May 4, 2022
10:04 PM
Somewhere on I-5 between Lumen Field and West Seattle
If there was a way that I wished my team could win the Champions League, this is it. 68,000 of my best friends and I are partying in the greatest city in the world, and no one can tell us to stop. We are the kings of Cascadia. We are the rulers of MLS. And now, we are the first ever American champions of CONCACAF. This is pure elation. This is what football means to me.
It’s everyone’s dream to have a night to remember, and for every fan of Seattle on May 4, 2022 it was theirs. The perfect way to win, a 3-0 thrashing of Pumas that declared our legitimacy to the world. The match showed every inch the spirit, fight, and emotion that Seattle is known for. From before the first whistle to the final one, the team, the fans, and the city were one. That’s what football is supposed to be, right?
After the stadium had emptied, Sounders General Manager Garth Lagerwey, who lost the CCL final with Real Salt Lake in 2011, took the podium before a group of fans at the South end of the stadium. Before them, he declared something to the effect of, “You guys are the reason we are here”. To have that kind of top-to-bottom, diehard appreciation of the club is something that can never be overlooked or forgotten, and it’s a reminder to everyone out there that you mean something to an entity far larger than any one person.
I could talk for paragraphs about the brilliance of Raul Ruidiaz, the heroics of Stefan Frei, or the invaluable leadership of Nicolas Lodeiro, but the truth is that much like any one fan, those guys are part of a greater collective. To see a group of men build something so incredibly empowering and to experience firsthand the glory that comes with it is something I hope everyone experiences.
*takes a break, scrolls Instagram to locker room champagne photos and the Discord with fans trapped on caps lock*
Okay, I’ve composed my thoughts. Here’s a true attempt at describing what football is to the world (from my perspective).
Tonight, I’ve witnessed my club that I’ve supported from birth do something that no other team in America has ever done. We won the CONCACAF Champions League. We beat the rest of the continent along the way, and we are now immortal.
To me, football is not only a release, but an expression of passion. Every time I step on a pitch, walk in a stadium, or watch a match there’s a certain amount of inexpressible emotion that comes with it. The peak of that is glory. What every fan hopes for is the sweet sound of a final whistle that declares your passion valid. I hope everyone gets that chance. Tonight, it was Seattle’s turn.
To see such a victory mean so much to an entire city brings a kind of primal passion that is only drawn out by rare occasions. To see the Sounders General Manager Garth Lagerwey stand inches from the fans who declared their fealty to the team all night long and tell us that the team won because of us is something special.
It’s something that you saw with Betis lifting the Copa del Rey. It’s something that you’ve seen with Sergio Aguero in 2012. It’s a feeling I’ve only experienced twice before, when we won our league championships, and hopefully it’s a feeling that everyone gets at least once in their lives.
This is my chance to say thank you.
I love this city.
Owen Murray
(Real Madrid or Liverpool, here we come!)
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