Champions!

By now most of you know that we are a soccer family. Tom coached youth soccer for ten years, while our son Jake played on the team he coached. Jill played about five years, and now helps coach Isaac's team. Both Jill and Jake played as adults.  Now we watch our grand kids playing. We are also supporters of our Major League Soccer team, the Seattle Sounders. Tom and I are season ticket holders and almost never miss a match. 

The MLS soccer season begins the second week of March, and ends in October, when the playoffs begin. This year's season was looking dismal for the Sounders in early August, and then several changes turned the team around. They made it to the playoffs and then three rounds of elimination, and on Dec. 10th, the Sounders played Toronto for the MLS Cup. They won! The Sounders are the 2016 MLS Champions!

Today we all got to celebrate that championship with a victory parade from the center of down town to the Seattle Center. We arrived at the light rail station early so we could get parking. 

Yes, Jill and Irene played hooky. 

We gathered at Westlake Center along with throngs of supporters, waiting for the team to arrive. 

Jill was geared up!

 We caught a glimpse of the mayor talking to one of the team owners. 

 The team arrived and loaded onto trolleys. 

 We took photos of them and they took photos of us, and selfies, of course. 

 Coach Schmetzer and team caption Ozzie Alonso hoisted the MLS Cup.  

 And then we marched and sang and chanted as the Emerald City Supporters - that's us- lead the parade, and the team trolleys followed us through the cheering fans. 

 There I am, with Tom and Irene, waving my flag along the mile plus route. Photo by Jill.

 We approached Seattle Center

 and gathered on the lawn to await the ceremonies. 

I don't know how many people were there, but I know we were surrounded by masses in every direction.

It was a great lot of fun and a wonderful way to end a long and tumultuous season.