A fairy-tale first season for the Sounders ends when an ex-Sounder punishes a poor clearance six minutes into extra time. Brian Ching volleys past Kasey Keller from 15 yards for the only goal of the two-leg series. The Dynamo, the MLS home team over the past four years, rewards 27,465 at Robertson Stadium after ex-UW defender Mike Chabala's cross is not headed out of danger. Moments later, Freddie Ljungberg's shot is tipped over goal by Pat Onstad.

Walla Walla becomes the first NWAACC women's champion to complete a season unscathed, defeating defending champion Columbia Basin, 1-0, in overtime at Starfire Sports Stadium. The Warriors finish 18-0-0 when Tahlia O'Loughlin scores a golden goal in the 94th minute.

Janece Levien caps a big week for Puget Sound with a hat trick in a 6-1 home win over Whitman. The unblemished (7-0-0) Loggers were voted No. 1 among Division III schools to begin the week. Levien ties the game and the UPS career goals record in the 44th minute and surpasses Cortney Kjar with two more in the second half. UPS, which did not allow a goal in the first six games, eventually goes to 12-0-0.

Seattle Pacific's incredible start requires a second-half gusher of goals, but the No. 1-ranked Falcons move to 10-0-0 with a 5-0 rout of Western Oregon at Interbay. Kelsey Jenkins finally gets SPU on the scoreboard in the 51st minute, Megan Lindsay doubles it eight minutes later. The Wolves are held to six shots, and it is the 11th straight Seattle Pacific shutout, dating back to the 2008 championship win over West Florida.

Michelle French scores the game's only goal in the Seattle Sounders Women's road victory over the Colorado Force. It is French's first score since coming back from an October 2008 diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. She underwent seven rounds of chemotherapy, followed by radiation treatments, and later finishes as the team's top scorer and an all-W-League selection.

Freddie Ljungberg scores in his first start and rookie Steve Zakuani gets his first professional goal as the Sounders remain perfect, winning their road opener, 2-0, at Toronto. Ljungberg, making his first start in place of Fredy Montero, works a 1-2 with Nate Jaqua on a counterattack for the game's first goal in the 15th minute. Just before halftime, Zakuani converts the rebound of a Jaqua shot to silence the capacity crowd of 20,658. Seattle becomes the first MLS expansion team to open with three straight wins. Afterwards, Jingle Bells makes its MLS singing debut in the BMO Field locker room.

Peter Fewing is named the new head coach of the Kitsap Pumas. Fewing, 47, returns to the sidelines three years after leaving Seattle University. The Pumas went 13-2-3 and won the PDL Northwest under John Wedge in their first season.

Gold medalist goalkeeper Hope Solo is voted Seattle P-I Women's Sports Star of the Year at the Westin Hotel. It was a year of redemption for Solo, the former UW All-American. Benched at the 2007 World Cup, in 2008 benched in World Cup competition in 2007, she was named player of the match following the Olympic final shutout victory over Brazil. It proves to be the final year of the P-I Sports Star tradition. The paper ceases publication in March. Solo becomes only the third soccer personality to win the award, joining Cliff McCrath (1986) and Michelle Akers (1996).

The Seattle Wolves make an impressive PDL debut, rallying for four unanswered goals in beating Yakima, 4-1, at Marquette Stadium. Fernando Monge ties it before halftime, then puts the Wolves in front in the 48th minute. Ely Allen and Matt Hulen score two minutes apart to seal it.

Stacy's Hamer's header deep into overtime for Whitworth punctures Puget Sound's perfect (12-0-0) start and 25-game NWC win streak, 1-0, in Spokane. Callie Bergstrom stymies the No. 2 ranked Loggers with nine saves until Hamer's head meets Elizabeth Mattila's cross in the 107th minute. It's the Bucs' first win over UPS in 12 meetings.

Lake Washington Youth Soccer breaks ground on a $1.6M project that includes nine new fields plus other amenities at Sixty Acres South. By summer 2010, the entire complex will total 25 fields, making it the biggest soccer facility west of the Mississippi. The first 16 fields have been leased and operated by LWYSA since 1984.

Elly Bulega's goal in the 83rd minute lifts Whitworth to a 2-1 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament in Santa Cruz, Ca. For just the third time in program history the Pirates advance to the sectional round. Keith Kirsch gives Whitworth a quick lead for the second game in a row, heading in Cameron Bushey's corner kick in the second minute. Kirsch scored a seventh minute opener in a 2-0 win over Chapman a day earlier.

