Between the sale of five players and a dispersal draft of 10 others, the Sounders roster dissolves. Joe Corrigan (Brighton), Peter Ward (Vancouver), John Bain, Tim Bartro and Steve Daley (all Golden Bay) are purchased outright. Among those taken by the remaining nine NASL clubs are homegrown players Chance Fry (Tulsa), Brian Schmetzer (Chicago traded to Tulsa), Mark Peterson (New York), Bill Crook (Ft. Lauderdale) and Jeff Stock (Golden Bay).

Bernie James is fired as interim coach of the Seattle Sounders and general manager Brad Kimura resigns following the club's failure to make the A-League playoffs for the first time. Managing partner Adrian Hanauer will replace Kimura, who had been GM for six seasons. Settle finished 13-12-1 and fifth in the Western Conference. James had replaced Neil Megson just two weeks prior to the season.

Gonzaga's Brian Ching is selected 17th overall by the Sounders in the A-League draft while Seattle Pacific's Vadim Tolstolutsky is another first-round pick, going 21st to Portland's expansion team. Five other players with Washington roots are taken. Washington's Michael Casale (22nd), Mark Hogenhout (39th) and Kai Carroll (43rd) and Puget Sound's Tye Tolentino (60th) are drafted by Seattle. Dana Garner of SPU goes 33rd to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Sota Kitihara of Edmonds fuels a late comeback for the U.S. U16 Boys National Team for a 3-3 draw with The Netherlands at Lakewood Ranch, Fla. A second-half substitute, in added time Kitihara smashes a shot off the post for Kevin Paredes to score on the rebound, close the Dutch lead to 3-2. Then in the dying seconds, Kitahara gets free in the box to score from close range for the stunning equalizer.

Although initially slotted for the Far West's No. 4 seed by the regional committee, Washington misses the NCAA tournament. Instead, the national selection committee overrules and takes San Francisco, which had lost 4-0 at home to the Huskies five weeks earlier. After rising to No. 8 in the coaches' poll, UW sustained losses to NAIA Warner Pacific and Div. II Seattle Pacific. Those teams finish third and second, in their respective tournaments. Regional chair Mike Davis of Portland says the national committee argued that USF, despite two more losses, played a more difficult schedule and higher power rating.

Nico Lodeiro scores two of the Sounders' three goals in an 8-minute, second-half outburst and Seattle takes command of the West semifinal playoff series by beating Supporters Shield winner FC Dallas, 3-0, in the first leg. Nelson Valdez breaks the ice in the 50th minute, heading in a Joevin Jones cross for his third career playoff goal in five appearances. Five minutes later, Jordan Morris finds a streaking Lodeiro, who taps in for a 2-nil lead. Three minutes after that, Lodeiro breaks away from a midfield pack of defenders, then scores in a 1-on-1 vs. Chris Seitz. At Dallas a week later, he scores again in a 2-1 loss that nevertheless clinches the series, 4-2 on aggregate.