Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in San Diego State
A familiar foe for many of its new rivals, including the Washington State Cougars, the San Diego State Aztecs enter the rebuilt Pac-12 as one of the conference's top additions.
While the Aztecs are best known for their basketball success, they have consistently fielded competitive programs in both football and men's basketball, immediately raising the profile of the new-look conference.
For Washington State fans, San Diego State is hardly an unfamiliar opponent. The Cougars and Aztecs have faced each other several times in football over the years, including as recently as last season when Washington State emerged victorious, but those matchups will now carry much more significance as conference games.
Dickey Stars in Return as Reign Hold Off Wave for Quality Road Win
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali details a 2-0 win for the Seattle Reign (6-7-2, 10th in NWSL) over the 4th-place San Diego Wave (9-6-2) on Sunday afternoon. Keeper Claudia Dickey managed a career-high nine saves to earn the clean sheet while midfielder Ainsley McCammon became the youngest player in NWSL history to net multiple assists in a single game.
The result put a 3-2 loss in which Seattle blew a 2-0 lead to Gotham last week behind the Reign as leading scorer Maddie Mercado (17’) scored for a third straight game while center back Jordyn Bugg (20’) netted her first goal of the season. Head coach Laura Harvey also became the first coach in league history to reach 100 regular-season wins with the same club.
The Reign head to Bay FC next on August 1 before returning to Lumen Field on August 9 for a bout with Angel City FC. Seattle is two points out of a playoff spot at the midway point of the season.
Canzone Clinches Comeback in Texas, Keeps Mariners Season Alive
When Julio Rodríguez popped a two-on, one-out, right-down-Broadway cutter haplessly into center field, it looked like the moment when the downfall was obvious. This downfall, like many, was perhaps better conceptualized as a calque of the word’s German equivalent: going under - a slow process that takes a while to materialize after it is set into motion, but which becomes ever clearer until there is a point when it is undeniable.
On the flip side, the decision seemed easy for the brass. A Mariners loss would put the team three and a half games underneath the division lead right before the deadline, at a time when many teams would be looking for the likes of Randy Arozarena or even George Kirby or Logan Gilbert.
If Dominic Canzone failed to reach base, it would be the culmination of multiple wasted opportunities; the M’s had two men on with one out in the fourth and the same amount of baserunners with no outs in the sixth, all with nothing to show for it. The Texas Rangers’ two-run lead was a number not insurmountable but that seemed hard to overcome for an offense whose approach could scarcely have been called Fabian over the course of the year, because the Fabian Strategy actually worked.
Rangers reliever Cole Winn fell behind Canzone 2-0 and hung a splitter right down the pipe, a little below the middle of the zone. For the first time in more than two weeks, Canzone walloped a homer, putting the Mariners in the lead.
“I got him 2-0 pretty quickly, and with first and second there, he’s gotta come in the zone with something, and they’d been throwing me soft pretty much the whole series,” Canzone told Mariners TV’s Brad Adam. “Not that I was necessarily sitting on it, but just trying to get something elevated and get it in the air.”
Seattle, who had been looking for the game to latch onto as a starting point, clung to their lead for the rest of the game, winning 6-4 and preventing - for now - calamity.
Storm All-Star Weekend Recap: Malonga Shines in First Appearance
Three Seattle Storm players participated in the WNBA’s All-Star weekend on Friday and Saturday, even though only one was in the main event.
Dominique Malonga was the Storm’s lone All-Star this season. However, Natisha Hiedeman was selected to participate in the 3-point contest, and Flau’jae Johnson played in the inaugural Shooting Stars event with Team Seattle.
None of them emerged as winners. But Malonga set a few records and continued to build what is becoming a historic resume at just 20 years old.
Tory Horton Returns as Seahawks Begin Training Camp With Mostly Encouraging Health Updates
Approaching the midway point of the 2025 season, a wide open Offensive Rookie of the Year race had a surprise contender emerge from the Seattle Seahawks’ potent top-five scoring offense in the form of Tory Horton.
