SEATTLE! SOUNDERS!

Before we went to Seattle, I got a text from my cousin that casually asked if I wanted to help carry out one of the flags @ the Seattle Sounders v. Los Angeles Galaxy match. My heart & head pretty much exploded. Yes yes yes yes yes!

See, when we first booked our plane tickets, I wistfully looked at the Sounders web site to see if maybe-just-maybe I could go to a match, but since it was the play-offs, the cheap tickets were sold-out. I pretty much wrote off the idea. But, this! I would be on the PITCH.

After regaining composure, I felt a little nervous. What the hell did I sign up for? Then I got over it because this is once in a lifetime material I'm dealing with!

The reason my cousin gets to do this upon occasion is because her pal Chris is the program director for the King County Boys & Girls Club. The Sounders select these children to walk onto the pitch hand-in-hand with the soccer players; usually the parents (& friends of Chris) get to carry the flags. Initially, it was just going to be me & my cousin, but she gave up her spot, so KMHD could go, too.

Besos to my cousin for giving me a most excellent birthday experience!

Going in the "special" entrance, photo by My Tam:


Sounders band warming up. "Because it was Halloween." should cover the "Why is that duder dressed like a pirate?"


The underbelly of Qwest stadium:


Here we are!


It's not real grass, it's long-length astroturf. You can see players warming up by the goal:


Practicing. We weren't allowed to bring cameras with us while we did the official carrying, so I had to get my pictures in at this point:




(The rest of these photos are courtesy of my cousin, My Tam)






Another cousin, Lamson:




We're in there somewhere:




Do I even need to get into how amazing the whole experience was? I was meters away from Landon Donovan & David Beckham, which is insane. Ladies, he really is that good-looking, I am reluctantly admitting this. While holding the American flag, I kept looking over my right shoulder to look at the players. I felt like an acne-ridden, braces-wearing, chubby teenage girl. Guh. Anyway, it is so moving to be standing on the pitch while fans go wild with excitement. It is crazy good to see the Seattle skyline to your left. It is so sweet to walk off the field & little kids want you to high-five them on your way to your seat. ATM & I have observed by watching matches on the telly how awesome Sounders fans are; they really are the best MLS fans. Man, I'll never forget it.

Seattle lost, 0-1.