A little over a week ago I was walking across the bridge over the Green River, into Starfire, getting myself ready to go mental as my Seattle Sounders took on the Kitsap Pumas in the fourth round of the 2016 USOC. I was already confident about the match-up, given that the Pumas, although certainly courageous for making it so far in the tournament, had little hope of overtaking Seattle, a team that had significantly more depth, training and talent.
I greeted my fellow supporters with hugs and smiles, we were grateful to be back at our local soccer fortress.