It was a great weekend here at Starfire Sports! Thank you to all the teams who came to compete in the 2014 Sounders FC Cup, and congratulations to all our champions and finalists! See the final tournament results. See the skills challenge results.
The fortress of Starfire remains standing after the Sounders topped the Timbers 3-1 in overtime. Both teams fought a tough
battle during regulation as the game remained scoreless until the 69th minute when Osvaldo Alonso landed one in the back of the net for Seattle. The Sounders would hold their ground until the final minutes of added time when Nagbe was able to tie things up for Portland and send the game into OT. Things remained tight until a red card for Portland’s Chara put the Sounders up a man. Seattle used their advantage, with goals from Kenny Cooper and Marco Pappa in the 2nd half of OT to send them on to the Open Cup Semifinals.
The Sounders won their fifth round Open Cup match-up tonight in an extremely memorable fashion. A sold-out, sunny Starfire Stadium set the stage for a battle against the San Jose Earthquakes.
The score line opened up in the 24th minute, as Steven Lenhart ripped a volley from outside the box for a San Jose goal.
Seattle didn’t stay quiet for long though, and followed up with another goal just two minutes later in the 26th minute, as Kenny Cooper finished the equalizer 
set up by Lamar Neagle.
The next 64 minutes were back and forth between the two teams, but while both teams had great chances, Seattle outshot the Earthquakes 31-15.
The teams remained tied throughout all of extra time as well, so it was penalty kicks that were going to be the deciding factor.
The Sounders finished all four of their penalty kicks, while San Jose made only two, with one being saved by Marcus Hahnemman and the other hitting the post.
It was Lamar Neagle’s kick that sent the Sounders through to the next round of the US Open Cup, hosting Cascadia Cup rival Portland Timbers here at Starfire on July 9th.
Check out pictures from the match in the gallery below!
The Sounders started off their run at a 4th Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a convincing 5-0 win over PSA Elite. The first score was a PK taken by Brad Evans, followed by a goal from Zach Scott and a brace scored by Kenny Cooper. Sean Okoli finished off the scoring in the 85th minute off an assist from Chad Barrett. The Seattle Sounders will face the San Jose Earthquakes in the next USOC round right here at Starfire Sports on June 24th. More on the match from Sounder at Heart and TheCup.us
Thank you to all the teams who came out to participate in the 2014 Starfire Spring Classic, and congratulations to all our champions! Download the full results.
Matt Besler, Nick Rimando, DeAndre Yedlin and Dax McCarty were out at Starfire today for a commercial shoot. They took a moment to give Starfire a little love, and leave a message for all the kids out there playing towards their dreams.
The Boys and Girls High School Competitive Championship matches of the 2013 Candy Cane Challenge are featured in this special edition Game of the Week. Check it out!
Steve Zakuani trains with Crossfire Select B02 Taylor as thanks for their Kingdom Hope fundraising efforts during the 2013 Starfire XTREME Cup.
TUKWILA, Wash.—October 24, 2013—From August 23rd to the 25th, thousands of youth soccer players flooded the Starfire Sports campus for the annual Starfire XTREME Cup, benefitting Kingdom Hope. This year, the players were competing for more than just trophies. As part of the event, teams were encouraged to start their own Kingdom Hope fundraising efforts for a chance to win a team party with Sounders FC midfielder and Kingdom Hope Founder Steve Zakuani at Starfire. On October 23rd Crossfire Select B02 Taylor collected their prize after having raised $1,830.
How the team claimed the top prize in the competition was a combination of inspiration and dedication. “They were really inspired by the vision that Zakuani has to reach kids that may not have the opportunity at younger ages to get out and play some soccer,” said coach Rob Taylor. “Everybody should get to play soccer,” added player Chaz Cavallo, age 11. “We wanted to help make that a reality.”
