Go Sounders! Get Mental!

John & Molly Otter, Kathy Fertitta,
Rachael Podolsky, Cathi Hatch

On Saturday evening, fifty ZINO Society members and guests were treated to a Sounders FC Private Suite for the season opener game against Montreal.  The Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC is a brand-new annual sponsor for ZINO Society and what fun we all had together!

Meg Landies, Jon Staenberg, Claire Dillow

Neither Ken or I had ever attended a professional soccer game, so we didn't really know what to expect.  When we arrived one and one-half hours before the game, people were lined up on every level in the parking garage just waiting to get inside the stadium.  Obviously, this is a group of fans that comes early!  People were dressed very casually and mostly in shades of lime green and blue.  Most of the fans wore scarves around their necks in the Sounders' colors.

Brian Vowinkel, Brad Vancour, John Otter

The fan spirit was amazing.  There was a torrential downpour (which we safely missed since we were inside a suite), which did not seem to dampen the spirits of the fans wearing lime green slickers in the end zones.  When people were instructed to wave their scarves, everyone pulled off their scarves and held them horizontally out in front and waved them in support of the team as they entered the field.  Another nice touch was that the national anthems of both countries (Canada and USA) were performed before the game began and everyone stood up respectfully during both anthems.

Chris & Jeannae Dishman

Andrew & Monica Martinez, 
Greg & Christine Carlson

Chaitra & Ram Dutt, Cathi Hatch

Claire Dillow, our ZINO Society Events & Marketing Manager, served as a Sounders ball girl when she was younger, so she was definitely the expert that I kept asking when I couldn't understand a referee's call.  Ken calls me the "Sports Babe" when we attend spectator sports because I generally know the rules and can explain to him what is going on, but that was certainly not the case with soccer!

It was not a high-scoring game since the final score was 1-Montreal, 0-Seattle, so there was plenty of time to talk with other guests, and enjoy the game day food buffet.  The featured ZINO Society Wine and Beer Professional Members were Monica & Andrew Martinez of Martinez & Martinez, Jon Staenberg of Hand of God Wines and Rick Hewitt of Emerald City Beer. and we enjoyed sampling their selections while we noshed on hot dogs and bacon sliders and hot chicken wings.