Meet the longshots

Confused by all these names that keep popping up in the Sounders practice reports? I'm here to help. Seattle has brought in many young players with hopes of impressing a coach and maybe, just maybe, playing their way onto the team. Almost all of these guys are names you've never heard of, so here's a brief summary of those players.

Jeff Clark – A forward from tiny Concordia College, he played in the NAIA against Sounder draft pick and blog friend Jared Karkas. For whatever it’s worth, he’s Concordia’s all time leader in points, goals and assists. Has shown reasonably well in camp, might have a shot at a developmental slot.

Ryan Pore – A 25 year old striker. Was last seen on the Kansas City Wizards, where he racked up a staggering 3 goals in 58 appearances. An actual quote from a KC fan – “How in the hell does this washout make this much money?” Wizards fans were happy to see him waived this offseason. Probably camp filler.

Lamar Neagle – A reasonably skilled forward from UNLV. Don’t see much of a chance for him to make the Sounders… right away. However, he is local, a Federal Way native. It’s quite possible that he could be signed by Seattle and loaned to the new pro team in Kitsap, or just play there anyways. Keep an eye on him.

Quavas Kirk – Left winger formerly from DC United. He entered the league at just 16, and while gifted with raw talent, saw his development stall. He is just 20, and could be one of those guys who just needs the right coach to click – or maybe not. Still, he has the highest upside out of anyone in this group. With Khano Smith probably being traded to New York, Kirk becomes intriguing. His age means he could potentially be on the developmental roster.

Ryan Caugherty – A Korean-American midfielder who has played in Denmark, Hungary, Romania and Sweden. Mostly in the second or third divisions. Also has played in USL-2 on a couple different stints. He has good size, but I’m thinking he’s a journeyman for a reason.

Emerald George – Midfielder from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Hands down the best name of the bunch. Has actually started for his national team on multiple occasions, but to be fair, they have a population of about 120k people. I like what I’ve heard of him, but his international status means he probably doesn’t have a prayer. Hope he does well though.

Fernando Screpis – Journeyman 29 year old Argentine central midfielder. I think he plays more of a d-mid. Has been all around Europe, most recently being cut by Scottish club Hearts. Can’t see how he makes the squad.

Mamadou Danso – A big (6’2”, 190) central defender, also from an NAIA school – Southern Polytechnic. He played forward for his school and was ranked highly in the nation in all offensive categories. However, defense is his more natural position. Was a sophomore last year. His nickname is ‘Futty’ for some reason. He could have some potential, maybe a chance at a developmental slot.

Kyle Schmid – A young defender. He’s Sigi Schmid’s son. I think that goes a ways towards explaining why he’s in camp.