Cassie Miller Shines, Reign Top Thorns 2-0 to Split Cascadia Series
The Seattle Reign came into Sunday's rematch with their vaunted rival Portland Thorns at 4-6-2 and losers of four of their last five games.
But records never matter in the biggest grudge match in the NWSL, and Seattle proved it by delivering the Thorns their only shutout loss of the season to place Portland at 8-4-3 in a 2-0 win. Seattle moved up to 10th place with the win, still three points out of a top-eight playoff spot with a game in hand over the Orlando Pride.
Reserve keeper Cassie Miller, in for the second straight week for injured star Claudia Dickey (ankle), had the game of her life to earn the clean sheet. Miller tabbed nine saves in front of nearly 15,000 fans - Seattle's fourth-highest attendance figure in any match. It marked the full circle of a story for the 31-year-old that featured a leg injury which forced her to miss most of the 2025 season.
Also rounding out a comeback story was right back Ryanne Brown. Brown tore her ACL during the 2024 season, prompting her to miss all of 2025 and play just 22 minutes total in 2026 in the lead-up to Sunday.
She earned her first start with typical starter Madison Curry (ankle) out with an injury, and scored an incredible long distance goal to open the scoring. Maddie Mercado doubled the advantage later in the first half while Miller endured 10 shots on frame to seal a 2-0 win.
Head coach Laura Harvey, who hasn't had much to smile about on the field lately, put this game up there with any of Seattle's performances in 2026.
"It was probably the closest to the best 90-minute performance that I can probably remember since (the 2-1 win) over Orlando (in March)," Harvey said. "Really proud of the group."
Chants of "Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put the Thorns on the top!" rang out as time wound down on a picture perfect day - one that could turn Seattle's season around.
Seahawks to Be Sold to Group Led by Vinod, Neal Khosla for Record $9.6 Billion
Just a few weeks away from the start of training camp, the Seattle Seahawks will soon have a new ownership group calling the shots after a record-setting investment to purchase the franchise.
As confirmed by the Estate of Paul G. Allen, a sale agreement has been reached with an ownership group fronted by the Khosla family, including entrepreneur Vinod Khosla, making them the controlling owners of the franchise once the purchase has been finalized. While the Seahawks did not reveal any specifics on the finances behind the deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Seth Wickersham reported the Seahawks will be sold for a record $9.6 billion, the most for any sports franchise.
"We are honored to be entrusted as the next stewards of the Seattle Seahawks,” Vinod Khosla said on behalf of the Khosla family in a released statement from the Seahawks. “We look forward to building on the winning legacy Paul Allen created and to earning the trust of the Seahawks organization and fans everywhere.”
Mario Saint-Supery Shockingly Leaves Gonzaga, Plans to Play With Valencia in Spain
Up until two months ago, Gonzaga was able to dream of deploying a starting backcourt of Mario Saint-Supéry and Jack Kayil for the 2026-27 season. Now in mid-July, neither player is on the roster.
Saint-Supéry, who appeared in all 35 games for the Zags last year and started in 17, announced Saturday that he was leaving Spokane to play for Valencia Basket back in his home country of Spain.
This decision is truly shocking for the Bulldogs. Not only is it crushing to lose your starting point guard this late in the offseason, but it is compounded by Kayil’s decision to stay in the NBA Draft process in May. Gonzaga will likely attempt to replace Saint-Supéry with another international player or resort to the traditional transfer portal. Still, options are severely limited with just four months to go until the regular season.
Mariners Drop Fourth Straight as Randy Arozarena Mishap Causes Tension
The Mariners are back under .500, with a 47-48 record nearly 60% of the way through the year, reeling from their fourth straight loss in Florida on Friday, this time by a score of 7-2. With the result, the Rays have won 12 of their last 16, while the M’s have lost 10 of their last 16.
