Just hours after we published the trademarks Seattle MLS registered, we get word from one of our readers that at 10am pacific time the following mass email has been sent out to Seattle season ticket holders:

	Before we can wave the scarves and sing the songs and wear the kit and protest the yellow cards and win the MLS Cup... Seattle's Major League Soccer Team needs a name. Vote online March 27 - 31 at MLSinSeattle.com.

We can now guess the three choices that will be offered in 7 days. We suspect that Sounders will not be on the ballot.

UPDATE: 12 Noon Pacific

We now have official confirmation of our long percolating, multiple rumors that Sounders would NOT be one of the choices and that the voters would vote on the three choices we discovered earlier, which apparently will be unveiled next Tuesday, while you the Rumors loyalists got the skinny today. We trust our sources.

"MLS Seattle Takes Lead with Democracy in Sports"

KIRKLAND, WASH. — Soccer fans are invited to vote for the name of the new Major League Soccer team in Seattle, the club announced today.

Fans will be able to vote online beginning on Thursday, March 27 at 12:01 a.m. (PT) and conclude on Monday, March 31 at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Fans can register their vote at www.mlsinseattle.com.

The three naming options will be announced Tuesday, March 25, and were chosen through fan focus groups, internal committees and fan suggestions, but will not include Sounders.

“I have great respect for the Sounders and the club’s history,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “While we should celebrate the past, we believe the MLS Seattle team should be about where we are headed tomorrow and help position the club globally.”

Fans will be allowed one vote per unique email address. MLS Seattle season ticket deposit holders will receive the same number of votes as deposits purchased.

“The names which will be announced next Tuesday include one traditional soccer name, while the other two are representative of the inclusive relationship we want to build with our fans with an emphasis on democracy in sports,” said Vulcan Sports & Entertainment President Tod Leiweke. “The final vote rests with our fans.”

MLS Seattle has hired Votenet™ Solutions, Inc. to provide a secure online voting system and Deloitte & Touche to recount the results. The winning name will be revealed via live web cast on Monday, April 7 at 11:00 a.m. (PT) at www.mlsinseattle.com.

SIDEBAR: We are tenacious when we get wind of a rumor, we will pursue it to the end, we do check it out, we do seek multiple sources and we do care what we put out there. That all goes into how we assign it a rating. If it is a flimsy rumor we will give it an appropriate rating.

When this blog was only run by one person that was not always the case. When we relaunched the blog in late December we made a commitment to improve quality of the rumors we put out there.

That said, we are always looking for more help. If you would like to become a regular contributor to this blog feel free to write us at mlsrumors@gmail.com