Behind two goals in the opening five minutes Puget Sound goes to 10-0-0 by beating Linfield 3-0 in McMinnville, Or., for the 2nd-ranked Loggers' 200th win under coach Randy Hanson. Theresa Henle tallies at 2:14 and Jenny Moore follows just over two minutes later.

Nick Palodichuk scores two first-half goals and Spencer Richey of Seattle gets the shutout as the U.S. clinches first place in their group with a 3-0 win over Honduras at the CONCACAF U17 Championships in Tijuana, Mexico. Palodichuk, from Battleground, scores in the 28th and 45th minutes. While the U.S. clinches a place in the U17 World Cup, the semifinals and final are canceled due to a swine flu outbreak.

Second-half goals seven minutes apart from Roger Levesque and Nate Jaqua earn the Sounders a playoff-clinching, 3-2 comeback win at Kansas City. Freddie Ljungberg is a factor in all three Seattle goals and earns two assists. Jaqua nets the game-winner in the 76th minute from a Ljungberg run and cross. A Ljungberg corner kick sets-up Levesque’s header to knot the score in the 69th minute. Tyrone Marshall scores in the game's opener. Seattle becomes the first expansion team in 11 years to make the playoffs.

A first-half goal from Roger Levesque and relentless effort at the defensive end enables the Sounders to snap Columbus’s MLS record 22-game home unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory at Crew Stadium. Making only his second start of regular season, Levesque stakes Seattle to a lead in the 36th minute. The defending MLS champion Crew’s best chance to score comes in the 81st minute. Guillermo Barros Schelotto sends his penalty kick wide of the left post. Tyrone Marshall figured in three pivotal defensive plays. He redirects Eddie Gaven’s shot off the crossbar and later Marshall’s overhead kick saves a Steven Lenhart header on the goal line.

For the third year in a row and fifth time in six years, Whitworth ends the season with the Northwest Conference championship. Brent Zahn's goal with seven minutes to go beats Whitman, 1-0, in Spokane. the Bucs finish two points ahead of Pacific Lutheran and enter the NCAA tournament on a 10-game unbeaten streak (8-0-2).

Hectic travel and high heat no doubt have their effect on the Kitsap Pumas, who battle valiantly before going out of the PDL quarterfinals. The Ventura County Fusion find the winner in added time and defeat Kitsap, 2-1, in Laredo, Tx. The Pumas endured a dawn flight and three-hour bus ride to reach their destination. Game-time temperatures hover over 100 degrees, but Max Lipset heads home before halftime from a Steve Mohn throw to tie it, 1-1. Rodrigo Lopez scores on a set piece two minutes into stoppage time for Ventura, the eventual PDL champion.

Mallory Fox's header with 16 minutes left in regulation sends No. 14 Washington State to the second round of the NCAA tournament with a 1-0 win over Villanova at College Park, Md. Two days later the Cougars are beaten by host Maryland, 1-0.

A five-match, 9-day Sounders preseason tour of Argentina begins with a 3-1 training game win at Estudiantes in Buenos Aires. Fredy Montero scores two, Nate Jaqua one. Seattle goes 2-1-1 with one match canceled due to heavy rain.

Seattle’s Fredy Montero, 22, is named MLS Newcomer of the Year after finishing third in league scoring with 12 goals. Two of Montero’s teammates, Freddie Ljungberg and Kasey Keller, were the other finalists for the award.

Columbia River of Vancouver becomes just the second girls' 3A champion from Clark County, edging Mercer Island in a shootout, 1-1 (3-2) at Lakewood. goalkeeper Teagan Ryan makes two saves in the tiebreaker. Samantha Schoene, Brianna Brown, and Hannah Kimsey convert for River. The Islanders score first in regulation on a 23' volley from Erin Bourguignon. With 14 minutes left, Kellianne Swenson ties it for the Chieftains.

Richland’s Hope Solo becomes the first goalkeeper named U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year. Solo, 28, helped lead St. Louis Athletica to second in the WPS standings and was instrumental in the USWNT going undefeated throughout the year. She allowed only one goal in six USWNT appearances.

