Bernie James and Neil Megson make their U.S. National team debuts in Clasico International opener vs. Chile (1-1) at Stockton, Ca. It is the first competitive outdoor play for either since 1983 and comes five weeks after completing the indoor season with Tacoma. James starts in defensive midfield and is replaced by Megson after 45 minutes. Two days later vs. Chile (1-3) in San Diego, James and Megson start together as center backs.

Indiana parlays the home-field advantage into a 1-0 NCAA semifinal win over a University of Portland team laden with Washington state players in Bloomington. Minus suspended captain Wade Webber of Federal Way, the Pilots (21-1-0) defense gives up a late first-half goal, only the seventh allowed all year. Freshman keeper Kasey Keller makes two point-blank saves in the final 25 minutes. Keller and Webber are among seven Washington players who start or play key roles. Indiana proceeds to win its third championship of the decade.

FIFA technical group completes a weeklong inspection of Husky Stadium, which is included in U.S. bid for 1994 World Cup. Paul Stiehl, head of U.S. organizing committee, claims natural turf can be successfully laid over existing artificial surface. UW athletic director Mike Lude wants assurances that the sand, gravel and sod won’t damage the football field.

Mountlake Terrace becomes the state’s first repeat WIAA girls' champion at any level, beating Olympia, 6-0, at Renton Stadium. Janelle King caps her 12-goal postseason with a hat trick in the AA final. Angie Fluery, Julie Wheeler and Mandy Johnson round out the scoring.

Tacoma selects Tab Ramos of North Carolina State with the No. 1 overall pick in the MISL draft. Instead of signing the Stars, he joins the New Jersey Eagles and two months later is selected to play for the U.S. in the 1988 Olympic Games.

Down 4-2, the Tacoma Stars pull their keeper and proceed to score three times in the final 1 minute, 17 seconds to beat Chicago, 5-4, before 9,984. Steve Zungul's 36th goal starts the rally with 77 seconds to go. Eleven ticks later, Peter Ward ties it. Gary Heale completes the comeback victory, scoring with 30 seconds remaining. It snaps a four-game Tacoma (16-18) losing streak.

Following an unsuccessful, last-minute season ticket drive with an objective of 2,000 new sales, the Tacoma Stars fold. They are joined by Chicago and, since the season ended, St. Louis and Minnesota. “The grass-roots support for this team was tremendous,'' said board chairman Lowry Wyatt. ''But the business marketplace was just not able to support this size of an operation.'' 'It's an incredible loss,'' said Nancy Mendoza, a 13-year resident of Tacoma who organized 100 volunteers in an effort to meet the goal of selling 2,000 season tickets. ''The Stars provided the energy that a community needs to move forward. Now we just have to regroup.''

Proof that it's difficult to beat an opponent three times in a season, No. 3 Seattle Pacific falls victim to No. 12 Cal State Northridge, 3-2, in an NCAA Division II quarterfinal at Memorial Stadium. The Matadors, who had forfeited to SPU and been beaten at home, score 7:20 into overtime to snap the Falcons' 28-game home unbeaten streak. Reece Olney scores both SPU goals, and Roberto Reyes has a hat trick for CSUN.

Tacoma's Chris Hellenkamp scores to pull Fort Wayne within a goal of Canton in the American Indoor Soccer Association final, but the Invaders hold on to win, 5-4. It's first-team all-league Hellenkamp's third straight year playing in an AISA final, having won with Louisville in 1987 and a runner-up finish the year prior.

Jeff Aumell nets a pair of goals in the opening 18 minutes, and Washington beats Stanford, 5-2, for the championship of the Pacific Coast Tournament in Berkeley. Glenn Howell scored in 1-0 win over host California the day prior. The Huskies are now 8-2-0.

Washington becomes only the third opponent to pierce Portland's defense, but the host Pilots (17-0-0) deal the Huskies a defeat that dims their postseason hopes, 2-1. Trent Schultz's goal in canceled out by Eddie Henderson's UW reply 10 minutes later, but Joey Leonetti finds the winner with 25 minutes to go. Washington falls to 11-3-1 with the remaining four games away.

Sonya Brandt's second goal beats defending champion Berry and propels Pacific Lutheran to its first NAIA championships game in Abilene, Tx. Brandt finishes a Karin Gilmer pass for a first-half lead. After Berry ties it in the 62nd minute, Brandt strikes again off a Wendy Johnson assist.

