Welcome to Sounder at Heart, where we do our best to cover the professional soccer scene in and around Seattle. As you hopefully know by now, we’re a primarily reader-supported operation after leaving SB Nation in August 2023. The good news is that we don’t have a ton of ads gumming up your reader experience, but it does mean we rely on people like you to keep this operation going.
It also means that using Sounder at Heart is possibly a little more complicated than it used to be as we add new features and move things around. On this page, we’ll do our best to answer any questions you might have. If you don’t find the answer you’re looking for, feel free to shoot us an email and we’ll get back to you ASAP.
Do I need to have a membership to read the site?
No. The vast majority of what we publish doesn’t require you to do anything. We do require a free membership to read some stories and we also periodically put our more in-depth reporting and analysis behind a paywall, but we want to make most of our content available to everyone with as little friction as possible.
Do I need a membership to comment?
Kinda. Separate from any profile you might create to read stories, you’ll need a separate free account to comment. In an attempt to recreate something close to the user experience on our SB Nation site, we are using the same software that powered that commenting system and it does require you to sign-in separately.
What are you going to do with my information if I create an account?
The only thing we’ll do with your information is send you emails periodically, and even then we’ll only send you emails you sign up for. We aren’t selling your data to anyone and the only thing we use cookies for is to keep you from having to sign in every time you visit the site.
What are the benefits to becoming a paid member?
Aside from doing your part to support independent soccer media, all of our membership tiers give you access to all of our written stories as well as all of our podcast episodes. There are other perks at higher tiers you can read about here, but the most popular one is gaining access to our members-only Discord which starts at the Supporter tier. There are several hundred active members there and a pretty steady discourse, especially when something newsy happens or there’s a game. If you’re looking for someplace to find near constant Sounders and Reign dialogue, that’s a pretty awesome place to hang out.
Is there a way to pay you without becoming a member?
There is! You can leave us a tip of any amount.
I’m already a Supporter. How do I get access to the Discord?
Just shoot us an email and we’ll send you an invite.
I seem to have lost access to the private podcast RSS feed. How do I regain access?
You were probably subscribed to the old podcast feed. We recently moved it. This page will explain how to get resubscribed.
How do I get my questions answered on Nos Audietis?
You’ll need to join the Discord.
Why does it seem like I have to sign-in every time I visit the site?
The way our site works is that the first time you sign in, it saves a cookie that should keep you signed in for at least six months before expiring. If you’re using a new browser, a new device, or use private/incognito mode, you will likely be prompted to sign in again and you’ll be sent a link to your email. If you’re visiting us from a link on social media, there’s also a good chance that you’ll need to sign in. You can avoid that annoyance by going into your social media account and directing it to open links in your default browser. If you’re having trouble figuring that out, shoot us an email and we’ll walk you through the process.
Wouldn’t it be easier if you just let me create a password?
It might be, but honestly it’s out of our control.
Do you have affiliate links?
We do! If you’re so inclined, you can give us a little extra money by using our links to buy stuff like MLS Season Pass or the new Sounders jersey.
Did you stop updating your X and Facebook pages?
Yes. But we’re still on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram and YouTube.