Where to find the best gear, jerseys and footwear in Seattle

Soccer is something that has really taken root in the Pacific Northwest, and specifically Seattle.

The Seattle Youth soccer Association alone serves over 13,000 soccer players in the Seattle and Shoreline area. It's only fitting that Seattle finally joined Major League Soccer in 2009, by having its own team, Sounders FC. On game days, SoDo (South Downtown) is just as flooded as it is on Mariners and Seahawks games.

To support this huge interest, there are several stores in the area that supports Seattle soccer. Here is a listing of the three best in the Seattle area:

Schmetzer's Sporthaus
This euro-styled soccer specialty store is one of the best places for gear, jerseys, and team wear.

There is a large selection of cleated shoes, turf shoes and indoor shoes. You'll find all the major brands, like Nike, Adidas, PUMA and Diadora. In addition, you can find all your other supplies, like gloves, shin guards, clothing, and coaching supplies. Seattle is well known for its cold weather and rain, and their cold weather gear really compliments the city's climate.

For soccer fans, there are also a lot of team and replica jerseys.

They have lot of Sounders FC jerseys and trainers that are great for game days. There are also European replica jerseys for those who like to follow Champions League "football." Teams include replica jerseys from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Manchester United, to name a few.

While the selection is fairly large, the store caters primarily to men and youth boys. For a larger selection for youth girls and women, you can try some of the later stores listed.

Website: http://www.soccerspecialists.com

Location: 12524 Lake City Way NE Seattle, WA 98125 (Seattle Store), 505 SE Everett Mall Way Everett, WA 98208 (Everett Store), 12525 Willows Rd NE Kirkland, WA 98034 (Redmond Store), 5015 Tacoma Mall Blvd Tacoma, WA (Tacoma Store)

Hours of Operation: Monday-CLOSED, Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Shop Soccer West
Shop Soccer West is the other major soccer specialty store in the Seattle area. There is a wide selection in shoes, clothing, and gear for men, women, boys and girls.

They carry all the major brands for cleated outdoor shoes, indoor shoes, and turf shoes. There is a lot of equipment from balls, shin guards, gloves to referee equipment. There is also a wide selection on apparel like shorts and training gear.

Similar to Schmetzer's, they also carry a lot of replica jerseys of football clubs in Europe. What you're not able to find at Schmetzer's, you'll find at Shop Soccer West. For example, there are replica jerseys for AC Milan, Juventus, and Liverpool, to name a few. In addition, there are jerseys assorted by country. So you can get a Brazillian or a Team USA jersey.

Shop Soccer West also supports the local football clubs by carrying the club wear for 11 local teams. These include Mt Rainier FC, Snohomish United, Issaquah Soccer Club, and Washington State's Women's Association.

Locations: 3333 184th Street Southwest, Lynwood, WA 98037 (Lynwood Store), 31833 Gateway Center Blvd-S, Federal Way, WA 98003 (Federal Way Store), Factoria Village, 3700-Factoria BLVD SE-A, Bellevue, WA 98072 (Bellevue Store), 15932 Redmond Way #102, Redmond, WA 98052 (Redmond Store)

Hours of Operation: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.

Code Four Athletics
Code Four Athletics is one of the last independent soccer stores in Seattle and is also the best in providing team jerseys and clothing.

Many of the local, family run or independent shops in Seattle have started closing down. Soccer Shop in Redmond closed down in 2010, and Sport Specialties in Belletown closed in 2008.

Code Four Athletics doesn't compete with larger stores like Shop Soccer West and Schmetzer's Sporthaus because they don't deal with gear and footwear. They sell soccer warm ups, team hoodies and jerseys. They customize them for local and out of state teams, and sell them as discounted team packages. Items can also be bought individually.

There is also a great selection of different books and DVDs to help improve soccer techniques and drills.