Seattle strikes early, getting goals from Eddie Henderson and Peter Hattrup in the first seven minutes, and Jeff Koch makes a record 12 saves for a 2-1 win over the California Kickers at Tom Bradley Stadium. Both Henderson and Hattrup have scored in three consecutive games.

Early-season collegiate tournaments provide opportunities for teams to play out-of-state teams yet they are also a test of depth and fitness. The Evergreen State College conducts an invitational men's tourney in Olympia with teams playing twice on the first day, then a third match the following day before cost-conscious visitors return home. The Far West Classic, which has rotated between Washington and California since 1973, involves eight teams playing single games over three consecutive days of Labor Day weekend, often in high heat.

Joey Waters of the Tacoma Stars breaks the MISL season record for blocks during a 5-4, double-overtime loss to San Diego before 11,374 partisan fans. Waters surpasses the mark of 138 blocks, set by teammate Bernie James while with Cleveland the prior season. Waters finishes the year with 153.

In the second leg of their Champions Cup series, Seattle Mitre Eagles hold Mexico’s Cruz Azul to a scoreless draw in a steady rain at Memorial Stadium. The Eagles finish with a 15-5 advantage in shots, 8-1 in corner kicks. Attempts by Paul Retchless and Peter Hattrup hit the post and crossbar, respectively. Most of the estimated 500 fans root for Cruz Azul.

Pacific Lutheran finally is able to push its way past intracity rival Puget Sound and advance to the NAIA semifinals. The No. 3-ranked Lutes defeat the No. 2 Loggers, 3-1, for the regional championship at Forest Grove, Or., to complete a run of six straight must-win games to reach extend their season. PLU never trails after Sue Shroeder's 35-yard strike two minutes into the match. Sonya Brandt makes it 2-nil early in the second half and, after UPS pulls a goal back, seals it with her 29th goal at 80’ on Wendy Johnson's 14th assist. Puget Sound had beaten PLU during the season. PLU beat Willamette, 3-0, in the regional semifinals.

Alan Hinton returns to coach born-again Stars, six months after being dismissed by former owners. His contract of $72,000 is nearly $50,000 less than what he was paid the first time around.

Jamie French once again plays the creator role as Kennedy makes a late first-half goal stand up for a 1-0 victory over Issaquah for the state girl's title at Renton. French, who assisted on the Lancers' two semifinal goals, sees her shot saved but Dee Dee Robertson slams home the rebound in the 36th minute. Kennedy finishes undefeated (20-0-1) while allowing just three goals and posting 18 shutouts.

Woodinville's Trent Schultz and Federal Way's Jim Weber score, and Olympia's Kasey Keller posts his 13th shutout to send Portland to the NCAA semifinals with a 2-0 quarterfinal win over Fresno State at Merlo Field. The Pilots (21-0-0) are ranked No. 2in the nation.

Two goals apiece from Grant Gibbs and Peter Hattrup lead FC Seattle Storm to a 5-0 win over L.A. Heat at Memorial Stadium. At 4-0 the Storm are off to their best start. They break open the game with three goals in seven minutes of the first half, beginning with Gibbs in the 34th minute. Hattrup follows with a 38' penalty kick and Eddie Henderson scores four minutes before halftime. Fifty-five fouls are called, tying the WSA record.

Portland clinches its first Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference title and stays perfect (18-0-0) with a 1-0 victory over Seattle Pacific. Woodinville's Trent Schultz sets-up Rob Baarts for the Pilots' goal in the fourth minute, and Olympia's Kasey Keller gets the shutout without making a save. Portland is ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division I and SPU is No. 2 in Division II after entering the game on a seven-game win streak.

Brent Goulet of Tacoma and Ricky Davis of the Tacoma Stars both start for the U.S. in its Olympic Games opener vs. Argentina in Taegu, South Korea. A free kick from Davis leads to the U.S. goal by Mike Windischmann in the 70th minute of the 1-1 draw.

