Seattle Sounders from the top: 1976

58,000 fans pack the Kingdome for the Sounders-Cosmos match in April 1976.

I am looking back at the history of clubs called "Seattle Sounders" while at the same time adding and rebuilding galleries in the GOALSeattle Museum. With 1974 and 1975 behind us, we now move to the Kingdome with the 1976 Seattle Sounders.

Memorial Stadium had been a great home for the original club but when the Kingdome opened in 1976 it was better in terms of fan facilities, concessions and parking. The Astroturf was new, too. So the Sounders moved south and joined the first-year Seahawks in the great cement palace.

The Sounders opened the Kingdome just like the USL Sounders opened Qwest Field. 58,000 fans came to the Dome in April to see Pele and the Cosmos in a pre-season exhibition New York would win, 3-1.

The club went 14-10 in the regular season and then got their first playoff win in a dramatic 1-0 overtime victory over Vancouver Whitecaps before 30,000 fans at the Kingdome. The goal was scored by famous English player Geoff Hurst. Seattle lost in the next round to Minnesota. Hurst ended with 9 total goals. Scotsman Gordon Wallace led the Sounders with 10 strikes.The Kingdome hosted the 1976 NASL "Soccer Bowl" Final that saw 30,000 fans watch Toronto beat Minnesota 3-0.

Here's the new 1976 Seattle Sounders scrapbook gallery, with much more in the 1976 Museum page.

In 1976 the Sounders issued a "Yearbook," and we've got most of the pages scanned here.