Sound Football Club is an American women's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team in the

Women's Premier Soccer League The Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) is an amateur women's soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is the top amateur league for women's soccer in the United States soccer pyramid, below only National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). ...

. Sound FC play its home games at Starfire Sports Stadium in

Tukwila, Washington Tukwila ( ) is a suburban city in King County, Washington, United States, located immediately to the south of Seattle. The population was 21,798 at the 2020 census. Tukwila is a community of communities, with residents of many diverse origin ...

, six miles south of downtown

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

. The team was founded in 2000 as Seattle Sounders Select Women, a sister organization of the men's team in the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

. The Select Women competed in the original

USL W-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

until the league was disbanded in 2015. Following the men's team's departure for

Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Cana ...

, Mike Jennings, owner of the

United Soccer League United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

franchise

Tacoma Tide Sound FC is an American soccer team based in Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2006, the team most recently played in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. History 2006–2009: Playoffs The Tacoma team was introduced int ...

, took over the Sounders Women's ownership. In 2011, Cliff McElroy and Lane Smith of Datec Inc. became majority owners, while Mike Jennings has maintained a minority stake. In January 2020,

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

terminated its branding agreement, leading to an affiliation and rebrand with Sound FC, a youth soccer club based in

Woodinville, Washington Woodinville is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is also a much larger population with Woodinville mailing addresses in adjacent unincorporated areas of King ( Cottage Lake) an ...

. The team most notable for having signed five U.S. international players,

Hope Solo Hope Amelia Stevens (; born July 30, 1981) is an American former soccer goalkeeper. She was a goalkeeper for the United States women's national soccer team from 2000 to 2016, and is a World Cup champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Afte ...

Alex Morgan Alexandra Morgan Carrasco (born Alexandra Patricia Morgan; July 2, 1989) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a striker and captains for San Diego Wave FC of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division o ...

Megan Rapinoe Megan Anna Rapinoe (; born July 5, 1985) is an American professional Association football, soccer player who plays as a Midfielder#Winger, winger and captains OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), as well as the United States ...

Sydney Leroux Sydney Rae Leroux (; born May 7, 1990) is a professional soccer player and Olympic gold medalist who currently plays as a forward for Angel City FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in Canada to a Canadian mother and an Americ ...

, and

Stephanie Cox Stephanie Renee Cox (; born April 3, 1986) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who played as a defender. She is currently the interim head coach of the Puget Sound Loggers women's soccer team. As a player, Cox played as a ...

, following the collapse of the

Women's Professional Soccer Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) was the top-level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded six teams for the 2011 sea ...

in 2012.

History

The

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

of the second-division

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

announced plans for a women's team in April 2000 and hired Chance Fry as head coach. The organization had planned for a women's team for several years and named them Seattle Sounders Select Women as part of their development system, which already included the men's

Seattle Sounders Select Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of N ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

. The team held an open

tryout ''Tryout'' was an amateur press journal published from 1914 to 1946 by Charles W. Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was connected to the National Amateur Press Association. Smith (1852–1948) was a friend and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraf ...

at the end of the month that included 55 players, mostly from Washington state. They played exhibition matches in the provisional Pacific Northwest Division of the

, with home games primarily at Memorial Stadium in Seattle that would precede men's Sounders games. The Select Women played their inaugural match on June 10, 2000, against the

Spokane Chill Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...

Joe Albi Stadium Joe Albi Stadium is a former outdoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, located in Spokane, Washington. In the northwest part of the city, just east of the Spokane River, it was primarily used for high school football, and as a secon ...

and won 5–0 with two goals by forward Janelle Munnis. The team finished the 2000 season with an undefeated 8–0–3 record and outscored their opponents 40–4 in provisional league matches and friendlies. The women's team drew approximately 5,000 total spectators at Memorial Stadium, including 2,222 at the home opener on June 29 against the Vancouver Lady 86ers; an additional exhibition game at Mount St. High School in Snoqualmie drew 1,300 in attendance. The Select Women formally joined the W-League's 1st Division in 2001 and was placed in the Western Conference alongside the

Portland Rain Portland Rain was an American women's soccer team based in Portland, Oregon. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the third tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team plays in the North Division of the ...

and Vancouver Breakers (successor to the Lady 86ers). Seattle played their home matches at

Issaquah High School Issaquah High School (also known as IHS or Issaquah) is a four-year public secondary school in Issaquah, Washington, United States, a suburb east of Seattle. It is one of three high schools in the Issaquah School District and serves students ...

and finished second in the conference with a 12–4–4 record, but failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Select Women were the first team to play at the new

Seahawks Stadium Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, th ...

(now

Lumen Field Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, t ...

) as part of a doubleheader with the Sounders against their respective Vancouver opponents on July 27, 2002. The Women won 4–3 in overtime. In 2003, they advanced to the playoffs and defeated the Whitecaps in the quarterfinals, but lost in the semifinals to the

Hampton Roads Piranhas Hampton Roads Piranhas was an American women's soccer team, founded in 1995. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues W-League, the second tier of women's soccer in the United States and Canada. The team played in the Atlantic Division ...

. The W-League folded in November 2015.

Current players

''As of May 21, 2019.''

Year-by-year

References

External links

Sound FC website

(archived) {{W-League Seasons Seattle Sounders Women Association football clubs established in 2001 Soccer clubs in Washington (state) Soccer clubs in Seattle Women's soccer clubs in the United States USL W-League (1995–2015) teams 2001 establishments in Washington (state) Women's sports in Washington (state)