Falling into the fifth round after missing a significant chunk of his senior season at Colorado State with a knee/hamstring injury, Horton bounced back from the setback to quickly become one of Sam Darnold’s favorite targets on his new team. Though he only had caught 13 passes in nine games, five of those receptions put points on the scoreboard, including a pair of touchdowns in a 38-14 blowout win over the Commanders on Sunday Night Football in Week 9, tying him with superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the team lead in receiving touchdowns.
Despite playing the entirety of the blowout win in Landover, Horton unexpectedly dealt with shin soreness in the days that followed the victory, first missing a handful of practices with hopes the injury wouldn’t sideline him for long. However, after missing a Week 10 win over Arizona, the shin showed no signs of improvement, leading to a stint on injured reserve that transitioned from being a projected four-week absence initially into the season-ending variety, keeping him out all the way through Seattle’s Super Bowl run and even into the offseason program this spring as he recovered from an injury far worse than anyone expected.
Sounders Enter Unprecedented Territory with Fifth Straight Loss
The Seattle Sounders continued their tailspin on Saturday night, losing 1-0 to the last-place Philadelphia Union (3-10-4) on the road. The result extended Seattle's losing streak to five, the worst in MLS play under coach Brian Schmetzer.
The Sounders, who started the campaign at 6-1-1, now sit at 7-6-3 and in sixth place in the Western Conference with one more game before their Leagues Cup title defense begins on Aug. 5.
It was only the seventh meeting all-time between Philadelphia and Seattle, and the Sounders gave up a rare kind of goal in the 31st minute of Saturday's game. Union striker Milan Iloski scored his ninth of the season by running past a makeshift Seattle backline, which defended well all night, and floated a ball over keeper Andrew Thomas in an awkward moment for the first-year starter.
It's the first time since 2015 that the Sounders have lost five straight MLS games. Schmetzer started coaching the squad in 2016.
The 63-year-old skipper said he “isn’t killing” the players over this streak, as Seattle continues to try and survive missing at least five usual starters at once.
How Significant is Departure of Gonzaga Assistant Jorge Sanz?
Although it can be easy to initially brush off a member of Gonzaga head coach Mark Few’s staff moving on to a different program, you would be hard-pressed to find an assistant as impactful as Jorge Sanz was to the Zags.
Sanz, who has been in Spokane for the last eight years, announced that he is leaving GU on social media. First reported by House of Krause, Sanz will join head coach Michael Malone’s staff at North Carolina. Serving as both an assistant coach and director of basketball operations, Sanz played an imperative role in Gonzaga’s international recruiting, nonconference scheduling, player development, and analytical advancement.
The Bulldogs have experienced several significant departures this offseason, notably losing commitments from their intended starting backcourt, Jack Kayil and Mario Saint-Supéry. But Sanz’s exit hurts both the program in its current timeline and in the future, and his role will be hard to replace.
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in Utah State
A former member of the Mountain West, the Utah State Aggies will be among the newcomers set to join the rebuilt Pac-12 this season. While the Aggies may not carry the national brand recognition of some schools, few programs outside the Power Four have been as consistently competitive in both football and men's basketball over the past several seasons.
For Washington State fans, Utah State is a familiar opponent. The two programs have met on the football field in recent years, but those non-conference matchups will now carry much more significance as conference games in the new-look Pac-12.
The Aggies' football program has experienced both success and transition over the last several years. Utah State captured the Mountain West championship in 2021 with an 11-win season under Blake Anderson, turning in one of the best campaigns in school history. The Aggies have made a bowl game in three of the last four seasons and seven out of the last eight.
Seahawks Confident Nick Emmanwori Will Be Ready for Season Opener vs. Patriots
Despite undergoing surgery in the week leading up to report day for training camp, the Seattle Seahawks don’t have any concerns about safety Nick Emmanwori’s availability to kick off the season with a Super Bowl LX rematch against the New England Patriots.
