Seattle made its FIFA World Cup debut this month, cementing its status as a premier soccer city. The host-city selection was a vindication for passionate Seattle fans who were long-disappointed when FIFA bypassed them for the 1994 World Cup. Back then, the options for play were the aged Kingdome or the University of Washington’s Husky stadium, neither of which fully matched what FIFA was looking for in a World Cup venue.
But this time around, the venue would be Lumen Field, completed in 2002 for the Seattle Seahawks NFL (National Football League) team. The stadium, however, was also designed for soccer and is home to the popular Seattle Sounders Football Club, one of the most successful teams in the Major League Soccer (MLS). Since their inaugural 2009 season, the Sounders have won two MLS championships, four U.S. Open Cups, and four Western Conference Finals. And they have the second highest attendance record in the league, with among the most dedicated and enthusiastic fans we’ve ever seen. We’re always impressed when we attend a match.
Although Lumen Field has successfully hosted several hundred soccer games, some modifications were needed to support the FIFA World Cup matches. Most notable was the installation of real grass over the artificial turf that the Seahawks and Sounders play on. To accomplish this, 12-14 inches of base material was added over the existing turf, then rolls of sod were planted over top. The sod is a special hybrid developed by FIFA, containing about 90-95% real grass. The rest is artificial fibers lightly stitched into the sod to provide strength and stability. The field looked beautiful, and it was definitely an unusual sight to see sprinklers operating at Lumen Field during halftime.
Another FIFA-dictated modification was the removal of any existing advertising from the stadium. FIFA’s “clean site” rules require host venues to cover up any non-FIFA sponsor signage. Lumen Field was temporarily renamed Seattle Stadium and the word Lumen covered up throughout the venue, leaving just “Field”. Any other advertising, such as the ever-present Toyota Tundra truck above the Fan Deck, was also covered.
Seattle is scheduled to host six matches, and we attended the second: Australia vs USA on June 19th. The atmosphere was electric and we’ve rarely seen Lumen Field quite so full. A large and boisterous Australian contingent was present, sporting gold team colors, but team USA fans unsurprisingly dominated in numbers.
The crowd went wild when team USA scored their first goal, then silent when during the Video Assisted Review (VAR), then even louder when the goal was confirmed. We scored a second goal before halftime, where the score remained until the end of the match. Australia did rally in the second half, but didn’t manage to score a goal.
We’d not seen a complete World Cup match since Argentina beat France in 2022 to win the championship. We watched that game in a local bar in Buenos Aires and loved it—the level of play was sensational and being local for the win was an amazing experience. The Seattle game was our first live World Cup match, and watching in person was even more exciting, especially rooting for the home team. We’re definitely hoping to catch some more games, local or otherwise.
Source: Mvdirona.com
