Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), playing home matches at CenturyLink Field with a reduced capacity. It was established in November 2007 as an MLS expansion team; the first match of the inaugural season was played on March 19, 2009. It is the third team to bear the Sounders name, and the 15th team to join the league. The club set MLS records for average attendance for the first eight seasons. It competes with its local rivals, Portland and Vancouver, for the Cascadia Cup. Brian Schmetzer has been the team's head coach since 2016, replacing Sigi Schmid. Seattle has been among the league's most successful teams, winning the U.S. Open Cup four times, the Supporters' Shield in 2014, and the MLS Cup in 2016. The team has qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of its ten seasons and competed in the CONCACAF Champions League five times, advancing as far as the semifinals.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Sounders_FC

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1865:

American Civil War: The last battle of the Carolinas Campaign, the Battle of Bentonville, began, which contributed to the ultimate Union victory in the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bentonville

1911:

Socialist German politician Clara Zetkin helped to establish the first International Women's Day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Zetkin

1979:

The American cable television network C-SPAN, dedicated to airing non-stop coverage of government proceedings and public affairs programming, was launched. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-SPAN

2011:

Libyan Civil War: The French Air Force launched Opération Harmattan, beginning foreign military intervention in Libya. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Op%C3%A9ration_Harmattan

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

skulduggery: 1. (countable) A devious device or trick. 2. (uncountable) Dishonest, underhanded, or unscrupulous activities or behaviour. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skulduggery

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

No government can long endure unless its citizens are willing to make some sacrifice for its existence. In this, our land, we are called upon to give but little in return for the advantages which we receive. Shall we give that little grudgingly? Our definition of patriotism is often too narrow. Shall the lover of his country measure his loyalty only by his service as a soldier? No! Patriotism calls for the faithful and conscientious performance of all of the duties of citizenship, in small matters as well as great, at home as well as upon the tented field.   --William Jennings Bryan https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan