The Seattle Sounders were a soccer team playing in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1983. They were the first professional soccer team in Seattle, and were popular from the beginning; in their first season they hosted NASL's first sell-out game, filling Memorial Stadium with 13,876 fans. In its early seasons, most players were foreign-born and brought over from European and South American leagues, but the Sounders recruited more North Americans in later years. In 1976 the Sounders moved to the Kingdome, where they played the first sporting event in the stadium's history. The Sounders' first several years brought several playoff appearances, culminating in the 1980 season when they achieved a 25-7 record. Unfortunately, a combination of disputes between players and the coach, falling attendance, financial trouble, and rapid changes made by a new owner led the team to fold in 1983. The Sounders name was revived in 1994 by a team playing in the United Soccer League until 2008, when the team was replaced by the current Seattle Sounders FC, playing in Major League Soccer.

This image shows goalkeeper Barry Watling at the Sounders' very first practice session, on May 1, 1974 at Memorial Stadium, just four days before their first game. Watling played for several teams in the English Football League before joining the Sounders for two seasons. He was named First Team All Star Goalkeeper for the 1974 season.

Caption information source: "Original Seattle Sounders (1974-1983)" by Heather Johnson, HistoryLink, retrieved from https://historylink.org/File/4219.