“No one is better connected to the Seattle — and national — soccer scene than Matt Pentz, which makes him the perfect person to tell this fascinating story. And he tells it with insight, passion, perspective and more than a fair amount of poetry.” — Larry Stone, sports columnist, Seattle Times

The Seattle Sounders were a sensation from the start, drawing crowds that rivaled those of almost any other North American pro sports franchise. By the 2016 season, Seattle was averaging more than 42,000 fans at home, the second most of any soccer team in the Western Hemisphere and more than behemoths like Chelsea F.C. and A.C. Milan overseas. But, for all of its early consistent success, Seattle had yet to actually win the league.

In order to reach the ambitious goals the club set for itself, the Sounders needed the jolt of a championship. To get there would require tumult previously unknown to a club built on stability, a clash of egos and a title run so unlikely it could hardly have been scripted. This is a Cinderella story for sports enthusiasts everywhere, all MLS fans and every Sounder at heart.

Matt Pentz is a Seattle-based writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Guardian the Athletic, and ESPN, among other publications. As an award-winning beat reporter at the Seattle Times, he covered the Sounders’ historic run to their first MLS Cup championship. This is his first book.

“Sure to be snapped up by the same enthusiastic crowds that pack the stands for Sounders games, this book will also appeal to general soccer fans, as well as anyone interested in the inner workings of a successful sports franchise.” — Publishers Weekly

“A fascinating read looking at the Sounders rise from the inside during their season of glory, on and off the field . . . This is a book that anyone who cares about the future of the sport in this country can savour and learn from.” — Roger Bennett, Men in Blazers podcast