Once a Sounder, always a Sounder.
Those words rang true yet again on Tuesday morning as Xander Bailey met up with his old teammates at training at American University before the Seattle Sounders take on D.C. United on Wednesday night.
Bailey, who started for the Rave Green on July 19, 2014 in a friendly versus Tottenham Hotspur, has been a fan favorite since his debut in the starting XI that afternoon. At the end of 2014, Bailey traveled back to Seattle to present the Western Conference trophy at an MLS Cup Playoff match and the team awarded him with a 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup medal. Since then, he's been busy himself. Bailey's time with the Seattle Sounders was organized through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. Bailey has cystic fibrosis.
Bailey recently wrapped up his freshman year at Concord University in West Virginia, just 20 miles away from his hometown of Bluefield. Bailey played in 13 matches for the Mountain Lions, recording his first collegiate goal on October 30, 2015 against Bluefield College.
Bailey will be in the stands for another Sounders match on Wednesday night, cheering on the team he once took the field with for an international friendly.
