Tacoma Stars are rising up to the highest level of the Professional Arena Soccer League, joining PASL-Pro for 2010-11. The Stars had played since 2003 at the PASL Premier level, which they won in 2009-10. The Stars will play in the Western Division while the Kitsap Pumas and Wenatchee Fire are in the Frontier Division.

Following a funding crisis at Saint Louis Athletica, former UW teammates Hope Solo and Tina Ellertson sign with the Atlanta Beat for the remainder of the WPS season. Solo is the reigning WPS goalkeeper of the year. Ellertson, like Solo, a veteran of the U.S. National Team, played in all 20 games during the league's inaugural season. Both players had been with Athletica since 2009.

Goalkeeper Jorde Lafontaine-Kussman both scores and saves crucial penalty kicks during a marathon 11-round tiebreaker, enabling Washington to send No. 2 Portland out of the NCAA tournament in the second round at Merlo Field. The Huskies, who had not beaten the Pilots since 2004, advance, 10-9, following a 1-1 tie. Out-shot 27-6, UW stays even thanks to 12 saves by Lafontaine-Kussman. She then scores in the shootout and knocks away an attempt from Jessica Tsao to clinch the result.

Prosecutors charge a female volunteer of theft of more than $75,000 from Snohomish County's Terrace Brier Soccer Club. The funds were stolen over a period of three years. Terrace Brier serves 700 youth with an annual operational budget of $70,000. The volunteer treasurer is later convicted and sentenced to one year in prison and must pay restitution. The non-profit club was forced to cut back on the financial assistance it offers to low income families.

After going scoreless over his first five games with the Sounders, Blaise Nkufo becomes the first player to achieve a hat trick as Seattle shocks Columbus, 4-0, on the road. Nkufo, the Swiss DP, puts the visitors ahead in the fourth minute, fighting through a scrum in the goalmouth to beat William Hesmer. He doubles the lead against the run of play in the 39th minute, scoring on a tightly angled shot from the left side. Sanna Nyassi is tugged down, resulting in a Nathan Sturgis 42nd-minute penalty. Nkufo caps his night in the 75th minute. Steve Zakuani beats his man down the left and finds Nkufo for a first-rime 15-yard strike to the upper corner. He proceeds to score in his next two games as well. It's the Crew's worst home loss in five years. The win concludes 7,981 miles of travel in one week.

Heather Cato, 32, is named Whitman College women's coach. Cato, a graduate of Mountain View High School in Vancouver, was a four-year starter for Arkansas. She replaces Scott Shields, who vacated the position to coach the men's and women's cross country teams at Whitman.

Hope Solo and the U.S. National Team win their seventh Algarve Cup by beating Germany, 3-2, in a muddy final at Faro, Portugal. The two goals were the first and would prove to be the only goals allowed by Solo during 2010. Solo blanked Iceland and Sweden in group play. Spokane native Amy LePeilbet starts three matches on defense, including the final. LePeilbet goes on to earn WPS Defender of the Year at Boston.

Sounders FC and its supporters make history in the U.S. Open Cup with a record crowd of 31,311 cheering Seattle to a successful defense and 2-1 comeback win over Columbus in the final at Qwest Field. The attendance shatters the previous best for a final 21,583 watched the 1929 second leg between New York Hakoah and Madison Kennel Club of St. Louis at Brooklyn's Dexter Park. Sounders FC is the first Open Cup repeat champion since 1982-83. Sanna Nyassi scores both goals. The first comes in the 38th minute, as Nathan Sturgis lays back a pass that Nyassi one-touches home from the top of the box. His 66th-minute winner comes after Steve Zakuani's header comes off the crossbar. Crew substitute Robbie Rogers bangs one last chance off the crossbar in the 86th minute.

Swiss national team forward Blaise Nkufo, who has more than 200 career goals for club and country, is announced as the next Designated Player signing for Sounders FC. Nkufo, who will turn 35 in May, has 34 international appearances and a club-record 114 career goals in seven seasons with FC Twente, which in May he helps lead its first Eredivisie championship. He will start during the 2010 World Cup, where the Swiss open with an upset of holders Spain and join Seattle in July.

