SounderatHeart.com – founded by Dave Clark to embrace fan passion while covering Puget Sound soccer news, rumors, tactics and analytics – goes live. It starts as an independent WordPress blog hosted by ProspectInsider.com and joins SBNation.com in November 2009.

The Sounders play indoor, 6-a-side version for the first time, in an NASL regional tournament at San Francisco’s Cow Palace. Seattle, playing without most of its starters from the 1974 season, is drubbed by San Jose, 14-4. Hank Liotart scores the first Sounders goal. Ballan Campeau is under constant siege in goal. Paul Child tallies four times for the Earthquakes. The doubleheader, which includes Vancouver-Los Angeles, attracts 9,223. Seattle is beaten again Feb. 23, this time by the Aztecs, 9-4.

Wade Webber's success in guiding the Tacoma Defiance in terms of both development and competitive success is rewarded with a promotion. Webber is elevated to Sounders FC director of development while Henry Brauner moves from player development VP to Seattle's technical director. Webber was 38-24-22 in three seasons, taking Tacoma to the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs in his final two seasons.

Seth Marsh comes off the bench and scores the winning goal with 7 seconds left as 10th-ranked Washington rallies to beat No. 15 Portland, 4-3, before over 2,808 to remain unbeaten at home. Marsh enters the tied match 63 seconds before scoring. A corner kick by Ben Somoza finds Marsh six yards in front of the net. Greg Foisie pulls the Huskies level in the 70th minute. Somoza has a first-half goal and assists on another by Zach Kingsley. Kelly Gray has two of Portland's three goals.

Washington has precious little time to celebrate making the NCAA tournament before making a humiliating exit. A cultured, experienced and rested San Francisco, playing at home, routs the Huskies by a record 16-0 at Balboa Park. UW had only qualified 16 hours earlier, then flown to San Francisco, changed at the USF gym and bused to the park. Archie Roboostoff and Torgier Hague each score five goals, and the Dons launch an unbelievable 83 shots. Mike Jones, injured in the Seattle U win the night before, lasts only a few minutes in goal, and all of Mike Ryan's substitutes are outfield players.

Sigi Schmid, coach of Sounders FC for its first six and a half seasons, dies in Los Angeles. He was 65. Schmid passes three weeks after being hospitalized at UCLA Medical Center in need of a heart transplant. He was the winningest coach in MLS history (266 in regular season and playoffs) and won MLS Cup titles in Los Angeles and Columbus before coming to Seattle. Under Schmid, the Sounders won four U.S. Open Cups and a Supporters' Shield.