The Seattle Sounders and English Premier League club West Ham United announced Wednesday that the two teams will play an international friendly at CenturyLink Field on July 5, the first-ever matchup between the two teams in their history.
It’s certainly not the first time the Sounders have taken on an opponent from the EPL, however, and some of the franchise’s biggest moments have taken place in these summer friendlies over the years. Let’s take a look back at the previous four times the Sounders have taken on an EPL club.
Seattle Sounders 0, Chelsea FC 2 - July 18, 2009
Daniel Sturridge and Frank Lampard scored first-half goals as Chelsea prevailed in the Sounders’ first-ever international friendly. Sturridge scored on a cool back post finish from the edge of the box in the 12th minute, while Lampard smashed home a low cross from 6 yards out in the 35th.
The match drew a crowd of 65,372, the third-largest figure for a professional soccer match played in Seattle.
Seattle Sounders 0, Manchester United 7 - July 20, 2011
Manchester United played four games on their U.S. tour in the summer of 2011, and few carried as much pomp and circumstance as this one. The match itself was largely one to forget, however, as the Sounders as they fell in a landslide after Manchester United scored six goals in the second half. English captain Wayne Rooney led United with three goals in the rout and one assist in the game.
The match was played in front of a record breaking crowd of 67,052 fans, the largest to that date in the Pacific Northwest.
Seattle Sounders FC 2, Chelsea FC 4 - July 18, 2012
The Sounders attained a measure of redemption a year after the Manchester United debacle as they recorded two goals in their second clash against Chelsea. Forward Fredy Montero tallied both of the strikes for the Rave Green in the 14th and 32nd minutes to counter two early goals from Chelsea, but the visitors came roaring back with German midfielder Marko Marin scoring in the 40th minute and Belgian international Romelu Lukaku scoring in the 44th to earn the European champions the 4-2 victory.
Forward Roger Levesque was subbed in at the 65th minute for his final professional appearance for the Sounders, capping off a nine-year career. It was the inaugural match of the 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge and was played in front of 55,309 at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle Sounders FC 3, Tottenham Hotspur 3 - July 19, 2014
The Sounders achieved their most successful result vs. an EPL opponent against Tottenham Hotspur in a thrilling 3-3 draw riddled with penalties. Midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and forward Tristan Bowen recorded second-half goals that would have seen the Sounders through for the victory had it not been for two second-half penalties which Spurs converted for the draw.
Alonso’s goal in the 49th minute still lives in Sounders lore, and forward Clint Dempsey started against his former club alongside midfielder Xander Bailey from the Make-a-Wish Foundation, who recorded a shot on goal in front of 55,349 in attendance.
