Sunday’s match against LAFC (2 p.m. PT; ESPN, YouTubeTV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS) marks the beginning of the Seattle Sounders’ 10th season in MLS. Since 2009, the Rave Green have the best record in the league, accumulating 482 points on a 137-90-71 mark. In home openers at CenturyLink Field, the Sounders have posted a 6-3-0 record.
Here’s a list of the club’s five biggest moments in home openers.
5. Chad Barrett scores late winner
It seemed all but certain that the Sounders would begin the 2014 campaign with a draw against Sporting Kansas City. On a rainy March afternoon, the Sounders’ defense sprung a counterattack for one final push against Sporting. Forward Clint Dempsey sent a header that pinged off the crossbar and went straight back at him. His off-balance volley didn’t quite make it into the net, but Chad Barrett was there to finish the job.
4. Pappa-Dempsey-Martins stunner
It only took seven passes, but the Pappa-Dempsey-Martins sequence against the New England Revolution in 2015 is an absolute club treasure. Midfielder Marco Pappa collected a turnover in his own of the field, igniting a counterattack. He found Dempsey retreating around the center circle, who one-timed a back heel to Obafemi Martins. The trio then did two quick passes to one another, creating a momentous three-man weave against the Revs’ tangled backline. Pappa sent a perfectly weighted through ball to Martins, who found Dempsey completely and utterly wide open. Just watch:
3. Estrada’s hat trick
They called it St. Hat Trick’s Day. In the 2012 season opener against Toronto FC, 24-year-old David Estrada scored his first MLS goal in the 17th minute. He added another in the 51st minute. Unbelievably, Estrada completed the three-goal performance in the 63rd minute to give the Sounders a 3-1 lead. He scored just five goals for Seattle over a span of three-and-a-half seasons, but he’ll be cherished in Sounders’ lore for his St. Patrick’s Day wizardry.
2. To the rafters
On the eight-year anniversary of the club’s inaugural match against the same opponent, the Sounders threw a championship celebration for their MLS Cup win three months earlier when they hosted the New York Red Bulls in March 2017. Prior to kickoff, a green banner was unveiled in the rafters at CenturyLink Field. The Sounders went on to defeat the Red Bulls 3-1, with goals coming from Dempsey, Jordan Morris and Harry Shipp.
1. Where it all began
It was the start of something special. On March 19, 2009, the Sounders defeated the New York Red Bulls 3-0. In the 11th minute, Fredy Montero scored the first goal in MLS franchise history and sent the stadium into a frenzy. He scored another in the second half, while Brad Evans added a goal in the 25th minute. A legend was born.
