When Nicolas Benezet was first acquired by the Seattle Sounders, he had several days to kill while going through the league-mandated quarantine period. Most of that time was spent watching anime and consuming other media. But he also found time to visit Golden Gardens, the sandy Ballard-area beach that offers breathtaking views of the Olympic Peninsula.
He was smitten.
Even before he had trained with the Sounders or met his new teammates, Benezet was already feeling as though he was somewhere he belonged. He had even changed his social-media avatar to an anime character wearing a Sounders jersey.