Where's the defense?

In 2008 the Sounders were in the USL and were unquestionably a very average team. Their record of 10 wins, 10 losses and 10 ties is pretty damning proof. Their strength was on offense, specifically with Sebastian Le Toux. However, as a team they were in the bottom half of almost every category defensively. And their defensive performance would have been much worse had it not been for Chris Eylander, who deservedly earned his spot on the Sounders FC. The local keeper turned in a season that was nothing short of heroic - 119 saves, the runaway league leader. But to still allow so many goals (36 in 30 games) means that the back line had some serious issues in USL.

Which makes it all the more strange that they are seemingly being counted on to play a major part on the Sounders FC in the much more difficult MLS.

That might be overstating things, but the defense is a huge question right now, and the USL Sounders should not be the answer. Taylor Graham, Danny Jackson and Zack Scott are the three former Sounders who are all getting consideration, with Graham having actually signed a contract. Graham was the most solid of the bunch in USL, but he's had two equally unsuccessful stints in MLS. (In fact, his name is a joke among fans of one of his former teams.) Jackson has played a grand total of 1 game in MLS and is on the downside of his career. And while I like Scott, he was noticably inconsistant even in USL. To think he can adequately make the jump up a league is a bit of an enormous stretch.

Although there are of course other defenders in camp, they only improve the picture marginally. James Riley is the only sure-fire starter of the bunch. Tyson Wahl has started in MLS at Kansas City, but only for 1 year and that was only after regular starter Nick Garcia left. Aside from that, there's Patrick Ianni, a 3rd to 4th string player with the Dynamo, and Nate Sturgis, who's been so hurt that he's missed 70% of the last two seasons. And then there are the college draft picks, but if you're counting on a second and/or third round draft pick to contribute, you're in trouble.

Wahl---Ianni---Sturgis---Riley

That's probably our back four as of right now. That's not a good defense. That's downright Galaxyesque. I might as well write

We---Need---More---Players

At least one more major signing is necessary for this team to be anything close to decent. A center back would be fantastic, or even an outside back to let Wahl play in the middle, his more natural position. And it lets somebody, Sturgis probably, come off of the bench and give us more quality depth. Everything looks a whole lot rosier if we get one more defensive signing. Let's make it happen.

Chelsea coming, Montero’s here, and more

On the first day in Sounders FC history (well, the first practice, that is) I had to write something, but so much has happened over the last 24 hours you will get it in bullet-point format.

- England superclub Chelsea FC are coming to Seattle to play in a friendly! No, really. The tentative date is July 18, and apparently all Sounders season ticket holders already have tickets, with this being one of the 3 bonus games.

- You’ll think I’m kidding, but I’ve heard quite a few whispers about another superclub setting up a Seattle showdown. Try Barcelona.

- USL defender Taylor Graham has signed with the Sounders FC. He’s kicked around MLS a little bit before, and might be able to find a spot as a backup central defender.

- Freddy Montero was in Seattle for practice! The star Columbian forward hasn’t worked out a deal with Seattle yet, and all sorts of rumors are flying around about whether he is going to play in Spain or stay stateside. The international transfer window closes at the end of the month, so we’ll know about his future in 10 days or so.

- In addition to Montero, there is at least one more international signing in the works. Could it be one of the Aussies I’ve noted in the past, Diego Walsh or Tarek Elrich? Their season ends down under on Sunday…

- Last but not least, there is an MLS team in Seattle. The wait is officially over.

New year, new teams

While the Sounders are joining MLS in 2009, they will leave Seattle without an entry in the minor-leagues of USL. Or so we thought. Recently the USL website has listed a mysterious 'Seattle' club under the new PDL clubs for 2009. (PDL is about the third division of USL, and the fourth tier of American soccer.)

I have very good reason to believe that we will be seeing this team announced soon, likely within the next week. I am also fairly certain that this team will be affiliated with the Sounders FC in some way, probably as their U-23 team. I do not know that last part for a fact, but it seems likely. A U-23 team would be a great step forward in the player development department. Such a team would probably play an 8 to 10 game season at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.

Whether this mystery team is essentially a Sounders youth squad or not, it will mean more soccer in Seattle, and that can only be good. It's a nice way to start off what should be a fabulous 2009.

