Amanda Johnson's two goals fuel Seattle Pacific's NCAA semifinal victory over Metro State, 3-1, at Tampa. The 4th-ranked Falcons move into the national championship match for the second time in four seasons. Johnson opens the scoring after only 73 seconds, and after the Roadrunners equalize she responds with the go-ahead goal 38 seconds later, in the 56th minute. Johnson also assists on the third SPU score, by Jocelyn Charette, three minutes after that. Meredith Teague's assist on the opening goal is the record 34th of her career.

A day after Seattle coach Brian Schmetzer notes the contrast of his team’s homegrown talent facing Inter Miami’s star-studded lineup, the Sounders offer fans a free Paul Rothrock jersey in exchange for any Lionel Messi jersey. Fans respond by forming a long line outside the Lumen Field Pro Shop, and the trade-in maximum of 100 shirts is reached in just over an hour before the teams’ Leagues Cup final.

Bob Gansler puts Chris Henderson, 19, in the starting XI for his senior international debut vs. Iceland at Fenton, Mo. Henderson goes 66 minutes on the outside flank and Kasey Keller starts in the 4-1 U.S. win.

Second-half goals from Bruce Raney and Mike Smith and shutout goalkeeping from Mark Thompson enable Seattle Pacific to achieve its first season sweep of Washington, 2-0, and win the Sounders Cup, symbolic of college supremacy in Seattle. The Falcons also go undefeated (7-0-1) to win their first NCSC championship in six years.

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.

Former Sounders Mark Baena and Darren Sawatzky haunt their former club as the A-League expansion Portland Timbers blank Seattle, 2-0, before 12,295 for their home debut at PGE Park. Baena scores the first goal and Sawatzky assists on both scores. The Timbers are coached by longtime NASL Sounders assistant Bobby Howe. It's the first Seattle-Portland professional 11v11 meeting since 1990. Indoor clubs met from 1995-97.