Bruce Raney provides the early lift FC Seattle wants, and Doug Backous delivers the late heroics in their inaugural match, a 2-2 draw with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Using 12 players who played youth or college in-state, Seattle gets a standing ovation from the Memorial Stadium crowd of nearly 6,000. Raney volleys the local amateurs in front after just 45 seconds. Former Sounders Jeff Stock and Peter Ward assist on goals that put the Whitecaps ahead by the 16th minute. But Backous scores at 84:24 when a Mike Hiatt corner kick is flicked on by Tom Blahous at the near post. Seattle out-shoots Vancouver 20-13 and ex-Sounder Jack Brand makes only one save.

Sounders play six Americans, including five local products–Jeff Stock, Mark Peterson, Brian Schmetzer, Chance Fry, Bill Crook–in home loss to the Cosmos. Roster also featured homegrown Geoff Wall and Tim Bartro.

Veteran midfielder Steve Buttle becomes the Sounders' career leader in appearances across all competitions in Seattle's shootout win over Portland before more than 24,000 in the Kingdome. Buttle surpasses Adrian Webster with his 121st game. Jeff Stock delivers the winning shootout goal following a 1-1 draw.

President Jimmy Carter tells athletes gathered at The White House that the U.S. will boycott the 1980 Summer Games to be hosted by Moscow. It is done in protest of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan three months earlier. among those in contention for Olympic roster spots throughout 1979 were Tony Crudo, Jeff Durgan, Bernie James, Mark Peterson and Jeff Stock.

Seattle goes down to its fifth shootout loss (against one win) of the season at Edmonton after the teams are tied, 1-1, after 90 minutes of regulation and 15 minutes of extra time. "The shootout has nothing to do with soccer," says defender Jeff Stock. Kim Odell, president of Sounders Booster Club, agrees: “A one-on-one confrontation flies in the dace of the basic concept of soccer as epitome of team effort.”

Mark Peterson, a graduate of Tacoma’s Wilson High School, becomes the fourth local teenager signed by Jimmy Gabriel, joining Bernie James of Bellevue, Seattle’s Eddie Krueger and Tacoma’s Jeff Stock. Krueger plays in seven matches, starting three, during his second season. Peterson, Stock and James play for the reserve team.

John Duggan, who helped start the youth soccer movement in Tacoma and greater Pierce County, dies at age 76. Duggan founded the area's first select soccer program in 1969 - the Norpoint Royals, a boys team comprised of several players who would eventually play at the college and professional levels. Duggan was also the men's soccer coach at the University of Puget Sound from 1979-87. But the Irish immigrant was best known for his work with youth soccer. He didn't have much soccer or coaching experience when he started the Royals in 1967 yet that team, which included Stadium High graduates Jeff Durgan and Jeff Stock and Wilson's Mark Peterson, stayed together for 10 years and won numerous state and regional tournaments.

Three young, homegrown Sounders arrive in London to begin a three-month experience abroad. Eddie Krueger, Mark Peterson and Jeff Stock are training with West Ham United and playing for non-league Woodford Town. Making the arrangements are Harry Redknapp, once a fixture in the West Ham team and former Seattle assistant coach. The players will return to Seattle by Jan. 31, 1980.

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.

A Kingdome international double feature begins with the United States Olympic Team blanking Canada, 2-0, before the USA-USSR main event. Don Ebert and Larry Hulcer score, and Paul Coffee gets the shutout. Hermann Trophy winner Angelo DiBernardo starts and plays the first half, then is a USMNT substitute for the USSR game's final 21 minutes. Sounder defender Jeff Stock, a rookie out of Tacoma, starts and plays the first half. Canada center back Ian Bridge is signed by Seattle on Feb. 20.

Between the sale of five players and a dispersal draft of 10 others, the Sounders roster dissolves. Joe Corrigan (Brighton), Peter Ward (Vancouver), John Bain, Tim Bartro and Steve Daley (all Golden Bay) are purchased outright. Among those taken by the remaining nine NASL clubs are homegrown players Chance Fry (Tulsa), Brian Schmetzer (Chicago traded to Tulsa), Mark Peterson (New York), Bill Crook (Ft. Lauderdale) and Jeff Stock (Golden Bay).

Jeff Stock fires home the game-winner with 14 seconds left in overtime as the Sounders win their 11th consecutive outright win (two short of NASL record), 3-2 at San Diego. They are 13-1 overall, with the sole loss in a tiebreaker. It’s the first professional goal for Stock, a rookie from Tacoma. Stock: It was fantastic. I didn’t know what to do after I kicked it. Peterson 39’, Bridge 3’ and Stock (all 21 and under) score three goals.

Jeff Stock’s goal 12 minutes into sudden-death overtime lifts FC Seattle over FC Portland, 1-0, before 2,427 at Memorial Stadium. The Storm, winless on the road, climb back into playoff contention with their fourth straight home win. Stock, a former Sounder playing his first season with FC Seattle, heads home Don Farler’s long throw. While Seattle out-shot its rivals by 19-8, Todd Strobeck made five saves and Peter Fewing’s early overtime shot was cleared off the goal line.

Jeff Stock and Mark Peterson start for the U.S. U20 National Team in the Torneo Internazionale Bellizona final versus Inter Milan, a 1-0 loss in Ticino, Switzerland. Peterson scored two goals in the U.S. semifinal win, 3-1, over PSV Eindhoven. Meanwhile, Bernie James plays for the U.S. in Pan American Games qualifying in Bermuda.

First-half goals by Craig Beeson and Jeff Stock pace FC Seattle to a 2-0 win over Norwich City of the English first division in an exhibition at Memorial Stadium. A month removed from finishing fifth in the top flight, starting six regulars and playing on foreign artificial turf, the Canaries are out-shot 21-10, with Jeff Koch making just three saves. It's one of three home results for Seattle versus European opposition. The Storm draws with Scotland's Hearts, 1-1, and defeat Denmark's Her Folge, 2-1.

Three members of Washington's NCAA tournament side are taken by the Sounders in the NASL draft. Co-Captain Tad Willoughby is chosen 11th overall. Mark Schuur, a youth teammate of Mark Peterson and Jeff Stock, goes 23rd overall and Steve Englebrick is 35th. Dan Pingrey of Seattle Pacific picked in the fourth round.

The NASL champion New York Cosmos select Jeff Durgan of Tacoma 's Stadium High School with the No. 4 overall draft pick. The Cosmos trade away all their draft choices but make the deal with Houston. Durgan, a center back, was a member of the famed Norpoint Royals, where he was a teammate of Sounders rookies Jeff Stock and Mark Peterson. Seattle, which had traded away its top pick a year earlier, drafts Mike Hoag of Fort Steilacoom Community College in the second round.