Sounders add three new owners

Adam Selipsky of AWS, Rick Cantu of Redapt and Jay Stein of Sandor all bring “strategic” value.

Three new minority owners have joined the Seattle Sounders team, all with “strategic” characteristics. Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS); Rick Cantu, CEO and Co-Founder of Redapt, Inc.; and Jay Stein, President of Sand Capital and President of Sandor, a nationwide real estate development company, all bring histories as successful businessmen and relevant experiences.

Although exact details were not released, Sounder at Heart confirmed all three got their shares from primary owner Adrian Hanauer, who still owns a majority of the club. Hanauer had previously expanded his own majority share when Joe Roth divested from the club in 2019.

“These additions bring the team successful, respected and passionate leaders in innovative spaces, as well as deep connections and diversity of insight that strengthens our club and pushes our organizational goals forward,” Hanauer said in a team release. “Sounders FC has never been content to stand in place; we’re a club that has led the way in every league of which we’ve been a part and our goal is to continue to capture that spirit of innovation and drive to achieve. Today’s announcement is a continuation of that ethos.”

The owners come to the Sounders directly tied to President of Business Hugh Weber’s six-year growth plan, which includes several major initiatives:

• The completion of a state-of-the-art training facility and corporate office for the Sounders FC Center at Longacres, which is expected to come on line in early 2024.

• A year-long brand and community campaign to celebrate the Sounders’ 50th Anniversary in 2024, known as March to the 50th, that will be unveiled before the start of next season.

• The Sounders’ connections to the 2026 Men’s World Cup and participation in the 2025 Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States.

Selipsky said he grew up attending Sounders matches as far back as the NASL days and has continued to follow the team over the years; Cantu is also from the area and is apparently the billionaire of the bunch; while Stein is the one non-local and is also acquiring a minority stake in an unspecified West Coast NWSL team.