List of Golden Scarf recipients explained

The Golden Scarf is awarded by Seattle Sounders FC to "honor members of [the Seattle] community who are either part of the soccer scene or have done remarkable things for society in Seattle."^[1] It was renamed in honor of former majority owner Joe Roth in 2019.^[2]

During the pre-game ceremonies of the inaugural home match of the Sounders FC, a Golden Scarf emblazoned with the team name was awarded to MLS Commissioner Don Garber.^[3] This began a tradition where, before each home game, the club likewise honors a member of the community who has contributed to soccer or society more generally in the Seattle area.

The recipient and the fans then raise their scarves over their heads together. The presenter of the Golden Scarf, usually a representative of the club's owners, is also acknowledged as part of the ceremony.^[2]

2009 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 19, 2009	New York Red Bulls	Don Garber	MLS Commissioner
March 28, 2009	Real Salt Lake	Jimmy Gabriel^[4]	NASL Sounders player and coach^[5]
April 11, 2009	Kansas City Wizards	Robbie Bach^[6]	Microsoft executive^[7]
April 24, 2009	San José Earthquakes	Jimmy McAlister^[8]	NASL Sounders player^[9]
May 10, 2009	Los Angeles Galaxy	Meredith Teague	2009 NCAA Div II soccer National Player of the Year^[10]
May 31, 2009	Columbus Crew	Jim Mora^[11]	Seahawks head coach^[12]
June 13, 2009	San José Earthquakes	Fred Mendoza^[13]	Washington State Public Stadium Authority (Qwest Field) chairman^[14]
June 17, 2009	D.C. United	Sue Bird & Swin Cash^[15]	WNBA Seattle Storm team^[16]
June 28, 2009	Colorado Rapids	Lorenzo Romar^[17]	UW Men's Basketball coach^[18]
July 11, 2009	Houston Dynamo	Doug Andreassen	Washington Youth Soccer President^[19]
July 18, 2009	Chelsea	Dale Chihuly^[20]	Glass artist, creator of the sculpture presented to friendly opponents^[21]
July 25, 2009	Chicago Fire	Mike Ryan^[22]	First U.S. women's national soccer team coach^[23]
August 5, 2009	FC Barcelona	Bill Russell^[24]	NBA Hall of Famer and Seattle resident^[25]
August 20, 2009	New England Revolution	John Nordstrom^[26]	NASL Sounders co-founder^[27]
August 29, 2009	Toronto FC	Michelle Akers^[28]	Former US Women's National Team striker^[29]
September 19, 2009	Chivas USA	Alan Hinton^[30]	Former coach of NASL Sounders^[31]
October 24, 2009	FC Dallas	Sounders FC Alliance Council Members^[32]	Honoring the Sounders FC fans^[33]
October 29, 2009	Houston Dynamo	Chris Henderson^[34]	Sounders FC Technical Director^[35]

2010 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 26, 2010	Philadelphia Union	Cliff McCrath^[36]	Seattle Sounders (NASL) scout
April 3, 2010	New York Red Bulls	Tim Murray^[37]	Seattle Sounders FC fan
April 17, 2010	Kansas City Wizards	Marian Bowers^[38]	Owner and Manager of the Tacoma Stars
May 1, 2010	Columbus Crew	Susan Cole^[39]	Seattle Sounders FC fan
May 8, 2010	Los Angeles Galaxy	Linda Velie	Washington Youth Soccer Hall of Famer and first female to referee a US Professional match
May 22, 2010	San Jose Earthquakes	Tim Busch^[40]	Seattle Sounders FC fan
May 26, 2010	Boca Juniors	Peter Fewing^[41]	Former NASL Sounders player, head coach of Kitsap Pumas
June 5, 2010	New England Revolution	Michelle French^[42]	Seattle Sounders Women midfielder
July 25, 2010	Colorado Rapids	Teddy Mitalas^[43]
October 10, 2010	Chivas USA	Hope Solo^[44] ^[45]	Goalkeeper for the U.S. Women's National Team

2011 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 15, 2011	LA Galaxy	Gerard Schwarz	Seattle Symphony conductor
May 14, 2011	Portland Timbers	Jeff Stock & Mark Peterson	Former NASL Sounders players
June 11, 2011	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Virginia Mason
July 20, 2011	Manchester United	Bryan Robson	English football manager and former Manchester United player
October 15, 2011	San Jose Earthquakes	Kasey Keller	Retired Seattle Sounders FC goalkeeper

