Ship's Log, April 26: They grow up so fast

Dave Clark -

One of the absolute joys of being a Sounder is that we watch people who go to the same coffeeshops we do grow from pre-teen to MLS star, right here. This isn't common. Most of professional organizations lose those players to better teams – like Dallas and Philly.

This happens at every level of the organization. Back when I was working full-time for Defiance, the RAVE Foundation opened a mini-pitch in Burien. It was at a park where Danny Robles played, next to a school in the district he went to. He was in high school and the symbology of a pro player visiting that space to meet the kids was strong.

But the rest of Defiance showed up, too. As did a few of the fringe Sounders who bounced between the two teams. Josh Atencio was among the players there.

Danny's journey from symbol of hope for kids, to pro, to amateur champion, back to professionalism is a joy. He's now a symbol of Defiance, older with a beard, not the teen my memory insists he is.

Josh is also no longer a teen, also bearded. He gets to play against his best friends in soccer. He and Danny and Jackson and Paulie go back nearly a decade. He wants to win. Good for him. He won't tho. Sorry Josh.

I'm not going to list all of the hopes and dreams we've watched be realized by our neighbors. I am going to remind you that from our seas and skies, our peaks and pines we grew World Cup players, USMNT talents, a Canadian, a Puerto Rican, MLS stars, MLS regulars, an army of lower division talents.

These former youts grow into men with their own families, with kids. They become captions, coaches, local non-soccer leaders.

Stuck in our brains as lanky children our former Academy talents are now adults. The rush of time doesn't stop.

And this club is doing that while also winning, a lot.

I'm still sad that I have to watch Josh lose a game tonight, but I'm proud that he'll carry the 425 and 509 with him forever. Because he's one of us. He's older, wiser.

And maybe someday, like Danny and Lamar he'll come back. Being a Sounder is eternal.

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Catching up on Sounder at Heart

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Sounders

Next match: Saturday, April 26 at Colorado Rapids | 6:30 pm PT | MLS Season Pass

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Next match: Saturday, April 26 vs. Bay FC | 7 pm PT | iON

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Next match: Saturday, April 26 vs. St. Louis City II | 7 pm PT | YouTube

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