A Schmetzer Christmas for all

Longtime fans of the USL Sounders recieved a double early Christmas present at the start of this week. The first was a bit of a slip by new coach Sigi Schmid, with him mentioning that Chris Eylander would be playing understudy keeper to Kasey Keller. Eylander, both a Sounders fan favorite and one of the teams best players, had been considered a must-sign. If all goes well, he should be ready to take over between the pipes in two or three years time.

The second gift, however, was even better. USL Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer was given an assistant coach spot in the new Sounders regime. He led the Sounders to two USL titles, which nicely parallels the two Schmid has won in MLS. He also was the man many USL Sounders supporters strongly wanted for the Sounders FC head coaching job, but this way makes more sense. He needs to learn the ins and outs of MLS, an extremely complex and unusual league. Plus, as I suggested earlier, Schmetzer will immediatly become the heir to the Sounders FC coaching throne, should Schmid leave in two years or five.

So the longtime fans have been duly rewarded. Could any other former USL Sounders make the jump up - Taylor Graham? Kevin Sakuda? Kenji Treschuk? With only 10 roster spots left, and five probably tabbed for young prospects, the chances are slim. I'll take a look at that on Monday. Until then, happy holidays, and may you all recieve something rave green.

*CHRISTMAS EDIT* Holy crap do the new jerseys look awesome in real life

The Sounders FC roster breakdown

18 spots on the senior roster
3 players signed: Kasey Keller (GK), Sebastien Le Toux (F/M), Sanna Nyassi (M)
10 picks incoming from the expansion draft
3-4 USL Sounders being called up
3-4 international signings (roughly)
1-2 college players from MLS SuperDraft

As you can see, there are probably going to be more players incoming than there are spots. So some trades are going to have to happen. In reality, probably only about 7 of the expansion draft picks will actually be Sounders - the others will traded elsewhere for future draft picks, allocation money, or something like that. So take 7 players from there and add the 3 signed already. For the USL players, Chris Eylander (GK) and Taylor Graham (D) are almost locks, and probably either Kenji Treschuk (M) or Josh Gardner (M) gets called up as well. So that's a total of 13. Add the top draft pick for 14, and there's 4 spots left for international signings to create the worldly team the Sounders want so much. Over the next 6 months, the roster dealings should turn out pretty close to this.

Speed and the international game

Seattle MLS has huge ambitions, including becoming well known and successful both domestically and internationally. And with the CONCACAF Champions League in full swing, that got me thinking about how we can accomplish some of those goals.

And so here’s something that I’m just beginning to realize about MLS. We are not a fast league. We have a distinct lack of players with great pace. It has only just become apparent to me from watching some of these international games, where Chivas, New England and others are simply being outrun. Just this evening, Maraton of Honduras clearly outplayed DC primarily because of their speed, and this just shouldn’t be happening. I’m beginning to think this is why random little speedsters can come into MLS and be major players for their clubs. Take just this year, for example – Danleigh Borman* of New York was a supplemental draft pick, and Boise (er, Boyzee) Khumalo came up to DC from a USL2 club. Both of them have been sparkplugs, and Khumalo’s been the best player on the pitch for DC in the CONCACAF games I’ve seen them play.

Anyways, the point is that if Seattle is going to be a competitive club in international play**, we’ll have to be able to deal with speedy little guys better than these other teams have. I don’t want to see the Sounders lose 4-0 to Joe Public FC. Ever. And I don’t think Mr. Hanauer, Mr. Roth or Mr. Carey would, either. Having a few burners, as well as outside defenders capable of dealing with pacey players, is something I think’ll be necessary to prevent that.

*Speaking of which, he should be available in the expansion draft. He’d be a great guy to bring off the bench in the 75th minute…

**Speaking of which, I'm digging the idea of the Sounders entered the Pan-Pacific Championship. It’s meaningless, but if we entered next year I think it’d be a great way for Seattle to get media attention right away, as well as a first test against international competition and a chance for the new team to gel prior to the MLS season starting. I mentioned this to Adrian Hanauer, who replied "...Pan Pacific is out of our hands. This is a tournament run by Soccer United Marketing. Actually, it is not yet clear which teams will be participating in the next tournament." So while the Sounders can't actively pursue a spot, they could still be invited. We'll have to wait and see.

