With ambitious dreams of ultimately becoming ‘America’s Team’ in the fledgling Major League Cricket, Seattle Orcas are firstly hoping to inspire the Pacific Northwest as the bat and ball sport builds towards a showcase at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Orcas, a finalist in MLC’s debut season in 2023, are the only small market team in the six-team tournament boasting franchises from major locales of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC and Dallas (Texas).

The third edition of the well-heeled MLC starts on June 12 at the Oakland Coliseum, with Dallas and Broward County in Florida also hosting games.

Having beaten out Chicago and Atlanta in the inaugural list of teams, those cities along with Toronto and Philadelphia are being considered as part of a league expansion, Seattle is an important strategic location for cricket’s growth in the U.S.

ForbesSeattle Orcas Aim To Become ‘America’s Team’ In Major League CricketBy Tristan Lavalette

The northwest seaport city is home to a slew of iconic sports teams, with the beloved Sonics likely to return to the NBA in the near future, and the Orcas have brought a new flavor with their growing number of passionate fans known as the ‘Pod Squad’.

But as the only MLC team in the Pacific Northwest, the Orcas are the face of cricket for a vast region that includes world famous cities Portland and Vancouver.

There is a growing South Asian demographic in these cities, largely attracted to the tech industry along with a laidback lifestyle, and that has helped ensure cricket has a core base of fans.

But cementing deeper roots across the region is vital and the success of Orcas, on-and-off the field, is integral for cricket’s visibility and growth.

“We absolutely want to activate the community and the fan base across the Pacific Northwest and really grow the sport to as many people as possible,” Orcas co-owner Soma Somasegar told me in a phone interview.

“Vancouver has got a huge cricket population and Portland’s growing too. There’s lots of excitement, lots of energy for the Orcas not just in Seattle but across the region.”

The establishment of the Orcas, whose team colors are distinctly light green but also has black, white and orange to reflect the natural colors of the orca whale, has been a welcome start to igniting cricket in the area.

But a game-changer for cricket in Seattle and beyond might still be years away. A home ground for the Orcas has been planned at King County’s Marymoor Park, around 15 miles from Seattle, and likely to hold about 8000-10,000 fans initially.

There had been hope that the stadium would be ready by the 2026 season and possibly be in the mix to stage games at the Los Angeles Olympics.

But bureaucratic hurdles have stalled the plans, while last month it was confirmed that the Olympic cricket competitions would be held in Pomona, 30 miles east of Los Angeles.

“A little bit of disappointment that we couldn’t capitalize on this opportunity to play some of the Olympic cricket games in Seattle,” said Somasegar, a venture capitalist at Madrona Venture Group having spent 27 years working at Microsoft.

“We are working with the local city and county officials, taking steps forward but it’s taking a little longer.

“We are hoping it will be ready by 2027 or 2028. Until then, it’s going to be a little tricky to activate the fan base because nothing beats watching a cricket game from a stadium. That experience is unbeatable.”

The Olympic sheen will undoubtedly help, but it will take a long time and an established MLC – once infrastructure is in place for all the franchises – for cricket to start making waves in the world’s biggest sports market.

Part of Seattle Sounders’ ownership group in Major League Soccer, Somasegar has experienced close up soccer’s continual rise in the U.S. and he believes cricket can carve a similar niche across the country.

“Soccer in the 1980s was not well understood in this country, but now it has significant popularity,” said India-born Somasegar who has lived in Seattle for over three decades.

“We’ve been learning from MLS what worked for them and what didn’t. What growing pains they had.

“Soccer has a 40-year head start over cricket. But cricket probably has eight to 10 million people in this country that are already deeply passionate.

“I feel really good about the progress we’ve made in three years. This is just the beginning.”