MLS: Sounders Plan to Expand Puget Sound Reach

According to an article in Soccer America Daily, written by Paul Kennedy:

Some pro soccer clubs have teamed up with pro baseball clubs on sharing facilities. The Seattle Sounders and Tacoma Rainiers are taking it a step further and announced plans to build a 5,000-seat, soccer-specific stadium adjacent to the Rainiers' Cheney Stadium in Central Tacoma for the Sounders' USL team.

The Sounders FC II have played at Starfire Sports in Tukwila since its launch in 2015. The MLS Sounders and Triple-A Rainiers will rebrand the USL team. The Sounders will run the soccer side and and sporting infrastructure, and the Rainiers will run the business operations, in an arrangement similar to what the Houston Dynamo and Rio Valley Grande FC and San Jose Earthquakes and Reno 1868 have.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be moving forward with the Tacoma Rainiers and City of Tacoma, progressing toward construction of a soccer-specific stadium,” said Sounders FC owner Adrian Hanauer. “Our vision of having players begin their time with the club playing at Starfire with the Academy, then move up to the USL team with matches in Tacoma, before finally getting the call-up to the First Team at CenturyLink Field -- all while playing within the Puget Sound region -- really reinforces our commitment to bringing quality soccer to the communities of Western Washington.

Read the full article here.