incoming Missile
February 1, 2003

Reading goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann narrowly escapes being hit by a missile at Turf Moor during a 5-2 win over Burnley. Hahnemann pulls off a string of fine saves in the first of five straight Championship wins for the Royals. Burnley face a heavy fine or a points deduction after referee Roy Pearson confirmed he had reported the incident. Hahnemann's first season with Reading ends in a playoff promotion loss to Wolves.

Peterson Scores USA Winner
May 16, 1985

Mark Peterson scores the winner with just 1:40 remaining as the U.S. National Team opens the next stage of World Cup qualifying by beating Trinidad & Tobago, 2-1, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Peterson, out of contract with the Tacoma Stars and out of the national team for 20 months, gets the close-range winner on a feed from Erhardt Capp. Peterson's youth teammate from Tacoma's Norpoint Royals, Jeff Durgan, also starts. Neither plays when the U.S. is eliminated May 31 by Costa Rica.

Vikings Attacking Might Wins First Half
December 9, 1956

After being held to a lone Larry Petersen goal in Week 7, Norselander Vikings run rampant on the attack in their final two games of the state league's first half. The Vikings tied Buchan, 5-5, the following week and now clinch the title by smashing Norden Club, 7-2. They go 8-0-1 to finish three points clear of the Bakers. Norselander wins five trophies plus the Five-a-Side prize for 1956.

Cozars Founder Gardner Elected Governor
November 6, 1984

Booth Gardner, founder and coach of the Tacoma Cozars and past owner of NASL and ASL franchises, is elected the 19th Governor of Washington. Gardner, 48, defeats incumbent John Spellman by 56 percent. It is the most expensive race in state history, with a combined $4 million spent by the two candidates. Gardner, a moderate Democrat who previously served as Pierce County Executive, does so despite Ronald Reagan winning the U.S. Presidency in an Electoral College rout (525-13). He founded the Cozars as a girls' youth team in 1974, and it is now a national power at the senior level. Gardner first owned the ASL Tacoma Tides before becoming part of the NASL Colorado Caribous ownership.

Michael Linenberger and John Kerr lift Duke's NCAA championship trophy aloft after defeating Akron, 1-0, in the Tacoma Dome.
1986
Triumph Continental sponsored Mike Ryan's state league entry, which was comprised of many members of his UW varsity. (Courtesy Mike Ryan)
1969
Shannon Higgins (l) and Michelle Akers (r) assist FIFA's Sepp Blatter in the 1994 World Cup draw.
1992
Seattle's Steve Buttle keeps an eye on Pele´, far right, as the Cosmos' Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer look on.
1977
(Courtesy Seattle Times archives)
1984
Brad Evans, shown here vs. Haiti, was among the Sounders contingent on the U.S. 2015 Gold Cup squad. (Courtesy Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos)
2015
1970
Seattle Pacific (white) and Seattle University meet at Lower Woodland during the Falcons' inaugural season. (Courtesy Seattle Pacific Falcon archives)
1968
Cristian Roldan assisted on the winning goal as the United States defeated Jamaica, 1-0, to reach the 2021 Gold Cup semifinals in Arlington, Tx. (Courtesy Wilf Thorne/ISI Photos)
2021
State cup championship presentations at the 1971 finals at Memorial Stadium (Courtesy WYS archives)
1971