According to sources connected with the player, Emmanwori underwent arthroscopic surgery during the past week to clean up his right ankle, which still had been providing some lingering discomfort for him even though he participated in OTAs and mandatory minicamp this spring. It’s unclear whether the procedure stems from a high ankle sprain that he suffered early in his rookie season or a separate lower ankle sprain suffered in practice during Super Bowl week back in February, but it could be a cumulative situation with both injuries happening on the same leg.
On Monday, Seattle placed Emmanwori on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, deactivating him while keeping him on the 90-man roster as he recovers. Given the timing of the surgery, he will likely miss at least the first few weeks of training camp and playing at all in the preseason seems improbable, but per team sources, the Seahawks expect he will be back at some point in August, allowing him to ramp up with plenty of time to work back into game shape before the season opener.
WATCH: Sounders Drop Fourth Straight Against Austin, Ragen to Miss Next Two Matches
If you didn’t think it could get worse than a 5-1 loss to Portland, Wednesday was a stark reminder it truly can.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali recaps the Seattle Sounders’ 3-1 loss at 14th-place Austin FC, in which the home team scored twice after the 85th minute. It was a 95-degree night in Texas full of frustration, boiling to All-Star center back Jackson Ragen picking up two frustration-fueled yellow cards to ensure he misses the next two fixtures, including an August 1 rematch with Portland.
Lights, Camera, Lombardi: Seahawks Set to Star on Hard Knocks as Title Defense Begins
The show Hard Knocks has been a staple for football fans since its inception in 2001. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the sights and sounds of that show welcome football fans to another season in the NFL. They typically cover a team’s training camp and the team's preparation for the upcoming football season. It’s enjoyable for fans to learn about some of the lower-level players on the roster and root for underdog stories. It typically highlights players fighting to make the roster or battle to become a starter.
Opening camp this upcoming weekend, the Seattle Seahawks will become the first reigning Super Bowl champs to be featured on the show since its inaugural year covering the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their title defense in 2001. The recent trade of the show had been a rebuilding team trying to find its footing, with franchises like the Bears and Jets, or a team right on the cusp of greatness like the Buffalo Bills last summer.
Previously, the Seahawks had been asked to be part of the show in 2013, but declined. The NFL now has the power to select a team to be part of Hard Knocks. Essentially, “volun-telling” them instead of waiting for a volunteer. Certainly, the Seahawks will bring eyeballs to the show as the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Sounders and Reign Look to Regroup After Very Different Losses
RENTON, Wash. — Brian Schmetzer hasn't shaved.
The Seattle Sounders head coach since 2016, who has been a part of the organization as a player and coach since 1980 more or less, called last Thursday's 5-1 loss to team archrival Portland Timbers the "toughest loss" of his career.
"I know everybody's in a bad place," Schmetzer said of the atmosphere at the facility after Tuesday's training. "I haven't shaved, I don't eat anymore, this hurts."
We'll hope the comment about not eating is a joke, but what Seattle served up in its first game back from the June FIFA World Cup break certainly wasn't palatable.
The Sounders gave up three goals in seven minutes in the early second half, getting beat with ease down the touchlines to turn a 1-0 deficit into an inescapable hole.
By the third goal in the 60th minute, some fans started heading for the exits, an oddity so early in any Sounders game.
By the fourth three minutes later, completing a brace for Venezuelan U-22 striker Kevin Kelsy, fans left in droves. Many of those who remained booed their beloved Sounders.
"They have every right to demand better from us," All-Star center back Jackson Ragen said. "For us to come out like that, they have the right to ask for (better)."
Nick Emmanwori Among 3 Seahawks Veterans Placed on PUP List
Closing in on training camp report day for veterans later this week, the Seattle Seahawks placed standout second-year safety Nick Emmanwori, running back Kenny McIntosh, and cornerback Tyrone Broden on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Monday.
Of the three names, Emmanwori’s inclusion stands out as the most obvious surprise with an undisclosed injury. The Defensive Rookie of the Year runner up from a year ago participated in Seattle’s offseason program in full, taking the field for all open OTA and minicamp practices without any evidence of injury, and looked healthy at a recent youth football camp that he hosted in Edmonds.
