Seattle Sounders FC owner Drew Carey wasn’t a soccer fan

One of the owners of the Seattle Sounders FC never really liked the game of soccer growing up.

“I used to make fun of soccer. It’s not that I hated it or thought it was a total waste. I understood it was popular – but it was just a bunch of guys kicking a ball around,” Drew Carey told HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

So if it wasn’t for love of the game, what made him want to be a soccer team owner?

“I wanted to bring this idea of the vote to the United States,” said Carey.

The vote? Sounders majority owner Joe Roth explained, “He said he wanted to bring these Barcelona rules, which is you can vote out the general manager, in four years.”

Roth thought it was a good idea, and that it would keep everyone on their toes.

Considering the Sounders are in first place in the Western Division, one can assume the team’s general manager, co-owner Adrian Hanauer’s job is safe – for now.

The Sounders take to the pitch next against the L.A. Galaxy this Saturday in California. All the action can be heard KIRO Radio 97.3 FM starting at 7 p.m.

Report by KIRO Radio’s Owen Murphy