Just six days after being the winning coach in the MISL All-Star Game in Tacoma, Alan Hinton is fired as coach of the Stars. He is replaced him with Jimmy McAlister, 31. Tacoma, reportedly rife with dissension in the locker room, is just 17-18 following a runner-up finish last season. The Stars are coming off two wins in three days, including just their third road win at Wichita. Hinton was 117-79, including playoffs. The next night the Stars beat L.A. in McAlister's coaching debut, 5-3.

Pacific Lutheran become the state’s first women’s collegiate champions, taking the NAIA title, 2-0, over Hardin-Simmons, in windy Abilene, Texas. Laura Dutt and Sonya Brandt score in the second half for the Lutes – Brandt scoring her record 127th career goal and 32nd of the season. Gail Stenzel earns her 15th shutout and 42nd for her career. Brandt is named the tournament’s most outstanding player, and Colleen Hacker is voted coach of the year.

At 4:21 a.m. Pacific Time, FIFA executive vice president Harry Cavan announces from Zurich that the 1994 World Cup will be coming to the U.S. Morocco and Brazil finish second and third in the balloting. A gathering of soccer community leaders and players gather with local media at Seattle Pacific University, where coach Cliff McCrath predicts soccer will take “center stage” in the nation by 2000. Husky Stadium is among 18 stadia in 16 cities under consideration to host matches.

Former Sounders star and FC Seattle coach Bruce Rioch brings recently-promoted Middlesbrough of the English first division to Memorial Stadium to play the Storm as part of a four-match U.S. tour. Seattle wins, 2-1, on goals four minutes apart by Chance Fry and Eddie Henderson.

Lori Henry contributes her third international goal and is among four Washingtonians to play in a United States 5-2 win over Japan in Pun-Yu, China. Henry gives the Americans a 4-nil leadin the 39th minute. Shannon Higgins and Michelle Akers each assist on scores by Carin Jennings. Amy Allman gets the win in goal and posts her first shutout of the year June 5's 0-0 draw with Czechoslovakia.

Capping an eight-game road trip with style, No. 13 Seattle Pacific beats No. 18 Cal State Northridge, 2-0, and snaps the Matadors' 41-game home win streak. Jeff Storrs blanks CSUN while Bob McLaughlin and Brent Sytsma score second-half-goals. SPU goes 5-3-0 during the 17-day trip through California.

After not scoring during the regular season, Bob Bruch scores twice in first eight minutes of the WSA championship match as FC Seattle smashes San Jose, 5-0, before 4,321 at Memorial Stadium. Bruch nods home Tad Willoughby's cross at 55 seconds, then adds a goal from outside the box in the 8th minute. The rout continues with John Hamel, Peter Hattrup and Chance Fry scoring. It’s the fifth straight win for the Storm, who leave the following day for a five-match tour of England and Scotland.

Led by Ben Erickson and Todd Haley goals, Mount Rainier runs its unbeaten streak to 35 games by winning the state boys' AA title, 3-0, over Spokane’s West Valley at Memorial Stadium. The Rams (19-0-1) go on top in the third minute through Nathan Calvin. Erickson (20') doubles it and Haley seals the successful repeat with a penalty kick (50'). Mount Rainier, playing with 10, was forced to rally for the tying goal and surviving a shootout in the semifinal with Mark Morris. Previously unbeaten West Valley finishes 18-1-1.

California, ranked No. 3 among Division I women, deals Puget Sound its first loss, 4-0, at Berkeley. The Loggers, ranked No. 1 in NAIA, had entered the match 9-0-0, including wins over Div. I San Francisco (2-0) and Portland (2-1, overtime) in September.

Finnair Mavericks end the four-year reign of Cozars as state women’s champions. Bonnie Broughton, from a Karla Hossfeld assist, scores the only goal in the final. Kristen Weiss posts the shutout as the Mavericks move on to the regional.

England rallies from a 3-0 halftime deficit to beat defending champion El Salvador, 4-3, in the indoor final of the Amputee Soccer International World Cup at the Woodinville Soccer Center. In the outdoor final at Shoreline Stadium, El Salvador defeated Seattle, 3-0. Teams from four nations compete in the third annual event. The English national team features three former pros.

Top-ranked Puget Sound gets strong goalkeeping from Tresa McIlnay and beats previously undefeated and No. 4 Pacific Lutheran, 2-1, in overtime. After being out-shot 22-9, the Loggers' Beth Nacrelli scores with only 15 seconds remaining in the second extra period.