Stephen King scores the game-winning goal in the fifth minute of overtime to give the Seattle Sounders FC a 2-1 comeback win over the Houston Dynamo in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Starfire Sports Stadium before 4,895. Nate Jaqua, playing with a bandaged head since the 10th minute, sends the match into overtime with a goal in the 89th minute. King beats Gig Harbor's Tally Hall for the winner. Seattle dominates, with a 16-2 advantage in shots, 12-0 after halftime. Three shots hit the post or crossbar. The win is part of a nine-game unbeaten run (6-0-3) across all competitions between June 13 and July 25.

A season-best crowd cheers the Kitsap Pumas to victory over the Seattle Wolves, 2-0, in a second-round PDL playoff at Bremerton Memorial Stadium. Stephen Phillips gets the 2,328 fans on their feet early, connecting on a free kick in the 14th minute. Phillips threads a ball to Alex Megson for insurance in the 68th minute.

Seattle Pacific's time atop the NCAA Division II throne comes to an end with a first-round shootout defeat to Chico State, 0-0 (4-3), in La Jolla, Ca. It's only the second time the Falcons have been held scoreless in 38 games. SPU finished with a 18-8 advantage in shots. The two tiebreaker penalty misses were off-target. Chico State, which lost to SPU at home earlier in the season, earns its NCAA record ninth draw.

Seattle Pacific erupts for five second-half goals and Maddie Dickinson posts the No. 1-ranked Falcons’ 10th straight shutout – all wins – to open the season, in a 5-0 victory at Western Oregon. Kelsey Jenkins, who also had an assist, opens the scoring six minutes after halftime with a low 12-yard shot off a pass from Megan Lindsay. Eight minutes later Lindsay breaks open the match by heading in a free kick from Janie Wurth.

Archbishop Murphy of Everett completes a perfect (23-0-0) season in 2A girls, and Seattle Academy repeats in girls' 1A at Sparks Stadium. Maddy Huggins and Alli Beard score first-half goals for Murphy in a 2-0 victory over Cheney, which had now allowed a goal in 11 games. Seattle Academy rides Sierra Keeler's brace to a 2-1 victory over Overlake for the fourth title in five years. Keeler finishes with 27 goals for the season.

Skyline goalkeeper Tina Vargas makes two saves in the shootout as it gets the decision over rival Issaquah 1-1 (3-1) for the Spartans' second consecutive 4A state title at Lakewood. Issaquah had defeated Skyline, 3-1, three weeks earlier for the Kingco title. It's Skyline's third tiebreaker win in four playoff games. The Spartans go in front in the 14th minute when Shea O'Donnell gets free on a breakaway. Issaquah pulls level in the 45th minute through Kristin Maris's 21st goal of the season.

Clallam County Parks dedicates two soccer fields in Agnew, between Port Angeles and Sequim. The fields are made possible through Storm King Soccer Club, Agnew Helpful Neighbors Club and a grant from the state Recreation and Conservation Office.

Hope Solo is named Best Player of Algarve Cup after allowing only one goal in four USWNT matches. In the tournament's 14 years, Solo becomes the first keeper to win the award. She had a clean sheet vs. Norway in the semifinals, preserving a 1-0 lead by tipping Ingvild Stensland's shot off the crossbar and over the goal in the 83rd minute. Sweden won the Mar. 11 final, 1-1, (4-3), in Faro, Portugal.

Saint Martin's parlays a big comeback to earn a momentous victory, 3-2 over 24th-ranked and previous unbeaten Seattle Pacific at Interbay. Victor Kelmel redirects a Vlad Voin corner kick into the net at the 59:07 mark, capping the Saints' comeback from down 2-nil. That deficit is erased in 13 minutes. Xan Nixon makes it 2-1 at 20:22. A long throw-in by Brandon Scott leads to Gabe O'Hara's header for the equalizer at 33:17.

Nick Palodichuk of Battleground scores the second-half equalizer but the United States exits the FIFA Under-17 World Cup at the knockout stage, losing 2-1 to Italy in Kaduna, Nigeria. Italy opens the scoring through Giacomo Beretta, but Palodichuk ties it in the 51st minute. Pietro Iemello puts Italy back in front for good five minutes later. Seattle's Spencer Richey is also in the U.S. squad.

Annelise Sittauer scores in the 10th minute and Emily Hurd puts the match away with two second-half goals, leading Crossfire Premier to a 3-0 victory over Real So Cal in the girls' U17 Far West Regional final at Lancaster, Ca. Crossfire, the only Washington team to win a regional title, goes 0-2-1 in group play at the USYSA Nationals in July.

