We can stop pretending that a suburban stadium would be better for soccer in Seattle

Social media is absolutely flooded with the images, video and words showing a vibrant city and region full of the joys of our soccer heritage. The supposedly dying city of Seattle put on an exceptional show for the world's game and once again is convincing USMNT players to consider the Sounders for their next stop.

None of that happens with a suburban stadium in Renton. None of it.

The championship banners in Lumen? They'd be gone, reducing the symbols of local soccer excellence from the TV feed.

All those packed local bars with their Sounders scarves, posters and kits? Gone.

This isn't a hypothetical. Plenty of MLS teams are in metro areas hosting the World Cup. The other US MLS teams aren't getting this kind of love. LA hosted a bigger US win, but that match experience was not an advertisement for the Galaxy or LAFC.

When Santa Clara hosts the Round of 32 match you are not going to hear a word about the 50-year-old San Jose Earthquakes. If the US advances to the semis in Arlington you won't hear a peep about FC Dallas. If they make the final in East Rutherford the Red Bulls will be a footnote.

But when the world's game comes to Seattle the Sounders are the conversation, because this team is in the heart of a city and region that loves it.

Ripping the Sounders away from these types of moments for revenue control while eliminating the free marketing to players and fans is laughable. Renton's Legacy Square is doing a wonderful job for thousands of visitors a week. It is not Seattle. Nor is Southcenter's shows in Tukwila.

Moments like Friday, the future Women's World Cup matches and maybe even a US Round of 16 with hundreds of thousands of people experiencing Seattle's soccer culture are only possible while soccer is a major tenant in a downtown stadium.

It's why Don Garber praises the Sounders, and hardly ever mentions the flood of owners who built tiny houses in the burbs. "MLS isn't what it is without the Sounders."

The Sounders aren't what they are without Lumen Field in Seattle. Full stop.

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