Tacoma is officially readmitted to MISL. Jim Manza, Fife restauranteur, heads a new group of 28 investors who contribute $10,000 each plus a $10,000 line of credit. They negotiate with the City of Tacoma for $400,000 in concession revenue, flexible Tacoma Dome scheduling and a waiver of dome rental fees and staffing charges. The administrative budget projected at $250,000, or about 33 percent of last year's costs. The reinstatement comes four weeks after the original ownership ceased operations.

Renton’s Matt Olson makes a pair of routine saves in his 27 minutes in relief of Sommer, enabling Indiana to defeat Howard, 1-0, in the NCAA championship game at Bloomington, In. Olson had missed all of 1987 with a thumb injury and played in only 8 games prior to replacing Hoosiers starting goalkeeper Juergen Sommer, who sustained a broken nose. Three of the four teams reaching the semifinals feature Washington players. Portland has six key contributors, and South Carolina has Kent’s Mike Gosselin starting on defense.

King County Parks rejects the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association’s request to construct another 12 fields on county-owned land in Redmond’s undeveloped Sixty Acres Park. LWYSA already has 19 fields for 13,000 youth players.

Tacoma Stars seek $500,000 from new investors by June 30 or they will either fold or suspend operations. The Stars lost $1 million the past season and nearly $9 million since starting in 1983. Despite cost-cutting in operations, there is a projected $561,000 loss in 1988-89.

Thomas Jefferson reclaims the AAA boys' title, beating defending champ Cascade on penalties (4-3) after drawing, 3-3, at Memorial Stadium. The Bruins score three times – Clint Carnell twice and Bryan Larson – in the final 13 minutes to lead, 3-2, before the Raiders' Lawrence Buckley ties it in the final minute. Erik Kenyon and Jason Bowers score TJ's first two goals.

After an encouraging split in Sand Diego, the Tacoma Stars are eliminated from the MISL playoffs by a second straight home loss to the Sockers, 7-6, to clinch the series 3-1. Tacoma's most turbulent season before 7,297 in the Tacoma Dome.

Tad Willoughby scores twice as the Storm’s England tour ends with a 2-2 draw at Second Division Hull City. FC Seattle had lost to Oldham (2-0, 2nd), Middlesbrough (3-0, 1st) and Sunderland (3-0, 2nd) and also drawn, 2-2, at Lincoln City (4th).

A Tacoma Dome crowd of 17,251 sees West, behind Preki’s hat trick, beat East, 9-3. Preki scored twice in the first quarter, after which West lead, 4-0. Preki is voted MVP over teammate Steve Zungul, who scored twice. Another Stars representative, Mike Dowler, makes 15 saves. It’s the second-largest crowd in MISL All-Star history.

Preki, 24, returns to Tacoma, taking a pay cut from his $75,000 salary. Portugal’s Estra De Amdadora had signed him to a three-year contact during the summer, but the Stars negotiate his release.

A crowd of 12,218 greets the resurrected Tacoma Stars on opening night. The Stars, featuring Schmetzer brothers, Brian, Andy and Walter, lose to Dallas, 6-5, in triple overtime. Peter Ward scores three goals for Tacoma. Walt Schmetzer is stretchered from the field in the fourth quarter with a season-ending knee injury.

Tacoma's road woes continue as the Stars lose their 10th straight away game, 10-3, at league-leading San Diego (18-6). The Sockers' Paul Dougherty scores four times. Tacoma (11-13) has not won since the season's first road game, Nov. 7 at Los Angeles. Four of the 10 losses have been by one goal, two in overtime.

Peter Ward totals four goals and six points, and Preki loses the MISL scoring race but clinches the assist title in a 9-7 Stars victory over Kansas City before 14,357 in the Tacoma Dome. Preki earns three assists to finish with a record 58 for the season, but Wichita's Erik Rasmussen wins the overall scoring title with 112 points to Preki's record 111. Earlier in the day the MISL players union reaches an agreement with owners on a salary cap of $900,000. It also caps individual salaries at $90,000, with Preki and Steve Zungul having been due to make far beyond that.

The Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference votes to adopt a two-division men’s format, with the Olympic Division comprised of the top six teams from 1987 and the Cascade consisting of the remaining six. Following the 1988 season and from thereafter will be promotion and relegation.

