After a stretch in which the Tacoma Stars (11-16) lose 12 of 14 games, they fire coach Bob McNab for a second time, and hire former Sounders coach Alan Hinton. Although Hinton and Stars president John Best have had troubles working together previously, those teams also won. In Vancouver, the Whitecaps had a 24-6 record and their attendance more than doubled from the previous year to 26,000. When Best joined the Sounders as general manager in 1982, the club was 4-9 and Hinton wound up guiding them to the Soccer Bowl.

A day after graduating from Stadium High School, Jeff Stock, 17, signs an Olympic ($50 per week) contract with the Sounders. Six days later, fellow Tacoman Mark Peterson, 18, signs out of Wilson High. Both are youth national team players and members of the Norpoint Royals.

West Valley of Yakima becomes the first boys WIAA champion from east of the Cascades, upsetting Peninsula, 3-2, in overtime at Pullman. Sophomore Jason Koreski hits the game-winning goal with 31 seconds left in the first overtime, heading in a cross from freshman Donovan Welch. The Rams' Chad Barkes had tied it, 2-2, with five minutes remaining in regulation.

Bethany Balcer comes off the bench to scoring the deciding goal in added time, giving OL Reign a 1-0 win over Utah in third match of the NWSL Challenge Cup in Herriman, Utah. It's the first goal scored by the Reign after being blanked by Sky Blue (0-0) and Houston (0-2). Balcer enters in the 67th minute and in the first minute of added time she connects with a Nicole Momiki cross. Michelle Betos makes five saves for the shutout.

Second-half goals 12 minutes apart from Sanna Nyassi and Alvaro Fernandez clinch a Sounders FC playoff berth for the second year in a row with a 2-1 triumph over Kansas City at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Nyassi scores first, in the 66th minute, when substitute Nate Jaqua plays him into the box. His initial shot is stopped by keeper Jimmy Nielsen but Nyassi knocks in the rebound. It is Nyassi's fourth goal in three competitive matches over eight days. Four minutes after coming on as a substitute, Fernandez connects on what proves to be the game-winner in the 78th minute. Following a short pass from Jaqua, Fernandez jukes a defender, then rolls a left-footed shot under Nielsen. Seattle's playoff-clinching win in 2009 also came at Kansas City.

Early second-half strikes from Kylie Beeson and Christine Isabella break open Puget Sound's 5-0 swamping of Pacific in the regular season closer at Baker Stadium. It secures the Loggers' 10th straight NWC championship after moving into first a day earlier, ahead of Linfield. After Mikaela Freeman’s 29’ opener, Beeson and Isabella score at 47’ and 50 for a 3-nil lead.