Nik Besagno of Maple Valley and Preston Zimmerman of Pasco are named to the U.S. National Team roster for the FIFA U17 World Championship in Peru. Zimmerman, who plays for Crossfire Premier while Besagno, now with Real Salt Lake, played in two games and Zimmerman started all four as the Americans advanced to the quarterfinals.

Kasey Keller makes a point-blank save in extra time and another in the penalty-kick tiebreaker, enabling the USMNT to win its third Gold Cup over Panama (0-0, 3-1) in East Rutherford, N.J. In all, Keller made five saves to earn the clean sheet.

Welton ignites a three-goal second half as the Seattle Sounders come back to beat Minnesota 3-1 away & extend their unbeaten run to 10 games (7-0-3) in league and 11 in all competitions.

Gig Harbor’s Tally Hall earns his record 12th shutout as San Diego State draws, 0-0, at Stanford, all but assuring the Aztecs of their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1989. Hall will go on to finish second nationally with a 0.49 goals against average, also a school record. SDSU falls to eventual NCAA champion UC Santa Barbara, 2-0, in the tournament’s first round.

Hillary Heath of Garfield and George John of Shorewood are named Washington's Gatorade Soccer Players of the Year. Heath scored 36 goals and 16 assists in her career at Seattle's Garfield High and was KingCo 4A co-MVP and all-state. She will attend Stanford. John scored 14 goals and had 10 assists for the Thunderbirds last spring, earning All-WesCo South honors for the second straight year. He committed to Washington.

Mick McCarthy's Sunderland, bound for England's Premiership after handily winning the Championship, visits Qwest Field for a friendly with the Sounders. A season-high crowd of 8,502 sees the Black Cats score late to win, 1-0.

A less experienced side featuring Bellevue's Marcus Hahnemann in his first appearance for the USMNT in nine years, beats Cuba, 4-1, in its Gold Cup opener before 15,831 at Qwest Field. Cuba went ahead in the 18th minute. Clint Dempsey scores shortly before halftime. Landon Donovan comes on as a substitute to put the U.S. in front on an 87th-minute free kick. Costa Rica defeats Canada, 1-0, in the other half of the doubleheader.

Tina Thompson (Farley) of Seattle, an all-district midfielder and championship skier, is inducted into Whitman University's Hall of Fame. Thompson, after scoring 17 goals as a sophomore, capped her soccer career by leading Whitman to its first-ever berth in the NAIA West Coast Regionals in 1990. She was the 1991 Whitman Female Athlete of the Year.

Preston Zimmerman of Pasco scores the late winner as the U.S. opens its U17 World Championships by beating North Korea, 3-2, in Chiclayo, Peru. Fellow Washingtonian Nik Besagno's pass enables Zimmerman to turn and score from six yards following a corner kick in the 72nd minute.

James Coggan rise from the bench to score the winner and Kellen Rosten denies a penalty kick as Seattle Pacific effectively ends the NCAA Division II championship reign of crosstown rival Seattle University, 1-0, before 600 at Interbay Stadium. Coggan's header from a Matt Kemper free kick breaks the stalemate in the 61st minute. Two minutes earlier, Rosten saves Alex Chursky's penalty attempt and Cam Weaver sends the rebound over the bar. SPU, with its first win in the series since 2000, all but clinches a postseason berth while denying SU.

A small group of Sounders fans organizes in Seahawks Stadium's Section 113, adjacent to the players' entrance tunnel. They beat a drum, sing, wave flags and call themselves the Emerald City Supporters. Approximately two dozen members make the first bus trip to Portland.

Erin Williams makes four saves to collect her 19th shutout of the season as Puget Sound eliminates Emory from the NCAA Division III tournament, 2-0, in a second round game in Atlanta. The 8th-ranked Loggers get the only goal they need in 41st minute, Megan Shivers heads in Elizabeth Pitman's corner kick. It is Pitman's record 14th assist.

A plan by Eastside FC to install artificial turf at Bellevue's Robinswood Park by increasing user fees receives support from the city. Bellevue's City Council approves funding for an engineering plan to get the project going, with a target completion of 2007.

Four adult teams from Washington win Veterans Cup crowns in Wilmington, N.C. Northwest Connection in the Women's Over-40 division, Who Cares in Women's Over-55, Tri-Alliance in Men's Over-40 and Forza in Women's Over-30.

A member of the Cuba National Team, later named as Maykel Galindo, defects during his team's stay in Seattle for the Gold Cup. The player got on an evening bus in North Seattle. The driver, despite a language barrier, realized the man had an immigration issue and contacted Seattle police. A Spanish-speaking officer confirmed Galindo was indeed asking for asylum.

Despite a cold rain Cortney Kjar celebrates Puget Sound's senior day with three goals in a 4-0 victory over Pacific. It's one of seven multi-goal games, including two hat tricks, for Kjar. The Loggers win their 10th straight and finish NWC play undefeated (15-0-1). Kjar will finish her season with 22 goals for the second year in a row and a record 58 career goals.

