“The only option you have as a fan besides writing angry letters is don’t go to the game,’’ Carey said. “I’d rather have them say, ‘We’re getting rid of the general manager, but we’re still going to come to the game because we have a say.’ ’’
The team also has season ticket-holders fill out a survey that includes questions about standing preference and cheering. When they select their seats online, the grid shows whether they would be sitting with like-minded fans.
Among other fan ideas was the march to the stadium, which begins about an hour and a half before the game. Officials estimate about 1,000 fans make the trek, one that leaves first-time visitors “blown away,’’ Roth said.
Support is impressive
No matter what quirky idea made its way to the drawing board, the fans had to be the priority, said Gary Wright, the Sounders senior vice president of business operations.
Wright was with the Seahawks for 32 years but considered himself a diehard soccer fan. When talk of the Sounders joining MLS turned to action, Wright found himself overwhelmed with excitement.
“This is a big community of soccer fans, so that’s why none of this has surprised me at all,’’ Wright said.
Staff members made trips to area pubs and reached out to fans, drawing on an idea used in Toronto. The Sounders have sold 22,000 season tickets and have a waiting list of about 4,000. Each game this season has sold out. In July, the team opened up an additional 4,000 seats that quickly sold.
The support was enough to encourage coach Sigi Schmid to leave the Columbus Crew, whom he led to the MLS Cup last season. And players like Keller were impressed by the support.
Keller, who grew up in Olympia, Wash., played in Europe his entire career (most recently with Fulham) before signing with the Sounders.
“For me, it’s made the transition from Europe so much easier because this is what I’ve been used to, playing in full stadiums, playing in cities that care,’’ said Keller. “I went to dinner with my family [Monday], and we’re waiting for our reservation, and I’m taking pictures with people in the street. That’s Seattle. You can’t avoid that and that’s a good thing because that’s the way it should be for a professional athlete in a city.’’
On top of it all, the Sounders are winning. They enter tonight’s match against the Revolution second in the Western Conference at 8-5-8 with 32 points, 7 points behind Houston.
The Sounders stop short of saying they have everything figured out, but they like where they are going.
“You never get smug or think you’ve got it accomplished,’’ Wright said. “Everything in sports can be very fragile, so you have to keep your eye on the ball at all times and stay vigilant and just every detail has to be examined and reexamined.
“You keep your focus and you don’t take anything for the granted, especially the fans, because they’re the engine that’s driving this.’’
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