For the second year in a row Sounders FC eliminates Portland Timbers from the U.S. Open Cup in the third round before 15,422 at PGE Park. Zach Scott's penalty kick gives Portland goalkeeper Steve Cronin no chance and defending champion Seattle returns home after winning the tiebreaker, 4-3, following a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes. Oregon native Nate Jaqua puts the visitors in front in the 13th minute, but Bright Dike answers before the interval. Kasey Keller saves two of Portland's shootout attempts. Seattle's only miss goes off the crossbar. Taylor Graham is sent off for his second caution in the 101st minute.

Nick Palodichuk, a junior at Camas High School, is named the Player of the Year on Parade Magazine's 2010 All-America High School Boys Soccer Team. The Battle Ground native spent a year training in Florida and later playing with the U.S. under-17 national team at the U17 World Cup in Nigeria, scoring America's goal in its elimination loss to Italy. Back in Camas, he scored 26 goals and 11 assists as the Papermakers finished third in the state 3A tournament. Recent Federal Way graduate Kelyn Rowe and Beamer senior-to-be Sean Ugo Okoli were also honored on the 35-player All-America team.

Golazo, an all-natural performance sports energy beverage targeting a soccer audience, is launched in Seattle by former Microsoft executive Richard Tait and Alex Rosenast. The company's products are sold across eight states and by major retailers including Whole Foods, QFC and Amazon. Among the players endorsing Golazo are Jessica Fishlock of Seattle Reign and DeAndre Yedlin of the Sounders.

Seattle Sounders FC is named as the 2010 Professional Sports Team of the Year by the SportsBusiness Journal and Sports Business Daily in New York. The Sounders are chosen from five nominees: Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Capitals. From its “March to the Match,” to its marching band, in 2009 the Sounders offered season-long innovation and ingenuity, becoming the model franchise for other sports teams to follow. Seattle qualified for the playoffs as an expansion team and set an MLS season attendance as well.

Newly-formed Seattle United prepares for its first season of forming teams by naming two former Sounders, Jimmy McAlister and Jason Farrell, to key leadership positions. McAlister was the first homegrown sensation during the NASL era and also played for the U.S. National Team and Tacoma Stars. He becomes Seattle United's first coaching director. Farrell, who had two stints with the A-League Sounders plus four years in MLS, will serve as technical director.

Dylan Gaydosh gets the only goal as Stadium wins its first 4A state boys championship, 1-0 over Lake Stevens at Lakewood. Gaydosh, who also won a title at Bellarmine Prep in 2008, stabs home the goal out of a goalmouth scramble in the 30th minute. It's the fourth straight shutout during the tournament for the Tigers and goalkeeper Ian Clark, who makes three saves. It's Stadium's first championship game appearance. Lake Stevens had eliminated Federal Way (playing without 32-goal scorer Kelyn Rowe) in the semifinals.

Crossfire Premier announces plans to enter a team in the USL Premier Development League (PDL). Washington Crossfire will play home matches at Seattle's Interbay Stadium and be coached by Seth Spidahl. Crossfire becomes the state's fifth member in the Northwest Division, joining Kitsap, Spokane, Tacoma and Yakima.

Nate Jaqua scores twice and Steve Zakuani collects two assists in a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup semifinal win against Chivas USA in front of a Starfire sellout crowd of 4,547. Seattle, which is 6-0 at Open Cup games at Starfire, will now host the USOC final at Qwest Field Oct. 5. Zakuani makes a dazzling move to break free on the left wing and play a cross to Fredy Montero for a 2-nil lead in the 58th minute. After Chivas USA pulls a goal back, Jaqua clinches the win by heading in a Roger Levesque cross in the 92nd minute. It is Jaqua's fifth tournament goal.

Karl Grosch is part of the third class of inductees to the U.S. Youth Soccer Association Hall of Fame. Grosch wrote the initial USYSA constitution, bylaws and rules and regulation in 1974 with fellow Hall of Fame member Don Greer and Robert Nessler.

