He soon hungered to own an MLS franchise and arranged a meeting with Joe Roth, the former chairman of Disney Studios who was majority owner of the soon-to-be-launched Sounders.
It was August 2007, and Carey arrived at the introductory lunch with a heavily bandaged left wrist, the result of a prop going haywire that morning during taping of "The Price Is Right." Roth wanted to take him to a hospital. Carey was focused on soccer.
"Joe, forget the wrist, I want to own part of the team," Carey recalls saying. "But, oh, by the way, there are two conditions."
Condition No. 1: A marching band. Carey was in his high school's band and wanted to re-create that experience. Condition No. 2: Involve fans in a way no other team in America had. Carey trotted out prominent European examples: soccer juggernauts Barcelona and Real Madrid. Both hold elections to fill the singularly powerful role of team president. A pricey bond must be secured to seek the office, but anyone can run. Candidates campaign, often promising to sign the best players, and season ticket holders vote.
Roth remembers squirming, and Carey pressing for compromise. Reserve the right to hire the general manager, the comedian said. But every four years let the fans vote on whether the GM should stay. If there's enough anger, fans can call for a no-confidence vote once a year.
"The fans can do your dirty work for you," Carey argued.
Roth was sold, and Carey was in. The team has the band, of course, and all it takes to oust the GM is a majority vote by the 22,000 season ticket holders and fans who pay $125 to join a booster group.
Carey, 51, won't divulge his ownership stake other than to say it's large enough to get his voice heard but not large enough to have a final say. Most important to him, his vision is becoming real. Even better, it dovetails with Roth's.
Roth figured Seattle -- wired, progressive, smarting from the loss of the NBA's SuperSonics -- would embrace his team much as it did the original Sounders in the 1970s.
There are grander plans to create an academy here to house Sounders developmental squads for teens to help scoop up great athletes before they turn to basketball or football. Think LeBron James, striker.
"The future looks really bright. Right now, so does the present," says Greg Roth, a Sounders supporter and no relation to the owner. Roth was elected by fans to a seat on the team's council -- eight members so far -- that operates as a liaison between fans and owners.