The first inning was something of a microcosm of the way these two teams entered the game, one with tons of fight and firepower and the other limping along. The final line from that frame of zero runs for either team was reached two starkly different ways: from the Mariners, it was three ground ball outs, but for the Rays, it was a double, a walk, and an infield single to create a pickle for Mariners starter Luis Castillo.
Its greatest and most obvious microcosm was the defense. J.P. Crawford, on the first pitch of the game, dribbled a ball up the middle that Rays second baseman Richie Palacios snared on a falling run. Meanwhile, in the bottom half, the selfsame Crawford was unable to make a play on a ground ball hit directly his way and created the aforementioned infield single.
The obvious example of completely preventable defensive damage was when Randy Arozarena slowed to a trot on a fifth inning foul ball that was extremely catchable, after which Rays hitter Cedric Mullins cracked a home run to put the Rays up 3-1. That moment had infinitely more impact on the course of the game than what I’m about to describe - and caused plenty of tension between Arozarena and starter Luis Castillo - but there was another moment that summed up the energy (or lack thereof) among the Mariners.
WATCH: Recapping Sounders GM Craig Waibel Presser Ahead of Summer Transfer Window
With the July 13 summer transfer window set to hit MLS soon, Seattle Sounders general manager Craig Waibel spoke with media on Thursday to clear up some logistics as the 7-3-3 team continues its season next week against Portland.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali breaks down the biggest takeaways from a rare availability with the Rave Green shot-caller.
Gonzaga Baseball Adds Division II Product Josiah Rodriguez to Supplement Lineup
In the wake of former Bulldog and back-to-back WCC Player of the Year Mikey Bell transferring to the University of Georgia, the Zags were at work in search of his possible replacement.
Infielder Josiah Rodriguez, who spent the last two years at Point Loma Nazarene, has committed to Gonzaga baseball. Primarily spending time at the hot corner for the Sea Lions, Rodriguez was a second-team Pacific West Conference selection in 2026, being a major contributor to PLNU’s run to the DII College World Series. Now, he hopes to supplement the middle of the Bulldogs’ order as they transition to the revamped Pac-12.
Mariners Lose Batting Fight in Spite of Strong Glovework, Drop Series to Marlins
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” It’s one of those quotes that is older than its normal attribution (in this case, Dwight Eisenhower). Today’s common formulation of the phrase may indeed trace back to a coach at the University of Washington back in the late 1920s, but as with so many things that are said before they are written, its true origin lies somewhere in the primordial mud of history.
Many on the Mariners - especially skipper Dan Wilson - often discuss the team’s fight and willingness to claw back from adversity. But the defining moment of the team’s 2-0 loss to the Miami Marlins on Wednesday was its very end: with both ABS challenges available and two outs in the top of the ninth, Cole Young watched a 2-2 pitch outside get called strike three to end the game. He did not issue a challenge, simply hanging his head in shame as he walked back to the dugout. The brief window of time to get his team a lifeline passed quickly.
“I think sometimes that's not the first thing that pops into your head in that kind of a situation,” Wilson said, “but you still have to remind yourself sometimes about the ABS.”
But as they say - once is a happenstance, twice is a coincidence, and thrice is a pattern. The Mariners have had games like Wednesday’s, where players across the lineup leave things on the table, plenty more times than that in 2026. If the players aren’t clawing and biting and fighting for every inch, if that aspect of the game is not a habit, then how deep of a well of resolve do the M’s really have? If the guy up at the plate with two outs in the ninth inning isn’t aware that the team has both challenges, how much water is this ship leaking?
The fight didn’t show up on offense, at least, though the M’s defense bailed themselves out of worse trouble. In a way, it was an inverse of Tuesday’s series opener when late action from the Mariners bats wasn’t enough to counteract the team’s defensive sluggishness. It was a loss all the same.
Jackson Ragen Earns Only Sounders All-Star Nod; Andrew Thomas Misses the Cut
Jackson Ragen is an All-Star.