Before fans hit the panic button on Emmanwori’s status, however, NFL teams often use the PUP lists for procedural reasons with players who arrive at camp nursing minor injuries such as hamstring pulls or other soft tissue strains, providing a buffer in case the ailment requires a bit of time before the player can return to the field. Teams cannot place players on the PUP list after practices have started, leaving only season-ending injured reserve as an option. To avoid that possibility, it makes sense to err on the side of caution with hopes the player will pass his physical sooner rather than later and be activated.
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome Perennial Group of 5 Power Boise State
Just two years removed from being in the College Football Playoff, the Boise State Broncos immediately enter the rebuilt Pac-12 as one of the conference's top athletic programs, bringing a nationally respected football program and a basketball program that has become a consistent NCAA tournament contender. The Broncos arrive from the Mountain West as maybe the strongest brand among the league's newest schools.
For Washington State Cougars fans, Boise State is already a familiar opponent. The two schools have played in several memorable football games in the past and have faced off in basketball in recent years. Now, those matchups carry conference championship implications as both programs begin a new chapter in the Pac-12.
Football has long been the standard in Boise. Few Group of 5 programs have matched the success the Broncos have enjoyed since 2000, as they have racked up multiple conference championships, a plethora of double-digit win seasons, numerous New Year's Six bowl appearances, making Boise State one of college football's most recognizable programs.
Gonzaga Baseball Draft Fallout: Bell Drafted by Giants, Feld Signs With White Sox
Clearly recognized for their First Team All-WCC campaigns, former Gonzaga Bulldog baseball players Mikey Bell and Justin Feld each received long-awaited calls this past week.
Bell, who transferred to the University of Georgia this offseason, was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 19th round, 568th overall, of the MLB Draft. Although he will likely suit up for UGA for his final year of college eligibility, Bell’s production in the middle of the Zags’ order got him on the radar of major league organizations. With Bell drafted, GU now boasts one of its players being taken in every full MLB draft since 1999.
And despite going undrafted after his senior season in Spokane, Feld inked a deal with the Chicago White Sox shortly after the draft’s conclusion.
Washington State, Rebuilt Pac-12 Welcome New Opponent in Colorado State
Colorado State is the latest program to join the rebuilt Pac-12, bringing a combination of recent basketball success and a football program searching for a new direction. The former Mountain West member now finds itself in the same conference as Washington State, adding another familiar regional opponent to a league that continues to take shape ahead of a new era.
For Washington State fans, Colorado State is not an unfamiliar foe. The two programs have met on the football field in recent years. Now, those matchups become conference games, adding another layer of intrigue to the new-look Pac-12.
Football remains a work in progress in Fort Collins. The Rams have reached just one bowl game over the last seven seasons and have struggled to build consistent momentum. Those challenges led to change within the program, as Colorado State moved on from coach Jay Norvell during the middle of last season.
Reign Allow 3 Goals in 16 Minutes, Blow 2-0 Lead to Gotham
No one knew just how to evaluate what happened to the Seattle Reign on Saturday afternoon.
Facing defending NWSL champion and first-place team Gotham FC after a two-and-a-half hour lightning delay in a 5,000-person capacity stadium on account of the nearby World Cup final, Seattle led 2-0 heading into the 80th minute. Two first half goals from Mia Fishel and Maddie Mercado, respectively, had landed them in an advantageous spot late. The former scored her first goal with the team, marking cause for celebration.
But with Gotham FC bringing world-class offensive talents in the newly signed Sam Kerr and Esther Gonzalez for the second half, Reign coach Laura Harvey dropped her team into a backline of five to nurse the lead and keep the pair at bay.
Gotham, even in the smoky conditions which required four hydration breaks by the game's end, put the pedal to the metal on Seattle for entire second half. They finished the game with over 70% possession as Gonzalez found the net in the 81st. Then in the fourth minute of a 10-minute second-half stoppage, Gonzalez scored again on a nifty pass from winger Jaedyn Shaw.
Then, former Seattle star Rose Lavelle put the finishing touches on the comeback with a transition banger of a strike, scoring past Reign reserve keeper Cassie Miller from just inside the box in the seventh minute of added time.
