Seattle the Real Star of MLS Cup

SEATTLE -- If the scene occurred in Buenos Aires, London or Istanbul, it would prompt the sort of story you told your friends back home when you wanted to make a point about the difference in passion between foreign and American sports fans, or about soccer's unique ability to unite and galvanize people.

Except it occurred here, in the United States, in a city that has embraced the world's game with a colorful fervor that left an impact on everyone who attended Sunday's MLS Cup final. Fans in Seattle have set a standard that even the visiting supporters worked hard to match (see Real Salt Lake's effort above) and definitely have earned the right to hold their "No Equal" scarves aloft.

The hype and buzz surrounding the city's first season in Major League Soccer is real, and it has served notice to several other markets that the bar for success has been raised. The final featured David Beckham, Landon Donovan and the Cinderella from Salt Lake City. But the real star was Seattle.

"It's been absolutely fantastic," MLS Commissioner Don Garber told reporters during Sunday's game. "I was out taking pictures on my iPhone. The march to the match and just the logo and branding and celebration of the sport here in this city has been nothing short of fantastic."

He was referring to the way Sounders fans, and their counterparts from Salt Lake City, took over the Pioneer Square neighborhood just to the north of Qwest Field on Sunday. The "March to the Match" that Seattle supporters take about 90 minutes prior to each kickoff is so electric you'd think it has been a tradition for 100 years. They gather in Occidental Park a few blocks from the stadium. The square is paved in brick and lined by bars and ivy-covered buildings, and on Sunday it was filled with at least a couple thousand flag-waiving, scarf-hoisting fans working themselves into a lather.

Sounders investor and quasi-mascot Drew Carey took a small stage near the southeast corner and thanked the gathering, Garber spoke a few words, and then the Sounders marching band led the horde down Occidental Ave. toward the stadium. The street was choked with color, both the lime green of the Sounders and the deep blue and red of Real Salt Lake (Galaxy fans were relatively scarce), and the white-clad band was loud and enthusiastic. The fans chanted and sang.

Along the way, we passed bars and restaurants featuring the Sounders' logo in the windows or on signs posted outside. Try to imagine a series of Denver establishments with Rapids-themed decor, or a bar in downtown Boston with Revolution neon filling the front window. Temple Billiards advertised their happy hour next to the Sounders' badge. F.X. McRory's Steak Chop & Oyster House painted the metal awning over their front door like a soccer ball. When we arrived at the stadium, we could see as much Sounders signage as Seahawks. The football teams are practically equal, at least in this city.

The game-day scene almost rivaled the one I witnessed outside La Bombonera prior to the Boca Juniors-River Plate match I attended four years ago (Buenos Aires featured a lot more grilling and a lot more police), and the food carts (Al's Gourmet Sausage!) and brick buildings were reminiscent of what the streets alongside Highbury looked like before Arsenal moved. It was as authentic as they come, and revealed a partnership between the club and fanbase that may be unmatched in American professional sports. Sounders management has gotten nearly everything right, has demonstrated their desire to run an actual major league organization, and Seattle has responded with genuine passion.

Cab drivers in Seattle knew about the game. The city let MLS put logos atop the Space Needle. The atmosphere was mentioned in almost every interview I conducted or overheard during my four days there, and every player and official who spoke gushed with praise (and perhaps envy). Even in defeat, Galaxy coach Bruce Arena was able to appreciate the setting.

"I think it's a great moment for MLS," he said after the match. "I played here and lived here in the '70s and professional soccer should have never left Seattle....I'm happy it's back. They really embraced this MLS Cup and embraced the season and the team, and it's a fantastic story for MLS."

Beckham called Seattle "a breath of fresh air" before the final. "We're honored to be playing here."

Certainly the downtown stadium is a huge part of creating that atmosphere. Putting the game in a place people want to be, or near places people want to be, makes a huge difference. But those are choices owners often make -- they choose to spend their money on stadium amenities rather than land. This is a mistake -- downtown arenas attract the sorts of people who add color and excitement on gameday. Build a no-frills building like Toronto's BMO Field in the city, and watch it fill. If you own both a football and soccer team, Robert Kraft, do something, anything, to make the latter seem like a big deal. This is the formula for success in MLS. Marketing to minivan drivers and youth clubs in the suburbs is not a reliable way to generate revenue, nor is it a recipe for atmosphere. Challenge American fans to be passionate and give them the opportunity, and they will deliver.

Seattle has demonstrated what we can be. It's hard not to worry about the Rapids, the Revolution, FC Dallas, Kansas City and one or two others who seem to either lack the ambition, the creativity or the means to make their teams relevant. But now we know it's possible, and those clubs should either rise to the occasion or make way for someone who will.

Garber noticed. He told the fans in Occidental Park on Sunday that they had proven that "soccer in the United States can be so powerful, can be so meaningful, can be so relevant," and that they had "truly shown not just every other city in this country, but the rest of the world that we truly are a soccer nation."