A Beginner’s Guide to attending games at Starfire Stadium

There are few venues in American soccer that can boast the history of Starfire Stadium. Aside from a brief hiatus, the tiny Tukwila facility has been the Seattle Sounders’ primary home for U.S. Open Cup matches since as far back as 2005 and has hosted some amazing matches.

The Sounders have gone 25-1-2 throughout their history at Starfire, including two games earlier this year.

Wednesday’s game against LAFC promises to be one for the storybooks. Not only will LAFC boast arguably the most impressive roster to ever play a game here, but it will almost certainly feature the biggest crowd since the infamous Red Card Wedding in 2015 and possibly the stadium’s biggest crowd ever.

For those of you who have never been or need a refresher, this is a guide on navigating the unique challenges it presents.

Get there early

The first thing to know is that parking can be a challenge. There’s only one road in and out, which doesn’t lend itself to quick arrivals or departures. If you know you need to get home quickly, I’d suggest parking in one of the lots on Interurban Ave. S. It’s a bit of a walk, but the sidewalks have been improved which at least means you won’t be taking your life into your hands and you won’t have to wait in long lines to leave. The office parks surrounding Starfire also tend to making their lots available.

If you don’t drive

• Non-motorized: The walking infrastructure around Starfire has improved over the last few years. There are now some decent sidewalks along Interurban Ave and the Green River Trail is mostly open, which means you could theoretically walk or ride your bike from South Seattle or Kent.
• Train: The good news is that it’s only a 13-minute train ride from downtown Seattle to Tukwila Station and then another 20-minute walk along a path to Starfire. The bad news is that the train service is designed around commuting. So even though there are 10 Sounder South departures from Seattle between 2:35 and 6:30 PM, there’s no return service. If you really are dedicated to the bit, though, the Amtrak Cascade comes through Tukwila at 10:29 PM and costs $9. I would definitely recommend buying your ticket ahead of time.
• Light rail: Link light rail runs a lot more frequently, but the nearest station is Tukwila International Boulevard Station, which is not within walking distance. You could, however, catch the light rail, then transfer to the RapidRide F line, ride that for about 20 minutes, and then walk about 15 minutes from the nearest stop on Southcenter Boulevard.
• Bus: This is probably your best option if you want to take public transit, as the 150 bus takes you within a five-minute walk of the stadium. This same line takes you north from the Kent Transit Center or south from Downtown Seattle to the Tukwila Park and Ride on Interurban Avenue. It’s about a 25-minute ride from either direction and the bus runs every 20-30 minutes until midnight.

Food options

• Maybe the single biggest improvement at Starfire since 2017 is in the main dining option, Watershed FC. They serve mostly pizza and salad. Like the situation with parking, though, space is still pretty limited so I’d get there early if you want a seat.
• There’s also Cafe Sienna, which has coffee and other grab-and-go types of items.
• Outside the stadium, there aren’t too many options within walking distance. Probably the best option is a Mexican place called Birrieria Grumpys that specializes in shredded beef dishes. The quesa-birrias are my favorites but the ramen is pretty great, too.
• The only other options within walking distance are a Taco Del Mar and a Subway, but there’s a ton of stuff in and around Southcenter Mall as well as fast-food options farther down West Valley Highway.

Check out the beer garden

If there’s a signature element to games at Starfire, it’s probably the beer garden that is right behind one of the corner flags. It’s almost always crowded and your view will definitely be obstructed, but it’s still worth checking out, even if just for a few minutes. They also serve beer at the top of the main stands.

Be prepared to stand

There are no official rules about standing vs. sitting at Starfire — and I’m not making any judgments about how it “should” be — but in my experience, it ends up being pretty standing-heavy. That’s due in part to the reality that you need to stand to see the entire field from a lot of seats. If you know you have to sit, see about getting as close to the action as possible. The same goes for being in your assigned seats. The reality is that it’s almost all bench seating and there are virtually no ushers. We can talk all day about whether or not you “should” be able to show up whenever you want and know your seats are waiting for you, but the reality is that they probably won’t be unless you get there before kickoff.

Stay late

Leaving Starfire can be a bit of a pain, but there’s a decent reason to stick around. One of the special joys about watching games there is how the players need to pass down a long walkway on the way to the locker room. That walkway is totally accessible to fans and traditionally players stop to chat and sign autographs.