The stunning result was worsened by the fact that Maddie Dahlien, who had been so dynamic on the left wing for Seattle all afternoon, missed a penalty that would have made it 3-0 in the second half.
The result dropped Seattle to 5-7-2, good for 11th in the NWSL, while Gotham improved to 9-3-3 to take hold of first place in the league. The loss comes on the heels of a signature 2-0 win from the Reign over Portland.
"That game was on us," Fishel said postgame. "We did it to ourselves."
Seahawks Place Rookie DT Deven Eastern on PUP List to Open Training Camp
Bringing their incoming rookie class in early for the start of training camp with a July 17 report date, the Seattle Seahawks will start practicing without one of their eight draft picks participating on the field.
The team announced on Saturday that seventh round pick Deven Eastern, a defensive tackle out of Minnesota, will start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning he counts against the 90-man roster but will not be able to practice until medically cleared by the team. Coach Mike Macdonald did not disclose any details on his injury when he sat out mandatory minicamp last month.
Per NFL rules, the Seahawks can activate Eastern at any time, but once he returns to active status, he cannot go back on the PUP list again.
Bats Take Nine-Inning Nap as Giants Pummel Mariners 7-0
A little over a year before Friday night, Julio Rodríguez announced that he would not participate in an All-Star Game he had been selected for, noting he would rather focus on improving his own game to a better standard.
Rodríguez wasn’t on the field on Friday, recovering from a concussion sustained earlier that month when a Nolan Schanuel throw bounced off the back of his head. Concussions are a case of needing however much time he needs in order to recover from the knock. But it means he can’t lead by example as he did after the Mariners’ horrific loss in the Bronx last year.
And it seems no other hitter is willing to put himself forward in such a way. The starting pitchers have borne the brunt of the blame when they’ve let the team down, especially Bryan Woo. But aside from some strong words from Cal Raleigh after a pungent loss in Cleveland - words that seemingly only went heeded for a six-game stretch - it has been crickets from the team leaders and an utter lack of urgency from the manager.
“It’s the first one back, and I think guys got back in the groove today and looking for us to come out tomorrow and have different results,” said M’s skipper Dan Wilson, “Obviously, you want to get off on the second half with a win, but just weren’t able to get anything going offensively and tomorrow we get a chance to turn that around.”
Those may have been Wilson’s strongest words after his team lost 7-0 to a shambolic San Francisco Giants squad that entered the game 41-55, second only to the Colorado Rockies in NL West helplessness. Sure, one of their few bright spots, a 21-year-old masher named Bryce Eldrige, did some of the damage. But the M’s made visiting starter Landen Roupp, a C-list pitcher on a good day, look like a veritable barnburner.
It can’t go on like this - well, in the immortal words of Mick McCarthy, it can - but the M’s won’t be a playoff team or even a .500 team if it does.
WATCH: Sounders Unravel for Worst Loss to Timbers in MLS Era
The Seattle Sounders, fresh off six weeks away from MLS play for the FIFA World Cup, came into a Thursday night home bout with their archnemesis, the Portland Timbers, looking to start the summer run strong.
Not only did they not accomplish that feat, but the Sounders (7-4-3, 6th in Western Conference) lost 5-1.
It’s already being labeled the worst loss to Portland in franchise history, as striker Kevin Kelsy bagged a brace. Seattle midfielder Hassani Dotson scored off a set-piece header late with the game far out of reach.
The Timbers (5-8-2, 7th) worked the wide areas to death, scoring three goals in seven minutes early in the second half to completely demoralize Seattle. The nearly 36,000 fans in attendance, a franchise best this season, left in droves.
After the game, head coach Brian Schmetzer took accountability as his team, down key pieces like Cristian Roldan and Alex Roldan, was simply out-competed in the biggest derby game of the season. Players cleared out of the locker room quickly postgame, seemingly opting to process the stunning result on their own.
Emerald City Spectrum reporter Qasim Ali attempts to make sense of the landslide defeat.
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