The Seattle Sounders will honor former player Wade Webber prior to Saturday night’s home match against New England Revolution (7:30 p.m. PT; Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 950 KJR AM, SiriusXM FC, El Rey 1360AM | TICKETS) as part of the 50th Anniversary celebration.
In Nov. of 2023, Wade Webber took over the role of Director of Development for the Seattle Sounders. But, his affiliation with the club came long before that.
A Federal Way native, Webber’s loyalty toward the organization has been with him since he was a child. Growing up a fan of the club, it was the only team he dreamt about playing for.
“It was everything,” said Webber. “I didn't want to play for anyone else.”
He accomplished just that, beginning with the team’s first year back after folding in 1983. From 1994-1996, the Sounders and Webber competed in the APSL where he supported the team to the league’s semifinal match in its first-year return to professional soccer and the club’s back-to-back titles in ‘95 and ‘96.
“It was exciting to start that again in ‘94,” said Webber. “And to feel the buzz of just that [statement], ‘The Sounders are back.’”
Webber went on to compete with MLS sides Dallas Burn and Miami Fusion in his final few years of playing professionally, but his homecoming back to the Pacific Northwest was inevitable.
“It was always going to be the place that I returned to,” said Webber. “My wife and I went to school together, and we're locals, so we were never going to leave the Northwest.”
“This is a place, a location, a culture that I've always felt in touch with,” he added.
Webber’s love for soccer continued after he finished playing, entering the Washington coaching scene immediately after retiring.
“The minute I retired, I called [former Sounders coach and player] Neil Megson to try and get Gary Heale’s phone number,” said Webber. “He gave me a number, but it didn't work and Neil called me back and said, ‘Hey, why did you want to talk to Gary?’ I explained and then Neil, who coached Norpoint FC, a club in Northeast Tacoma, said, ‘Hey, I've got a team,’ and with that team, I wound up coaching Lamar Neagle.”
His Washington youth soccer experience extends to coaching at Federal Way Reign and FC Royals, joining the Washington State EDP/ODP program where he supported the 2001 (U-15) Boys side to the Region IV Championship, and eventually serving as the Director of Coaching for Washington Premier FC for seven years.
“I always had a team kind of trickling along for like 16 years,” said Webber.
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His time in the club soccer scene was overshadowed, however, by his desire to reunite with the Sounders and the organization's development pathway.
“For me, I'm better at teaching young people how to develop the skills necessary to be successful in the game,” said Webber. “And that's why I wanted to get in as I thought this is something that I could be good at.”
His passion for aiding top-tier youth players in their soccer journeys led him to coaching in the Sounders Academy and assisting Tacoma Defiance for three years before becoming the second team’s Head Coach in 2021. From there, his prowess in the field of development advanced the team to the 2021 USL Championship match, the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals when Defiance transitioned to MLS NEXT Pro, and two consecutive Pacific Division titles (‘22, ‘23).
“As far as working with that level of player and getting that player then to progress up the ranks, that always appealed to me,” said Webber.
First Team players like Paul Rothrock and Jackson Ragen are amongst the few people who Webber helped to achieve the highest progression of competing professionally.
“[The First Team] is really fun for me to watch because I know so many of the players and I've known them since they were much younger,” said Webber. “And so to see them having success on a stage like that is heartwarming.”
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“Commitment” was the word that came to mind when Webber was asked what it meant to be a Sounder.
The former defender embodies exactly that.
Whether it be as a fan, player, or a coach, his allegiance has remained true to the organization for decades, and it continues to be present today as he navigates his newest role as Director of Development.
“My job didn't exist, not very long ago,” said Webber. “And so I feel very fortunate to be able to work for the club and in a role that my skill set is ideally suited for.”