Five Spokane area youth clubs - Shadow, Breakers, Sabers, Scotties and Storm FC - announce formation of the new Inland Empire Youth Soccer Association. Washington Youth Soccer had asked the clubs to pursue a merger with Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association, but the negotiations stalled, and WYS gave its blessing to Inland Empire.

Within seconds of taking the field as a second-half substitute, Sounders FC forward Fredy Montero launches an audacious 35-yard shot that somehow becomes the first-leg winner, 1-0 over Isidro Metapan, in Seattle's first Concacaf Champions League match at Qwest Field. Seven seconds after replacing Nate Jaqua, Montero shoots and Metapan goalkeeper Misael Alfaro misplays it, allowing it to trickle over the goal line. Six days later in San Salvador, a 1-1 draw advances the Sounders to the group stage.

Freddie Ljungberg, Seattle's first blockbuster signing, is sent to Chicago in exchange for a conditional selection in the 2011 or 2012 SuperDraft. The move allows new Designated Player signing Alvaro Fernandez, to be added to the roster. Ljungberg had been named to the MLS Best XI in 2009 after leading the team with nine assists. The Sounders' highest-paid player at $1.3M, he had been seeking a contract extension and had not played since July 4. During the interim he was held out presumably for an ankle injury but trained on his own after reaching an impasse with management.

Michael Fucito's first professional goal comes deep in stoppage time to deliver a 1-0 win over Kansas City. Fucito, who didn't see action in 2009, scores just 22 minutes into his second Sounders stint. A quickly-taken throw by Brad Evans finds Fucito behind the defense and 1-on-1 with Wizards keeper Jimmy Nielsen, who had not previously allowed a goal. He lashes it past Nielsen in the 92nd minute. The visitors nearly equalize immediately, but Chance Myers is denied by Kasey Keller. Fucito's goal, seven minutes after entering match, begins a series of late winners vs. Kansas City.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board approves a new rule that disqualifies teams who accumulate three red cards for violent conduct or abusive language. On-field behavior of boys’ players has been an issue for years, says WIAA executive director Mike Colbrese. Coaches, however, are frustrated there’s no way to appeal a referee’s decision to eject a player.

Gibson Bardsley closes out his career with a record-tying goal in a 2-0 win over Seattle Pacific at Whatcom Community College. Bardsley doubles the Vikings' lead from 17 yards in the 35th minute. His 41st career goal, it ties him with Peter LaBarge and he becomes the program's first player to reach 100 total points.

PDL play returns to Everett with the birth of the North Sound SeaWolves, who will take up residency at Everett Memorial Stadium. Not since the Everett BigFoot (1995-96) has Snohomish County had a PDL club. Alex Silva, formerly owner and coach of the Yakima Reds, will operate the franchise.

Former Seattle Pacific and Sounders star goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann is named to Bob Bradley's U.S. National Team for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. Hahnemann, now playing for Wolverhampton in the EPL, also made the 2006 World Cup squad. Two other former Sounders, Herculez Gomez and Brian Ching, are also named to the team.

Sounders FC announce Arlo White as the club’s play-by-play announcer for all television and radio broadcasts. White, 36, joins Seattle after spending the previous nine years with BBC Radio Sport in England where he served as a host on “BBC Radio 5 Live.” White also hosted the station’s flagship Premier League Football show, “Saturday 5 Live Sport,” and the “Monday Night Club” alongside the legendary BBC football commentator John Motson. He called one match in 2009 as a substitute for Kevin Calabro.

The first fans arrive at Doyle's Public House in Tacoma at 4:30 a.m. to watch the first of three World Cup matches, South Korea vs. Greece. Then comes Argentina vs. Nigeria and finally the pub is packed to watch the featured U.S.A.-England match in Rustenburg, South Africa. From 500-600 people sit, stand, cheer, eat and drink. It's much the same atmosphere and crowds in soccer pubs around the state and the nation. A 40th-minute goal from Clint Dempsey earns the Americans a 1-1 draw.