Fredy Montero scores twice as the Sounders win their inaugural game, 3-0, over New York Red Bulls before a national TV audience and 32,523. It's a spectacle, with supporters in the Brougham End waving massive flags, singing, chanting and the support is contagious throughout the stadium. The crowd erupts when Montero drills the first goal after only 11 minutes. In the 25th, Brad Evans goes between the keeper's legs, and with 15 minutes to go Montero puts it out of reach. Seattle plays without DP Freddie Ljungberg. Four members of last season’s USL team – Zach Scott, Sebastien Le Toux, Sanna Nyassi and Roger Levesque - see action. Kasey Keller, playing for a hometown club for the first time as a pro, makes two saves to notch the shutout.

A second-half own goal pushes Whitworth through to the NCAA Division III section final with a 1-0 win over Hardin-Simmons in Dubuque, Iowa. With just two saves Brian Sherpe earns the shutout for the 15th-ranked Pirates, who are unbeaten in 13 games (11-0-2). Their run ends the following day with a 2-0 loss to No. 5 Dominican.

McKenna Waitley assists on Alex Kirk's go-ahead goal and adds another score for Washington in a 3-1 Pac-12 win at Oregon. It's the 200th win for UW coach Lesle Gallimore. Kirk snaps a 1-1 tie in the 78th minute and Waitley gets her goal at 85'.

Seattle Youth Soccer board members vote to adopt Seattle United as its new premier club. It will be comprised of four regions throughout the city, where select teams will be neighborhood-based. Those select teams will also be integrated with the premier program, with flexibility for players to move between levels. A scholarship program makes the club accessible to all families. Soon after, Jimmy McAlister is named Seattle United's Director of Soccer.

Vlad Voin scores in the 75th minute and Saint Martin’s wins at Northwest Nazarene, 2-1, to clinch the Saints’ first GNAC men’s championship in just the program's third season. It's the fifth straight conference win for SMU, which finishes three points ahead of Western Washington. Conner Biggs gets the visitors' opener only 80 seconds into match. Saint Martin's had gone 9-27-1 in its first two seasons. Two days earlier the road trip began with a 2-1 overtime win at Montana State Billings on a pair of Xan Nixon goals.

Saint Martin's gets a brace from Kayci Donatelli to win its fifth in a row, 3-2 over Central Washington in overtime, to finish its third season. The Saints double their win total from 2008, going 12-7-0. Donatelli's goal in the 99th minute wins it in Lacey.

Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard score first-half goals as FA Cup-holders Chelsea earn a 2-0 win over the Sounders in a friendly match played before 65,289 at Qwest Field. The crowd establishes a club attendance record, and it is the third-largest figure for a match played in Seattle.

Top-ranked Seattle Pacific sustains its first loss in 28 games, 3-2 to Western Washington at Orca Field. The defending NCAA champions had won 21 in a row since tying Western in 2008. The Vikings never trail after Emily Frankland's fifth-minute opener, which end the fourth-longest defensive scoreless streak in Division II history (11 games). After Megan Lindsay levels for SPU in the 67th minute, Lucy Miller hits the winner from 25 yards at 81:33.

The Kitsap Pumas draw, 1-1, with Tacoma Tide in their inaugural home game, played before 1,572. Bremerton’s Memorial Stadium features a new video scoreboard, and Spencer Schomaker gives the Pumas the lead in the 12th minute. The Tide's Michael David ties the first installment of the Narrows Bridge Bell rivalry in the 72nd.

Washington Youth Soccer names Terry Fisher as executive director and chief executive. As CEO, Fisher will oversee operations of the nation's sixth-largest association. He is the first executive director since 2002.

Seattle Sounders FC and Washington Youth Soccer announce a partnership to integrate new programs into the youth soccer development system throughout the state. New programs will begin in September 2009 and will bring the MLS Youth Initiative program to Washington, creating additional levels and avenues to elite play for local youth soccer players. Five Regional Training Centers will bring the top players together once a week to train under elite coaches., and the RTC system is designed to identity the very best players across all leagues, affiliations and geographic locations.

