Sounders Contract Thoughts
I have done a few variations of this over the years, but with the main season over for the Sounders, and we're heading into the post season it seems like a good time to look at the roster and begin prognosticating on who stays, who goes, etc.
According to Transfermarkt these are the players who's contracts expire this year. This is a friendly reminder I don't know anything. This is all my gut reactions and thoughts. I fully expect to be laughably wrong in areas and for folks smarter than me to highlight that.
Keep to Sell
- Obed Vargas - No surprise here. Rumors are already circulating of European teams interested in him. My expectation is the Sounders exercise the contract option and then sell him for his chance overseas. I'll miss the wunderkind, but he deserves the chance to compete with the best of the best.
Keep
- Ryan Kent - Signed as a replacement for Paul Arriola heading into the Club World Cup we saw some flashes with him, but between injuries and lack of reliable level of play, I vote we give him another season to try and get into the MLS swing of things.
- Paul Rothrock - Paul, if we let him go, will land somewhere in MLS and likely as a deserved starter. I think he is a crucial piece of our depth and I would happily up his pay to have him in the rotation.
- Osaze de Rosario - He had a good season and has shown sparks of brilliance. Keep him learning with Jordan and Preki and others.
Keep (for the right price)
- Stefan Frei - This one really hurts. I love Stef. I hope he goes on to coach and replay Tommy Dutra for the club. I think he could do really well at that. But also, he's getting up there and he's letting more goals in than we'd like. Add to that that our backup keeper has never been stronger and it's time to see about formally passing the torch.
- Nouhou - There are die hard fans of Nouhou. I have been one of them. But his play has wavered enough that I no longer think he is unquestionably the best in position. I could see us keeping him or letting him go, depending on where contract negotiations land.
- Yeimar - Once one of the undisputed best CBs in the league. His age and injuries are catching up with him. I'd welcome having him stick around for another year in rotation, but I think it will depend on the contract.
- Danny Musovski - No one had this season on their predictions for Moose. I'd like to keep him. But also suspect that he may want to find a role with a larger paycheck and guaranteed starts with another MLS club.
- Kalani Kossa-Rienzi - A product of our development pipeline, he's had some good looks but not enough to merit reliable playing time except in times of need. I could see us keeping him on a low contract but as soon as we're bidding against another team I'd say we should let him go.
- Jon Bell - One of the two depth CBs up for renewal this year. I wouldn't be against keeping him for the right price.
- Kim Kee-Hee - Same as with Jon Bell. Let's make a deal.
- Leo Burney - Another club signing from the Tacoma club to bolster our roster. I imagine we exercise the option and give him more time to play, but we'll see.
Farewell
- Joau Paulo - This one hurts. He rose to be one of my favorite Sounders ever. But time comes for us all. I would love to see him move into another role with the club, whether coaching or working in the youth academy.
- Jacob Castro - Our third string keeper. One of the ancillary roles on the club. He's not had any real chances with the first club and we should always strive for a potential backup keeper to be league ready and, as far as I know, he isn't.
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Interesting to see the amount of returning minutes by team. Portland and Sounders near the top makes sense.
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Interesting to see the amount of returning minutes by team. Portland and Sounders near the top makes sense.
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The Sounders Need New Blood
On paper, the Sounders roster should unquestionably be among the best in the league. And we remain near the top of the West entirely thanks to strong defense where we steal points by maintaining clean sheets. But we have struggled for multiple months now to score goals.
Craig Waibel, the GM for the club, has made it sound like he's not actively searching for a new player. I'm sure some of that is business and not wanting to give potential negotiations leverage. But it is also very likely that we do not make any signings in the summer and the club decides to ride this roster through the season, for better or worse.
I am squarely situated in the opinion that it will be for worse.
We can't score goals.
Should we be able to? Absolutely.
Can we? Absolutely not.
The Sounders need a new offensive player to shake things up. Otherwise I may as well stop watching the rest of this season because we're just going to float downwards before crashing out of the post season.
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Inside the deal that brought Messi to Miami
Fascinating stuff. The sort of deal which business people dream of. As much as I am going to hate to him making Miami a good team, I'm excited for what he is going to do to the league.
