The Seattle Sounders entered Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 2009. Since then, they have arguably become the most successful expansion franchise in the history of pro-sport.
The reason for the Sounders success is simple.
Their die-hard fans.
"It is a fan driven sport," said Gary Wright, Sounders senior vice president of business operations.
"The crowd is absolutely electric and people walk away and say, ‘wow that was a great time,' no matter what the score is."
The Sounders draw in more than 30,000 fans to Qwest Field every game. The team even has its own marching band, The Sound Wave.
Before every home game, fans excitedly gather for "The March to the Match." Fans follow The Sound Wave to Qwest from Occidental Park, while cheering for their team.
"I really believe the Pacific Northwest has a tremendous soccer heritage, and soccer fans, and it's not just in Seattle. It's Vancouver. It's Portland," said Wright.
Wright believes Vancouver can learn from Seattle, and use its fan base to catapult the Whitecaps into MLS stardom.
And Sounders players agree.
"The Pacific Northwest is the ideal place for soccer and I think that the success that they've had in Seattle is going to be emulated in these other organizations," said ...