So tonight in LA the Seattle Sounders fairytale run ended. Worse it was ended by the likes of Beckham and Donovan and all the darlings of the press. After two shots at the Galaxy, the Sounders couldn't even force the finale to pks. I mean no disrespect but I watched the second match of this contest and wondered what it will mean to the Sounders phenomenon. Seattle has had a charmed existence since it went up to to the big time. Their marketing team turned soccer into the hottest thing in the Emerald City since the Space Needle went up. And for the first runs around the track, it seemed like a magic carpet ride. Seattle won the Lamar Hunt Cup and then repeated the feat, the first MLS team to do so. They made the playoffs in their inaugural year and are making a second run this time around. All that being said, I wonder how deep the passion for soccer runs in 'the Sound'. In their years in the USL the Sounders were drawing miniscule crowds so the audience of folks who can speak to the 'old days' when the team slugged it out in the NASL isn't that big. And there's a whiff of faddism in the recent enthusiasm for the Sounders. I'd be less than honest if I didn't note that the passion for the Portland Timbers ( Rose City Till I Die) wasn't ladled most heavily amongst younger audiences who could not have been part of the traditional audiences.
But it's all good. Portland Timbers are supercharging their side, probably the biggest investment to upgrade the team since Louisiana Pacific threw money in the kitty some thirty years ago. John Spencer is a coach to be reckoned with. And there's a smell of 'flounder' blood in the air that should incite lively participation from the 'street'.
I like it. I'll be sitting with me mates in Section 209 when the curtain opens. Hey Timbers, let's rock.
