 | |
| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Type | Supporters' group |
| Team | Seattle Sounders FC |
| Location | Lumen Field |
| Website | www |
Gorilla FC (GFC) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.
| | |
| Established | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Type | Supporters' group |
| Team | Seattle Sounders FC |
| Location | Lumen Field |
| Website | www |
Gorilla FC (GFC) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC.
Gorilla FC (Gorilla Football Collective) was formed in 2009 to support Seattle Sounders FC. Gorilla FC's motto is: Glory, Fellowship, Community! It is the reincarnation of the anti-globalization activist group, Guerrilla FC. [1] [2] The group meets before home games at Fado Irish Pub & Restaurant in Seattle before marching with their gorilla mascot, Civ, to Lumen Field. [3] Members are in the south end of the stadium in section 120 with other vocal supporters' groups during the match. GFC supports the team with Tifo displays before and during matches. [4] For away games, the group travels in support of the Sounders and has held viewing parties at the many Soccer bars around Seattle which are posted on their site. [5] It also has a recreational soccer team.
Gorilla FC averages at 300 paid members annually and over 800 unique members since 2009.
Gorilla FC is also a part of the Independent Supporters Council made up of over 22 Supporter Groups in the United States and 18 of the MLS teams represented. The council works to build support nationally for all supporters in Canada and the United States.
GFC is an antifa group that builds community in Seattle with a soccer influence. The organization was inspired by the left-wing supporter groups of German club St. Pauli. [6] The group promotes equality, calling itself "anti-racist, anti-fascist, anti-sexist and anti-homophobic." [2] GFC has organized protests and actions to combat/disrupt racist and Nazi events held in Seattle. GFC has helped to raise over $250,000 for charities. Gorilla FC works to use soccer as an avenue to support the community, and have fun while doing it. Sounder at Heart covered GFC in 2012. [7]
A cornerstone of the group is coordinating benefits for causes that are important to its members. [8] These have been held for organizations such as El Comité Impulsor del Juicio a Goni, Free Burma Rangers, Red Cross and Opportunitas Aequa. A benefit was held in 2009 for anti-domestic violence group Home Alive. In 2010, a fund-raiser with Steve Zakuani and James Riley of the Sounders to benefit Doctors Without Borders raised over $20,000. [9] [10] [11] Gorilla FC was one of three supporter groups to join in Sounders FC in its partnership with Mercy Corps to raise funds for relief efforts after the 2010 Colombia floods. [12] In 2012, GFC held a benefit in support of One Hundred for Haiti. GFC participates in Movember annually. Gorilla FC also has benefits and worked with the following organizations: Atlantic Street Center, Treehouse, America Scores Seattle, Seattle Street Soccer, Young Adults in Transition, Seattle Ed. Access, First Place Schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Special Olympics WA., Renway BG, Redmond Fire House, Seattle Works, Imagine Scholar SA, Youthcare, Mockingbird Society, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and Athletes For Kids.
James Riley, a former Sounders FC defender, and Gorilla FC organize a yearly youth tournament to benefit Renway Boys and Girls Club.
Gorilla FC is involved with an annual Raise the Red Card Against Racism and Homophobia display coordinated with the ISC.
GFC has held other events such as a meet-and-greet at Fado with players Sebastien Le Toux and Taylor Graham before the 2009 MLS Cup in Seattle. Gorilla FC holds an End of Year party with presenting the GFC player of the Year award, titled The Big John Award. Kasey Keller was the winner in 2011. Michael Gspurning won it in 2012. Ozzie Alonso won it in 2013. [13] Trips to away matches have included those to Cascadia rivals Vancouver and Portland. [14]
Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, United States. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL), the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL, the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), and OL Reign of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Originally called Seahawks Stadium, it was renamed Qwest Field in June 2004 when telecommunications carrier Qwest acquired the naming rights. The stadium became known as CenturyLink Field following Qwest's June 2011 acquisition by CenturyLink and was nicknamed "The Clink" as a result; it received its current name in November 2020 with CenturyLink's rebrand to Lumen Technologies. It is a modern facility with views of the Downtown Seattle skyline and a seating capacity of 68,740 spectators for NFL games and 37,722 for most MLS matches. The complex also includes the Event Center which is home to the Washington Music Theater, a parking garage, and a public plaza. The venue hosts concerts, trade shows, and consumer shows along with sporting events. Located within a mile (1.6 km) of Downtown Seattle, the stadium is accessible by multiple freeways and forms of mass transit.
Siegfried "Sigi" Schmid was a German-American soccer coach who had the most wins in the history of Major League Soccer (MLS). Born in Tübingen, West Germany, he moved to the United States with his family when he was a child. He played college soccer from 1972 to 1975 at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was a starting midfielder in each of his four years. He coached his former college team, the UCLA Bruins, between 1980 and 1999. During that period, he became one of the most successful collegiate coaches of all time, leading the Bruins to a record of 322–63–33 (wins–losses–draws). The team made 16 consecutive playoff appearances from 1983 to 1998, winning the national championship in 1985, 1990, and 1997. Schmid also worked with U.S. Soccer throughout the 1990s.
