The Seattle Sounders will honor former player Roger Levesque prior to Saturday night’s Decision Day match against the Portland Timbers (6 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration.
You simply can’t tell the history of the Sounders-Timbers rivalry without mentioning Levesque.
He notched the only three goals in the Sounders two-game, 3-0 aggregate victory over the Timbers in the 2005 USL playoffs. Four years later, he scored within 48-seconds of a 2009 third round Open Cup match and added an iconic tree-chop celebration to go along with it.
“We were just trying to think of creative ways to get under the Timbers Army,” said Levesque of the falling timber imitation.
There is a reason why MLS named him one of the five greatest villains in rivalry history in a 2016 article: The Timbers loathed Levesque.
"Put the right makeup on him, and he could look like the Joker from Batman," former Sounders Head Coach Sigi Schmid told MLSsoccer.com at the time.
While he was the antihero in the Timbers origin story, he is one of the most cherished players in Sounders history.
Levesque was a part of the many milestones that have shaped the club into what it is today. From 2003 to 2012, the forward was played for the Sounders in the A-League, the USL and their monumental move to MLS in 2009. He supported the team to three U.S. Open Cup titles (2009,10,11), two USL First Division Championships (2005, 07), one USL First Division Commissioners Cup trophy (2007), and an A-League Western Conference Championship (2004). Levesque finished his career with 40 goals in 197 appearances for the Sounders organization.
The long-time player reflects on his experience with the club as “overwhelmingly positive.”
“The amount of joy that came through the game, came through my opportunity to participate with the Sounders, to play with the teammates that I did, and I think that the mantra, ‘If it's not fun, it's not soccer,’ was clear during my time playing, and continues to be an important part of my interaction with the game,” said Levesque.
The day-to-day schedule of training sessions, traveling and interactions in the locker room were just a few memories that stood out to Levesque as a player of the club. But, it was the people within these moments that made his tenure an unforgettable one.
Decision Day
It all comes down to this: the biggest rivalry in MLS. We host the Portland Timbers in the final match of the regular season, with playoff seeding, Cascadia Cup, and Concacaf Champions Cup qualification on the line.
“Those individuals who I got to experience those things with, is what sticks with me the most,” said Levesque. “I think it's not necessarily just the achievements, but the people and the passion across the board, both within the organization and the supporters.”
His impression of the organization remained the same after his retirement in 2012. So much so, he returned to the Sounders as a front office staff member.
“Once I finished playing, I thought the best way to make that impact was to go back to school,” said Levesque. “I went to business school at University of Washington, and then two years later, joined the business side of the Sounders as the Director of Community Outreach.”
Levesque is no longer a direct staff member of the club today but continues to work in unison with the Sounders as the Executive Director of Washington Youth Soccer and Board Member of the Rave Foundation.
“In the soccer world, Washington Youth Soccer has a great partnership with the Sounders and with the Rave Foundation and an alignment in just trying to grow the game and trying to give positive experiences on the youth side,” said Levesque.
TWO BEERS AND TWO TICKETS FOR $90
Michelob Ultra on the Sounders: Grab two tickets to our Rivalry match against Portland Timbers on October 19, plus two beers. Hurry, this limited time deal won't last for long.
Levesque is originally from Maine, but his time as a Sounders player and the doors that opened after made the decision easy for him to stay in the city of Seattle.
“Since I've been fortunate to be part of the Sounders organization, roots run deep here, and so I think the community and friendships have kept me here,” he said. “When Brian [Schmetzer] and Adrian [Hanauer] asked me to continue to come back in the USL days and gave me the opportunity to make the jump into MLS and then work on the business side, and now continue to do the work in parallel with the Sounders, it's a dream come true.”
What he learned as a Sounder has now carried over to his advocacy efforts today at the Rave Foundation and Washington Youth Soccer.
“There's a recognition that it is not just what happens on the field that is important,” said Levesque. “It is being a role model, how you have a positive impact in the community, down to how you treat others, not just your teammates or the staff, but people within the organization, with fans, with how you inspire the next generation of players.”
