Editor's note: ‘Echoes’ is a new series mirroring notable games: framing historical match-ups with a timely events lens.
This Sunday, the Seattle Sounders will open their 2026 MLS regular season when they host the Colorado Rapids. This matchup has held plenty of interesting moments – Dempsey doubles, reunions with homegrowns, Jordan Morris’ playoff ‘Flu Game’. None likely matched the excitement of the Sounders’ first-ever meeting with a side from the Rockies: also a Sunday home debut during the 1974 North American Soccer League (NASL) regular season versus the Denver Dynamos.
Date: May 12, 1974
Around the World
Italians rejoiced, retaining the right to divorce in a national vote. Some 19 million voted to maintain the right, while 13 million voted to be stripped of it – nearly a 60% turnout.
Around the Country
Tied 3-3, the Boston Celtics took on the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. The Celtics went on the road, beating the Wisconsin franchise 102-87 to win the championship. It would be 48 years before the Celtics won another Game 7 away from home.
Around the State
Expo ‘74 wrapped up its second weekend in Spokane. Twelve years following Seattle’s own World’s Fair, the dry side’s edition would be famous for being the first to be environmentally themed, using the slogan ‘Celebrating Tomorrow’s Fresh New Environment.’ Fairgoers could even take Amtrak between Seattle and Spokane at its most frequent service ever – 3 daily round trips, averaging 70 passengers per trip.
Seattle Sounders 4 - 0 Denver Dynamos
Memorial Stadium vibrated with energy. Sunday evening, May 12, 1974, some 12,132 people packed themselves in to see the Seattle Sounders take the field in their own stadium for the first time ever. After taking a tough 2-1 loss at the Los Angeles Aztecs on opening weekend, the home side hoped to rebound with a sellout crowd behind them. There was little better opportunity to do so than versus the Denver Dynamos – a fellow expansion side, and on a 2-game losing skid.
The game proved to be the remedy to cure Seattle’s wounds from the week prior. Midfielder Willie Penman struck fast and early: Not 2 minutes into the match, he received the ball 40 yards from goal, sprinting at the opposition and letting loose a screamer from 25 yards. The brilliant, driven strike was taken with his right foot, finding its way just inside the right post for a wonderful solo goal. Head Coach John Best* remembered years later: things “billowed out from the field and everyone went crazy”.
The Sounders didn’t let up. Eventual team-leading goalscorer John Rowlands* doubled the damage with a header off service from Bob Cram in the 13th minute. Rowlands was again the hero after intercepting a backpass from Denver’s Mike Hoban and sliding it past the intended recipient – goalkeeper Michael Poole – in the 34th minute. He would be on 3 goals in 2 games after having scored Seattle’s lone goal in their inaugural match.
John Best’s side wouldn’t wake up from their dream start. Tjeert Van’t Land put an exclamation point on the performance by making it 4-0 in the 86th minute, assisted by Bob Cram and Hank Liotart. Denver Dynamos’ Head Coach Ken Bracewell* had more than participated in his own nightmare: After 2 straight losses to open the season, he had started himself in central midfield and played the full 90.
NASL scoring was different – six points for a win, three points for a tie-win (no draws!), and a bonus point for each goal scored – up to 3 points, per team, per game. With a win (6), 3+ goals for (3) and a previous 1 goal scored (1), the Seattle Sounders moved up to 3rd in the Western Conference. Conference standings were as follows:
- San Jose - 14 points
- Los Angeles - 14 points
- Seattle - 10 points
- Vancouver - 8 points
*Personality Spotlight
John Best: The Seattle Sounders Head Coach had never managed before 1974 – fitting, for a team in its inaugural season. Starting his playing career capless at Liverpool, he went to Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County before moving to the United States in 1962. He bounced around clubs from there, along the way becoming a US citizen. This allowed him to represent the US in the international game, earning a lone cap in the final year of his playing career. He appeared in a 4-0 win over Bermuda in March 1973 – some eight months before two-time USMNT coach Bruce Arena earned his own solo cap as a player.
John Rowlands: On a heavily English-influenced side, Rowlands brought goalscoring might. Born in Liverpool, he started his career at Mansfield Town before becoming a journeyman of the English lower divisions, with stints in South Africa and America. He was last at Crewe Alexandria in the English fourth division before moving to Seattle.
Ken Bracewell: The NASL had a theme of English influence. Bracewell was no different. The English fullback was contracted at many relatively well known clubs – Burnley, Tranmere, Norwich, Lincoln City – among some NASL and Canadian National Soccer League sides. He was no stranger to splitting his responsibilities, acting as player-coach for the 1973 Atlanta Apollos to the tune of 12 appearances before replicating that role for the Dynamos.
Brian Schmetzer’s present-day Seattle Sounders will take the field versus their Colorado opposition once again on Sunday, February 22 at 6:15pm local time. Watch to see if they can replicate this historical result on Apple TV and FS1.
