

Today marks the first day of a new exhibit at the MOHAI (Museum Of History And Industry) in Seattle. They've ransacked the closets of former players and coaches like Brian Shmetzer, Fredy Montero, Taylor Graham, and Roger Levesque. They've absconded with every trophy the Sounders have won including three giant US open Cup trophies. They've taken these artifacts and created a beautiful exhibit of the Sounders' full history in Seattle.

I was lucky enough to have the day off in order to get to MOHAI about an hour after it had opened. The mix of Sounders folk and tourists is met with the display as soon as they walk in the door. Some of the docents took the opportunity to show up to work decked out in their won Sounders gear. Same can be said for the guests of course. Though I did notice more NASL era Sounders gear than I expected. One man I met was wearing a shirt he bought specifically to wear in Portland for Seattle's Soccer Bowl appearance in 1977. He kept remarking how surprised he was that he could still fit in it after all these years. (pardon the thin shirt. They had the AC going.)

The rest of the photos are located here

The exhibit itself combines jerseys, posters, video highlights, and other memorabilia on the main floor. One neat detail is the banner put up behind the exhibit. It includes the names of all Sounders players in alphabetical order by first name. NASL, USL, A-League, and MLS all together. The exhibit will be on for while but today is the only day with FREE admission and Brad Evans will be signing autographs at about 5:30 this evening.

Also, the museum itself is worth the price on entry. Give MOHAI a look the next time you're near Lake Union and have an hour or two to kill.