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Messi will play for Inter Miami
It's been rumored before, certainly will make things interesting to have a player of his caliber in MLS. I only hope to see him next year as the Sounders are not scheduled to play Miami again this year.
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I find a certain amount of irony that I apparently had to use Windows to redeem my MLS Pass on Apple TV+. I tried to do in Linux and I kept getting an authentication error.
Also, when are they going to release an AppleTV+ app for Android? I'm going to be very frustrated not being able to watch matches on my phone.
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European Soccer is back!
Today is nearly a national holiday for me. As the Premier League and Bundesliga start a new season. I am able to watch soccer almost without stop today between European soccer and the US. Allow me to give you my overall game scheudle:
- 4:30a: Fulham vs. Liverpool (EPL, Peacock+) - The only game on when I wake up, but Liverpool are my second Premier League team because I really like their coach, Jurgen Klopp. He used to coach my German team, Dortmund.
- 7:00a: Tottenham Hotspurs vs. Southampton (EPL, Peacock+) - The Spurs are my Premier League team of choice. They captured me when Clint Dempsey (American soccer legend) played for them. And I've been an ardent fan ever since.
- 9:30a: Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga, ABC) - My German club starts their season. They've lost their star striker in the off season and I'll be curious to see what quality they have.
- 12:00p: Atlanta United vs. Seattle Sounders (MLS, ABC) - My MLS club is away at my hometown. Atlanta's coach is also an Ex-Sounders coach, and the two have immense respect for each other.
- 3:00p: Aval vs. Corinthians (Brasileirão, Paramount+) - A Brazilian soccer game sneaks into the queue due to a hole in the schedule. Corinthians are one of the storied clubs of Brazil so I need to check them out.
- 4:00p: Charlotte vs. Chicago Fire (MLS, ESPN+) - MLS at this point will basically be on TV the rest of the night.
- 6:00p: Colorado Rapids vs. Minnesota United (MLS, ESPN+)
- 7:30p: Portland Timbers vs. FC Dallas (MLS, ESPN+)
And during all of these, the odds of my multiscreening is high, I might throw a second game on the laptop or maybe set my phone up. The multiscreening will grow more intense over the coming weeks as the rest of the European leagues start their seasons.
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MLS inks a deal with AppleTV+ for broadcast rights
This article is from the focus of being a Sounders fan, but the deal looks to be very interesting. I think it's very interesting as far as partnerships. MLS definitely trends towards an audience that are somewhat better off financially, so I think it makes a lot of sense for Apple to lean into them for having a better overlap and a willingness to pay for the coverage.
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My 2019 MLS Predictions
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
Trying to predict the future is a loser's game. - Ken Liu
You know the beauty of playing a loser's game? One that's rigged and no one expects you to get right? Like, predicting the end of an MLS season?
If I'm wrong, well, of course I was. But... if I end up being right, then I look like a genius. It's why TV talking heads love to make predictions. But, unlike them, I'm just a random fan not some professional analyst. So, I've got nothing to lose. Let's do it!
MLS Cup Winner
LAFC - They joined the league last year and ended up getting to 3rd in the West. Based on the start of this season, how Carlos Vela looks, I think they are going to win it all - even over my Seattle Sounders.
Supporter's Shield
Seattle Sounders FC - Look. I might just be swallowed up in the hope and excitement of an undefeated start to our season, but the Sounders look truly scary offensively and once the defense solidifies in the post Ozzie era, the team could set a new league record for points.
US Open Cup
DC United - Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta are something to behold this year and I have a feeling DC United will find themselves sitting atop the Lamar Hunt Open Cup.
Cascadia Cup
Seattle Sounders FC - I mean... look at the league standings. I might feel different next week after Seattle heads up to Vancouver, but for now, this seems obvious.
MVP
Carlos Vela - I have always been a Carlos Vela fan. His arrival in the MLS has been very exciting and what I have seen thus far this season he is the key to LAFC this season. If he continues to excel, so shall the team. But I worry if he fails, so will the team. And that has the makings of an MVP season.
Comeback Player
Jordan Morris - 3 goals already this season, looking fast and threatening on the wing. He had a disappointing sophomore slump and then a year long recovery from an injury which has ended countless careers. Let's see how the season ends, but I don't think this is a hard sell.