What to learn from San Jose

The USL incarnation of the Sounders is preparing for a friendly against the San Jose Earthquakes tomorrow, and many storylines are evident. It is the last road game until the playoffs, the first in 3 years against their former NASL brethren, and a compelling match against the hottest team in MLS.

Yes, expansion club San Jose is on fire right now, and in the wild Western Conference, they have as good a shot as anyone (except for the team in orange) to make the playoffs. Led by mid-season pickups of Arturo Alvarez and Darren Huckerby, the Quakes have gone unbeaten in their last 7 games. It's likely that neither of these two players will see the field in their match against the Sounders - which will be more interesting for the stories off the pitch than the action on it. But that doesn't change the fact that the Quakes have been doing something right recently. And if they can do it this year, so can Seattle next year.

The question, obviously, is what that is. During their current run of good form, the Quakes have been statistically most impressive on the defensive end, with just 6 goals given up in the last 10 games. But none of the changes San Jose has made recently have been on defense! They're basically sticking with the same back 4, led by Nick Garcia. So let's look to the keeper, the reliable Joe Cannon. He has performed admirably this year, with just a 1.18 Goals Against Average (3rd best in MLS) and with 8 shutouts (2nd best). But over his last 9 games (he didn't play in 1 of the last 10) he's been nothing short of amazing. He's faced 40 shots on frame, and has allowed but 6 goals. Over this stretch, 85% of the time when a shot is put on the Earthquakes goal, Joe Cannon has been on hand to keep it out.

In a fiercely competitive league, having a consistent (Cannon's played in every MLS match) and quality (1.18 GAA!) keeper can make the difference between being in the playoffs or watching them from the couch. The Sounders have theirs for next year in Kasey Keller, and they hopefully have theirs for the future in Chris Eylander, whose cat-quick reflexes are reminiscent of a certain MLS goalie. Eylander will hope to come from the USL into MLS as a backup before getting his chance at starting a couple years later... just like Cannon did.

If the Sounders FC wish to succeed in MLS, they will need a quality man between the pipes. Although Eylander has all the tools to be great, that often doesn't translate into MLS success (see Wells, Zach and Cronin, Steve). Tomorrow night, in an otherwise meaningless game for both sides, Chris Eylander will face off against the goalie he should aspire to be, and that Sounders fans hope he can become.

A huge three days ahead [Edit: KELLER OFFICIAL!]

To summarize briefly, here's what you should be excited about from now until Thursday in Seattle Soccer-land...

The Sounders take on Charleston on the road for a spot in the US Open Cup final today at 4:30. No USL team has made the final in the last 9 years, and one of these two sides will advance to play either New England or DC United. And should the Sounders win, they will host the final in the biggest soccer game in franchise history. Don't miss this one - it's on live right here.

Then on Thursday, head on down to Qwest Field for a major announcement - the signing of the second player in Sounders FC. With this event coming right before the European transfer window closes for the summer, the player is probably from a team overseas... oh, who are we kidding. It's Kasey Keller. In any event, the signing is at 2:00 and if you aren't stuck working like I am, you should check it out. [LATE EDIT: the PI confirms what we already knew, Kasey Keller will be signed Thursday!!!]

If that's not enough, early tomorrow morning the USA men take on Nigeria, needing but a tie to advance to the knockout stages of the Olympics. Set your DVR's.

Kicking it with Ciaran O'Brien

This coming Tuesday the Sounders will face the Charleston Battery on the road in a US Open Cup semifinal. A win, and the final will be played against either New England or DC United - in Seattle. Ciaran O'Brien, on loan to Seattle from the Colorado Rapids, will be a key player in this matchup. I talked with him today about MLS and his temporary return to the Sounders, his hometown team - as well as the team of his brother, Leighton.

Ness: I know you played in the US Open cup qualifiying rounds with Colorado… does that mean you’re cup-tied for Tuesday’s US Open Cup game?
Ciaran: No, because the game I played in with Colorado was a play-in game, so that doesn’t count.

N: Have you had a chance to pick up anything from (Colorado teammate and perennial MLS all-star) Christian Gomez?
C: I definitely have, his creativity and what he does on the ball is unlike anyone in MLS, so he’s a guy you can learn from. You try and watch and imitate what he does because he’s so good on the ball.

