The Grass Saved Seattle: Why the U.S. Women's Team Finally Came Home

Nine years. That's how long it's been since the best women's soccer team on the planet touched down in Washington state. But Tuesday night at Lumen Field, that drought ends when the U.S. women's national team takes on Japan in a competitive match that's already shattered expectations before the first whistle.

More than 35,000 tickets have been sold. That's a record for a stand-alone women's soccer match in Seattle, breaking the 34,130 that showed up for Megan Rapinoe's farewell in 2023. And you can thank one thing for making it happen: grass.

The CBA That Changed Everything

Sounds weird, right? But here's the deal. When the U.S. Women's National Team Players Association locked down that landmark collective bargaining agreement with U.S. Soccer back in 2022, they made a non-negotiable demand: matches only on grass fields. That rule basically locked Seattle out for years, since Lumen Field runs primarily on artificial surface for the Sounders.

U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson broke it down: "Yes, is the short answer." Installing grass takes time, and it takes the stadium offline for extended periods. When you've got multiple teams using one venue, that's nearly impossible. "This was a unique moment and so we were excited about the opportunity to be able to do it," Batson said.

The Sounders played their only true home match of the season on the regular artificial surface earlier this year. Then work began in late February. Crews dropped 12 to 14 inches of sand and other base materials, and the actual sod got installed in the last couple of weeks. This is the same grass that'll be used for all matches leading up to next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil.

The Long Wait

Last time the U.S. women played in Washington? July 27, 2017 against Australia, also at Lumen Field. Before that, you have to go back to November 2002 for World Cup qualifiers at T-Mobile Park. In 2015, they played Brazil here as part of the celebration tour after winning the World Cup in Vancouver.

Coach Emma Hayes gets it. "It definitely was one of my aims. I really wanted the opportunity and quite rightly the CBA, we want to be playing on grass fields. So that prohibited that from happening and this opportunity gives us the chance to do that," she said. "I'm so happy to grab it with both hands and for us to have a record attendance for a women's game in this area. When I come here I feel the love for soccer in this region."

Building Toward Brazil

This three-game series with Japan is a crucial warmup before next year's Women's World Cup. Hayes wanted matches against teams from different confederations around the world to prepare. The U.S. opened the series with a 2-1 win in San Jose last Saturday. After Seattle, the series wraps up in Commerce City, Colorado on Friday.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.