Golden Boot
Wayne Rooney - Rumors float of Acosta being highly wanted in Europe, if he leaves then DC United will lean on Rooney even more. The Manchester United legend has shown his class and his ability, I won't be shocked if he makes his mark this season.
Defender of the Year
Graham Zusi - This one is tough and honestly of all of these wild guesses, I feel least confident about this one. But Aaron Long won it last year. Chad has won it three times and if the Sounders are as dominant in awards as I think they will be this year, I think Chad might be overlooked again unless he is truly dominant.
Keeper of the Year
Stefan Frei - Zack Steffen won it last year despite Frei deserving it in nearly every category of statistics for goalkeeping, sure he had a good season but... Frei was better. The league screwed up and Frei has reached the point where he just doesn't care about the award anymore. And that's bad news for the league because he is going to stand on his head this season purely for himself and for the team.
Coach of the Year
Alan Koch - Cincinnati have come out and competed better than I think anyone expected. At this point, so long as they finish upper middle table or better, I think Koch gets this.
Tweet of the Year
I think this goes to the one and only Clint Dempsey with his early entry to the competition:
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Can the Sounders go 10-0?
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
The Sounders are 3-0 and Schmetzer wants to go 10-0 to start the season, is it possible? Let's talk about it.
Pictured: 1998 LA Galaxy team photo. Featuring Cobi Jones and Greg Vanney to name a few.
In terms of MLS history, the record winning streak is 15 by the LA Galaxy in 1998. Now, you can't really take that as a comparable achievement to modern day MLS. Because in 1998 there were no draws in MLS. Every game ended in a win or a loss thanks to the shootout rules they used to employ. In "modern day" the record holder is... well this is awkward, the Seattle Sounders right now, with 8 consecutive wins since September 29, 2018.
Starting this season 10-0 would put us at 15 consecutive wins which would be an unheard of feat in the MLS (though, not elsewhere in the world.) It would be a record likely to stand for years to come. Can the Sounders invent doing it in the modern MLS era?
Cincinnati, Colorado and Chicago down. 3-0 so far this season. Let's look at the schedule coming up.
March 30 - At Vancouver
Historically the Sounders lead the series in Vancouver. The Whitecaps have only won when Seattle comes to town 3 times. The last time being back in 2017 when they won 2-1 (I was at that game, sadly.) Vancouver does not look good right now, they have to figure out their team. They, along with the Sounders, have next week off to try and right the ship. Can they be prepared for the Sounders offense? I don't think so. 4-0.
April 6 - Vs. Real Salt Lake
RSL just got thrashed 5-0 by DC United after having two players sent off. Mike Petke is at the helm of a struggling club and he has to figure out how to turn them around. Historically, Seattle does very well vs. RSL at home. They lead the series 8-2-3, though the last time RSL came to visit Saucedo gave them their win on a beautiful volley. This loss was in the midst of our dark period of last season when everyone, including Will Bruin, was out injured. Regardless, in current forms, I am confident that Seattle will win this. 5-0.
April 10 - At Colorado
A midweek game on the road. Colorado will be looking for revenge after they lost to us in Seattle. Winning on the road is hard in MLS so every away game is going to be tough, but I just don't see Tim Howard and the Colorado defense being able to withstand the Sounders offense again. And don't forget the confidence the team will be playing with if they have begun the season 5-0, they are going to be hungry for goals. I think this is a win, and puts us up to 6-0.
April 13 - Vs. Toronto FC
Third game in 8 days, with a jaunt to Colorado in the middle. The team is going to be tired. They are going to have to stand up to their arch rivals, the zombified corpse of the greatest MLS team ever. It's honestly the first game of the season I am truly concerned about. Toronto are undefeated in MLS games and Toronto loves beating Seattle, and Toronto won't have had a midweek game. So, we'll see, but this is where I think our streak comes to an end. 6-1.
April 21 - At LAFC
Thankfully the team has a week off to rest and recover, otherwise this game could be ugly. LAFC scare me. Carlos Vela scares me. Bob Bradley is one of the keenest tactical minds in US soccer, he scares me. I will be thrilled to leave this game with a draw. 6-1-1.
