Sports Business
Sounders Fans Trigger Seismographs During MLS Cup
Sounders fans are well-known for their synchronized rhythmic jumping
By Rob Smith November 11, 2019
Sounders fans ‘are well-known for their synchronized rhythmic jumping’
Jubilant Seattle Sounders fans set off seismographic machines used to measure earthquakes during the club’s 3-1 MLS Cup victory over Toronto FC.
The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network installed one seismograph at CenturyLink Field and another outside it as part of what it calls the “SoundersFC Soccer Shake” experiment. During each of the Sounders’ three second-half goals, the machine picked up “very obvious” ground movement.
“At first glance the second goal seems to have been stronger than the first but the third maybe not quite as strong,” according to a blog post on the PNSN website. “The SounderFC fans are particularly well known for their synchronized rhythmic jumping together.”
The 69,274 fans set a new franchise and CenturyLink record for attendance. It’s also the second-most all-time attendance for MLS, behind last year’s Cup, which drew 73,019 fans, according to Major League Soccer.
The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, which is operated by the University of Washington and University of Oregon, said it conducted the experiment as a training exercise. It is headquartered on the UW campus.