Seattle makes Akron winger Steve Zakuani, 20, the first selection in the MLS SuperDraft in St. Louis. The London-born Zakuani led the nation with 20 goals as a sophomore. University of Washington midfielder George John is taken as the 14th overall pick by FC Dallas.

John Wedge is hired as first head coach of the Kitsap Pumas. Wedge, a native of England and Bainbridge Island resident, previously coached Federal Way High School, Shoreline Community College and Evergreen State College.

Puget Sound's reign as NWC women's champion extends to an eighth straight season. With rain coming down on East Athletic Field, the Loggers (17-1-0) beat Pacific, 2-0. The heavier rain coincides with UPS raising their game in the second half. In the 52nd minute Christine Isabella nods home a corner kick from Mikaela Freeman, who now has 13 assists, one shy of the school record. Theresa Henle scores at 77' to end the Boxers' upset hopes.

Seeking to break out of a funk, the Sounders don their all-blue kit for the first time and beat the L.A. Galaxy, 2-0, on the road. Seattle, scoreless in its last three MLS games and 0-4-4 on the road since winning at Toronto April 4, get goals from Steve Zakuani and Fredy Montero, both while playing a man up following David Beckham's 17' red card. In the final 14 minutes each team has a player sent off. Beckham goes through Peter Vagenas with studs showing. Vagenas is starting for Freddie Ljungberg, out due to illness.

Real Salt Lake prevails in penalties to take MLS Cup, 1-1 (5-4), over the LA Galaxy at Qwest Field, the first final played on artificial turf. Attendance is 46,011, the largest for a final since 2002. Mike Magee stakes the Galaxy to a lead at 41’, converting a cross from Landon Donovan. Robbie Findley ties it for RSL in the 64th. In the shootout's seventh round, Nick Rimando saves against Edson Buddle, and Robbie Russell converts the final kick.

The City of Everett's Casino Road Futbol Academy begins a weeklong day camp for youth. Located in South Everett, the Casino Road neighborhood has long been a haven for criminal activity, and the camp is being held at Hall Park, where a lot of that violence has happened. Over 200 kids, ages 8-15, take part in this first of what will become an annual camp. In between drills, they get to meet members of the city's police department and other community leaders.

Stephen Phillips delivers a hat trick, and the Kitsap Pumas win their inaugural game, 5-0, against the Spokane Spiders at their new home, Greyhound Park in Post Falls, Idaho. Phillips gets his third goal by the 58th minute. Tony Kerr notches the Pumas's first PDL goal. The physical game results in two red cards.

Fourth-ranked Puget Sound pays the consequences for a poor NCAA Division III tournament draw. They fall to No. 1 Hardin-Simmons (Tx.), 1-0, in a first-round game at Claremont, Ca. Kallie Wolfer makes six saves for UPS, but one rebounds in the 71st minute and the Cowgirls cash-in for the winner.

Washington State comes within four minutes of upsetting No. 1-ranked Stanford in Pullman before falling, 2-1, in overtime. Kiersten Dallstream finds Elysse Van Leer for the initial WSU lead at the 54-minute mark. After four straight saves by Meghan Berlingo in little more than a minute, Stanford's Christen Press finally breaks through with the game-tying goal in the 87th minute, and Kelly O'Hara clinches the match for the Cardinal in the 95th.

Vinicius “Vini” Oliveira, a 20-year-old native of Brazil, Edmonds resident and player for Bellevue College, wins the Sounders SuperSearch, televised live from Starfire Sports. Oliveira earns a preseason roster spot. After being released he later signs with the PDL Yakima Reds.

Seattle fans account for the largest opening-round crowd (35,807) in MLS history, yet Houston and Seattle are unable to score in the 0-0 first leg at Qwest Field. Former Dynamo Patrick Ianni clips the crossbar with a header off Freddie Ljungberg's free kick in the 43rd minute.

Alex Chursky accounts for all the Seattle Wolves' scoring in a 3-2 first-round road victory over the Portland Timbers U23 at PGE Park. Chursky ties it in the 30th minute, again on a header in the 81st and wins the PDL playoff in the 90th. It's the Wolves' fourth straight win.

Second-half goals coming four minutes apart steer the unbeaten Seattle Sounders Women (3-0-3) past the Los Angeles Legends, 3-1, at Starfire. Chalise Baysa gives the Sounders a 2-1 advantage after 53 minutes, and at 57' Kelli Smith gets what proves to be the winner. For the remaining six matches there's a goal drought and Seattle goes 0-3-3.