Patrick Edward Joseph Ianni is a retired American soccer defender. He played 9 seasons in MLS for the Houston Dynamo, Seattle Sounders FC, and Chicago Fire.
Bradley Ray Evans is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is now a color commentator for radio broadcasts of Seattle Sounders FC matches.
Fredy Henkyer Montero Muñoz, known as Fredy Montero (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾeði monˈteɾo], is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC. He is Seattle's all-time top scorer in official club competitions, scoring 76 goals with the club between two stints: 2009 and 2012, and since 2021. Montero has been called up to the Colombia national team five times, scoring once in an unofficial match against Catalonia.
Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The Sounders compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began play in 2009 as an MLS expansion team. The Sounders are a phoenix club, replacing the second-division Sounders franchise that played in the American Professional Soccer League (APSL), A-League, and USL First Division (USL-1) from 1994 to 2008, and carrying the same name as the original Sounders franchise that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1974 to 1983.
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion Philadelphia Union, 2–0. The 2010 MLS All-Star Game was played at Reliant Stadium, hosted by the Houston Dynamo on July 28 as the MLS XI fell 5–2 to visiting Manchester United. The regular season concluded on October 24, with Los Angeles Galaxy winning the Supporters' Shield by one point over Real Salt Lake. Upon the completion of the regular season the 2010 MLS Cup Playoffs culminated on November 21 with a 2–1 victory by the Colorado Rapids over FC Dallas at Toronto's BMO Field. It was the first time the MLS Cup final was played outside the United States.
The Heritage Cup is an annual cup rivalry between Major League Soccer (MLS) teams San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC. Both teams carried their names forward from their North American Soccer League (NASL) predecessors.
The 2009 season was Seattle Sounders FC's first in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top flight of American soccer. It was the 29th season played by a professional team bearing the Sounders name, which was chosen for the MLS expansion team by a fan vote. An MLS franchise was awarded to a group from Seattle in 2007, including Adrian Hanauer, the owner of the second-division incarnation of the Sounders.
The Portland Timbers–Seattle Sounders rivalry is a soccer rivalry between the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC, both based in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The rivalry originated in the North American Soccer League of the 1970s, with both cities reviving expansion teams, and has carried into lower-level leagues, including the A-League and USL First Division. The rivalry moved to Major League Soccer, the top division of soccer in the United States, in 2011, where it has grown into one of the largest in American soccer.
Emerald City Supporters (ECS) is an independent supporters' group for Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC. The ECS is known for large choreographed tifo displays.
The 2009 Houston Dynamo season was the fourth season of existence for the Houston franchise since joining Major League Soccer (MLS) prior to the 2006 season. It was the team's fourth season with head coach Dominic Kinnear, majority owner Philip Anschultz, president Oliver Luck, and chief operating officer Chris Canetti.
Lamar Neagle is an American professional soccer player who plays for the Tacoma Stars in the Major Arena Soccer League. He has spent most of his career with the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer over the course of several stints; Neagle has also played for Montreal Impact and D.C. United in Major League Soccer, as well as Mariehamn in Finland.
The 2010 Seattle Sounders FC season was the club's second season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of professional soccer in the United States. It was the 30th season played by a team bearing the Sounders name.
The 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was played on September 2, 2009, at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C. The match determined the winner of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup, a tournament open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. This was the 96th edition of the oldest competition in United States soccer. The match was won by Seattle Sounders FC, who defeated D.C. United 2–1. Clyde Simms scored D.C. United's only goal. Fredy Montero and Roger Levesque scored Seattle's two goals as the club became the second expansion team in Major League Soccer (MLS) history to win the tournament in their inaugural season.
Seattle Sounders FC supporters are the supporters of the Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC which was established in 2007 and played its first MLS season in 2009. There are four recognized supporters groups for Sounders FC: Emerald City Supporters, Gorilla FC, North End Faifthful, and Eastside Supporters.
Seattle Sounders FC is an American soccer club founded in 2008, after the city of Seattle was awarded a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. The club began playing competitive soccer in the 2009 Major League Soccer season. It plays its home games at Lumen Field, competing in the Western Conference of the MLS. The current Sounders FC is the third soccer team from Seattle to bear the Sounders nickname. The tradition was started by Seattle's North American Soccer League team in 1974, and continued by the city's United Soccer Leagues side, formed in 1994. The current Sounders FC is an entity distinct to both of these clubs, and played its first MLS game on March 19, 2009, against the New York Red Bulls.
Seattle has had professional soccer clubs for over four decades who have played in various leagues since the 1970s. These include three incarnations of the Seattle Sounders, playing in the North American Soccer League, United Soccer League, and Major League Soccer. The city is also home to OL Reign, originally known as Seattle Reign FC, which began in 2013 as a founding member of the National Women's Soccer League. Seattle has also hosted teams from the Continental Indoor Soccer League, the National Women's Soccer League, and the Major Arena Soccer League.
Seattle Sounders FC is a Major League Soccer team, sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, based in Seattle, Washington with origins that go back to the 1970s and the North American Soccer League.
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