April 24 - Vs. San Jose
Almeyda is trying to fix a broken club but we are on short rest and depending how brutal the game in LAFC is we might rest starters and give San Jose a window of opportunity against us. That said, as long as two of our four attackers play, and the defense stays intact, I predict Seattle wins. 7-1-1.
April 28 - Vs. LAFC
As if facing them as part of a 3-game week wasn't enough, we get to face them twice in a week and they don't have a third game in the middle. This one could be rough, but I trust the home field advantage to carry us through. 8-1-1.
So, that's it. The schedule just doesn't play in our favor to make the 10-0 dream a real possibility. Should we try for it? Absolutely. If we try for 10-0 and fail, but doing so starts us even close to it, getting 25 of 30 points, that will be truly remarkable and put us on track to win the Supporter's Shield this season.
But who knows, maybe we can get to 10-0.
World Record for Win Streaks
As a brief digression, I went looking for club win streak records. I was curious how would our theoretical 15 game win streak compare to other leagues in the world?
Turns out the longest winning streak ever is held by the Czech team, AC Sparta Prague. From 1920-1923 they won 51 games in a row. 51 games in a row is an unbelievable feat and speaks to the era of imbalance in the Czech league. Not even Bayern Munich has managed that.
But, to be fair, Bayern did get 19 consecutive wins during a 53 game unbeaten streak, 46 wins and 7 draws, back in 2013-2014. Oh Bayern.
A sixteen game win streak for the Sounders would tie us with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and AS Monaco, who each managed an equal win streak. I would note that the Sounders doing it would be even more impressive given the comparative parity of the MLS to La Liga and Ligue 1.
As I said above, I think it is a lofty goal that is unlikely to happen for the Sounders. Could it happen? Absolutely. I can't wait to see.
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Seattle Extinguish Fire 4-2
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
This week Brian Schmetzer let out that he is eyeing a very high bar for the start of this season: Starting this season with a 10-0 run. It certainly would be something amazing if the Sounders managed to do it. And Saturday in Chicago was another step on that path, matching their best start ever from their first MLS season, 2009.
While the match ended with a 4-2 Sounders win, it could easily have ended 7-6. Lots of dangerous shots for both sides with both goalkeepers playing well. Ousted had a few notable saves and Frei had two which actually made me say 'wow.'
I could focus on the delightful goals the Sounders scored but I'll be honest. It was our defense which held my attention this game. Chicago had 25 shots during the game, 12 of them on target. The Sounders defense had a few poor moments and looked relatively porous. As surgical and threatening as the Sounders look on the ball offensively, and as easy as it is to feel we are impervious and unbeatable... watching this game makes me nervous for April when we travel to LAFC. How does this team do when faced with a powerfully offensive team? Can we hold them back? Can we out race them? I don't know.
That defensive nervousness was my core takeaway from the game. Seattle has an offensive package unlike anything we've ever had before. Scoring ten goals in the first three games is excellent. We have two players tied at 3 goals (Ruidiaz and Morris), competing for the golden boot in the league. I mean, the Sounders are very scary offensively. We can score from anywhere by any of our offensive players.
But other teams have to be looking at us and zeroing in on our defensive weakness; the chink in our armor. That is what would keep me up this week were I on the coaching staff for the Sounders. How do we strengthen our defenses?
I think every player on our defense had a few concerning plays against Chicago, but the one I noticed most was Svensson seemed a bit off. Even when we shifted to five in the back we didn't end up looking more defensively solid.
In the 72nd minute, Schmetzer pulled Lodeiro off and subbed on Panamanian center back, Roman Torres. This was a clear sign that we were settling in to defend our lead 3-1, as we shifted to a 5-3-2 or 5-4-1 structure. I don't hate the strategy, we have three of the best CBs in the league. But it is not as convincing a tactic as I would hope. We looked just as vulnerable and perhaps more confused when the transition took place. It was twelve minutes later when Fabian Herbers managed to get on the loose ball in the box and bring Chicago up trail 2-3. Suddenly we had to be scared Chicago might find the third goal.
