Gabriel is bridge between "Sounders"

Pepe Fernandez, Jimmy Gabriel, Adrian Hanauer, Alan Hinton.
Jenni Conner photo.

Matt Gaschk reports in today's Seattle P-I:

Though it took some time to catch on, the imprint of Gabriel and the long list of players and coaches who brought big-time soccer to Seattle in the NASL will be remembered through the new team's name.

"The fans wanted to call this team Seattle Sounders, and the way they did it was fantastic," Gabriel said of the grass-roots write-in campaign that landed the MLS club on its name. "It shows that we left an impression. (Former Sounders coach Alan Hinton) and I were especially proud that the fans wanted to keep the name."