SEATTLE — “This has been quite a journey”
Adrian Hanauer sat at a table alone at the Seattle Sounders headquarters, addressing the media and waxing nostalgic on the first 10-plus years of his time with the MLS version of the team. Remarking that the announcement of the new ownership structure of the organization was “bittersweet,” Hanauer recalled his first meeting with now-departed investor/operator Joe Roth at the MLS All-Star game in Colorado, where Roth said he wanted to bring a MLS franchise to Seattle. Along with Roth, Paul Allen and Drew Carey, Hanauer launched the team in 2009 to then-unprecedented success: winning a US Open Cup (the first of three in a row) in its first year, a Supporter’s Shield in 2014, and culminating in a MLS Cup in 2016, setting attendance records at the same time.