Gina Cassella is among six assistants named to Sounders head coach Alan Hinton’s staff. Cassella, 28, becomes the first known female coach for a U.S. professional men’s team. She is a former U.S. National Team member who coaches the girls’ and boys’ teams at Bothell High School. Joining her are former NASL Sounders Tony Chursky, Tommy Jenkins, Frank Barton, Bernie James, plus Dale Baskett.

The University of Washington suspends plans to build a soccer facility for its men's and women's teams because the project is too expensive, says athletic director Barbara Hedges. The 3,000-seat facility was expected to be used for practices and games for 1994. Instead, they will again borrow a field from intramural athletics.

Kasey Keller is informed by head coach Bora Milutinovic that he will not be considered for the U.S. World Cup team. Keller, voted MVP of Millwall in the English League First Division, had been a back-up to Tony Meola in the 1990 World Cup. Instead, Milutinovic decides to go with Meola, Brad Friedel and Juergen Sommer as the three keepers on his squad, to be finalized June 3.

A 40-acre piece of real estate in Kent appears to be the most likely site of a 25,000-seat stadium for a Seattle-area Major League Soccer team. Vince Coluccio, owner of the Seattle Sounders during their last gasp in the now defunct North American Soccer League, owns the Kent property and is the prospective developer. The site is just east of Interstate-5 and south of Sea-Tac Airport. Memorial Stadium and Husky Stadium are being explored as potential interim sites for a charter MLS team in Seattle. The primary drawback to Seattle's MLS bid has been the lack of a suitable stadium.

Seattle's Bernadette Noonan, a native of Ireland, is honored as one of 24 foreign-born U.S. residents who made outstanding contributions to the growth of soccer prior to the Italy-Ireland World Cup match at East Rutherford, N.J. Earlier in the week, she met soccer legend Pele at a reception, and Noonan, the only woman honored as a "soccer ambassador," received the most applause.

Seattle's Michelle Akers scored two and assisted on two other goals as the defending champion USWNT secured passage to Sweden '95 by drubbing Jamaica, 10-0, in a CONCACAF semifinal in Montreal. Akers was later named tournament MVP following 6-0 victory over Canada in the final.

After playing their first four away, the Sounders make their home debut in the Tacoma Dome. David Hoggan and Gary Heale, who once starred for the Tacoma Stars, score in a 2-0 victory over the Colorado Foxes.

Major League Soccer representative Bill Sage tours several potential interim sites for a proposed Seattle charter franchise. Local organizers list Memorial Stadium, West Seattle's Sealth Stadium and Husky Stadium as candidates. Memorial Stadium’s 10-year-old turf is being replaced with a $1.6M removable flat panelized surface. The crown will be leveled and soil added to even the surface. The surface will also be widened.

The Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference disbands after 23 seasons. The NCSC featured divisional alignments for Division I, II, III and NAIA men's, women's and club programs, including a promotion/relegation format.

Emily Thompson comes off the bench to supply instant offense in Washington's 8-0 demolition of Gonzaga at Husky Soccer Field. Thompson enters the match in the 29th minutes and proceeds to score the first of her record four goals in the 35th. She assists Amy Hamamoto scores her second goal just 26 seconds apart in the 42nd minute. Her hat trick is achieved in the 47th and Thompson's fourth is in the 74th minute. Tara Bilanski scores three first-half goals for the No. 17 Huskies.

Throughout the state, fans of all ages begin flocking to TV screens as World Cup USA begins. Anticipating increased interest, ethnic restaurants, taverns and clubs extend hours and upgrade their big screens. The July 17 final rates a 9.5 rating in Seattle.

Confronted with a price tag double of previous estimates, Washington AD Barbara Hedges suspends plans to build a 3,000-seat soccer stadium. Originally slated to open for the 1994 men's and women's seasons, construction estimates climbed to $3 million. The budget was $1.2M.

Lisa Gozley is hired as women's coach at Washington State, replacing Lisa Fraser, who resigned to take over at Arizona.

Jason Dunn and Marcus Hahnemann, former teammates at Seattle Pacific and fellow rookies for the Sounders, earn call-ins for the national team. Bellevue's Hahnemann starts and Olympia's Dunn comes off the bench in a 1-0 friendly at Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago.

Fernando Clavijo becomes head coach of Seattle's expansion entry in the Continental Indoor Soccer League (CISL). Clavijo brings championship playing experience from the indoor game and earlier in the summer represented the U.S. in the World Cup.

Major League Soccer's debut is pushed back a year, to 1996, says Alan Rothenberg, U.S. Soccer president and head of the proposed new Division I league. However, Seattle's prospects of securing a charter franchise appear diminished as Rothenberg announced Tampa and Chicago have been added to the already announced markets of New Jersey, Long Island, Boston, Columbus, Washington, D.C., San Jose and Los Angeles. Up to 12 teams are expected to play the first season.