Seattle Pacific's dream season is shattered suddenly 3 minutes into overtime of the NCAA Division II women's championship game by Nebraska-Omaha, 2-1, in Wichita Falls, Tex. Megan Lienhard's 8th-minute goal staked SPU to the lead, albeit briefly, as UNO tied it two minutes later. Featuring 13 in-state players, the Falcons, unbeaten until the final, came from behind to edge Carson-Newman, 3-2, in the semifinal on Carolyn Nason's header from a corner. SPU finished 20-1-4 in just its fifth season of existence.

Bruce Raney and Sergio Soriano, the goalscorer and goalkeeper, respectively, of Seattle Pacific's first NCAA championship team are inducted into Falcon Legends Hall of Fame. SPU was the state's first national champion in 1978 with Raney scoring the overtime winner and fellow freshman Soriano getting the shutout in 1-0 victory over Alabama A&M. Soriano graduated as the career shutouts leader (42) and Raney still holds career goals record (68).

Longview's Lisa Sari starts all 25 games in holding midfield for Portland, including the NCAA Division I final, a 4-0 triumph over UCLA. It was the Pilots' second College Cup championship in four seasons. Sari previously played for Tacoma's FC Royals and Mark Morris High School. Joining her on the UP squad is Gold Bar's Katie Brown.

A longtime park that is transformed into a much-need 54-acre state-of-the art athletic facility celebrates its grand opening as Starfire Sports. On its first official weekend, 96 soccer teams and 62 softball teams from around the Pacific Northwest compete in tournaments at the $14 million complex. Local officials, including King County Executive Ron Sims and Tukwila Mayor Steve Mullet, turn out for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Known historically as Tukwila's Fort Dent Park, Starfire is the largest artificial-surface soccer complex in the U.S, and altogether it features eight fields plus four softball diamonds. An 80,000-square-foot indoor athletic center also holds the two indoor soccer fields. CEO Chris Slatt envisions Starfire, a non-profit organization, being open to people of all backgrounds and abilities, supporting free programs for underprivileged kids. Some training programs are conducted by coaches sent from Manchester United.

Marcus Hahnemann makes his World Cup Qualifer debut by posting a road shutout, 0-0, for the USMNT at Guatemala City. Hahnemann stops five shots, none bigger than a diving left-handed swat of a Guatemala effort in the 71st minute.

Leah Wymer's hat trick and Ashley Porter's three assists lead Seattle University past Northwest Nazarene, 6-0, at Championship Field. Porter, a senior, becomes the GNAC career leader in assists and goes on to total 14 for the season.

Kasey Keller is named U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year for an unprecedented third time after posting nine shutouts, including five in the final round of World Cup qualifying. Earlier in the month, Keller picked up his second Honda Player of the Year.

Kasey Keller earns the shutout as 15,109 see the USMNT struggle to put away Canada, 2-0, in Gold Cup Group B play at Qwest Field. Canada gifts the U.S. an own goal early in the second half, and Landon Donovan tallies a header in added time. Keller, playing his first competitive game in Seattle, is rarely tested. The win assures the USMNT of advancing to the quarterfinals. Bruce Arena used 22 of his 23 players in the two Seattle games.

Cuban defector Maykel Galindo, 24, is cleared to play for the Sounders by U.S. Soccer and starts In the final regular season game versus Montreal (1-0). Galindo, who's been in training for several weeks since his defection July 7, plays 67 minutes.

Seattle drops a 2-0 decision to the Timbers in Portland in third round of the U.S. Open Cup. "It's a $30-, $40- or $50-thousand loss for us," says Bart Wiley, Sounders assistant general manager. "It's very disappointing, especially after we just thumped them."

Jason Bjorgo assists on a record five goals as Evergreen rebounds from a loss to swamp Cascade, 8-0, in Olympia. Bjorgo scores in his next outing, an overtime win over Warner Pacific.

After drawing overflow crowd of 3,204 for 4-2 win over Portland, Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer says he will consider moving future matches to Tukwila to create more intimacy. Starfire CEO Chris Slatt said he would love to discuss the possibility of becoming the home stadium of the Sounders, who were forced to change venues because of conflicting Gold Cup games at Qwest Field.

Kevin Murray assists on a record four goals and scores a hat trick as Pacific Lutheran overwhelms Willamette, 9-0. Murray, the NWC leader in goals (15) and assists (11), is later voted conference offensive player of the year.

The third annual All Nations Cup final is won by the United States, 1-0, in double overtime against Brazil at Starfire. Organized by Sister Communities, participation has nearly tripled since the first year, to 33 teams made up of Northwest athletes representing their native countries.

Carmen Anderson heads home a first-half corner kick as Washington State wins the Apple Cup, 1-0, to complete a winless Washington campaign at Husky Soccer Field. Losing their last 10 in a row, the Huskies finish 0-17-3, 13 of those losses by one goal. UW had reached the NCAA quarterfinal the previous season and posted seven consecutive seasons at .500 or above, including five postseason appearances.

