I'll be the first to say that soccer has never ranked very high for me on the 'let's all get excited' scale. I never played, which is part of the problem. The other part of the problem is just getting over the hump of actually watching a game, even though I don't know anything about the rules. However, after I heard Seattle is getting an MLS team (side?), I figured it would behoove me to brush up a little. The other day I watched most of a Chelsea/Arsenal match that actually ended up being exciting towards the end....especially since I'd decided to root for the underdog. I may not be much of a soccer fan yet, but damn it, if Seattle has a team I'm pulling for it. I'll actually GO to games (matches), since I don't think tickets will be priced so ridiculously high as Seahawks tickets. The proposed names for the teams haven't been too encouraging yet, especially speaking as a general sports fan. Starting tonight at midnight you can vote for A: Seattle Alliance, B: Seattle Republic, C: Seattle FC, or D: a write-in. From the sound of it, diehard soccer types in the area are going to try a Sounders write-in campaign. I don't know or care about the long history the Sounders have in Seattle......it's just a stupid name. (So is the Sonics/Supersonics while we're on the name topic.) My last hope as a sports fan is that the logo and uniforms at least look cool and professional......more than other sports, it's kind of the state's face to the sporting world, and the MLS has plenty of ridiculous teams already. This picture is my favorite jersey choice from some mockups done by some firm or person brainstorming; sadly none of them are being considered. They're all pretty solid. You can see them all at http://www.fanhome.com/forums/sports-logos/10604-4-design-concpets-mls-seattle.html. At least if the team turns out lame, I'll still have my ancestral team to root for.....
Go Oranje!
