NOTE: This is a feature story in the August edition of Sounders Monthly. Click here to see the full edition or access it on the Sounders Mobile App.
While the international marketplace continues to play a key role in shaping Sounders FC, there is an increasing emphasis on the academy system. The current structure begins with a discovery program, which gives elite preteens and 13-year-olds an opportunity to join the academy. Each age from 14-18 has its own squad. Then there is S2, which is the USL-affiliated side that directly feeds into the First Team.