Seattle's 6-6 center back, who first came into the organization through the Tacoma Defiance back in 2021, has been an iron man in Seattle's backline, starting in 11 of 13 games in 2026. He received a coach's selection from Charlotte FC skipper Dean Smith on Wednesday to make the cut.
He's used his frame to bail Seattle out of some sticky defensive situations, blocking two shots in a 1-0 win over San Jose back in March, and has been a mainstay in a center back partnership that has included Yeimar, Alex Roldan, Antino Lopez and Kim Kee-hee. According to FotMob, Ragen ranks in the top 98% for ball touches among MLS center backs and his ability to distribute the ball with a 55% long ball completion rate has been a valuable tool for head coach Brian Schmetzer’s squad for a few seasons now.
Ex-Cougars Shining in NBA Summer League Circuit
The NBA Summer League is underway, giving fans their first look at many of the league's newest players while also providing young veterans an opportunity to continue their development.
This summer, two former Washington State Cougars will be competing on the NBA stage in Cedric Coward with the Memphis Grizzlies and Isaac Jones with the Detroit Pistons.
While the NBA's premier Summer League takes place in Las Vegas beginning Thursday, July 9, there were two smaller events that tipped off beforehand: the Salt Lake City Summer League and the California Classic Summer League. The Salt Lake City Summer League features four teams, while the California Classic includes teams playing in Sacramento and the Bay Area. Unlike the Las Vegas Summer League, which runs over 10 days and includes all 30 NBA franchises, the smaller events last only three days.
Gonzaga Brings in Saint Francis Transfer Skylar Wicks, Strengthen Wing Depth
Last season, the wings on Gonzaga’s roster held things together.
Whether it was Jalen Warley being a Swiss Army knife, Tyon Grant-Foster providing timely moments on both ends, or Davis Fogle stepping up with clutch shotmaking as a freshman, this position group played a huge role in the Zags going 31-4.
Only Fogle remains from that cluster, and incomers Isiah Harwell and Luca Foster figure to fill in as well, but GU supplemented its wing personnel after landing 6-6 transfer Skylar Wicks from Saint Francis. He becomes the third traditional transfer addition of the offseason for Gonzaga, and its eighth different incoming player.
The 26-year-old has followed a collegiate tenure similar to that of Grant-Foster, raising questions about his eligibility status for next season. But if all goes well, Wicks brings valued experience and scoring prowess at all three levels to the Bulldogs.
Storm’s Dominique Malonga Earns First All-Star Nod
Seattle Storm forward Dominique Malonga has been named a WNBA All-Star reserve for the first time in her two-year career, the league announced on Tuesday.
Malonga, who is leading the Storm in points (15.9), rebounds (7.4) and blocks (1.2), was the only Storm player selected to play in the All-Star game. The former 2025 No. 2 overall pick has been on a meteoric rise when healthy this season and is the youngest player in this year’s event (20 years old).
The Storm (6-17) have struggled overall this season in the first year of a major rebuild. But Malonga has become the clear-cut No. 1 scoring option, which is what was expected of her when the franchise drafted her out of France last year.
Washington State Rekindles Pac-12 Ties With Familiar Opponent in Oregon State
With the Pac-12 back open for business, Washington State will get to see a well-known foe in Oregon State, the only other program returning from the old conference. Like the Cougars, the Beavers were left scrambling after the Pac-12 fell apart in 2023.
Oregon State spent the last two football seasons as an independent while many of its other sports competed in the West Coast Conference. It wasn't an easy road, but the Beavers continued to find ways to compete despite the uncertainty. Now, with the rebuilt Pac-12 officially underway, Oregon State is back where it belongs. Along with Washington State, the Beavers will help usher in a new era of Pac-12 athletics as one of the two original members leading the way.
Football enters a new chapter in Corvallis this season under first-year head coach JaMarcus Shephard. Oregon State moved on from Trent Bray after the 2025 season and turned to Shephard to help get the program back on track. Before taking over the Beavers, Shephard built a strong reputation as one of college football's top assistant coaches, particularly as a wide receivers coach and recruiter. He now faces the challenge of rebuilding a program that has struggled since Jonathan Smith departed for Michigan State following the 2023 season.
