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.
Lutes Win 200th for Yorke
October 5, 2019

Pacific Lutheran's Keeton Heggerness converts two penalty kicks in a 4-0 home defeat of Linfield, which gives Lutes coach John Yorke his 200th win. Yorke is in his 18th season at PLU, and his teams have won or shared the past two Northwest Conference championships.

Baena Named A-League MVP
October 23, 1998

Mark Baena, after scoring a record 20 goals in an abbreviated first season with the Seattle Sounders, is named MVP of the A-League. Baena joined Seattle seven games into the season from the California Jaguars. In all, he scored 24 goals to lead the league.

Seattle Opens Arms, Hearts to Sounders
May 12, 1974

It's a storybook start to professional soccer in Seattle. A near-capacity crowd of 12,132 comes to their feet less than two minutes after kickoff as Willie Penman scores the opener vs. Denver. John Rowlands adds two more goals before intermission. After the final whistle of the 4-0 victory, Sounders players gather in the circle to applaud and wave to the fans who, in turn, roar their approval once again.

Late Show Again for Sounders
September 12, 2014

Andy Rose finds the winner four minutes into stoppage time, and Seattle wins its fourth in a row, 3-2 over Real Salt Lake. It's the seventh time the Sounders have tied or won on a goal scored in the final 10 minutes. Lamar Neagle and Obafemi Martins, on his 13th goal, put the hosts in front 2-1, before halftime. Rose collects a loose ball in the box and fires it past Nick Rimando.

Defiance's Webber Promoted
November 20, 2023

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.

Whitman Makes First East Coast Trip
September 8, 2022

Whitman opens its first East Coast road trip by blasting John Jay College, 5-1, in New York City. The Blues score four times in the final 33 minutes to pull away from a 1-1 tie. Erick Perez-Cuellar assists on the first and scores the third. Whitman also plays Rutgers-Camden (1-2) and Stockton (0-1) before returning home.

1961
The Seattle Host City poster for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was unveiled April 3, 2025. Artist Shogo Ota's design features black fins of an orca in Puget Sound, their edges resembling the Lumen Field roof. Sports Illustrated later ranks it as the top poster among the 16 venues.
(Courtesy SEA2026)
2025
Whitman College in action in 1979. (Courtesy Whitman archives)
1979
Blaise Nkufo scores the first goal of his historic first Sounders hat trick in 4-0 win at Columbus. (Courtesy Sounders FC)
2010
Sounders players and fans salute one another to close-out a magical night in Seattle's inaugural home match. (Frank MacDonald Collection)
1974
Ian Bridge heads away from Portland's Dale Mitchell. (Courtesy NASL Jerseys)
1982
Sounders Dave Gillett (l) and Arfon Griffiths converge on Cosmos' Pele.
1975
(Courtesy Walter Schmetzer)
1974
Clemson takes a victory lap around the Kingdome after winning the 1984 NCAA Big Kick. (Frank MacDonald Collection)
1984
Sounders forward Mark Peterson holds off a Malmo defender. (Frank MacDonald Collection)
1982