2012 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
July 8, 2012	Chelsea FC	Roger Davies	English footballer, MVP of the North American Soccer League in 1980
October 7, 2012	Portland Timbers	Roger Levesque	Retired Seattle Sounders FC player
October 21, 2012	FC Dallas	Justice Steven Gonzalez

2013 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
May 18, 2013	FC Dallas	Pat Raney
June 8, 2013	Vancouver	John Best	Seattle Sounders Head Coach 1974 - 1976 / defender from Liverpool England
September 13, 2013	Real Salt Lake	Brad Owen	15th lieutenant governor of Washington
October 27, 2013	LA Galaxy	Bob Robertson	Legendary Sportscast Announcer Original Sounders / WSU Cougars

2015 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
June 20, 2015	San Jose Earthquakes	Jason Collins
align=right	August 30, 2015	Portland Timbers	Megan Rapinoe and Hope Solo	Members of the United States women's national soccer team

2016 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
June 26, 2016	New York City FC	Mayor Ed Murray	Former mayor of Seattle
July 31, 2016	LA Galaxy	Steve Zakuani	Former Sounders midfielder
August 21, 2016	Portland Timbers	Washington Youth Soccer	Washington nonprofit organization bringing soccer opportunities to kids and youth
October 23, 2016	Real Salt Lake	Zach Scott	Retired Seattle Sounders FC defender

2017 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
June 4, 2017	Houston Dynamo	Dr. Stephen Newby	Matchday Anthem Leader/Singer, 2009-2017
August 20, 2017	Minnesota United FC	Adrian Webster and Davey Butler	Original Sounders 1974-1979
September 27, 2017	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Austen Everett	Founder of Austen Everett Foundation, former NCAA Goalie
October 15, 2017	FC Dallas	Dave Gillett	Original Sounder 1975-1980 Defender #17

2018 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 31, 2018	Montreal Impact	Thomas Webb
May 5, 2018	Columbus Crew SC	Mike McCready	Lead guitarist for Pearl Jam
June 23, 2018	Chicago Fire	Mary Harvey	Former USWNT goalkeeper
July 29, 2018	New York City FC	Andrew Lofton
September 1, 2018	Sporting Kansas City	Clint Dempsey	Retired Seattle Sounders FC forward 2013-2018

2019 Recipients

Date	Opponent	Recipient	Notes
March 2, 2019	FC Cincinnati	Sigi Schmid	Seattle Sounders FC head coach, 2009–2016
June 29, 2019	Vancouver Whitecaps FC	Chad Marshall	Retired Seattle Sounders FC defender, 2014–2019
July 21, 2019	Portland Timbers	Lesle Gallimore and Amy Griffin
September 15, 2019	New York Red Bulls	Joe Roth	Former majority owner of Seattle Sounders FC
October 6, 2019	Minnesota United FC	Brad Evans	Retired Seattle Sounders FC captain