Freshman Brandi Vega's first-half goal proves to be the difference as No. 19 Washington State leaves Corvallis with a 1-0 win over No. 25 Oregon State. It's the Cougars' second win over a ranked team in five days. It's a record seventh road win for WSU.

Jeremy Novack scores shortly before and after halftime in leading Shorecrest past West Valley, 5-2, at Lakewood. It is the Scots’ second 3A state championship in the past five years. Shorecrest jumps on top in the first 12 minutes on goals from Ian Adams and Jonathan Cho. Novack and Eli Blauser then double the lead by the break. The Scots finish 22-1-0.

A late score from Veronica Perez gives Washington a 1-0 victory over 11th-ranked Illinois at Portland. It's the start of a 10-game unbeaten (7-0-3) run for the Huskies. Perez, who hit the right post earlier, takes a through ball from McKenna Waitley, rounds the keeper and scores.

Josh Peters powers Tacoma Baptist to a second straight boys' 1B/2B championship, 2-0 over Bear Creek School in Sumner. After a scoreless first half, Peters gives the Crusaders the lead in the 45th minute, then doubles it four minutes later. He also had two goals their semifinal win.

Longtime Portland nemesis Roger Levesque opens the MLS era of the Sounders-Timbers Cascadia rivalry by scoring after 48 seconds, and Stephen King tallies what proves to be the U.S. Open Cup third-round winner, 2-1, before a record crowd of 16,382 at PGE Park. Levesque's diving header is the final touch on a beautiful give-and-go between Sanna Nyassi and King, with Nyassi beating a defender and crossing. King's blistering strike is set up by Nate Jaqua, who drops a ball to the top of the box in the 27th minute.

Seattle becomes the second MLS expansion franchise to win the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title with a 2-1 victory over D.C. United at RFK Stadium. Roger Levesque scores what proves to be the game-winning goal in the 86th minute on an assist by Sebastien Le Toux. Fredy Montero opens the scoring in the 67th minute after a Freddie Ljungberg shot was initially saved by United goalkeeper Josh Wicks. Moments after the goal, Wicks stomps on a fallen Montero and is sent off. After D.C. pulls a goal back, Kasey Keller makes two key saves in stoppage time, part of his six for the night, to preserve the victory.

Save the Children announce partnership with the Seattle Sounders FC and Soccer Saves, co-founded by former Seattle Pacific coach Cliff McCrath and former Microsoft executive Frank Schott. Soccer Saves builds upon Save the Children's proven success in helping adolescents in Africa access reproductive and sexual health information and services. Youth-friendly health services will provide greater accessibility to voluntary counseling and HIV testing.

Cor van der Meer, founder and former longtime coach of men’s and women’s soccer at Community Colleges of Spokane, dies after a lengthy battle with lung cancer at age 74. Van der Meer was regarded as Spokane’s Mr. Soccer. He was CCS men’s coach for 20 years and 11 for the women. He also founded a five-a-side tournament now marking 25 years.

Washington holds No. 25 Mississippi to five shots – none on frame – and wins its NCAA first round game, 1-0, in Portland. Kate Deines scores from 18 yards midway through the first half, after McKenna Waitley settles a Veronica Perez cross. The Huskies are beaten by No. 2 Portland, 2-1, in the second round.

Kari Davidson twice denies California star Alex Morgan, and McKenna Waitley contributes the game's lone goal midway through the first half as Washington defeats No. 23 Cal, 1-0, at Husky Soccer Stadium. The Huskies are unbeaten in nine games 6-0-3), one shy of the UW record. Veronica Perez's cross is not controlled by the Cal keeper and Waitley pounces in the 24th minute. Morgan forces Davidson's first save at 38' and again at 64'.

Seattle acquires 21-year-old Fredy Montero on loan from Deportivo Cali, where he was two-time scoring leader in the Colombian first division. Montero joins the Sounders as they conduct their first training session in frigid temperatures at Virginia Mason Athletic Complex.

Brad Evans scores the game winning goal in the 84th minute as the Sounders cap the regular season with a 2-1 comeback win over FC Dallas. Seattle’s 47 points (12-7-11) earns the third seed in the Western Conference and fourth-best total overall. It’s also the 125th career win for Sigi Schmid, the most in MLS history. Freddie Ljungberg assists on both goals, beginning with Nate Jaqua’s equalizer. With a crowd of 33,108, Seattle sets an MLS season average attendance record (30,943).

