Why Are They Called the Sounders? The Name, the Vote, and the 1974 Origin
The name Sounders comes from Puget Sound and dates to Seattle's 1974 NASL team. It survived the USL years and won a 2008 fan vote before the MLS club adopted it.
A Sounder is a person from Puget Sound, the body of water Seattle sits on. The name was picked for Seattle's first professional soccer team in the NASL in 1974, carried through the USL-era club from 1994, and written in by fans in a 2008 naming vote before the MLS club adopted it.
1974: the NASL Sounders
Seattle's North American Soccer League franchise launched in 1974 and needed a name that said Seattle without saying Seattle. Puget Sound was the obvious hook. The Sounders played at Memorial Stadium and then the Kingdome, drew big crowds for the era, and reached the Soccer Bowl in 1977 and 1982 before the league folded in 1983.
1994 to 2008: the USL Sounders
A second-division Seattle Sounders returned in 1994 in the A-League, later the USL First Division. That club won titles in 1995, 1996, 2005, and 2007 and kept the name alive for the fans who would fill the stadium in 2009.
2008: the vote
When Seattle was awarded an MLS expansion team, ownership leaned toward a fresh identity at first. The club put three names to a public vote, Seattle FC, Seattle Republic, and Seattle Alliance, and allowed write-ins. About half of the responses wrote in "Sounders" in some form, and the club announced Seattle Sounders FC in April 2008.
The Alliance idea stuck around in another form. It became the Sounders FC Alliance, the membership organization that gives season-ticket holders a vote on retaining the general manager.
The colors
Rave Green is the primary color, chosen to stand apart from the Seahawks' navy and the Mariners' teal. Sounder Blue is the secondary. Cascade Shale is the grey.
Related questions
How many trophies have the Sounders won? Two MLS Cups (2016, 2019), a Supporters' Shield (2014), four US Open Cups, the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, and the 2025 Leagues Cup.
What is ECS? Emerald City Supporters, the largest supporters group, founded in 2005.
Quick answers
- What does Sounders mean?
- A Sounder is someone from Puget Sound, the inlet of the Pacific that Seattle sits on. The name was chosen for Seattle's original NASL team in 1974.
- Did fans vote on the name Sounders?
- Yes. In 2008 the incoming MLS club ran a fan vote with Seattle FC, Seattle Republic, and Seattle Alliance as the options plus a write-in. About half of respondents wrote in some version of Sounders, and the club adopted Seattle Sounders FC.
- What are the Sounders' colors called?
- Rave Green, Sounder Blue, and Cascade Shale. There is no mascot.
Writes about the Seattle Sounders and MLS for Rave Green TV. Keeps the injury report and the how-to-watch guide current through the season.
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