Notes and References

1. Web site: The Golden Scarf . October 13, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC.
2. Web site: The Joe Roth Golden Scarf . Seattle Sounders FC . October 6, 2019.
3. News: José Miguel . Romero . Sounders FC fans' passion bowls over commissioner . The Seattle Times . March 24, 2009 . May 3, 2009 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090430095955/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2008917847_sounders25.html . April 30, 2009 .
4. Web site: Sounders FC vs. SJ Quakes game thread . May 3, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . April 25, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20090330185549/http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/sounders/2009/03/28/game_thread_sounders_fc-real_s.html . March 30, 2009 . dead .
5. Web site: Golden Scarf - Jimmy Gabriel. Ventrella. Tony. March 28, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
6. Web site: Wizards 1, Sounders 0: Postgame discussion . May 3, 2009 . Ruiz . Don . April 13, 2009 . The News Tribune . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090414123647/http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/soccer/2009/04/11/counting_down_wizards_sounders_kickoff_a_30 . April 14, 2009 .
7. Web site: Golden Scarf: Robbie Bach. Ventrella. Tony. April 11, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
8. Web site: Game thread, Sounders FC-Real Salt Lake . May 3, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . March 28, 2009 . The Seattle Times . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090429093946/http://blog.seattletimes.nwsource.com/sounders/2009/04/25/sounders_fc_vs_sj_quakes_game.html . April 29, 2009 .
9. Web site: Golden Scarf: Jim McAlister . Ventrella. Tony. April 24, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
10. Web site: Golden Scarf: Meredith Teague . Ventrella. Tony. May 10, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
11. Web site: Golden Scarf presentation . June 1, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . May 31, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20090630171102/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009281780_golden_scarf_presentation.html . June 30, 2009 . live .
12. Web site: Golden Scarf: Jim Mora . Ventrella. Tony. May 31, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
13. Web site: Lineups lineups, tonight's lineups . June 13, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . June 13, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20090617061409/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009336311_lineups_lineups_tonights_lineu.html . June 17, 2009 . live .
14. Web site: Golden Scarf:Fred Mendoza . Ventrella. Tony. June 13, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
15. Web site: Golden Scarf awarded to Bird and Cash . June 18, 2009 . Edelman . Byron . June 18, 2009 . Seattle Post-Intelligencer . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807083512/http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlesports/archives/171562.asp?from=blog_last3 . August 7, 2011 . live .
16. Web site: Golden Scarf: Seattle Storm . Ventrella. Tony. June 17, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
17. Web site: Romar receives Sounders' Golden Scarf . July 4, 2009 . Ruiz . Don . June 28, 2009 . The News Tribune .
18. Web site: Golden Scarf: Lorenzo Romar . Ventrella. Tony. June 28, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
19. Web site: Golden Scarf: Doug Andreassen. Ventrella. Tony. July 11, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
20. Web site: Game thread, Sounders FC vs. Chelsea . July 18, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . July 18, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20121015165126/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009495781_game_thread_sounders_fc_vs_che.html . October 15, 2012 . live .
21. Web site: Golden Scarf: Dale Chihuly. Ventrella. Tony. July 18, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
22. Web site: The banners at Qwest . July 26, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . July 25, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20120201112441/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009538162_the_banners_at_qwest.html . February 1, 2012 . live .
23. Web site: Golden Scarf: Mike Ryan. Ventrella. Tony. July 25, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
24. Web site: Sounders FC-FC Barcelona game thread . August 8, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . August 5, 2008 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20090809053947/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009606556_sounders_fc-fc_barcelona_game.html . August 9, 2009 . live .
25. Web site: Golden Scarf: Bill Russell. Ventrella. Tony. August 5, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
26. Web site: Game thread, Sounders FC vs. Revs . August 24, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . August 20, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604092559/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009702325_game_thread_sounders_fc_vs_rev.html . June 4, 2011 . live .
27. Web site: Golden Scarf: John Nordstrom. Ventrella. Tony. August 20, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
28. Web site: Portgame discussion: Sounders 0, Toronto 0 . August 30, 2009 . Ruiz . Don . August 29, 2009 . The News Tribune . https://web.archive.org/web/20100111183309/http://blogs.thenewstribune.com/soccer/2009/08/29/p44781 . January 11, 2010 . dead .
29. Web site: Golden Scarf: Michelle Akers. Ventrella. Tony. August 29, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
30. Web site: Honoring the Sounders past, and celebrating the Cup . September 20, 2009 . Romero . José Miguel . September 19, 2009 . The Seattle Times . https://web.archive.org/web/20110604102608/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2009901416_honoring_the_sounders_past_and.html . June 4, 2011 . live .
31. Web site: Golden Scarf: Alan Hinton. Ventrella. Tony. September 19, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
32. Web site: Sounders FC- FC Dallas game thread . October 25, 2009 . José Miguel . Romero . October 24, 2009 . The Seattle Times.
33. Web site: Golden Scarf: Sounders Alliance Council . Ventrella. Tony. October 24, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
34. News: José Miguel . Romero . Sounders FC, Houston play to scoreless tie . The Seattle Times. October 29, 2009 . October 31, 2009 .
35. Web site: Golden Scarf: Chris Henderson. Ventrella. Tony. October 29, 2009. Seattle Sounders FC. December 31, 2009.
36. News: José Miguel . Romero . Sounders FC, Houston play to scoreless tie . Soundersfc.com. March 25, 2010.
37. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Tim Murray. Soundersfc.com. March 25, 2010.
38. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Marian Bowers. Soundersfc.com. April 17, 2010.
39. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Susan Cole. Soundersfc.com. May 1, 2010.
40. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Tim Busch. Soundersfc.com. May 22, 2010.
41. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Pete Fewing. Soundersfc.com. May 26, 2010. May 27, 2010.
42. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Michelle French. Soundersfc.com. June 5, 2010. June 5, 2010.
43. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Teddy Mitalas. Soundersfc.com. July 5, 2010. July 5, 2010.
44. News: Tony. Ventrella . Golden Scarf: Hope Solo. Soundersfc.com. October 15, 2010. August 5, 2011.
45. October 15, 2010. Golden Scarf – Hope Solo. soundersfcdotcom. August 5, 2011 .