Seattle Storm (soccer)

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Seattle Storm

Full name

Football Club Seattle Storm

Nickname(s)

The Storm

Founded

1984

Ground

Memorial Stadium

Capacity

12,000

Chairman

Bud Greer

League

Western Soccer League





Home colours





Away colours

Football Club Seattle, also known as F.C. Seattle, was a local "super club" created to provide Seattle players an opportunity to play at a higher level than the local recreational and semi-pro leagues. In addition to playing exhibition matches against top level international teams, F.C. Seattle was a member of the short lived Western Soccer Alliance.

1 History
2 Coaches
3 Notable past players
4 Yearly Record
5 Exhibition Games
- 5.1 1984
- 5.2 1985 Results
- 5.3 1986
- 5.4 1987
- 5.5 1988
- 5.6 1989
- 5.7 1990

[edit] History

[edit] 1984: F.C. Seattle Challenge

In 1984, F.C. Seattle hosted the F.C. Seattle Challenge '84. This series pitted F.C. Seattle against three NASL teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps (2-2 tie), Minnesota Strikers (0-3 loss), New York Cosmos (1-2 loss), as well as the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team. For this challenge cup, the team filled its roster from local colleges, high schools and semi-pro teams. However, five F.C. Seattle players had previous professional experience, several with the recently folded Seattle Sounders: Jack Brand, Jerry Cameron, Eddie Krueger, Joe James and Robbie Zip. The team was coached by former Sounders player Tom Jenkins and played its games in Seattle's Memorial Stadium.^[1] The series averaged just over six thousand fans per game. At the end of it, NASL officials approached F.C. Seattle about entering the NASL for the 1985 season. F.C. Seattle declined, noting that most NASL teams hemorrhaged money.^[2] The club's backers preferred to keep it on a semi-professional basis, build a fan base, then work towards taking the team fully professional an indeterminate time in the future.

[edit] 1985: Western Alliance Challenge Series

In 1985, F.C. Seattle joined with three other independent "super clubs", F.C. Portland, San Jose Earthquakes and Victoria Rip Tides, to create the Western Alliance Challenge Series. This series came in response to the cancellation of games F.C. Seattle had scheduled against English teams West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. In June, FIFA had banned English clubs from travelling for international games after Liverpool fans sparked massive deaths in fan violence in Belgium.

F.C. Portland hosted F.C. Seattle for the first game of the series, a game F.C. Seattle won on the strength of a Bruce Raney hat trick. Other significant F.C. Seattle players included Jeff Durgan, the Schmetzer brothers - Andy, Brian and Walter, and Peter Hattrup. However, Bruce Rioch, who had replaced Jack Brand as head coach in February, released Durgan from the team after he was ejected for making several flagrant fouls in the game against the Canadian national team in July.

[edit] 1986-1989: Western Soccer Alliance/League

In 1986, three of the four teams from 1985, decided to form the Western Soccer Alliance. Only Victoria declined to join the new alliance, but they were replaced by the Edmonton Brickmen.

In 1987, the WSA instituted a two game post-season playoff series. F.C. Seattle, which finished second in alliance standings, lost 3-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes in the wild card game.

Up to now F.C. Seattle had also been known as the F.C. Seattle Storm. In 1988, the team officially dropped the F.C. and became the Seattle Storm. However, they were still referred to as the F.C. Seattle Storm throughout the season and the new name was not widely used until the 1989 season. The 1988 season was one of the most successful for the Storm when it cruised to the top of the regular season standings, then crushed the Earthquakes 5-0 in the championship game.

In 1989, the Storm failed to build on its previous year's success and finished out of playoff contention. As a side note, the WSA changed its name to the Western Soccer League.

[edit] 1990: American Professional Soccer League

In 1990, the Storm, along with the rest of the WSL merged with the American Soccer League to form the American Professional Soccer League. Despite Chance Fry leading the league with 17 goals and 5 assists, the Storm finished last in the North Division of the West Conference.

At the end of the season, the Storm folded. However, F.C. Seattle has continued as a local soccer club which enters boys and girls teams in all age competitions.

[edit] Coaches

Record includes both league and exhibition matches.

Name	Nat	From	To	Record
Name	Nat	From	To	P	W	D	L	F	A
Tommy Jenkins		1984	February 1985	7	1	1	5
Bruce Rioch		February 1985	September 1985	13	6	1	6	23	25
Jimmy Gabriel		September 1985
Tommy Jenkins		1988	1989
Stuart Lee		1990	1990

[edit] Notable past players

[edit] Yearly Record

Year	Division	League	Reg. Season	Playoffs	Open Cup
1985	N/A	WSA	3rd	No playoffs	Did not enter
1986	N/A	WSA	3rd	No playoffs	Did not enter
1987	N/A	WSA	2nd	Wild Card	Did not enter
1988	N/A	WSA	1st	Champion	Did not enter
1989	North	WSL	3rd, North	Did not qualify	Did not enter
1990	Northwest	APSL	5th, WSL North	Did not qualify	Did not enter

[edit] Exhibition Games

As an independent soccer team, F.C. Seattle original purpose was to play exhibition games. Even after the establishment of the Western Soccer Alliance, exhibition games remained one of the most significant elements of the team's seasons.