Sounders Go to the Beach

Since the start of their time in MLS, the Sounders Front Office has set lofty goals. Provide a quality product for the people of the Pacific Northwest. Win games. Win all competitions and tournament they participate in. Become a global name.

If you take a step back, becoming a global name seems like a pipedream. I mean, forget internationally, MLS isn't even an accepted league within the US. How can a team from a league that no one cares about become relevant not only within its borders, but outside its borders? It's a question that requires a lot of attention - frankly something I don't have at this time.

What I do have however is the knowledge that the Sounders have tossed their hat into the beach soccer ring. In what was a very surprising announcement, the Sounders are entering a team into the world's first Beach Soccer Club World Cup which takes place in Brazil from march 20-27. To answer an obvious first question, no they are not sending any of their senior team to Brazil to participate. Instead, they actually participated in a draft that netted them 8 players from 5 different countries (including Switzerland, where I didn't know they had beaches). Click here for the roster. (apparently Plata is our stud...)

Now I have no idea how they will do, but I do know this - a team wearing rave green and supporting our logo will be in a competitive tournament with the likes of Barcelona, AC Milan, Sporting Lisbon, Boca Juniors, Lokimotiv Moscow and three Brazilian clubs - Corinthians, Flamengo and Vasco de Gama. That means that our Sounders beach soccer team has the chance to beat the likes of Barcelona and AC Milan.

Beach soccer may not be well known. Competing in the Club World Cup isn't like competing in Champions League or the World Cup, but it is a competitive tournament that will feature our team and our colors. I don't know if we will be good or not, but if we can be competitive and if we can get some international recognition from fans and press attending the tournament than this will be a successful endeavor. Let's face it - Manchester United was not the most popular team until they started winning and promoting themselves. I don't want to compare the Sounders to United, but how do you think they continue to be successful off the field? They take trips to Asia and the US. They spread their name and their colors for all to see.

For some young soccer players, playing in the US will represent an opportunity they cannot pass up. Look no further than Fredy Montero. No one expected him to stay in the US for more than a year or two, but now at age 24 he has signed a DP contract with Seattle, bought a house and moved his family here. The US might not be Europe, but it isn't Colombia. We were lucky to have had the opportunity to sign him even though we had never played a game. he took a chance and came to Seattle knowing nothing about the team. Future players won't have to take that leap. Along with successive trips to Cental America for Champions League action, creative actions like this will only help to improve our standing within the region. I personally am going to be rooting hard for the new boys in rave green.

For more info on the Club World Cup, click here
For more info on the sport in general, click here
Finally, for highlights from the most recent World Cup, click here