Seattle Sounders FC 2 are moving south a couple years ahead of schedule.
The Sounders announced on Wednesday that their USL team’s previously-announced move to Tacoma, Washington will happen in 2018. S2 will play their matches at Cheney Stadium, home of the Tacoma Rainiers AAA baseball team, until a soccer-specific stadium (rendering pictured above) is constructed within the site’s footprint.
Under the terms of the partnership, the Sounders will maintain leadership over S2’s soccer operations and sporting infrastructure and the team will continue to train at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash. The Rainiers, the top affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, will operate the business side of the USL club.
The team will eventually be re-branded to reflect its new home, with Tacoma fans set to have influence over the identity of their new club. Details of that identity process are forthcoming, with the team set to play under the S2 moniker in the interim.
S2 recently completed their third season in USL, finishing 2017 in 12th in the Western Conference.
The Sounders will host the Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of their Western Conference Semifinal series at CenturyLink Field on Thursday night (10:30 pm ET; FS1 in the US | TSN5, TVAS in Canada).
