Reigning MLS Champion Seattle Sounders FC is adding 11 players to the team in the 2017 season as part of the team’s first-ever fan Starting XI.

Sounders FC and Delta Air Lines, the Official Airline of Sounders FC, are launching Join the XI, a season-long fan engagement program that will give 11 Sounders FC fans, the fan Starting XI, unparalleled access to the team, including signing a one-day contract and later flying with the club to their July 29 match against Los Angeles.

“Sounders FC fans are some of the most passionate in all of sport,” said John Caldwell, Delta’s Vice President – Seattle. “Join the XI celebrates their unwavering support of Sounders FC and recognizes the ultimate fan team with unique experiences only the team’s official airline can provide.”

“We’re excited to work with Delta to provide fans the chance for a truly unique experience through Join the XI,” said Sounders FC Chief Operating Officer Bart Wiley. “The Sounders have always been a club with tremendous fans and this program provides a fun way for them to be recognized.”

The Starting XI will be comprised of eleven fans who embody the skill and dedication needed to fill a series of key positions on the fan team. The 11 positions that will comprise the fan Starting XI are:

• The Dynamic Duo – These two are inseparable. Friends, family, a couple or coworkers, united by their love of Sounders FC.
• The Stat Wiz – Someone who knows the game and the team by the numbers.
• The Athlete – Someone who plays the game as much as they watch it.
• The Luckiest – The person who sticks to their superstitions to help the team win.
• The Lifetimer – Someone who’s been a Sounders FC fan for what feels like forever.
• The First Timer – The person who’s new to the Sounders FC world and loves it.
• The Family Fan – Someone who makes their family part of their passion.
• The Host – When it comes time for kick off, this person knows how to plan a party or draw a crowd.
• The Roadie – Where Sounders FC goes, they follow – no matter the distance.
• The Full-Time Fan – The person who represents the hardest at work or in the office.

Fans can nominate themselves or someone they know for each character trait throughout the season at www.soundersfc.com/jointhexi. Join the XI winners will be selected by a panel of Sounders FC staff, program ambassadors and Delta.

Serving as program ambassadors are forward Jordan Morris, midfielder Cristian Roldan, goalkeeper Stefan Frei, and Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. In the coming weeks, videos featuring Morris, Roldan, Frei, and Schmetzer will be released, highlighting specific positions for which Sounders FC fans can nominate themselves, family, friends and fellow fans.

Upon selection, each of the Join the XI winners will attend a signing announcement at The NINETY, where they will meet some of their new teammates and coach and receive their “contract” and official Delta/Sounders FC Join the XI kit. Later, they will travel on the team plane for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Los Angeles. Each winner and a guest will receive roundtrip air travel, hotel accommodations, pre-game field access, game tickets and more.

Delta and Sounders FC extended their partnership in 2015. Join the XI is an extension of the airline's You Can't Stop Seattle brand campaign, which reveres Seattleites for their ideas and ambition and celebrates the momentum of the city while telling the story of how Delta helps fuel Seattle's pursuits. It celebrates Delta's relationships with the city's beloved, local teams -- including Sounders FC - as well as its support of community organizations close to the hearts of Delta people. You Can't Stop Seattle represents Delta's significant investments in Seattle, which have driven changes across the competitive landscape - from product enhancements, to facility improvements, to financial benefits and community investment.