Seattle Sounders FC picks up where it left off: Selling out Qwest Field

The Seattle Sounders FC has my vote as the fastest-rising sport property in the world. According to Champions of The Sport Market, they also gave Major League Soccer the biggest sport business gain of 2009 in the United States and Canada.

Bottom line: they are architects of the most impressive expansion franchise launch in North American professional sport history. Bar none.

Thursday night, the Sounders kicked off their sophomore season in Major League Soccer the way they left off their storybook expansion campaign last fall; by selling out the lower bowl and more at Qwest Field, the home they share with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League.

Seattle hung a 2-0 shutout win on the Philadelphia Union, the league's newest expansion entry. That's the box score; that's the sport story.

The sport business story is as if not more impressive. A sellout crowd of 35,500, including an eye-popping 32,000 season ticket holders. After leading the MLS in attendance in their 2009 debut, they are already sold out this year through July; despite expanding their seating configuration and capacity by more than 3,000 seats (now about 10 rows into the upper deck at Qwest).

Merchandise sales that make SoDo (Seattle's south downtown district in and around Qwest and Safeco) awash in lime green at least 20 times a year. Scarves that have become the new fashion statement in the Emerald City. A band march of thousands of fans to the stadium before every home game. Solid television and radio ratings.

It makes it hard to choose what is more impressive about the way the Sounders have made their early mark on MLS in particular and North American sport in general. Is it the terrific tangibles of ticket sales, sponsorship sales, merchandising and cash flow? Or is it the intangibles of how authentic a soccer experience the Sounders have created for Seattle or how they've worked hand-in-hand with the Washington State youth soccer community to do so?

It might be difficult for the Sounders to exceed expectations the way they did last year in making the playoffs as an expansion team. But either way, they will continue to lead the league in tangibles and intangibles; an impressive achievement in this era of professional sport.

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