“Nelson, hold my kid,” yelled David Chernicoff, before pushing baby Dylan into the unassuming hands of the Sounders FC forward as he left the rally honoring the team after its MLS Cup win.
If he was surprised, Valdez didn’t miss a beat. He propelled the 1-year-old into the sky with the same enthusiasm as he had on Saturday, when he thrust the Anschutz Trophy into Toronto’s Arctic air.
Dylan smiled from atop the crowd, a high point for the little Sounders fan, whose dad took him to his first game just eight days into life.
His dad, a teacher in Federal Way, had taken a half day off from school to revel in our hometown team’s win.