Jan. 14—Seattle's two professional soccer franchises are visiting Spokane this spring.
The Seattle Sounders, of the MLS, and the NWSL's Seattle Reign will play select games at ONE Spokane Stadium as part of a new partnership with Aequus Sports LLC, the ownership entity of Spokane's pro soccer teams, the Velocity and the Zephyr.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAequus Sports announced Wednesday that the Sounders, one of the most successful MLS franchises in recent history, will play a Round of 16 CONCACAF Champions Cup match on March 18 at ONE Spokane Stadium against the winner of a series between the Vancouver Whitecaps, of the MLS, and CS Cartagines, of Costa Rica's Liga Promerica.
The Reign, a consistently successful team in the NWSL, will play select regular-season NWSL matches at the downtown Spokane venue. Dates and opponents will be announced later this month.
"Spokane is a true soccer city," Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said in the release, "and welcoming Concacaf competition and other visiting teams is a tremendous opportunity to celebrate our passionate fans and showcase the energy and enthusiasm for the sport across our community."
The events are meant to "bring more elite professional soccer to Eastern Washington fans while strengthening ties between the state's four professional clubs," per the release, as Seattle prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches, beginning in June.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"As the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup approaches, this opportunity places Spokane firmly in the global soccer conversation," said Aequus president Katie Harnetiaux, the co-owner of Spokane's soccer teams, in the release.
Spokane has developed its soccer credentials with the construction of ONE Spokane Stadium, opened in fall 2023, and its two new pro franchises, which quickly gained a following after beginning play there in 2024. The Velocity have already made history, finishing as the USL League One runner-up in each of their first two seasons. The Zephyr compete in the top-tier USL Super League, and they boast the league's reigning goalkeeper of the year in Hope Hisey.
Now, the city is set to play host to the state's top pro franchises. The Sounders have won two MLS Cup championships (2016, 2019), plus a CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022. The Reign have captured three league Shields (regular-season titles) and reached the NWSL finals three times since their founding in 2012.
The four teams have a strong working relationship, per the release, with connections between technical staffs, use of player loans and friendlies between the clubs. Sounders franchise legend Ozzie Alonso (2009-18) became a minority investor in Aequus Sports last year.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Significant investments" were made at ONE Spokane Stadium to "achieve FIFA-quality certification for the playing surface, along with additional improvements made to upgrade lighting, locker rooms, hospitality areas, and digital media assets in order to be eligible to host world-class soccer events," per the release.
AdvertisementAdvertisement