Community Sports
Sounders think recently signed Fox Islander Hawkins is ‘going to be a beast’
Stuart Hawkins first started kicking a ball around with Gig Harbor-based Harbor Soccer Club, only about nine or 10 years ago.
He could soon find himself at Lumen Field, playing in Major League Soccer games with Sounders FC. And in the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia. After that? Anything is possible.
Officially a Sounder
The Sounders signed Hawkins, a 17-year-old Fox Islander, to a Homegrown First Team contract on Thursday, Sept. 14. MLS’s contract structure can be complicated for those who aren’t avid fans, but suffice to say Hawkins is a member of the Sounders’ official roster and the club thinks he has a chance to contribute on the field in the near future.
Hawkins has been a regular this year with Tacoma Defiance, the Sounders’ top minor league affiliate that plays at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. He previously starred for the Sounders Academy clubs, which develop youth talent with the goal of eventually supplying players to the Sounders.
Seattle Sounders FC officially signed Fox Island resident Stuart Hawkins to a First Team Homegrown Contract on Thursday, Sept. 14. Photo by Seattle Sounders
And USA Soccer’s youth national teams routinely call him up for tournaments, most recently in the Czech Republic last month.
What does he love the most about it? Practice.
“I like the hard work that comes with it, training every day. It gives me purpose, I feel,” Hawkins said on Monday, his 17th birthday. “The games on the weekend, and the praise that comes with it when you put in the hard work, is extra. I like putting in the work when people aren’t watching.”
Let’s go, Stu! 🇺🇸
Congrats to Stuart Hawkins on being named to the @USYNT U-17 roster for the Václav Ježek Cup in the Czech Republic! 👏 pic.twitter.com/RuUzciHQkc
— Sounders FC Academy (@SoundersAcademy) September 1, 2023
From fan to teammate
Hawkins plays center back, and is still growing at 6-foot and 146 pounds. He will continue to appear with Defiance this year, as that club has clinched a playoff berth and sits in second place in MLS Next Pro’s Western Conference.
“He still isn’t at full maturity, obviously, but we expect a little bit more height and a little bit more muscle over the next couple of years,” Sounders general manager Craig Waibel said in a news release announcing Hawkins’ signing. “He’s signing as a young man, but in a couple of years, with the work in our group, and our coaching and performance staff, he’s going to be a beast.”
Stuart Hawkins
It’s been a dizzying rise for Hawkins, who went from fan to teammate in just a few years. He managed to play it cool, though, the first time he practiced with the Sounders.
“I was like, ‘Dang, this is crazy,’” Hawkins said. “I watch these guys on TV, and I’m training with them now. You keep your head down and keep a straight face and do the work.”
The Hawkins family
The Hawkins clan is a soccer family now, with both Stuart and 14-year-old sister McKenzie Hawkins involved in the sport. They didn’t start out that way, though.
Stuart Hawkins loved soccer from a young age, though his family wasn’t previously involved in the sport.
Mom Michelle (Price) Hawkins played basketball at Pacific Lutheran University. Dad Pat Hawkins is a golfer.
Those sports weren’t for Stuart, as Michelle found out when she tried to get him involved in an AAU basketball program.
“He said, ‘You know this isn’t my passion.’ I said OK, we’ll back off,” Michelle said. “We’re doing soccer full-time.”
His love of the beautiful game really took off during the 2014 men’s World Cup, when Stuart was 8. He watched all the games, of course, but also any other content he could find.
A series of behind-the-scenes videos, showing how national team members practiced and prepared for games, was a favorite.
“I was like, is this normal? It’s not even the actual game,” Michelle said. “I really feel like 2014 …. (with) Clint Dempsey, DeAndre Yedlin, all those guys on that roster, he got totally into it.”
Hawkins and youth national teams
The 2016 Copa America Centenario tournament, which brought the U.S. men’s national team to Seattle, deepened Hawkins’ love of the game.
Now he’s on a track that could someday lead to him playing on the national team himself. Plenty of current Team USA stars, like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, came up through the junior national team.
First up is the U-17 World Cup, Nov. 10 through Dec. 2 in Indonesia. The roster for that tournament isn’t set yet, but Hawkins was a member of the U-17 team that qualified for the World Cup at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship in February.
If he’s selected, Hawkins can add Jakarta to a long list of places visited on his soccer travels. He has previously played in tournaments in Belgium, Portugal, Argentina, Guatemala and the Czech Republic.
“It’s good to get different experiences with different players,” Hawkins said. “In different countries, there are different play styles. It’s good playing with different guys who are your age, but are top quality.”
Seeing the world
In a way, globe-trotting has become part of Stuart’s education. He’s taking online high school classes and the Sounders provide a tutor to help, so the basics are covered. But seeing the world provides its own educational value.
“He loves it, he loves all the culture,” Michelle Hawkins said. “It’s almost become a part of him. He’s got this really cool global perspective. … He learns a ton. He comes home from each trip with something new.”
But for all the world travel, the immediate goal is to get to Seattle — to make his first MLS appearance as a Sounder. After that, who knows? The U.S., along with Mexico and Canada, host the 2026 men’s World Cup. Some of the games will be played in Seattle.
“That’s the goal, right?” Hawkins said, referring not specifically to 2026 but to his dream of someday playing in a senior World Cup. “Hopefully, one day, we’ll be there. You just gotta keep focused.”
Stuart Hawkins of Fox Island will continue to appear with Tacoma Defiance for the rest of this season.