Pepe Fernandez
Soccer, Sports Contributor

Pepe Fernandez is a Snohomish County soccer pioneer, particularly during the sport’s boom from the 1960-80s. From Uruguay, Fernandez played at the national and international levels, and his post-career dedication established a strong interest in the game among youth, teen, adult and collegiate players.

Fernandez was a highly-skilled forward who played professionally in Uruguay, Ecuador, Netherlands and the U.S. between the 1960s and the 1970s. He spent one season apiece in the National Professional Soccer League and the American Soccer League, four in the North American Soccer League (NASL) and five in the Netherlands. He was also an original member of the Seattle Sounders and was a starte in the club’s inaugural match on May 4, 1974. The Sounders played in the NASL from 1974-83 and were a United Soccer League First Division squad from 1994-2008, prior to becoming the 15th club of the Major League Soccer in 2009.

Fernandez played in the first professional sporting event at the Kingdome when Pele and the New York Cosmos were in town. And after suffering a leg injury in early 1974 that sidelined him for nearly two seasons, Fernandez returned to the pitch and netted a volley in extra time against Denver. He was also a member of the team that reached the NASL Soccer Bowl in 1982.

After hanging up his cleats a few years later, Fernandez raised his family in Everett, but his passion for the game never faded. In the 1980s, he ran a youth camp called, “Pepe’s School of Soccer,” which was hosted across Snohomish County and was a staple of success for local youth players. In 1984, Fernandez and Walter Schmetzer Sr., the father of current Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer, opened the Everett Soccer Dome, currently known as Everett Soccer Arena. The indoor complex has provided players of all ages an opportunity to play year-round and participate in the beautiful game.

In 1994, Fenandez watched his son, Eddie, follow in his footsteps and sign a contract with the hometown team. Eddie played at Skagit Valley Community College and Seattle University and coached locally for years for both high school and club programs.

As Fernandez’s former Sounders teammate Jimmy McAlister said, “If I could pick one player to represent everyone who ever played here – rec, select, premier or pro – it would be Pepe.”

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