Why and how? Maybe WPS owners and GM's should schedule a sit down with the Sounders PR firm.

Popularity is public enemy #1 for MLS. Sounders continue to challenge anemic MLS growth curve, despite the league and NFL owners going to great lengths to rein them in - most notably by pulling back on season ticket sales in January. Sounders are dangerous, because MLS is predicated on soccer as a small niche sport. What if MLS pre-ordainment of meager US club soccer popularity is way off? What if their small, out of the way stadiums are not enough? MLS will continue to try to limit the Sounders, because in their bizarro world Cosmos popularity sank NASL, not our OCD attempts to install the US closed league model on soccer.

They could only serve up a scoreless tie? What is this, the NFL page? It was a great game (with the exception of some dumb officiating). Ties are part of soccer.

Having been a NY Cosmos fan in the 70s and now a Seattle Sounders FC season ticket holder, they really don't seem to have that much in common. Cosmos played at (demolished) Giants Stadium in what was then known as Secaucus, NJ primarily famous for being an aromatic toxic swamp near the Pulaski Skyway, home of perenial presidential candidate/ pig farmer Henry Krycjzeski(probably misspelled). Cosmos attendance often outdrew the NY Giants (77,691 for one match) primarily because of the area's huge population and diverse nationalities fanatical about soccer, Huge player names didn't hurt. The stadium was out-of-the-way and required several hours getting in and out. Without stars, they could not have drawn that kind of attendance. Sounders FC play in a great stadium you can walk to from anywhere in downtown Seattle, get a bus, train or ferry to get there. No superstars but several young and promising prospects. Maybe Montero compares with the Cosmos' Portuguese player, Seninho. The Sounders FC fans also include a diverse cross-section of nationalities, but there also is a huge base of families with kids that attend Sounders matches,and new fans who are drawn to a hot ticket which is much more affordable than a pro baseball or football ticket. It's also a predictable investment of time: you know when the game will end. Seattle tends to tolerate losing sports teams longer and better than most places. Unfortunately, we have plenty of experience in this area. So, when a new team like the Sounders immediately delivers success right out of the gate, that helps drive attendance and make it a draw beyond the usual suspects. Hopefully, this will continue. On the other hand, the Mariners also are a good example of a Seattle franchise that took a good thing for granted, squandered its support with consistently miserable teams and finally is suffering at the gate. Interestingly, because the Sounders' home season is roughly double the Seahawks', it's possible that the Sounders could outdraw the Seahawks for season attendance. It's difficult to imagine Sounders FC ownership going the way of the Mariners or the Cosmos. Attendance will continue to stay strong, and very likely will grow next season with the re-introduction of historical rivalries against Vancouver and Portland. I would be surprised to see Sounders FC attendance drop in the short term or disappear completely in a blink like the Cosmos. But it certainly could fade over time if the team loses its focus on doing very well or keep the roster fresh. This is very unlikely (knock wood) given current ownership and management.

It looks like Sounders are going the way of other MLS teams and announcing as "attendance" the tickets sold. That turned out to be a bad joke in Los Angeles, especially in the "Beckham years," when many glam fans bought tickets then found out it was to a sporting event they did not understand. In Seattle, for the first time in a very long time, there were empty seats at Qwest for this game, but it was a school night, and for many kids the first week of school. I think the actual was probably a solid 30,000.