Nikolas Besagno of Maple Valley, is taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft by expansion franchise Real Salt Lake. Besagno was chosen by RSL coach John Ellinger, who earlier had coached him at the U.S. U17 Youth Residency program in Florida. Just two months past his 16th birthday, Besagno is the second-youngest player ever drafted by MLS. Earlier, the midfielder attended Kennedy High School and played for F.C. United. His brother Jacob was a member of the Seattle University team that won the 2004 NCAA Division II championship. Washington's C.J. Klaas, a two-time All-American, was chosen 32nd overall by San Jose, and Tim Merritt, a graduate of Tacoma's Bellarmine Prep, was 48th overall to D.C. United.

Seattle Pacific, getting a first-half header from Colin Rigby and a late score by Jeff Hallenbeck, wins its sixth in a row, ousting Sonoma State from the NCAA Division II tournament, 2-0, at Carson, Ca. It's the fourth straight shutout and 11th overall for Kellen Rosten, who makes seven saves. The Falcons extend host Cal State Dominguez Hills to overtime two days later, falling 2-1 on a Kei Kamara goal.

Teresa Fish makes nine saves as Western Washington holds Seattle University to scoreless home draw. Fish, who blanks Central Washington two days later, finishes with four shutouts in her final four games as a Viking and finishes with a career record 31. She plays all but 26 minutes of her final three seasons. The Redhawks had scored 13 goals in their previous three games.

In his 262nd (some 80 more than next) and final game, Scott Jenkins strikes the deciding penalty kick in seventh round of the USL 1 Championship Game, giving the Seattle Sounders the title over the Richmond Kickers (1-1, 4-3) before 8,011 at Qwest Field. Preston Burpo's six saves in regular play to earn game MVP. Burpo ends his ninth season with a club record 46 shutouts (38 in league play). Cuban defector Maykel Galindo sent the game into extra time with his 73rd minute equalizer, his first goal for Seattle. It was also the final game for retiring assistant coach Jimmy Gabriel.

Katie Wullbrandt converts in the ninth round of penalty kicks to lift Puget Sound past Macalester and into an NCAA Division III quarterfinal berth in Chicago. Neither team could find the back of the net for 110 minutes of regulation and two overtimes. After Erin Williams's save in the top of the ninth round, Wullbrandt scores to clinch advancement, 0-0 (8-7). Williams makes five saves for her 20th consecutive shutout and 50th of her career. The Loggers fall to Chicago, 1-0 in overtime, in the quarterfinals.

Carolyn Nason's goal with 19 minutes remaining caps a two-goal comeback and sends Seattle Pacific into the NCAA Division II women's soccer championship game with a 3-2 victory over Carson-Newman. The unbeaten (20-0 4)and No. 2-ranked Falcons trail 2-1 before Shannon Lovejoy’s penalty kick in the 59th minute. In the 71st minute, Nason heads in a corner kick from Meredith Teague. It was Lovejoy's fifth successful penalty of the season, and the goal makes her the school and GNAC career goals leader with 42.

Paula French of Tacoma is inducted into Western Washington's Hall of Fame after scoring 19 goals and going 49-5-5 during her career (1982-85). French also played for Cozars, a regional and national power amateur club.

Goals from Ian Chursky and Cam Weaver propel Seattle's Hibernian & Caledonian Saints to victory in the U.S. Amateur Cup final in Dallas. Jimmy McAlister's Hibs & Caley hold off Baltimore Allied, 2-1, to become the third Washington side to win the competition.

Hope Solo keeps a clean sheet versus Germany as the USWNT wins the Algarve Cup, 1-0, in Faro, Portugal. Solo, 23, and playing for Olympique Lyonnais, makes two saves and does not allow a goal in her three tournament starts. She goes on to start seven games altogether in 2005, all shutouts.

A Bobby McAlister brace gives Seattle University its 16th straight win to open the season. The Redhawks, also unbeaten in 24 games (22-0-2) dating to Nov. 9, 2003, defeat Fresno Pacific, 3-1, at Chico, Ca. Chico State ends the SU run two days later.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup will hold first-round group play at Qwest Field, with doubleheaders to be played on a grass surface July 7 and 9. The teams and pairings are to be determined in March.

A land swap involving King County, Lake Washington Technical College and Lake Washington Youth Soccer results in 35-acre Sixty Acres Park South transformed into eight new soccer fields in Redmond. Sixty Acres North already features 17 fields.

Vancouver, Washington's Tina Frimpong Ellertson makes her first appearance for the USWNT in Portland versus Ukraine (7:0). Ellertson is a recent University of Washington graduate now playing forward for the Sounders Women.

Nik Besagno is named Parade Magazine High School Player of the Year. Besagno will graduate from Edison Academy in Florida in a few days. Earlier he attended Kennedy High in Burien.