Despite beating Colorado 4-1 in the second game of the semifinal, the Sounders' playoff run ends in a series-determining shootout, 2-1. Dick McCormick and Jason Dunn each scored twice in regulation.

Lacking a suitable facility, Seattle is bypassed by Major League Soccer in determining its final cities for its inaugural season of play, in 1996.

Before the game's largest Washington audience in nearly 14 years–43,651–the United States battles Russia to a friendly 1-1 draw, kickstarting a late bid for a Major League Soccer franchise. Everett's Chris Henderson starts for the USMNT.

Seattle’s MLS bid committee admits its objective of securing a charter franchise has run its course and will be unsuccessful unless a proper stadium, preferably with grass, is built. Instead, the group leaders throw their support behind the APSL Sounders and forms a committee to explore future stadium options.

Before a record crowd of 3,155 at Husky Soccer Field, 8-time defending NCAA champion North Carolina ends Washington's 15-game home win streak, 2-0. "We had our chances," UW coach Lesle Gallimore said. "We weren't nervous or intimidated. We didn't panic. The best thing about this match is that is shows us we can play with the best of them."

Kicking off the MLS bid campaign in earnest, local organizers mail some 70,000 ticket sales brochures to Seattle soccer fans in hopes of gaining their support. If they can reach the goal of 10,000 ticket deposits by May 15, they will be eligible to gain one of 12 charter franchises in the new league.

Chris Henderson, 23, of Everett is one of three final cuts to the U.S. roster for the World Cup. "No matter what happens, I've got a career," Henderson, the youngest member of the 1990 team. "I'm going to be playing for a long time."

Defending champion Seattle Pacific surrenders a 2-goal, second-half lead and the title to Oakland (Mich.) in overtime, 6-4, at the NCAA Division II semifinal in Tampa. The 5th-ranked Falcons had taken a 4-2 lead in the 59th minute on Phil Bullard's third goal.

Sounders club president Alan Hinton, as expected, names himself head coach. Hinton, 51, previously coached both the NASL Sounders and Tacoma Stars.

The Sports and Events Council of Seattle/King County organizes a "soccer summit" and notifies Major League Soccer it will begin the process of bidding for a charter franchise. Meanwhile, the Sounders report orders for 1,500 season tickets, despite not having a home or schedule.

Dang Pibulvech resigns as Washington women's coach to take the same position at Texas. Pibulvech (27-21-6) leaves the Huskies three years after becoming the school's first women's soccer coach. He built the program into a national power, achieving top 20 rankings each season.

Seattle becomes the eighth team in the American Professional Soccer League, otherwise know as the A-League, and takes the name of the former NASL club, the Sounders.

Washington and Washington State each post road upsets in their NCAA women's tournament debuts. The 18th-ranked Huskies blank No. 15 Oregon State, 3-0, and the No. 19 Cougars oust No. 11 Wisconsin, 3-1.

A sellout crowd of 11,874 in Memorial Stadium cheers Seattle to a 3-0 victory over Vancouver, clinching the A-League regular season title in the Sounders' first season. Nineteen of the 25 roster players came through Washington Youth Soccer Association. Bellevue's Chance Fry scores twice, both on assists from Issaquah's Shawn Medved. Fry finishes second in APSL goals with 11 and Medved is the co-leader in assists (11).

Washington names Lesle Gallimore, women's soccer coach at San Diego State University for four seasons, as Huskies' new coach. Gallimore, 30, replaces the Dang Pibulvech, who had started the program and guided it to a No. 19 national ranking after three years.

Jason Dunn is named A-League Rookie of the Year after scoring 10 goals in his first season out of Seattle Pacific, and Alan Hinton is voted Coach of the Year for guiding the Sounders to the regular season title.

Seattle submits its bid for an MLS club backed by 1,300 season ticket deposits. However, the area lacks a suitable long-term stadium option.

The reborn Seattle Sounders move their July 30 home opener from the Kingdome as a result of the emergency replacement of the stadium's 40,000 ceiling tiles requiring replacement as a public safety precaution. The Sounders will instead play Vancouver at the Tacoma Dome. The Kingdome remains closed until at least Aug. 22 because four ceiling tile panels fell prior to the July 19 Mariners game. The Mariners are forced to play their remaining home games on the road.

Unbeaten for 57 games over three seasons–the best run in the nation–Shorecrest's streak of girls state championships comes to an end. Kennedy upsets the Scots, 2-1, in a 2A state quarterfinal playoff at Highline Stadium. Shorecrest had allowed only two goals the entire season.

Seattle Pacific University receives a $2 million gift for construction of a soccer/track facility from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The gift equals the largest ever given by the trust and the largest single cash gift ever received by SPU. Since starting in 1968, SPU men's soccer has never had a home field.