Freshman Mary Ann Santucci scores to finally deliver the first state 3A championship to Seattle Prep, 1-0 over Bonney Lake at Lakewood. The Panthers had finished runners-up four times before, including three straight between 2006-08. Bonney Lake had never advanced beyond the first round. Santucci finds the net in the 30th minute, getting her foot on the ball from a scrum of several players in Bonney Lake’s 6-yard box. Afterward, Seattle Prep coach Andy Hendricks loses his trademark black mustache. He first promised in 1991 to shave if off if Prep ever won state.

Second-half goals 12 minutes apart from Sanna Nyassi and Alvaro Fernandez clinch a Sounders FC playoff berth for the second year in a row with a 2-1 triumph over Kansas City at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Nyassi scores first, in the 66th minute, when substitute Nate Jaqua plays him into the box. His initial shot is stopped by keeper Jimmy Nielsen but Nyassi knocks in the rebound. It is Nyassi's fourth goal in three competitive matches over eight days. Four minutes after coming on as a substitute, Fernandez connects on what proves to be the game-winner in the 78th minute. Following a short pass from Jaqua, Fernandez jukes a defender, then rolls a left-footed shot under Nielsen. Seattle's playoff-clinching win in 2009 also came at Kansas City.

Fans and organizers collectively gasp when FIFA announces that the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be played in Russia and Qatar. Hundreds gather with local organizers and officials at F.X. McRory’s in Seattle's Pioneer Square to hear the 7 a.m. PST announcement. Across the state and the nation similar parties are stunned by Qatar prevailing in the fourth round of voting, 14-8 over the United States. The U.S. had been considered a frontrunner and Seattle a top candidate to host several matches at CenturyLink Field. More than 46,000 had signed an online petition supporting Seattle, one of 17 cities in the U.S. bid.

The most traveled team in CONCACAF completes a stretch of four straight road matches in CCL and MLS with the Sounders beating Chicago, 1-0, at Bridgeview, Il. Blaise Nkufo gets the game's only goal in the 88th minute and Kasey Keller holds strong for a record 11th shutout. Having flown nearly 18,000 miles for five matches in MLS and Champions League play in September. Nkufo's goal in his fourth in two games and among Keller's saves is a breakaway, a point-blank Marco Pappa attempt and Freddie Ljungberg free kick. Over nine days Seattle traveled 12,447 miles to four road matches in Costa Rica, Mexico, Columbus and Chicago.

Marcus Hahnemann's stay at Wolverhampton will be extended another year as the goalkeeper's new contract is signed. Hahnemann, originally signed as Wayne Hennessey's backup, started 25 straight matches at one point as Wolves finished 15th in the Premier League, eight points above the relegation zone.

Dean Wurzberger, the dean of Pac-10 men's coaches, announces his resignation following 19 years at Washington. Wurzberger, who took the Huskies to the NCAA tournament 11 times in the last 15 years, just missed a 2010 bid. He was the first full-time coach in the program's history and finishes with a record of 220-112-41.

Kentwood’s Madison Fuller delivers the pivotal shootout goal and Courtney Johnson makes the key save in Kentwood's championship game victory, 0-0 (5-4), over Tahoma at Lakewood. Fuller makes the Conquerors' final penalty and Johnson dives to stop the final Tahoma try. It's the first 4A crown for Kentwood. The Bears were seeking their third, all since 2001.

Kelyn Rowe of Federal Way scores UCLA's opening goal but the Bruins eventually fall at Louisville, 5-4, in an NCAA quarterfinal. Rowe, a freshman, connects on a free kick, his seventh goal of the season to go with 10 assists. He was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and later third team All-America.

Former Tacoma Stars sensation Predrag Radosavljević , a.k.a. Preki, is inducted into the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in East Rutherford, N.J. Tacoma had been Preki's first stop on the path to stardom in 1985, arriving from his native Belgrade at age 22. He played five seasons for the Stars, finishing with records for goals (219) and assists (227), three selections for all-MISL first team and 1989 league MVP. Preki later becomes a U.S. citizen, plays 28 times for the national team and is the first two-time MLS MVP.