N: In your brief time as a pro, what’s the difference you've seen between MLS and USL, in talent?
C: There’s not a big difference at all. The biggest is obviously signing players like Beckham and Blanco. Apart from the big-name players there’s not really a drop. I think for Seattle there’ll be a good transition from USL into MLS, they won’t have a tough time adjusting because they’ve had the open cup matches.

N: Say you have the designated player slot for Seattle or Colorado, doesn’t matter. Who’s the one player in the world you’d want to play alongside?
C: Ooh. Tough question. Any player in the world?
N: Any player, regardless of contract.
C: I’m going to have to come back to that one.

N: I don’t know if you can answer this honestly but right now, at full health, who’s better, you or Leighton?
C: Leighton. He’s got more experience, he’s sharper on the ball so right now, he’s better.

N: I’m sure you’ve watched the Sounders a lot in the past… what’s it like to play for your hometown team?
C: It’s unbelievable. I grew up with Leighton and the Sounders from 2002, 2001 season is when I kinda started hanging around, and then 2002 they had that great year. From then on, I was at the games, warming up with the subs... It didn’t hit me in the Puerto Rico game, but it did at Portland that I was playing and not just sitting on the bench and watching. It was a great feeling, and it’s a great fit for me and the team. Against Portland the last game down there, it was great, playing against them in front of 12 thousand people. It fires you up as much as it fires them up.

N: Last one. It’s a softball question, or a spot-kick I guess, to be sport-appropriate. Best part about playing in Seattle?
C: Being in my hometown around all the guys, and just playing for the team, combination of those two, is great.

N: Any thoughts on the question we skipped over?
C: I’m going to go with Gerrard because I don’t want to say Ronaldo.

Big ups to Ciaran for chatting with me, and the best of luck to him and the Sounders in the Cup.

Sounders add players for 2008, maybe 2009

Forward Kevin Forrest, in an interview with this blog in January:
"I love Seattle and playing here would be amazing. For now I have to keep my options open and take opportunities as they come, but if I end up playing here I couldn't be happier."

Well, Kevin Forrest has now achieved maximum happiness. The local UW product has just signed with the USL Seattle Sounders for the remainder of the 2008 season to aid the injury-depleted roster, and perhaps take a crack at making the MLS team in 2009. In addition, the Sounders have acquired Federal Way native Ciaran O'Brien on loan from the Colorado Rapids. O'Brien is an attacking midfielder who was picked 5th overall in the MLS draft this year.

Could either of them realistically end up in Seattle in 2009? If so, then the Sounders will have to do some dealing with Colorado (they also own Forrest's MLS rights for next year). The Rapids will be hard-pressed to deal O'Brien, as they probably won't want to give away their top draft pick after just 1 year and very little playing time for the main club. They'll value him higher than the price the Sounders would be willing to pay. Forrest is a different matter; they would probably trade his rights for next to nothing. If he impresses, he will likely end up in Sounders blue and green next year.

Which Sounders will make the cut?

Sebastien Le Toux is the lone USL Sounder who is going up to the MLS club next year. So far. A few more will be signed at the least, and maybe as many as 8 to 10 will make the jump. So since we're more than halfway through the USL season, and the Sounders are coming off of 2 games against MLS clubs, lets take a look at those who might earn 'promotion' next year.

Lock
Chris Eylander, GK: He's just way too good not to sign. Last year's league leader in saves and wins, Eylander has shown that 2007 was no fluke, as he turned in a sparkling performance against Kansas City in the Open Cup quarterfinals and has not given up a goal in the tournament. Also, he's 24. Backup keeper at worst, upper-tier starter at best. In fact, I'd bet good money that he's the next signing SSFC will make.

Good Chance
Kenji Treschuk, MF: Kenji has become an integral part of the Sounders midfield and almost certainly deserves a chance to earn a starting role in MLS. At 25, he's relatively young as well.

Zach Scott, DF: My friend made an interesting comment after Tuesday's game. "I was watching (Scott) all game... he didn't lose a single challenge and only got beaten once." A bit of hyperbole, perhaps, but Scott's impressive play against Chivas and KC as well as his solid USL performance probably has earned him a contract with the Sounders in MLS.