And look, I'm not saying anything the team doesn't already know. Schmetzer himself in his postgame interview called out Frei's big performance because "they could have scored a few more." I trust in the coaching staff to look at the replay footage and figure out who messed up and how. And I expect the next two weeks will be a lot of defensive drills, and further tinkering with the five in the back.
Don't let all this defense focus make you feel bad about our win. We are 3-0 so far in the season. We have a goal differential of +7. We have scored with five different players so far this season. We are having a hell of a start to the season and the Sounders are showing everyone who we are.
The Good
- Rodriguez is a man on a mission. He has been tagged as a DP by the club and he wants to show us all what he is capable of when fully healthy.
- Lodeiro looked great and was all over the field. He had a fortuitous bounce from his penalty kick, but a goal is a goal.
- Morris continues to be goal dangerous, and he scored one which could be voted as goal of the week.
- Raul Ruidiaz didn't have a lot of time on the ball, but that's not a bad thing. He continues to keep defenders occupied and help maneuver formations to expose them. Combine that with his current goal scoring streak and he's doing great.
- Brad Smith looked strong offensively, pairing excellently with Rodriguez.
- Stefan Frei says the Keeper of the Year award doesn't matter to him, and that's a reasonable response to not getting it last year. But I contend that him not getting it last year has left him more determined to be undeniably great this season.
The Bad
- Our two CDMs, Gustav Svensson and Cristian Roldan didn't look like themselves, they seemed sluggish and off.
- Roman Torres didn't look great when he subbed on.
- Bastian Schweinsteiger didn't have a good game.
- Chicago Fire attendance was depressingly abysmal.
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On Seattle versus Portland
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
Credit to Mike Donovan for his research, turning up two iconic news clippings. Reported in the Oregonian on Nov. 29, 1907 is the first mention he could find of Seattle and Portland facing off in soccer.
Here's the Seattle newspaper reporting on the same match, thanks to Frank MacDonald for sharing.
The second clipping Mike turned up this clipping which is the first match between the two rivals played in Multnomah Stadium (which is what we know today as Providence Park) from March 1929.
While those go much further back, it's 1975 which we regard as the modern era of the Seattle vs. Portland rivalry. It was won by Seattle thanks to a Jimmy Gabriel penalty. Here's the newspaper reporting on it as shared by Frank MacDonald on Twitter.
This rivalry truly is something special here in the US, but don't take my word for it. Here's Eli Mengem, host of Copa90's Derby Days series, sharing his thoughts and experience as he experiences Seattle at Portland a few years ago.
In preparation of today's match, the Sounders produced this video featuring the narration of ex-Sounder DeAndre Yedlin. It gives me goosebumps every time I watch it.
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Let's Talk About the Sounders
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
The Sounders have started this season off under the looming specter of injuries, a bit of bad luck and repeated poor decision making by players who should definitely know better. There are fans who are going to be mounting a #GarthOut or a #SchmetzerOut campaign. I'm not going to be doing that yet, and to explain why. Let's dive in on what's been going on this season thus far.
First off, it's important to note, with few exceptions - the Sounders are terrible in March.
As Frank says, who knows why this is. Out of a possible 84 points in March, the team has only taken 32 during their MLS history. Not good. In fact, this isn't even our first time starting the season 0-3, something we did as recently as 2016. A season which ended rather well for us, you might recall.
This season feels especially maddening as we went into the offseason having our asses handed to us in the painful MLS cup. And now, with mostly the same squad, we sit at the bottom of the west. How did we go from making the MLS Cup to struggling to finish a goal? We built our plan around this being a comeback season for Jordan Morris, who suffered a season ending injury right out of the gate. Our plans in disarray and our lack of depth up top suddenly highly problematic.
As we learned in our drubbing of a defeat in Toronto, we reached the MLS cup last season largely thanks to the comparative weakness of the western conference. And now we're faced with looking at a depleted, and aging, roster.
Garth spoke in vague terms of his plans recently. That they are looking for immediate reinforcements and looking to sign a new DP in the summer transfer window. This feels maddening to many fans because they ask "Why aren't we signing a DP now?" or "Why haven't we already signed the new DP?" And the answer is, because business. Garth is exceptional as a GM because he does a great job finding greater value in the signings we make. Signing a player isn't as simple as picking up a bottle of milk at the corner store. It requires much more than that.