South Kitsap becomes the first Kitsap County squad to capture a boys’ soccer championship, with the Wolves toppling previously undefeated Pasco, 2-1, in Lakewood. The Bulldogs entered the match with a 19-0-0 record. South Kitsap, the No. 3 finisher in the Narrows League, played the role of underdog with 14-3-1 record. Pasco had outscored it postseason foes by 11-2 but the Wolves strike in the 32nd minute through Brent Ricigliano, and Dixon Hammer's header make it 2-nil at 56'. Richard Renteria cuts the deficit four minutes later.

Five years after arriving as a defender, Janece Levien leaves her final, bold imprint on the Puget Sound record book. Levien scores her record 71st career goal to complete a brace at George Fox in a methodical 4-0 victory at Newburg, Or. Levien scored 66 of her goals after sitting out 2006 to recover from five concussions. Her 2007 total of 25 goals is also a standard. She puts the Loggers on top early, in the 12th minute. Levien assists on the UPS third just before halftime before scoring her second in the 54th minute.

A fifth Washington club joins the PDL Northwest Division for 2009. The Seattle Wolves move over from the Pacific Coast League and make Starfire Sports their home. The Wolves and Kitsap Pumas are added to the Tacoma Tide, Yakima Reds and Spokane Spiders.

The Zackery Lystedt Bill is signed into law by Gov. Christine Gregoire in Olympia. It requires high school athletes who have sustained a concussion to be removed from practice and play and not to be allowed to return until cleared by a medical professional. Lystedt suffered a debilitating brain injury as a 13-year-old player in 2006 because his concussion wasn’t properly detected or treated. He underwent two emergency surgeries after collapsing during a middle-school football game.

Robbie Rogers assists on two goals and scores a third as U.S. celebrates Independence Day at Qwest Field by beating Grenada, 4-0, in a CONCACAF Gold Cup group match. Freddy Adu, Stuart Holden and Charlie Davies also score, and Sounders midfielder Brad Evans makes his international debut as a 63rd-minute substitute

Sky River SC opens new, nine-field complex in Monroe – second only to Snohomish’s Stocker Fields among Snohomish County facilities. Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso of the Sounders are on hand for the opening.

Jocelyn Charette assists on the equalizer and scores the overtime winner as No. 17 Seattle Pacific reclaims first place in the GNAC in the penultimate regular season game, a 3-2 win at Montana State Billings. Andrea Chan makes it 2-2 in the 77th minute, and Charette's golden goal, at 98:10, is her sixth of the season. With Western Washington tying at Northwest Nazarene, the Falcons go on to clinch their sixth GNAC championship with a 6-0 victory at NNU Nov. 7.

Lionel Messi scores a pair of sensational first-half goals before a record Pacific Northwest soccer crowd of 66,848 as reigning European champion Barcelona eases to a 4-0 win over Sounders FC in a friendly. Jeffren Suarez and Pedro Rodriguez score in the second half for Barca. Barcelona is coming off the coveted Treble this past season as winners of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League.

Sebastien Le Toux’s 89th-minute penalty, his 11th career U.S. Open Cup goal, gives the Sounders a 1-0 quarterfinal win over 10-man Kansas City, 1-0, before 4,352 at Starfire. It extends Seattle unbeaten run to six games (4-0-2) in all competitions.

Fourteen matches into their existence, the Kitsap Pumas own a title. The Pumas clinch the PDL Northwest Division with a 1-0 win over the Abbotsford Mariners at Bremerton Memorial Stadium. Stephen Phillips's header in the 67th minute from an Alex Megson is the winning formula. Kitsap is among three undefeated (11-0-3 in league) of 68 PDL teams.

Kaycie Hutchins assists on a record five goals in Central Washington’s 8-0 rocking of Northwest University at Kirkland. Hutchins, who scored the Wildcats’ only goal in their first three matches, finds Monique Cornier to open the scoring at 5:42 and Cornier double the lead two minutes later. In the second half, Hutchins sets up Serena Tomaso (twice) and Gwenna Carie, all within a span of five minutes.

On the eve of Seattle opening play, MLS announces Vancouver will become the 17th team in 2011. Two days later, Portland is admitted, recreating the Cascadia Cup rivalry.