John Hamel scores twice in the final 20 minutes in oppressive heat at San Jose win to clinch the WSA regular season title for FC Seattle (10-2), 3-1, and home-field advantage in the championship game. Grant Gibbs heads in a Tad Willoughby corner kick to give the Storm a 1-0 first-half lead. After the Earthquakes’ Chris Dangerfield ties it, Hamel tallies from short range in the 71st minute and converts a rebound at 88:53. The game is played in 105-degree heat.

Cruz Azul, featuring five Mexican internationals, drubs Seattle Mitre Eagles, 9-0, in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. The Eagles’ flights are delayed and connections missed. Instead of arriving the night before, their bus arrives at the stadium 20 minutes before kickoff, in 100-degree heat.

Tacoma's Brent Goulet scores twice within 16 minutes, lifting the United States to a 4-1 victory over El Salvador in an Olympic soccer Group A qualifying match in Indianapolis. The U.S. had already clinched a berth in the Seoul Games. Goulet leads the team with six goals during qualifying.

Michelle Akers, who prepped at Shorecrest and now plays for Central Florida, is named the college player of the year by the NCAA and the National Collegiate Soccer Coaches Association of America. Akers scores 11 goals to help UCF reach the 1987 NCAA semifinals. Adidas names Federal Way's Amy Allmann, Akers's UCF teammate, as Goalkeeper of the Year.

Brent Goulet of Tacoma scores, but the United States is eliminated from the Olympic Games by a 4-2 loss to the Soviet Union in Taegu, South Korea. The U.S. (0-1-2) needed a win in the final group stage match but fell behind 4-0 before Goulet's screamer from a Ricky Davis assist in the 65th minute.

Kent’s Shannon Higgins scores three goals to lead North Carolina to its third straight NCAA title, 4-1 over North Carolina State in Chapel Hill. Higgins, the Tar Heels’ leading scorer with 13 goals and 17 assists, is named the most valuable offensive player. After a goal and two assists in a semifinal win over Wisconsin, Higgins opens the scoring in the 30th minute, then adds two penalty kicks. Meanwhile, defender Lori Henry, another Washingtonian, stifles ACC top scorer Charmaine Hooper to give the Tar Heels their third title in a row.

In North Carolina's penultimate regular season game, Seattle’s Lori Henry responds to a rare start at forward to fire three goals past UNC Greensboro in a 4-0 win at Chapel Hill. Henry, normally a fixture on defense, begins her hat trick with a header from a Shannon Higgins corner kick. Her other two come via a breakaway and a 15-yard shot. The top-ranked Tar Heels extend their unbeaten streak to 64 games.

In the first Sounders reunion game since 1982, the Seattle alums beat their Timbers counterparts, 1-0, behind Roger Davies goal. The game is held prior to the Seattle-Portland Western Soccer Alliance fixture. Among former NASL players returning are Davies, Tommy Hutchison, Jimmy Gabriel, Frank Barton, Steve Buttle, Tony Chursky, Ray Evans, Pepe Fernandez, Dave Gillett, Tommy Jenkins, Jimmy McAlister, Neil Megson, Tommy Ord, Mark Peterson, Roy Sinclair, Mike Ivanow, Adrian Webster, Jack Brand and Peter Ward.

Brent Goulet scores two goals in the first 24 minutes as the United States fifth successive Olympic Qualifying game, 4-1, over nine-man El Salvador in Indianapolis. It brings Goulet’s qualifying tally to six, and the U.S. is bound for the Summer Games in Seoul. Ricky Davis of the Tacoma Stars hits a 30-yard shot for the Americans’ final goal.

Peppering Portland with a league-record 33 shots, FC Seattle rallies to win in overtime, 3-2, before its largest crowd in four years – 6,427. Peter Hattrup’s chip over Todd Strobeck from 15 yard in the 13th minute of extra time seals it and clinches a playoff berth. Dennis Gunnell and Eddie Henderson also find the net for the Storm.

Seattle Pacific's Far West Classic consolation final in Chico, Ca., is ruled a forfeit in the No. 2-ranked Falcons' favor after No. 11 Cal State Northridge fails to arrive for kickoff. It's only the third on-site forfeit in SPU program history and first since 1972.