This, of course, is of little consolation to Sounders fans facing our 0-3 start while we see the LA Galaxy finally deliver on the long rumored Zlatan signing. That, combined with his performance off the bench this weekend, has left many of us with intense DP jealousy. Fans should keep in mind that signing had been rumored for literally years. It wasn't something which just suddenly happened. It took the LA Galaxy, Man. United, and most of all Zlatan - deciding to make it happen together.
Soccer is a business mostly about the future, and less about the now. Signings are not temporary patches needed for one moment or one game - they are investments which have to continue to deliver for seasons to come while not upsetting the mixture already existing in the locker room. As much as we want Garth to open the wallet, that isn't how a successful team does things.
The good news is that even without a DP-caliber signing until Summer, the Sounders do have the pieces to make progress and turn around from this depressing start. Injuries heal, meaning we'll soon see Ozzie and Victor, return to the lineup. And it is best for all of us if the team takes the time in bringing these players back - it is emphatically incorrect game theory to rush these guys back as we struggle now as compared to if it was the end of the season. Now is the safest time for us to struggle while we let our squad heal and be 100% ready to come back.
So with the squad being what it is and changes waiting to be seen, the other major thing to discuss is the decision making.
Three Sounders matches. Three red cards. Three poor decisions by Tony Alfaro, Clint Dempsey, Kelvin Leerdam. Three losses. Two of these players are leaders of the team, experienced players who have zero excuses for the brash decision which led to their individual red card.
I'm always highly critical of when a Sounders player gets a stupid red card. It is among the worst things they can do in my eyes. And Schmetzer spoke to it last night after the game. I think Sounders at Heart slightly overstates it with the headline of "Brian Schmetzer issues violent conduct ultimatum" but Schmetz's meaning was clear: It's something that has to stop. The team motto he's perpetuated since taking the helm of the club, "Next man forward" loses something when they are forced to replace a team member due to poor decision making rather than injury.
The truth is you can't frame a solid argument against the refs and these red cards. There is a small case for Dempsey, but the reality is while players are playing the other team they are also responsible for existing in the box the referee draws. It's one of the reasons Ozzie is so good as a physical player, he finds the lines with the ref and stays on them in terms of his physicality.
It is infuriating to see rules unevenly applied across the league. Referees are individuals and not a perfect system, but we've seen our players tapped on the face without a red card issued, or seeing Lodeiro repeatedly tossed and tripped and sent sprawling as the most fouled player in the league last season - with only a few yellow cards to show for it. We can't blame the 0-3 start on the refs, but it is fair to say they haven't done us any favors along the way thus far.
So with all of this said, should fans be demanding change in leadership? Or simply clamoring for some sort of change?
Garth has acknowledged we need help. It is now a question to see what deal he and the office staff can deliver. They are looking for a DP caliber signing in the summer, and I think it is safe to say that if we have another DP signing fall through (as we did last season) that I, and many others, will be immensely frustrated and disappointed. But until that happens, I trust in Garth and his system.
I honestly don't have a major problem with how Schmetz has coached this season. I've agreed with almost all of his line ups and subs given the players available to him. If he can settle the squad and stop this rash of red cards then I believe the team will turn around.
Lastly is the players. Cristian Roldan spoke last night after the game taking ownership on the players for the loss that they just aren't delivering despite not feeling significantly outplayed. Lodeiro said “We need to train harder, we need to practice better. We’ve been in situations like this before, and we know what we need to actually do to get out of this. We’re going to do it.” Our squad has talent and should not be sitting at the bottom of the west, but here we are. The players at the end of the day have to score goals and no one else is able to make that happen.
The good news, I believe change is coming on all the axes relevant to this discussion. It might take time and it might be that we limp into July and the summer transfer window, but I believe we'll notch a win soon and then we will build on that as players begin returning to our roster.
Remember: It's always darkest before the dawn... or something similarly motivational as we sit at 0-3. Hang in there fans.
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The Sounders Offseason Thus Far
This post was originally published on my soccer blog at FirstTou.ch, it is being preserved here as I shut that site down.