A blue-ribbon panel assembled by Washington Youth Soccer resolves an outstanding dispute between Seattle Youth Soccer Association and Emerald City Football Club, affirming SYSA’s right to form, organize, and control advanced soccer development in Seattle and Shoreline areas. In March, Emerald City is suspended by SYSA and responds by joining U.S. Club Soccer. Seattle United FC, now the SYSA advanced development club providing both Regional Select and Premier Level programs for its players, begins play in May.

Glacier Peak comes back from a first-half deficit to give the second-year school the state 3A boys' championship, 2-1 in overtime versus Mount Rainier at Harry Lang Stadium. Junior forward Shane Miller heads in the sudden-death winner in the 88th minute on a cross from Joey Cheff. Jose Orozco put Mount Rainier on top in the 36th minute. Nine minutes into the second half Brian Holguin ties it, 1-1. The previously unbeaten Rams are denied a fifth state title.

Vince McCluskey's late goal and Puget Sound's seventh shutout in 12 games gives coach Reece Olney his 200th career win, 1-0 over Whitworth. Olney started at UPS in 1994.

Kasey Keller does not need to make a save, but he does deliver his first MLS assist as the Sounders twice score late to beat Houston, 2-0, for their fourth straight league victory, at Qwest Field. After 63 scoreless minutes, Keller sends a towering punt 70 yards to Fredy Montero, who controls it, turns on defender Eddie Robinson and beats Gig Harbor native Tally Hall. in the 88th minute new designated player Alvaro Fernandez breaks behind the defense and shoots past the charging Hall. Seattle is unbeaten in eight matches (6-0-2) across all competitions.

Steve Zakuani and Osvaldo Alonso strike for goals in the first 25 minutes as Sounders FC extends its win streak to five straight and six in all competitions, 2-1 over Chivas USA at Qwest Field. In the 9th minute, Zakuani fights through a crowd of defenders, fakes Zach Thornton, the approaching keeper, and rolls the ball into the net from 10 yards. Alonso wins a ball in the 25th minute, and following an exchange between Fredy Montero and Zakuani, gets the return ball for his first goal in nearly 16 months. Seattle improves to 10-1-3 in its last 14 MLS matches and is undefeated (8-0-2) at home in 10 MLS and Open Cup matches since June 10.

In the first ever penalty-kick shootout for the Kitsap Pumas, Jamel Wallace converts the winning shot in the first round of the PDL Western Conference playoffs at Bremerton's Memorial Stadium. Kitsap eliminates Ventura County Fusion after the teams draw, 1-1. Wallace, a first-half substitute, sees his PK bounce off the left post and over the goal line to clinch the tiebreaker, 5-3. Eli Gordley scores the Pumas' regulation goal. The following night, Portland Timbers U23s win the conference championship, 2-1, over Kitsap before 1,012 fans. Portland proceeds to finish the season undefeated and PDL champion, succeeding Ventura County.

After 16 seasons the PDL Yakima Reds play what proves to be their final match, a 3-2 loss to Washington Crossfire at Marquette Stadium. Esteban Ponteciano scores their last goal, tying it at 2-2, before Crossfire gets the winner in the final 15 minutes. On July 17, the Spokane Spiders' ended 14 seasons of PDL play (Shadow started in 1996) in the Lilac City with a 5-1 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps Residency at Joe Albi Stadium. Both Yakima and Spokane cease operations following the season.

Crossfire Premier's impressive run in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy playoffs ends at the final hurdle with the Redmond-based side's 3-1 loss to Vardar (Mich.) in the boys' U17/18 championship match in Carson, Ca. Crossfire takes 1-0 lead when Liam Kelly scores in the 12th minute. But Varder ties it in the 29th minute and Derek Schrauben tallies two second-half goals. On July 24, Crossfire 95 McCormick reaches the USYSA boys' U14 final in Overland Park, Ks. but falls to Eclipse (Il.), 2-1.