How to Save Soccer in the United States: The Seattle Sounders Model

Charlie Klein

Move over David Beckham, American soccer is here to save itself. Yes, I was thrilled when I saw a hobbled Becks jog onto the Home Depot Center pitch when the Los Angeles Galaxy played Chelsea on July 21, 2007. But that date does not mark the ascendancy of soccer in the United States. Beckham's current desire is not to help the struggling LA Galaxy win the MLS, but to re-start his career in Europe.

Let's face it, American soccer fans, Beckham is not staying in Los Angeles beyond the end of the current MLS season. Beckham has dropped many hints that he seeks to return to Europe following the revival of his international career with England.

"He (Capello) will be thinking about where I will be going in December. The manager always said to me, 'Wherever you go, play at the highest level'. Most places in Europe are at the top level."

Surely the MLS will sink back to irrelevancy without Golden Balls right? Wrong. Major League Soccer does not need a 34 year-old past his prime Briton to save the sport. Do not get me wrong, I love David Beckham for his success at Manchester United, but I don't think he is the savior of soccer in the US.

There is a perceptual problem in the United States that prevents the MLS from enjoying any sort of success or praise. The problem is that people expect the MLS to be as popular as any of the major soccer leagues in Europe and the rest of the world. Furthermore, people want the MLS to be an instant success. Just insert old European superstar, and razz matazz and all that jazz, average Americans will like soccer!

Encouraging teams to sign big name older international players is a step in the right direction, but it is not the solution to the problem for the MLS of attracting audiences. If the New York Red Bulls announced tomorrow that they had signed the Brazilian Ronaldo I would be excited to see what Ronaldo had left in the tank, but there's only so much that a 32 year-old striker could do. He would generate about a year or two of interest in the league depending on his performances but after he leaves what will happen to all of the people who started watching the Red Bulls? If there are no younger players to take over for Ronaldo, the Red Bulls and the MLS will dissappear into anonymity once again.

Major League Soccer needs to switch over to the European style schedule. Soccer in Europe runs from August to May. FIFA President Sepp Blatter believes that such a switch is essential to the success of the league.

"They have to play and adapt themselves to the international calendar. If they do that, they can have success. I spoke several times and I spoke on this 10 years ago when I was still secretary general and nothing has changed in the USA."

MLS commissioner Don Garber agrees with Blatter in principle. Every team in the MLS will have control of its own facility with the exceptions of DC United, Kansas City Wizards, Houston Dynamo, and San Jose Earthquakes. Garber said in a statement,

"We regularly evaluate all aspects of our competition, including the timing and format of our season. Because of the extreme winter weather in many of our markets in the U.S. and Canada, a switch to the international calendar would pose many challenges for MLS and its fans. I am convinced that the time will come when we do adapt to the international calendar. I just don't believe that time is in the foreseeable future."

If any lost MLS franchises need a proper model of how to cultivate success, they should only look to the work that the Seattle Sounders FC have done in Seattle. The Sounders signed an international superstar player Freddie Ljungberg who sparked local interest in the team thanks to his time playing for Arsenal. The Sounders also were able to assemble a great team around their superstar, something that the Galaxy ought to learn from. Sounders FC signed local product and goalkeeper Kasey Keller and assigned him the role of captain. The Sounders have also done a fantastic job of identifying young talent. Freddy Montero, who is on-loan from Deportivo Cali of Colombia, is 21 years-old and has already notched seven goals halfway through the current MLS season. Osvaldo Alonso is a great holding midfielder and he is only 23 years old.

The Sounders also have created a great atmosphere for the sport in Seattle. Following the unfortunate departure of the city's NBA franchise, the denizens of the Northwestern city were looking for a team to replace the Sonics in their hearts. The Sounders success in addition to the atmosphere created by the team's ownership have led to the overall progress of the sport in the Northwest. The ownership decided to involve the supporters directly in the set-up and operation of the team. Organisationally the Sounders are set up similarly to Barcelona of La Liga. It is referred to as Seattle FC Alliance and all persons who are season ticket holders are members. Members in the Alliance have the right to vote on the removal of the General Manager and other club decisions. The supporters were allowed to choose the name of the team through an online poll. The Sounders have also introduced a miniature parade from a location in Seattle to each match where supporters are encouraged to wear their Sounders FC gear and especially their scarves. The parade is led by the Sounders band.

Don't believe my homer arguments? Let us look at the trappings of Sounders FC's work. The Seattle outfit is on pace to shatter the average per-game attendance record previously held by the LA Galaxy of 28,916. The Sounders have averaged 29,401 so far this season and with the club announcing that it will expand the number of seats to 32,000, those numbers are expected to rise. There are usually 6,000 single game tickets available for each Sounders game because of how many people opted to become season ticket holders at the start of the year.

From personal experience, I can honestly say that the Sounders FC experience is unlike any other I have experienced attending MLS games. There is singing and raucous cheering aplenty and people are just plainly excited by what they are watching. The teams scores plenty of goals and create many offensive chances. The stadium that they play in is also a fantastic venue in which to watch soccer. While Qwest Field also hosts the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, it was also built with the thought that it would be a possible site for a World Cup. Limiting the amount of tickets and only opening up the lower areas has created a proper atmosphere for soccer. I'm not saying it was like going to a game in Europe, but it is not too far off.