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in Gonzaga
With the rebuilt Pac-12 officially launching on July 1, the Washington State Cougars have a new conference home. While membership varies by sport, the Cougars no longer will have to piece together schedules as they have since the Pac-12 began to dissolve in 2023.
Now that league has kicked off operations, Emerald City Spectrum will be taking a look at each of Washington State's new conference opponents in football and men's basketball. First up on the docket is a school located just over an hour north of Pullman and the closest Pac-12 opponent to the Cougars as the Gonzaga Bulldogs enter the conference.
Gonzaga will join the Pac-12 in every varsity sport it sponsors, including men's and women's basketball. Because the university does not have a football program and has no intentions of changing that anytime soon, men's basketball serves as the flagship athletic program and the department's biggest revenue generator.
Reign Collapse Late, Drop First Game Back vs. Courage
If the Seattle Reign drew up their picture-perfect return to play after over a month away from playing, it certainly wouldn't have played out like Saturday night's 3-1 loss to the North Carolina Courage.
While the Reign (4-6-2, 11th in NWSL) got off to a solid start thanks to an impressive run from striker Mia Fishel leading to a Sally Menti goal, three questionable concessions left Seattle deflated by the end of the night.
North Carolina winger Ashley Sanchez continued her nine-goal campaign with a brace, scoring in the 22nd and 71st to bookend a feel-good home outing for the Courage (6-3-3, 7th). Riley Jackson buried a penalty kick in the 64th to give the Courage the lead in an opportunity conceded by a mishandled Madison Curry tackle.
On a blistering and humid 95-degree night in Cary, head coach Laura Harvey simply saw her team run out of the juice that had propelled it to scoring first — something her struggling offense has done rarely in 2026.
"We got a little bit tired and we got a little bit stretched and ended up chasing the game," Harvey said. “It wasn’t like they had loads and loads of chances… it was just those slight little moments.”
Sounders Notebook: Intrasquad Scrimmage Ends 1-1 as Portland Looms
The excitement of the FIFA World Cup has Seattle buzzing about soccer.
Belgium's round of 32 game against Senegal on Wednesday featured a wild comeback that saw the Red Devils pull it out 3-2 in extra time at Lumen Field, or Seattle Stadium, until Monday night. The local Seattle Sounders (7-3-3, 6th in MLS Western Conference) have been sharing a facility with Belgium for the last month, and many were witnesses to the high-level play associated with a World Cup knockout match, as even the Sounders equipment staff got to attend the game, according to head coach Brian Schmetzer.
“They’re excited to be around this whole occasion of the World Cup,” Schmetzer said. “Whether that lifts their play or whether that has a little added pressure, I’d say it’s probably the first… they’re excited.”
The Sounders didn't wait long to put that excitement toward their own development, as the Rave Green held an intrasquad scrimmage on Thursday afternoon that ended in a physical 1-1 draw. It’s all part of the buildup to Seattle’s largest grudge match of every season: A July 16 home game against the Portland Timbers (4-8-2, 13th in west).
Bryce Miller Gem Gives M’s Sweep of Halos Despite Absent Offense
The last time the M’s and Angels faced each other, it was one of many disappointing series for the Mariners during the first half of the season. Seattle won the first game of the set, but as they would do several times in the following weeks and months, they dropped the final two and lost the series as their offense died and the pitching got ambushed.
Seattle’s bats may have fallen incredibly silent on Thursday evening as the two squads finished their three-game series the day after both took a rest due to a 2026 World Cup game a block away, but Bryce Miller beared down once again as he utterly stymied the Angels’ hitters inning after inning on his way to seven frames of brilliance. That, more than anything, was the bedrock of the team’s 1-0 win.
Bryce Miller didn’t give up a hit in the first six innings as his excellent year continued.
