Major League Soccer is taking its first shot at the NFT craze this week, launching a collection of street art to celebrate two weekend matches and four teams, including Seattle Sounders FC. The non-fungible tokens will be tied to nationally televised matches on Saturday between the Sounders and Atlanta United (1:30 p.m. PT on FOX) and the Portland Timbers and L.A. Galaxy (3:30 p.m. PT on ABC). On Friday, soccer fans and street art enthusiasts can go online at 3 p.m. PT to watch artists representing each club “battle” for an hour to create unique, limited edition, soccer-inspired artwork. The… Read More
Johnathan Davis has been cheering soccer in Seattle for the better part of 25 years. He was cheering again in Los Angeles this week during a huge victory for his hometown Sounders FC. The internet, and the Sounders, took notice. Born and raised in Maple Valley, Wash., as a kid Davis would go with his family to the Sounders’ North American Soccer League matches at Memorial Stadium. He has a love for traveling for big sporting events to support the teams he roots for — the Sounders, Seahawks, Mariners, Villanova University where he got his Masters, and Eastern Washington University… Read More
VAR made its debut at CenturyLink Field in Seattle this past weekend. VAR, also known as “video assistant referee,” is new technology that Major League Soccer is piloting to help review plays during live matches. It consists of an on-field monitor and an MLS official who communicates with referees while watching the game somewhere at a given stadium. MLS first began testing VAR this past February and expects to fully implement the system next month after the All-Star Game. It’s similar to video review protocols established by the NFL and more recently in Major League Baseball. The Seattle Sounders FC… Read More
AUSTIN, TX. — Count Don Garber among the folks who are looking forward to video assistant referee technology being used during Major League Soccer matches. The MLS commissioner was in Austin, Texas on Saturday for a 1-on-1 fireside chat at SXSW, the annual conference that features a bevy of top sports leaders talking about how technology is changing their respective games. Garber, interviewed on stage by Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl, voiced his support for the video assistant referees (VAR), which were tested during the preseason and will be used during actual games after the MLS All Star Game this August. The… Read More
