9/11

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MLS, A-League Play Postponed

September 12, 2001

Joining most all sports leagues following the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber announces that all remaining regular season matches have been canceled and will not be rescheduled. MLS will go ahead with the playoffs, with the first round to begin Sept. 20. USL A-League playoffs are delayed a week, until Sept. 19. The Seattle Sounders' season ended Sept. 8 without qualifying for the playoffs. The entire airspaces of the United States and Canada were closed to civilian air traffic by the FAA on Sept. 11 and were not allowed to resume until Sept. 13. The backlog of delayed passengers took several days to clear.

Conferences Postpone Play Through Weekend

September 11, 2001

Colleges and conferences through the nation begin canceling and postponing athletic contests in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Pac-10, WCC and Big Sky soccer games begin resuming Sept. 20. Not as reliant on air travel, GNAC, NWC and CCC resume as early as Sept. 15 when Seattle Pacific plays a women's game at Humboldt State. Their scheduled flight canceled, the Falcons drive 575 miles each way to Arcata, Calif.

Seattle Pacific Postpones Women's Match

September 11, 2001

Within a few hours of the terrorist attacks back east, Seattle Pacific postpones its women's soccer game vs. Western Washington later that evening at Interbay Stadium. Elsewhere, Puget Sound's men's afternoon game at Northwest Nazarene proceeds. The Loggers' flight back was canceled, however, due to the FAA ground stop order.

High School, Youth Play Goes On

September 11, 2001

High school and youth athletic competition throughout the state experiences a relatively brief interruption due to the 9/11 attacks. Some leagues postponed action immediately, others carried on. By Sept. 15 most competition resumes. Washington State ferries were limited to passenger-only service over concerns about car bombs after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Hawai'i Wahine Stranded in Spokane

September 11, 2001

The nationwide ground stop leaves Hawai'i Wahine stranded at Spokane following games at Gonzaga and Eastern Washington. The Wahine is forced to cancel its own tournament in Honolulu. "It really gets to some of the girls when they compare this to Pearl Harbor," says Michelle Landis, the team's trainer. "A lot of the girls haven't been to the mainland that many times, and it really puts it in perspective for them."

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This was nothing to do with a lack of respect for what was going on in the world and in our country. It was simply trying to help the kids feel safe and secure. We talked all about the respect and everything during school, and put all of our flags at half staff, and the kids knew what was going on. We wanted to leave it up to the parents, and frankly, from what I understand, we had pretty good attendance.

— Ann Brooks, community relations coordinator for the Tacoma School District, on resuming activities soon after the 9/11 attacks

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It was horrific. I watched the first tower collapse and then the second live on TV and thought, 'My God.' I was waiting for Bruce Willis to walk out and wondering when the credits were going to roll because it felt so unrealistic to accept the World Trade Center had just fallen down.

— London-based Kasey Keller on watching New York's Twin Tower collapse during the 9/11 terrorist attacks

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We spent an enormous amount of time deliberating this decision and thought it was best to pause and reflect and honor both the victims and the heroes. It's hard to imagine people screaming and cheering in the stands this weekend. The driving factor for us was the appropriateness of playing the games.

— MLS Commissioner Don Garber on suspending play following the 9/11 attacks