“Today. We. Make. History.”
Macklemore wasn’t lying when he addressed the swath of Sounders FC faithful packed into Occidental Park on Sunday, just hours before Seattle’s pro soccer club set all kinds of records and sent this city into a frenzy after winning its second MLS Cup title in three years.
The music superstar is among a group of new Sounders team owners that includes several local technology executives who were among the 69,274 people — a record for a sporting event at CenturyLink Field — to watch Seattle defeat Toronto 3-1 in an epic afternoon that will go down as one of the greatest in Seattle sports lore.
Seattle. Sounders. Forever.#SoundersMatchday | #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/SemWfkKnyT
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) November 10, 2019
GeekWire spotted several of the new owners at the match on Sunday, including former Microsoft executive and current Madrona Venture Group partner Terry Myerson; Microsoft CFO Amy Hood; Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Experiences and Devices Joe Belfiore; former Microsoft senior exec and current Madrona Venture Group Managing Director Soma Somasegar; Twilio Chief Product Officer and former Amazon/Google/Microsoft executive Chee Chew; and former Pandora and aQuantive CEO Brian McAndrews. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, also a new owner, was in attendance as well.
Sounders FC head coach Brian Schmetzer gave a shout-out to the new ownership group during his post-game remarks. “What a great way to start their ownership tenure here at the club,” said Schmetzer, who was emotional as he also saluted the city and the Sounders supporters.
“The players and fans deserve this,” he said. “The players persevered … they never quit. The fans never stopped believing. I’m very happy and proud of the city and the fans.”
This one is for you, Coach. #SoundersFamily | #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/2Lh92Y8jmN
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) November 11, 2019
Amazing feeling!! MLS cup champs!! We did it for the fans, for the city for everyone involved. what a year, what a team ?? @SoundersFC pic.twitter.com/3cPZXL9MHy
— brad smith (@bradsmith_94) November 11, 2019
⚽️ in Seattle. #SoundersMatchday | #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/A7BN7cvTvZ
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) November 10, 2019
Quite the scene here in Seattle as the city hosts the #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/y8FYRW7y0y
— GeekWire (@geekwire) November 10, 2019
The fans were rowdy bright and early at the pre-match festivities — which included a short Macklemore concert — all the way to the end as they belted out “We Are The Champions” once the final whistle blew. The crowd even set off “fan quakes” as measured by seismologists who were conducting experiments at the match.
Among the fans in attendance was Andy Hartpence, winner of the #GeekiestSoundersFan contest, a fun competition we hosted last week with Slalom Consulting.
Congrats again to the #GeekiestSoundersFan! Enjoy the match! https://t.co/zpnAeGfxnT https://t.co/a0iOH7yUrD
— GeekWire (@geekwire) November 10, 2019
Check out more photos from the match below, taken by Kevin Lisota, and see our recent Sounders coverage here:
- Photos: Thousands of Sounders fans crowd Seattle park for pre-MLS Cup party with Macklemore
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Seismologists register ‘fan quakes’ from the Seattle Sounders’ stadium crowd
- From new owners to on-field analytics, here’s how technology impacts the Seattle Sounders FC
- Seattle vs. Toronto: Ranking their tech hubs and sports clout as cities face off for MLS Cup
- Seattle Sounders connect with diehard fan whose rave green celebration stood out in L.A. and online
- Satya Nadella and other Sounders owners on how they’ve applied lessons from sports to business