Even with his innings being limited with the piggybacks, Miller had been one of the Mariners’ most fearsome pitchers since returning from the injured list. His expert mixture of a four-seamer, slider, splitter throughout his starts produced tough scenes for opposing hitters.
Miller had a bit of a tougher time in his previous outing against the Pirates, however. His three earned runs in 5 ⅔ innings were perhaps downstream of the fact that the slider was conspicuously absent from his workhorse usage, with the hurler reliant on just his four-seamer and splitter for 59% of his offerings.
And yet Miller did much the same against the Angels on Thursday to clearly better results. Halo hitters went down one after another as they couldn’t effectively differentiate between his two go-to offerings. The visitors had 10 whiffs and five strikeouts during the first three innings, with Miller at 35 pitches through those frames. A big part of this was the fact that he could control his splitter effectively once his (already minimal) opening jitters were over.
Redhawks Cap Off Offseason Landing Former WCC-All Freshman Selection Tomas Thrastarson
Keeping a talented guard in the state of Washington, the Seattle U Redhawks men's basketball team announced the addition of junior Tómas Thrastarson on Monday.
Thrastarson comes to Seattle after spending his first two seasons across the state with Washington State in Pullman. A 6-foot-7 shooting guard, he thrives getting to the basket as a driver. His scoring upside comes from his long frame that allows him to draw and play through contact as he gets into the paint.
“Tómas is a versatile guard with great size and experience competing at a high level,” said head coach Chris Victor. “His success in the WCC, combined with his international experience representing Iceland, gives him a strong foundation to make an immediate impact in our program. He has the ability to affect the game in a variety of ways and we're excited to welcome him to Seattle.”
Kraken Lock Up Mackie Samoskevich, Take Low-Risk Bet on Top-Six Upside
After sending a 2027 first round pick to the Florida Panthers on June 21 to acquire the talented forward, the Seattle Kraken signed Mackie Samoskevich to a three-year, $11.55-million deal on Wednesday, securing the restricted free agent through the 2028-29 season.
When the contract expires in the Summer of 2029, Samoskevich will still be a restricted free agent, giving Seattle additional club control. While the 24th overall pick in 2021 hasn’t popped as a star in the NHL yet, signing him for three years at a reasonable cap hit is a good bet on a player of this quality who has contributed for a Stanley Cup champion.
Serving as a key role player for Florida in his first three seasons, Samoskevich should flourish with a greater opportunity with the Kraken next season and might earn a top-six forward role with consistent power play minutes.
Reign Notebook: Offense Looking to Find Itself, Jess Fishlock Back to Training
As the men's FIFA World Cup rages on, the top women's soccer league is nearly back from its June hiatus. The NWSL returns this weekend, with the struggling Seattle Reign (4-5-2, 10th) set to take on the North Carolina Courage (5-3-3, 8th) in Raleigh on Saturday.
The Reign have been back to training since last week, but started prepping in full for North Carolina this week. The Reign worked in multiple small-sided sessions and a full scrimmage on Tuesday, as their offense took center stage at times.
That unit has been a pain point for Seattle in 2026, as the Reign are among just four NWSL sides to average less than a goal per game through 11 fixtures.
Second-year winger Maddie Dahlien says the timing of the NWSL break is helping fuel her and her teammates to push through the final 19 games.
"I felt like it came at a really good time,” Dahlien said. “We've had a lot of vulnerable conversations, and coming back, like we met as a team and really just regrouped.”
Huskies Receive Commitments from Pair of Coveted Offensive Linemen
The scales are officially tipped.
Washington added the biggest missing pieces to its 2027 class on Wednesday with the commitments of offensive linemen Gecova Doyal and Tye Kennedy.
Jedd Fisch’s strong recruiting class had been light on offensive linemen prior to Wednesday, when Doyal, a four-star interior lineman out of Puyallup and Tye Kennedy, son of former UW All-American Lincoln Kennedy, became the second and third o-linemen to commit to Washington’s 2027 group.
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