Many members of the team took to the streets, including Cavallo, who collected nearly $250 as one of the team’s biggest contributors. “I went door to door,” Cavallo said. “I asked my grandparents, asked my aunt, asked my uncle, asked my mom, asked my dad. Everybody that would listen to me.”
“These kids definitely earned their top spot in the fundraising competition,” said Starfire Tournament Director, Teddy Mitalas. “The Starfire XTREME Cup is focused on showing youth athletes that they can make a difference through soccer, both on and off the field. This team clearly embraced that idea and truly deserves to be recognized.”
The team’s day of recognition included a training session and team dinner with Steve Zakuani at Starfire. “This is the best day of my life!” exclaimed player Tamaki Nakamura, age 11. “Playing with Steve Zakuani was the awesome part,” added Cavallo.
Between earnings from team fundraisers and Starfire’s $50 donation per registered team, The XTREME Cup generated $10,966 for Kingdom Hope. “I am extremely proud to have been a part of this great event, and am overwhelmed with the amount of money that was raised,” said Zakuani. “This money will help me tremendously in my efforts to help inspire young kids and teenagers in the local community through my Kingdom Hope organization. I will be able to put together more soccer based program’s that will serve and inspire the community.”
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2013 Labor Day Cup and congratulations to all our champions!
| BOYS | GIRLS | |||
| Division | Champions | Finalists | Champions | Finalists |
| U10 | Northwest Nationals Red | Eastside FC White | Northwest Nationals Red | Eastside FC Red |
| U11 | Eastside FC White | Seattle United S Black | Northwest Nationals Blue | WTFC |
| U12 | Northwest Nationals Red | Seattle United S Black | Pac NW Maroon | En Fuego FC |
| U13 | Northwest Nationals Red | Colibri | Eastside FC White | FC Alliance A |
| U14 | CWSA Anabtwal | Kent United Green | Eastside FC White | Fusion FC 00 |
| U15 | Seattle United S Black | Impact FC Black | N/A | N/A |
| U16 | Pumas | Eastside FC White | Fusion | Harbor Premier Green |
| U17 | Colibri | Blackhills FC Black | N/A | N/A |
| U19 | Fusion U18 | Fusion U17 | N/A | N/A |
Thank you to everyone who came out for the 2013 XTREME Cup, benefiting Steve Zakuani’s Kingdom Hope! Between Starfire’s $50 donation to Kingdom Hope for every registered team*, and the team fundraising competition, we were able to raise nearly $11,000 for this great organization! A special thank you to the teams who participating in the fundraising: FC Edmonds Fury, SCORE Eagles 02 Red, Seattle United B99 Shoreline Blue, and Crossfire Select B01 Taylor. And, congratulations to all our champions & finalists!
*Excludes teams that are financially assisted by Starfire
| Team Name | Amount Raised |
| Crossfire Select B01 Taylor | $1830 |
| FC Edmonds Fury BU-13 | $966 |
| SU B99 Shoreline Blue | $920 |
| BOYS | GIRLS | |||
| Division | Champions | Finalists | Champions | Finalists |
| U10 | Tacoma United Little Stars | Tacoma United San Martin | Pacific FC Orange | Seattle Celtic White |
| U11 | WS Wildcats | Seattle United S Blue | Kent United | BHFC Lady Dragons |
| U12 | Seattle United S Black | Tacoma United San Martin | NSC Velocity | Sparta Red Rebels |
| U13 | Colibri | NPFC Blue | Blackhills FC Black | NSC Spirit |
| U14 | Kent United White | Seattle United SL White | Kent United Green | Chilliwack Attack |
| U15 | Blackhills FC Black | TUSK | Sparta | Seattle United S Blue |
| U16 | Blackhills FC Black | Colibri | Blackhills FC Black | FME Fusion |
| U17 | Crossfire Select Radovich | Nortac Sparta | N/A | N/A |
| U19 | ASE Power | NYSA Revolution | Lake Hills Legends U17 | Spokane Scotties Ambriz U18 |