Youth Development Program

The Happiest Sounder

Joseph Gillies Image

A long journey has brought Joseph Gillies and his endearing smile to the Sounders FC Academy.

Joseph Gillies smiles a lot.


Whether he is talking about school, the food he eats or the family he spent the last four years of his life living with while in Uganda.


There are two things that he saves a special smile for - soccer and his adopted family in Maple Valley, Wash.


To understand where that smile comes from - the many miles it has traveled and the many hardships it took to create the beaming glow on the face of the 15-year-old Sounders FC Academy player - can be painful.  It even brings his mother, Suzy Gillies, to tears talking about it.


He didn’t have much growing up in Uganda.  But much of what he did have was stripped away when his birth father died when Joseph was just six years old.  Four years later, that little that remained was taken too when his mother died, leaving him and his eight brothers and sisters virtually on their own.


That is where his journey that brings him to the rave green begins - and where the smile meets its origin.

2026 Season Membership Deposits

2026 Season Membership Deposits

Feel the pull of the Sound and step into something bigger. 2026 will continue to put Seattle soccer on the world stage, so there's no better time to join the Rave Green and grow with the Sounders legacy. Secure your seat alongside the best fans in MLS.

Two Tickets & Two Beers (vs. Portland Timbers)

Two Tickets & Two Beers (vs. Portland Timbers)

Come out to Lumen Field to watch your Seattle Sounders take on Portland with this special ticket offer sponsored by Michelob Ultra. For just $40 + Taxes & Fees, get two tickets & two beers for the match. For 21+ fans only and drinks must be picked up in the North Plaza 21+ beer garden prior to kickoff.

Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. PT on October 4.

Match & Merch Bundle (vs. Portland Timbers)

Match & Merch Bundle (vs. Portland Timbers)

Add a limited-edition Cascadia Rivalry t-shirt to your ticket to the Portland Timbers match. Matchday pick up info will be communicated prior to the match via email.

Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. PT on October 4.