Seattle Sounders win the USL First Division championship.
The USL league in the States is one step below the MLS, which is the premier tier of soccer in the US. There is no promotion/relegation between USL and MLS; to join the MLS you have to pay a franchise fee and be accepted by the other owners.
Also different is their league championships. Following the lead of their other sports in the US, whomever finishes top after the regular season then gets top seed on a short cup competition that has eight teams with a home/away schedule and the final being a single game (just like the Champions League).
Seattle beat Charleston very easily and then scrapped through in a very tough two leg game, decided on penalties, against Puerto Rico. The travel schedule is gruelling as well as the away game was played first, which meant flights with connections of eight hours in each direction. Fly Thursday, play Friday, fly Saturday and play Sunday.
The final game was Saturday 28th September versus Atlanta, a team that had beaten one of the favourites, Montreal, on the way to the final. The final is played at the team that bids the most money to host the game. The Sounders, under Adrian Hanauer, usually bid to win.
The game was not at the usual Qwest field due to the American football team constraints but at a local sports complex, Starfire, with a capacity of just over 4,000.
On a very rainy night in front of national TV cameras, Seattle dominated the first half but received a setback when pivotal midfielder Leighton O'Brien was taken off after a bad groin pull. At the end of the first half Seattle scored a well-taken goal with a series of one touch passes.
The second half moved on with Atlanta pressing and the Sounders were able to take advantage of the extra space to score three more second half goals, along with some outstanding saves from Sounders 'keeper Chris Eylander.
It is the third final in four years for Seattle with two Championships. Coach Brian Schmetzer commented that the team got better as the year went on, after a poor start with one win in the first five games. After that the team won 15 of their remaining 23 games. The team spirit grew as the year went on along with a key addition of a strong centreback, Taylor Graham, and the shuffling of positions.
Sebastian Le Toux, a Frenchman from Rennes, turned into a forward and ending up as top scorer in the League, and Kenji Treschuk from Hawaii grew in stature as the battling midfielder.
With the recent success and history of top level soccer in Seattle, there is a strong rumour of a MLS franchise coming to Seattle very soon. Stayed tuned.
Paul Barry
Director and Shareholder Cambridge United FC
Co-owner Seattle Sounders
United's Seattle-based directors Paul Barry (left) and Adrian Hanauer (right) with Chairman Lee Power
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