It's possible
Taylor Graham, DF
Kevin Sakuda, MF
Josh Gardner, MF
Roger Levesque, F
Michael Rodriguez, DF

Hard to get a read on the rest, as I don't really know what the target number for call-ups is. At this point, I'd say Graham and Gardner are in, Levesque sadly probably doesn't get called up due to his age, and Rodriguez and Sakuda are on the bubble. Rodriguez, in particular, is an interesting case because he hasn't spent much time with the Sounders in USL. His play over the next 2 months will determine his future in MLS with Seattle. Think he'll be motivated?

The curious case of Ryan Johnson

Last night against Houston, San Jose had arguably their best game of the season, a gritty 2-1 win over their new rivals. I've written about their lack of forward production, but they got two goals yesterday and created many dangerous chances. This is mostly because of one key lineup change - 23 year old Jamaican utilityman Ryan Johnson started at forward and proceeded to use his size and speed to bother the Houston defense all night. Although he had been quite effective as a reserve in previous games this season, this was his breakout game and it probably won him a place in the starting 11 until further notice. His stock appears to be rising rapidly. 

So why is this relevant up here in Seattle? Well, what most people may not know is just how close Johnson came to being a Sounder this year in USL. According to Adrian Hanauer about a month ago, "Ryan Johnson was on his way to Seattle for a trial... literally itinerary arranged... and Frank Yallop called him and got him to SJ. Unfortunately, the MLS clubs have more pull when it comes to a young talented player like that. He was definitely on our radar though." With Seattle currently needing help at forward as well, this becomes even more of an unfortunate missed opportunity. It also shows just how great of a difference there is between the USL and MLS, at least in the perception of most players - Johnson was happy to ditch the USL champs at the drop of a hat to go to an MLS expansion team.

Ryan Johnson is a player that I (and probably Hanauer) have been hoping to pick up in next years expansion draft. So while his breakout game is a good sign of the natural talent we saw in him, it obviously may make him that much more valuable to San Jose, and maybe valuable enough to protect him and not allow him to be drafted by Seattle after this season. Even if we can't pick him up, he's the type of player we should be targeting for 2009 - young, talented (if somewhat raw) and with lots of upside. 

Le Toux official and other related things

Thanks to David at Goal Seattle we learned that Sebastien Le Toux is the first Sounders FC signee sometime last month. Well, apparently word just got around to the newspapers, because it wasn't officially announced until yesterday. (No idea on the contract information, but we'd guess 80k to 100k a year for 3 or 4 years). While that is no new information, there are a few things to be learned from this announcement.

- The internet is your friend, as far as breaking news goes. We had the official team name figured out ahead of time and Goal Seattle had the Le Toux thing way ahead of time. And it's not just us. As we get further into the internet age, bloggers are being able to get information about any number of subjects much faster than newspapers and get it online immediately, while a print paper may take a week or more to get a story printed. It is and will continue to be a big shift in the way the public gets their information.

-To complete this signing, SSFC signed Le Toux, then immediately loaned him to the USL Sounders for the remainder of this season. Huh.

- Here's USL Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, via the Indirect Kick blog. "We’ve developed him on the USL level. Now he’s made the jump to Seattle Sounders FC. We hope to do that with six, eight, 10 of (the USL Sounders) and hopefully we can have a good nucleus of the team for ’09." All we're going to say about that is if they seriously think 8 or 10 guys can go from the USL to MLS, the 2009 season is going to be a very painful one to watch. For some perspective: Le Toux, last seasons USL MVP, only wound up on the Sounders after he was cut from FC Dallas. Let's hope this quote from Schmetzer is just motivational and not an insight into the strategy of SSFC.

There is a team in the city already...

Somewhat lost in the announcement of the team name and badge, as well as the various superstar rumors, is the fact that the current iteration of the Seattle Sounders have just begun their season and their attempt to defend their USL title. Not surprising, really, since the first game (played last Saturday afternoon) was in relative obscurity, across the country in Charleston, SC. Compare that to the season opener for this year's MLS expansion club - the San Jose Earthquakes opened in LA in a primetime Thursday night game!

The Sounders managed to get a point in a 1-1 draw thanks to a late goal from Kenji Treschuk, one of many hopefuls to make the big club in 2009. But the focus this year will undoubtedly not be on results, but on developing for next year. Pretty much every regular starter has a chance of playing for Seattle Sounders FC, with some more likely than others (and with striker Sebastien Le Toux basically a lock already.) Names to keep tabs on (in our humble opinion) are midfielders Treschuk and Kevin Sakuda, defenders Zack Scott and Taylor Graham, keeper Chris Eylander, and a handful of others. We'll be watching them closely, and you should too.