Ever since Garth Lagerway joined the Sounders organization, it has been standard business for the team to enjoy fairly quiet offseason transfer windows. We've made it a habit to sign DPs during the Summer, taking advantage of MLS salary rules and to boost the squad for the final push into the playoffs.
So it isn't anything new for Sounders fans to be sitting where we are, itching for transfer news and watching as other teams make big signings.
Thus far the changes are largely the routine business of contracts running out, and a few other changes due to the oddities of the MLS system.
Joevin Jones departed, traveling to Germany to start the next step in his career. I wish him all the best, on this big opportunity. I'll be eagerly following his career.
LAFC picked the Sounders backup keeper Tyler Miller as their first pick of the Expansion Draft. This move wasn't on any pundits' radar, though after hearing Lagerway talk it seemed that the team was expecting it.
I will be very curious to see if Miller ends up starting for them, not because I don't think he can - but because I am not sure how the team will shape up. Miller has been an admirable backup for Stefan Frei, stepping in on the rare occasion Frei has had to miss a game, and for US Open matches. And I fully expected him to take over as our starting keeper whenever Frei hung up his gloves. Miller's been a wonderful backup for the Sounders and I'm sure he will do admirably in LA whether it's as the starter or as the second stringer.
One of the reasons this came as such a surprise to the team was that as part of the team's business, we had also had the contract with our third string keeper, Bryan Meredith, expire during this offseason. So with Miller's exit the fans were suddenly looking at an organization with just one keeper. The team took action and re-signed Meredith to the squad. Whether he advances to second string or if a new signing takes on that role is still to be seen.
This offseason we had two free-agents for the Sounders: Seattle local Lamar Neagle and the legend Brad Evans.
Lamar has had a yo-yo relationship with the Sounders having joined and departed the organization three times now. Will he return for a fourth? We'll see how the contract talks go. My guess is yes, but that relies on other teams not being willing to offer him more. If he joins the Sounders it will be on a contract at the low end of the spectrum I imagine.
Brad Evans joined the Sounders in 2009, after two seasons with the Columbus Crew. He took on a role with the club which often saw him wearing the captain's armband until injury began sidelining him. Some, including myself, thought this would be his last season on the pitch as he struggled to make the Sounders' eighteen even when healthy. But Evans made a statement that he would look to play next season, no matter what team it was that he played for. As a free agent in the league, we will have to see what club picks him up and where he lands - but I don't think we'll see him in rave green again.
The most notable addition this offseason is Waylon Francis, a Costa Rican national. Previously with the Columbus Crew, Francis helps add to our wingback depth with the departure of Jones. Francis is likely to play a depth role, with Nouhou starting as the Sounders' left back.
Considering that we paid Columbus the same amount as we were compensated when LAFC picked up Miller, it looks like excellent business.
Garth had the following to say about the addition of Francis:
Waylon bolsters our already talented group of outside backs, and his effectiveness in MLS over the past four seasons is well known. Adding an All-Star level player to our current roster with this type of experience is invaluable, especially with Waylon’s familiarity with CONCACAF play in advance of our Champions League campaign in February.
And Reddit user /u/Ptuchinho19 said this on the signing:
LOVE Waylon. I believe he was injured, but felt he shoulda started for us. Quick, aggressive, amazing workrate/stamina, although he does lack in ball control/first touch. His ability to get forward and deliver crosses was huge [in] Greggs system
The only real rumor attached with the Sounders right now is that the club might be adding a new coach to the club. Preki, a Yugoslavian footballer, who made his name as a legend of American indoor soccer, including five years with the Tacoma Stars, before finishing his career with the MLS's Kansas City Wizards in 2005. Since then he's been a fulltime coach with stints with Chivas USA, Toronto FC (before they were good) as well as USL sides Sacramento Republic and St. Louis FC.
If he does join the Sounders organization to work with Brian Schmetzer, the expectation is that it would be to fill the hole left by the departure of Striker coach Ante Razov.
Without any solid rumors to speculate on, Sounders fans can only sit and wait. Though it is notable that Paul Tenorio says he has a rumor he's working to confirm, will it pan out? Only time will tell.
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