Of Montreal

Seattle isn't the only team from the USL that will be effectively promoted into Major League Soccer in the near future. The Montreal Impact, 2-time USL champions, are looking to move up.When? That's up in the air. Maybe as soon as 2009 or as late as 2012. MLS hasn't officially announced anything... yet, but we'd be highly surprised if they passed on Montreal. Cause they have all the parts in place.

Rich ownership? Check - Joey Saputo (Impact chairman) is teaming up with George Gillett, the part-owner of Liverpool FC. Good market? Check - Montreal, a large and unique city, would be Quebec's team and would certainly develop a crackling rivalry with Toronto FC. 

And stadium? Yeah, check. Check it out below. The brand-new Stade Saputo holds 13500 people and can be expanded easily to 17000 (potentially more). Not bad, eh?

Hungry for MLS? Here's some appetizers

Here's a quick rundown of the potential big friendly matches that may be coming to Qwest Field this summer.

-Mexico vs. China, international friendly: This would be an intriguing match between two seemingly unlikely opponents. Rumored to be April 16.
Probability: Fairly low. The supposed gameday isn't on a FIFA international date... and why would Mexico want a friendly in Seattle, anyways? (EDIT - we fail, this is happening. You should go! April 16!)

-US mens national team, World Cup qualifiers: One of three probable, hugely important matches could be held at Qwest, which would, being geographically far from the likely opponents, provide a great home-field advantage.
Probability: Moderate. Seattle is one of seven cities and there are just three games to go around. Having never before hosted a qualifier could come to our advantage.

-Seattle Sounders vs. KC Wizards, friendly: Seattle played at KC last year, and now it's our turn to host them. A win (albeit a meaningless one) here is very possible.
Probability: Moderate. The front office is still working on finding a suitable date for both clubs. If they can't work it out, the match will be played in 2009 instead.

-LA Galaxy vs. AEK Athens, friendly: Another odd pairing, this would pit David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Ruud 'Sexy Football' Gullit against... a bunch of Greek guys. Rumored to be May 26, though that could change.
Probability: Fairly high. While the rumored date might present a scheduling conflict for the Galaxy, they take every opportunity to play friendlies/make money off of Beckham. Something will probably get worked out.

Huskies to MLS, Cougars to KFC

File this away for later - two senior forwards from the University of Washington, Ely Allen and Kevin Forrest, are invited to the 2008 MLS player combine taking place next week. Around 60 top prospects primarily from the US have been invited, and all of them have a future playing professional soccer.

Allen, from Kent, racked up 26 goals and 12 assists in his UW career. Forrest, who is from Edmonds and is (in our possibly incorrect opinion) the more talented of the two, was injured for much of the 2007 season. He had 34 goals and 6 assists in his career.

Both have a good chance of going in the draft, and if not, either or both of them could find themselves wanted by the USL Sounders, in preparation for the big show of Seattle MLS. The club will be offensive-minded, and these are two excellent offensive players. Remember these names.

(If you're reading this and you're a WSU graduate who actually works at KFC, well, it could be worse. At least you didn't go to Eastern.)

Sounders 2008 home games to be played in Siberia

Tukwila, Siberia, same thing. If you want to see local pro soccer next year, be prepared to drive.

The Seattle Tukwila Sounders will play their home games at 2,000 seat Starfire Sports Complex.

The team played some home games there last year, including the USL final where they stomped Atlanta, 4-0. It's a cool place and all, but... seriously, it's tiny, and it's going to limit the amount of people who will catch a game next season. Imagine the Mariners moving to Everett
Memorial Stadium.

The only way this makes sense is to make people forget about the Sounders, so when the MLS team rolls into town in 2009, those people will be like "OMG we have soccer now!" But even that doesn't really make sense. Hey, we tried.

For those hardcore enough to still want tickets, or the lucky few living in that area, season tickets will be on sale November 27 November 30 sometime before the season begins, and should be a bargain at less than $200.

We'll be waiting for a friendly match of some sort to come to Qwest, thanks.